Mary’s review of Right Hand Magic: A Novel of Golgotham
Like most Manhattanites, aspiring artist Tate can’t resist a good rental deal-even if it’s in the city’s strangest neighborhood, Golgotham, where for centuries werewolves, centaurs, and countless other creatures have roamed the streets.
Her new landlord is a sorcerer name Hexe, who is determined to build his reputation without using dark, left-hand magic. As Tate is drawn into Hexe’s fascinating world, they both find that the right hand does not always know what the left hand is doing-and avoiding darkness is no easy trick…
Tate, “Just call me Tate”, needs a change of scenery after a bad break up and too many noise complaints from her neighbors. She needs something she can afford on the monthly allowance she gets from her trust fund while still purchasing the expensive supplies for her metal-working. So she braves Golgotham and winds up renting a room from hot landlord Hexe. While she feels instant attraction to him, she’s too caught up in learning her way around this odd part of the city and trying to get settled. But there’s something there—a little spark perhaps.
Collins is an absolute expert at building worlds (one of the reasons I was excited about this book), and the world of Golgotham is no exception. I loved the hansom cabs pulled by centaurs, the Irish pub filled with Leprechauns, and the motorcycle club composed of Amazons and Valkyries. The way the magic was used in this world was fascinating: right hand magic was good, “white” magic, left hand magic was bad, “black” magic, and then there were the “jugglers” who used a little of both.
While the world building was amazing, the plot didn’t live up to my expectations. Sure there was an underground animal-shapeshifter fight club; a big, bad mafia boss; and racism on both sides of the Gate that divides New York from Golgotham but it kind of fell flat for me due a combination of little things. For example, the descriptions and action scenes could be a bit repetitive. And the action, which did build to an exciting climax, had several long lulls that could have been spiced up a bit.
The chemistry between Tate and Hexe wasn’t very apparent at the beginning, except for her thinking he was cute. But I liked the way it developed. Many times, in paranormals or fantasies, the hero and heroine have an instant attraction or are soul mates (not that I’m complaining; I like those, too!). In RIGHT HAND MAGIC, however, the chemistry evolved a bit more realistically. She liked him, he did sweet things for her and for others, they talked, they revealed secrets, they kissed. It was nice. Plus, this was the first book in a new series so it really was just the beginning of their relationship. I’m thinking the heat index will turn up in the next books.
While this wasn’t a homerun for me, I will definitely be picking up the other books in the series to see what happens between Tate and Hexe and to see what happens next in Golgotham.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
This book is available from Roc Publishing. You can buy it here or here in e-format.