Mind Magic

Triad, Book 1

By: Poppy Dennison

Narrated by: Robert G. Davis

Length: 6 hrs

Publisher's Summary

Magical species must never mix. According to the rules, Simon Osborne should ignore the children's cries for help. After all, they're werewolf cubs, and he's an apprentice mage. But for once in his life, Simon breaks the rules and rescues the cubs, saving them from a demon intent on draining them of their magic.

Of course, all actions have consequences, and Simon's bold move earns him the displeasure of his peers and the attention of the cubs' alpha, a man named Gray Townsend.

The last thing Gray needs is a mage in his life, but Simon did save his son. Since Simon is now a friend of the pack, Gray doesn't have much choice about it-or the forbidden attraction that goes along with it. Unfortunately for the alpha, he needs Simon's help to track down the demon behind the kidnappings-before it strikes again. Simon and Gray must join forces to protect the pack, even as they struggle to resist the temptation that threatens to destroy them both.

©2012 Poppy Dennison (P)2013 Dreamspinner Press

WOW! Didn't see that coming...

This was great! Awesome m/m romance... Boy we sure need some of those on Audible...

Love the paranormal aspect too... I was not expecting the level of good writing from this author... I can't wait for Mind and Body Magic to release on Audible... INSTANT DOWNLOAD... I liked this book so much...

I liked all the secondary characters, but Carmack ....Man.. I want to get to his book soo bad... I just know Carmack and Liam got it on...when they went to dispose of the demon...

Hurry up Audible...lets finish this tri-fecta!

Strange Narration and Basic Writing

This is my second time through the series and admittedly I have listened to a good number of top tier books since the first go around. This has definitely reduced my enjoyment of the books in general. So, if this is part of your introduction to the genre you might enjoy this a lot more than if this is your 100-200th book.

The narrator uses a very odd cadence to his narration. There is a lot of lilting upwards inflection in his tones which don’t really make any sense. The perspective is clearly on Simon, but even Simon doesn’t use this tone in his actual dialogue, or at least, not commonly, so this wavy sort of pattern is clearly a narration choice. It’s something truly unique as this is the only narrator I have listened to in over 200 titles that does this. And if definitely is not unique in a good way. It often reminds me of the sort of voice you might use to read to children, adding variety to your tones to keep interest. It does not work for adults.

As for the story at large it is very juvenile in the actual writing. Very “This happened. Then this happened. Then this happened.” There is very little atmosphere overall. The focus is very much on dialogue and characters over scene setting and ambiance. It’s something I got called on early in my university days for a first draft of a prologue, so it’s one of those things that stands out to me a lot. This might be more forgivable if the characters had more depth or the interactions were more interesting. But all aspects of the writing just come off as exceptionally new/young and in need of professional guidance.

The pacing also feels odd to me, but that could simply be due to the lack of setting and any attention really given to the characters. With everything being so surface level the story lacks anything truly memorable. It’s hard to tell how much time has passed, though the whole thing seems to take place within 72 hours with how often they mention Simon’s upcoming 25th birthday. But I swear at one point Simon said he’d been involved with the wolves for weeks, but that one could have just been “a week” and the narrator was doing a weird inflection at the time so it sounded odd.

For more specifics, and spoilers, even though it’s stated that fated mates don’t exist in this world, the characters sure act like it does. Without more in depth looks at how the characters are feeling and addressing their attractions, it just comes off as shallow. They fall into “bed” extremely quickly which is questionable on a lot of levels. But because it’s so cliche and surface level just saying they don’t have fated mates is a bit of a joke. All their actions and attractions are exactly what you would see with fated mates, so why bother saying that isn’t how it works? Plenty of books play with the mate thing only being on the side of the shifter, or that fated mates exist but it’s rare, so most wolves just have relationships the normal way. Not to mention, regardless of how Gray feels about Simon, he is a father and leader of a pack. His feelings mean little in comparison to his responsibilities and getting involved with Simon so quickly is entirely selfish and irresponsible. Garen’s(?) mother showed more concern for her duties as a mother over her attraction to her mate in one sentence than Gray shows. And that is yet another example of how clearly fated mates are technically being written, even if you want to pretend to be above it and say it doesn’t work like that.

When Simon gets in trouble he has no idea of what his potential punishment might be and yet Gray assumes the worst and would rather take a chance on Simon becoming his mate, even though taking him as his mate would mean that that was it. If anything happened Gray would not be able to take another mate, according to the in-book lore. Again, completely irresponsible when he has a young child and his upbringing and care should be trumping a cute mage. Obviously all of this works out because they are the main pair. But the fact that all of this is just ignored or bypassed with zero consideration does show a lack of understanding of basic relationships on an emotional and mental level. I mean, Simon also assumed Gray was mated to Garen’s mother and that literally never comes up when he and Gray start being a little intimate, or after they are the first time. Screw favorite color and music. Simon pumping the breaks doesn’t make Gray any less stupid. And, to be honest, Simon mostly feels like he’s pumping the breaks because he needs some inner turmoil for plot conflict. Not that he really deals with any of it.

I like Cormac, though that might be more the idea of Cormac combined with vague memories of his relationship in book 3. There is nothing actually elevated in the writing when it comes to him. But I did start just wanting him to show up. The narration still makes his dialogue feel super weird, so if you aren’t a fan of the narrator at all early on it really isn’t something you just get used to. If you have the option to read over listening you could see if those reviews make the book come off any better.

Listen to your samples first

I’ll be honest, I only got through 15 minutes of this, I’m not sure how the story actually is, I plan to try reading it normally. The narrator lacked any tonal infliction, it made this book impossible to listen to. I think the story has potential, though I’d take another look at the other reviews for more info on that aspect. I will say the little bit I listened to seemed a bit childishly written. If that’s your cup of tea go for it, but I personally couldn’t get through it.

no chemistry between the mains

It started off really well I thought! But the romance itself ended up feeling forced.

