LOVED IT!

That ending though... god I loved it - felt so short, needing more right away! <3

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Another great book in the series

I‘m hooked on reading the series and the audiobook just brings it to life perfectly. The world and character building are spot on and have kept me gripped and wanting to know more. There’s shifters, magi and humans - and a whole lot of prejudice. There’s suspense, excitement and in some places heartbreak. CJ Storm brings the characters and story to life wonderfully (in a different way than reading it myself does) and fits perfectly with the characters for me.

Overall I just loved it!

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Good series

I enjoyed the first book in the series, and so was happy to grab this second one. Again, this story is mostly told through Mads the Magi’s point of view, but we did slip into Cosmo’s when needed. I love the dynamic between the lion shifter and the Magi – and how Mads little crew is being absorbed into the Ono-Nai pride. Sometimes found family is the most powerful thing in the world.

Quickly – the book comes with a trigger warning and that’s appropriate. It contained several graphic and disturbing scenes – especially the scenes of torture. I was uncomfortable, but I got through it. These are violent books – basically, there’s a war going on.

The ending left me very happy and I can’t wait to see where the next book takes me.

Shout out to CJ Storm and his fantastic narration of these books. Truly well done.

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A captivating addition to the series!

CJ Storm made a wonderful job narrating this book 2 in the series and his nice voice and acting skills were perfect for all the emotional parts of the story, balancing them out beautifully with all the heartwarming moments and all the steam. It was a delight witnessing how Cosmo's and Madeo's bond grew and how the life in the pride kept getting more and more interesting for Madeo and Jude. I cried a lot in some parts and there were some moments that broke my heart and some parts that were difficult to read for me and made me really angry, but at the end every tear and stressful moment was worth it. I enjoyed every second of the book and I can't wait for what is next. Loved it so much!

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The Shackles That Hold Us

A great continuation of the series. Well done within a fantastic world. The narrator did a great job.

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Magical

Another magical story by Michele Notaro. Loving the characters and their adventures. Hope the series continues for a long time. CJ Storm did a superb job with the narration.
This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

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Another Winner!

This second book in the Magi Accounts is phenomenal! It's exciting, suspenseful, emotional, joyful, painful, and sometimes downright heart-breaking. The pain and fear that Madeo and Jude suffer when they are temporarily taken back to the Compound for punishment for disobeying the human commander, Anderson. is absolutely terrible, but fortunately something good does come out of it. (Side note: I am hoping to see Anderson meet karma before the series ends. Some people just need to die...slowly and painfully.) I really enjoyed the quieter times in this book, the scenes of domesticity with the pride. I love how they took Madeo, Jude, and Logan in and the intense care they show to the mages and each other. There is more trouble from the witches, and some surprises relating to the veil tears, and I am very eager to see what happens next. Very enjoyable and exciting story.

The narration by CJ Storm is fantastic. He does such a great job giving each character a distinct and different voice that really suits their attributes. Additionally his voicing of the emotional and painful times is spot on, and he really nails Mads' snarky tones.

I received a free copy of this audiobook and am voluntarily leaving this honest review.

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Emotional continuation of this amazing series

*please read trigger warnings*
CJ Storm again provides fantastic narration for these strong characters and intense storyline. There are a couple of hard to listen to scenes but from the first few lines, I was just swept away into the Magi world, pride of the Ono-Nai and the crazy world they fight to live in.
I swear, Michele's world and character building is just incredible. You'd think after The Ellwood and Brinnswick Chronicles series' that it couldn't get better but The Magi Accounts matches them on every level.
The family that has been has come together, even reluctantly with Mads, is heartwarming, fun and fiercely protective of each other. The action scenes are intense, non stop and packed with so much going on. The on going series arc has both the characters and readers trying to figure things out with very little information to go on. Then, the relationships that are building - friendships, familial and romantic - are entertaining, endearing and loving.
Mads is a lot of fun to read as he can be quite the contradiction. Stern, fierce and intense but with growing bonds with the Ono-Nai pride and especially Cosmo, his softer side occasionally peeks out making it all the more worthwhile to see. It's a strange time for them as it's always only ever been him and Jude, his dyad. Then the rescued and basically adopted Logan as their little brother and now he has Cosmo. There's no getting rid of the lion alpha, partly because he's their team leader but also because of the soul bond they now share. They were close before that but now there's a whole other level of sensing what each other is feeling. Events in this book bring them closer through the extreme lows and also the lighter moments they manage to find as a pride.
There are a couple of scenes/chapters that I found quite tough to get through because of the content but it's something that ends up showing the inner strength of Mads and Jude, what Cosmo will do to protect his pride and bonds them all closer together. The lightest moment for me actually came in the final chapter and really brings a smile to the characters and the reader's face.
Overall, this series is insane, crazy good and something I can highly recommend to fans of fantasy/PNR. The final action scene must have been planned out in minute detail for all that goes on and for what it might mean for the group going into the next book. We do have the majority of the book from Mads POV with the occasional chapter from Cosmo but I would be very interested for some or a whole book from Jude's considering progressions made in this book.

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Great addtion to the series

Since this is a series whose content builds on each other, I recommend starting with Volume 1 "The Scars that Bind Us".
I love the world building that author Michele Notaro has created here, as well as the different characters. The writing style is wonderful, easy-going and I was in the story very quickly.
There are several plot lines and a fanastic urban fantasy world with many different creatures. This time the main characters are Mads and Cosmo, both of whom I really liked from the start. Cosmo is very patient, while Mads is breaking down his reticence.
The story left me with a roller coaster of emotions. There are dark moments, in between I could laugh at times and then there are lighter moments. The listener learns more about witch magic this time as the team works to fight the Taragorians and keep the evil away. But that's not so easy.
The story is exciting, action-packed and there is a wonderful romance to take a breather.

I've only known the narrator, C.J. Storm, since this series, but he does an absolutely fantastic job. He has a very pleasant voice, he portrays each character appropriately and convincingly. I am impressed with his performance and it was an absolute pleasure to listen to this audiobook.

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Gripping Story

The Shackles that Hold Us is the second book in The Magi Accounts series, a paranormal series set in a world that closely resembles our world – except with magic and political upheaval. In a world where prejudices run deep and wide, mages have been enslaved by humans and forced to fight in their wars. I adore this series, but it deals with some heavy themes and there is definitely angst and violence. I deeply adore the characters from spunky Mads to his beautiful and fierce lion shifter boyfriend Cosmo. I love the intricacies of the relationships – especially with how Mads is trying to find a new normal with balancing his relationships between Cosmo and Jude. Also, I’m so rooting for Jude to find love – I see it being setup in this book and I can’t wait to see how that plays out later in other books.

This series needs to be read in order, but it is so worth it to start from the very beginning. I love the world building and character growth, and I’m so invested in these characters getting their justice and happy ever endings. I’m also really curious to see how the mysterious witch development plays out.

The audiobook was narrated by CJ Storm who does a wonderful job of voicing all the characters. The performance was gripping and he does a fantastic job of transporting the reader right into the thick of the action. I thought the audiobook production was well done.

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