Right-Hand Magic (A Novel Of Golgotham #1) by Nancy A. Collins
Urban Fantasy
December 7, 2010
Paperback, 304 Pages
Roc

Reviewed by Tori

Favorite Quote: “If I hadn’t known he was a were-cougar, my only thought upon seeing him was that he was in desperate need of a brow wax…”

When Timothea Alda Talmadge Eresby aka Tate needs more space in order to create her sculptures she finds a deal to good to be true. The problem? It’s located in Golgotham. A magical section of New York, Golgotham is home to all supernatural creatures. Tate takes a chance and arranges to see the apartment for rent. There she meets the landlord-super sexy Hexe. A true blood Kymeran, Hexe is a witch and a healer who wants to build his own reputation by practicing only right hand magic (clean magic). As Tate is drawn deeper into Hexe’s world, they are dragged into supernatural fight that will take everything they have to survive.

Nancy Collins’ Right-Hand Magic is the first in a series a delightful Paranormal Fantasy who’s strength lies in its world building. Golgotham is a fascinatingly rich world set in New York City. Rather like an adult version of Diagon’s Alley from the Harry Potter books, we are shown an elaborate set up featuring cab driving Centaurs, wise cracking pixies, and bar owning leprechauns. We follow Tate as she is introduced to all the sights the city has to offer and I found myself enchanted with this city within a city.

The story reads smoothly but the plot and characters are weak. They didn’t evolve much beyond the introductions. More background was needed.

Tate and Hexe are astonishing alike in that they are from wealthy families, last in line, and are doing jobs their families don’t approve of. When they first meet, you get a young adult feeling from the inner monologue that Tate gives us. When she is thinking about Hexe – He’s good looking. He’s hunky. As they spend more time together, the more YA it gets (on Tate’s side) when she is discussing him with two friends and the conversation revolves around kissing and, “You think he likes me? Really likes me?” The inevitable romance between Hexe and Tate is slow and sweet as it evolves through the entire book-only becoming verbally apparent at the end.

One concern I have is the innate differences between Tate and Hexe. She is human and therefore weak in Golgotham. In paranormal romance, the hero and heroine may not be equal but they can each hold their own. We don’t see Tate holding her own beyond a mental level. But her heart is in the right place and no matter what, she will do anything for her friends. I am very curious to see how Ms. Collins equates these two characters.

The plot was interesting and some areas were fast paced with action while others dragged causing a breakdown in the presentation of the events. Scenes could have exploded off the page were weighed down by repetitive dialog and actions. Again, Tate’s humanity works against her here. Not a lot of conflict or angst and sometimes I felt like I was reading a synopsis of the book. The dialogue is humorous at times and dry others. As I said earlier, there is a young adult feel to it that doesn’t quite fit in the general make up of the story.

All in all, while the characters and arc left me feeling a bit ambiguous, the city of Golgotham is significantly fascinating enough to sell me on reading the next one in the series-Left-Hand Magic-which is set to release next year sometime.

Rating: C

Recent Reviews:
All Things Urban Fantasy – 3/5
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