Review: Deductions by Lyn Gala

Title: Deductions (Aberrant Magic: Book One)

Author: Lyn Gala

Publisher: Loose Id

Length: 206 Pages

Category: Multicultural, Paranormal, Suspense, Urban Fantasy

At a Glance: This book embodies everything I love about Lyn Gala’s work: excellent world building, likeable characters, and a compelling storyline.

Reviewed By: Cassie

Blurb: Darren is proud of his work on the FBI’s magical Talent unit. However, his own lack of magic means he can never be with Supervisory Special Agent and Shaman Kavon Boucher. The shamanic magic poses a real danger to any mundane who gets too close, so Darren tries to hide his attraction and keep a professional relationship at work. That resolve begins to crumble when a new man sets his sights on Kavon and Darren can’t control his resentment.

Now they have a brutal new case of a suspect targeting magical adepts. Darren tries to keep focused on that crime, but when he starts to show signs of his own magic, he hopes that maybe he can not only be a more effective part of the team but also a real partner to Kavon. He might have a second chance at love if only Kavon can learn to trust his new and unpredictable magic that has changed the rules of the magical game.

Review: As usual, Lyn Gala drops you into the deep end of her new world. One of the things I like best about this author is the intricate and deeply fascinating universes she puts together. They’re detailed, HUGE, and almost always take old ideas and give them new and interesting life. You always get pushed in head first, and while you do end up with enough information to follow along, she’s not holding your hand or force feeding you exposition. You have to keep up.

Deductions takes place in an alternate universe of magic users and mundanes. Our main character, Darren, works on the FBI’s Talent Unit as the only mundane. Or so everyone thinks, including Darren. He’s had serious feelings for his boss, Kavon Boucher, pretty much from the word “go,” but because of the way Kavon’s magic works, Darren has been kept at a painful arm’s length. When suddenly he turns out to be not-so-mundane, Darren hopes this could be his chance with tall, dark, and distant Kavon.

Between investigating grisly murders, tensions on the team, romantic yearnings, Darren’s new abilities, and the sudden scrutiny that comes with those abilities, this story has a lot of balls in the air. Get your mind out of the gutter; they’re not those kind of – …okay, there are some of those, too, but that’s not what I meant.

So, the pacing! It is great. Nothing lags, nor do you feel rushed or confused about what’s happening; there’s time for humor. The magic system is interesting (not to mention, frequently amusing), and I can’t wait to learn more about it as Darren’s own magic develops. The secondary characters are well done and fun, and I sincerely hope we’ll see more of them developing as well. Kavon and Darren are sympathetic and likeable. Kavon, especially, is well layered (aka deliciously mysterious), and I hope we’ll continue to delve further into his deep waters in the future books.

NOT THAT KIND OF DELVING. You people are making everything dirty.

That’s right! Future books! This is book one in the Aberrant Magic series, and it does leave you with some questions. BUT, DON’T WORRY! The author has stated on a couple different sites that all three books planned for the series are already written, and the release schedule is pretty rapid. (Aren’t you glad I do your research for you?) So don’t think I’m offering you book-crack only to cut you off from the supply. I would never hurt you like that…without warning you first. But in this case, at least, if you try it and like it, you won’t have to wait long to continue your book buzz.

Now I just need a ton of you to read it so we can talk seriously about what our spirit animals would be. So get on that!

You can buy Deductions here:
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