Burning Magic: A Fascinating Read
Burning Magic by Joshua Khan is the third and final installment in the Shadow Magic trilogy. If you liked the wizardry of Harry Potter, you will love the Shadow Magic trilogy! I had the chance to interview author Joshua Khan and ask some – ahem – “burning questions” about the book and himself as an author. Read on to see which character is his favorite and why this wasn’t even supposed to be a trilogy at all! Thank you Disney publishing for sending me a book for review.
Burning Magic Plot
In this sizzling adventure, Lily the sorcerer queen and Thorn the giant-bat-whisperer journey to the Sultanate of Fire to help their friend K’leef in a no-holds-barred contest for the throne.
When Lily, aka the “witch queen” and bat-rider extraordinaire Thorn travel to Sultanate of Fire, things go terribly wrong. Instead of celebrating a reunion with their old friend K’leef, they are thrust into royal murder, an epic quest, and a deadly battle for the throne.
While investigating the murder, Lily learns shocking truths about her life that could destroy all she has achieved. Yet, among the ruins of her old life, she has the opportunity to become someone greater . . . and more terrifying.
Thorn and the magnificent bat, Hades, join the timid K’leef and the idiotic Gabriel Solar in a quest to find a phoenix. These fire birds are the key to saving the sultanate, but they nest within the Shardlands. The boys must defeat not only the monsters of that magical wilderness, but also rivals eager to claim the throne for themselves. Rivals that include a renegade from House Shadow.
Author Joshua Khan Dishes About The Book
Joshua Khan was born in Britain and lives in London. Read more about this book series on his website. I asked him questions about the book and his experience as an author. You’ll never guess what he said!
How is this book different from the first 2 in the series?
The location, big time! The first two books explored Gehenna, the kingdom of darkness, in all its spooky, macabre glory. BURNING MAGIC is set in the Sultanate of Fire and the Shardlands, the ruins of the kingdoms of the ancient sorcerers. I wanted to end the trilogy by taking my heroes out of their familiar surroundings, and explore some of the big secrets of their world.
When you write a trilogy, do you have an outline of the entire storyline for all three books already organized or do you write every book individually?
I didn’t write a trilogy. I had a two book deal, and only found out it would become a trilogy when the second book had already been written! The arc is the characters grow and develop over the books, so there was a sense of the finite, but you should be able to dip in them in any order. That said, it works better if you read them SHADOW MAGIC, DREAM MAGIC then BURNING MAGIC.
If you could pick a favorite character from this series, who would it be and why?
Gabriel, the arrogant, irritating and pompous fool of a prince who is, yet, still very tragic. He was the most fun to write, since you could be so outrageous.
What was the first magical story you fell in love with as a kid?
The Hobbit. It was read to me at school when I was about seven. Still my most favourite story of all time.
What is one message you hope young readers glean from the Shadow Magic books?
The fuel for magic is imagination. Use your imagination as much as possible. You will achieve remarkable things.
What is your favorite thing about writing books?
The beginning. The middle. The end. All of it!
How do you come up with names for the characters in your books?
Each nation has a theme, like each real culture. Thorn comes from the forest kingdom of Herne’s Forest, so his dad is called Vyne, his mom Blossom, and so on. Lily’s family are all named after demons and devils. Lily is really Lilith, the Hebrew term for ‘mother of monsters’.
How did you first figure out you wanted to be a novelist?
When I was about 36. I worked as an engineer, but had been doing (by then) for 15 years and wanted a ragical change. I’d originally planned on becoming a comic book artists but, frankly, I can’t draw well enough! Then I dabbled in screenwriting but found the process tedious. But once I started on a novel, I totally loved it. I was able to go back to it day after day, never bored, always excited. Sure, there are a few dull days, but that’s still how I feel now, almost fourteen years later.
Where to Buy Burning Magic
You can buy Burning Magic anywhere books are sold! Check out Burning Magic on Amazon or any retailer. You’ll love this book! Do you know of any magic loving readers? Send them this post so they can learn more about the books. Have fun reading!
I always find it so fascinating to chat with an author about a book they wrote. Hearing their thoughts, or what they wanted to convey without actually saying it is always so interesting!
I have not read this book yet, but I really think that people like fiction genre works really like it.