It’s ok

This was an ok book, but it left on a bit of a cliffhanger. This is disappointing. I read the blurb for the other books in the series and don’t think I’ll get them. I don’t see how the storyline could be finished without the MCs remaining the same.
The narration was good. Really, I’m more likely to look for more books narrated by this guy than more from this author.
I got this on sale so I’m happy with the purchase.

Another Great Read

What made the experience of listening to Mind Magic the most enjoyable?

I love reading books that deal with werewolves and magic, such as Mind Magic. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

Who was your favorite character and why?

My favorite character would probably be Grey, as he is protective of his family, his 'pack', and the gentlemen who has caught his eye.

What does Robert G. Davis bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

At first, I found Robert's voice a bit ... flat ... but as the book progressed, I was able to put that aside and enjoy the book. He does make the characters interesting.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No, not really, but I was able to smile and enjoy the book.

Any additional comments?

I definitely would recommend the book to anyone who loves to read. Please enjoy!

Enthralling Supernatural Book w Adult Themes

Where does Mind Magic rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

MIND MAGIC by Poppy Dennison places in the top three werewolf themed books I currently own on Audible.com, second only to BLUE MOON CAFE by Rick Reed and COVEN OF WOLVES by yours truly. Initially I was interested in listening to this book because it is voice recorded by the same actor who recorded COVEN OF WOLVES. I'm really glad I did. Poppy has a wonderful way of introducing the book's characters that draws you in just enough to want to know more about them. The longing Simon has for a family is so sweet that you yearn to see him reach his goal. At the same time, the handful of sex scenes are quite graphic so it's definitely not sentimental throughout. The book's use of magic is grounded and not over done. Kudos.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Mind Magic?

The scenes that I remember most are when the Simon character sees a strong family unit with the werewolf pack and longs for something similar in his own life. Those scenes made the character all the more real for me. It was a nice balance to highlight between the supernatural action scenes and the sex.

Which character – as performed by Robert G. Davis – was your favorite?

Mr. Davis' characterization of Gray was my favorite. Robert seamlessly goes between sweet and everyday, to a young child, to cold and sinister, to sexy and gruff. His Gray voice was the latter.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

"LOVE COMES IN ALL FORMS" with a werewolf figure in shadow

Any additional comments?

There should be a disclaimer that this book is for adult audiences due to the several graphic sex scenes included, but that said, the story itself is very engrossing. I definitely recommend it.

The worst book I've ever listened too!

Let me start by saying, if you are at a 12 year old reading level you will love this book! But if you have ever read a decent author, this book it absolute torture/rubbish! Unfortunately once I start a book, I have to know how it ends, so I painfully listened! For starters the author clearly just wrote a phenomenally simple story and did zero research! The characters are brutally stupid, can't see the obvious, and talk like they are children! Single example, in book 3 (as far as I got before I just couldn't take any more of this drivel) you have both an immortal Mage and a Vampire that are "incredibly powerful", yet they have no idea how to cast a simple ward!?!? All these character are explained as incredibly powerful yet they do simple acts and are completely drained!? Then there are the children and the adults interaction, sickeningly sweet, everyone is way too polite, no people act like that. It's enough to make you throw up in your mouth. The narrator is a disaster. He fails to add depth to a shallow pool. His "voice" of the children is "Mr. Rodgers neighborhood drizzled with honey", and the main character whiny and pathetic. But yet in the sex scenes he all of a sudden is a masculine, gruff and over done. Even the sex is bad, not to mention all the character seem to suffer from premature ejaculation. On and on and on, I really cannot say enough of just how horrible these books are. Don't get fooled by these positive reviews, unless of course again, you read at a child's level!

Good start but weakened with details

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Stick with the kids and the people who wanted to use them. The magician who saved them and leave his sex life out of the story. Go after the bad guys. What will the magicians do when they find out that the hero of the story can use all three magics?

What could Poppy Dennison have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Leave sex out of it. This was supposed to be about a rescue and the trouble the young magician would get into with his guild.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Robert G. Davis?

no one else.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment,, it could have been so much better.

Any additional comments?

If you could show that his sex life is critical to the telling of this story then I missed the point of the book. Or on the other hand maybe the story is about his sex life and the kids and bad guys are just fillers. But if that's the case you could leave them out and tell all about the magicians sex life. But you would have to rename the book instead of surprising all of us with this ambush planted in the story.

A really nice bad book

It's hardly possible to honestly say it's a good piece of work, but it was enjoyable and I don't regret purchasing it.
Do not expect it to be anywhere near as good as Dresden Files or Iron Druid Chronicles.
It seems to have been written by someone far too inexperienced. It totally lacks insight and credibility. The plot is predictable and, in general, often appears to be just an excuse to explore very simple fantasies and desires. The romance has no depth to it and the sex scenes (completely unnecessary btw) are flat out embarrassing.
Still, it does capture attention and won't let you get bored. You may also find some of the characters, regardless of how flat they are, quite likeable and it will take you to some really nice, if slightly (polite understatement) naive or cheesy places. Whether we care to admit it or not, it may also appeal to the simple human longings we share. There's love, acceptance, family and magic and it's all good things.

The narrator isn't bad. At least his voice isn't annoying. I do think, however, that his interpretation adds to the issues I've mentioned before. As far as acting and conveying credible emotions is concerned, it's definitely less than you could expect of a pro.

All in all, I would struggle to admit it out loud in public, but I liked it somewhat:)