As I said in the review for Laurie C. Kuna’s Some Practical Magic, these books fell into my hands strictly by chance. I only knew ImaJinn books from certain authors --Saintcrow, Arthur, Sams, and Brown. I regretted that I hadn’t really looked beyond those authors. So after finishing Some Practical Magic, I was more than ready to see if its sequel, That Old Black Magic, displayed the same standard of writing as its predecessor.

It was forty years ago when the witch's Tribunal handed down the punishment that restricted Endora Bast's magic and condemned her to being a familiar. Now that same tribunal needs her to save the entire witch community. But Endora is not so sure that she wants to help after what they did to her.

She is in for a shock when the Tribunal tells her that her mission is to stop her old nemesis, Obsidian Ashmedai, before he regains his full magical powers, and that by doing so, she’ll regain all of her magic and have her record expunged. If she doesn’t defeat Ashmedai, he will become the most powerful witch in the world.

Oh, and she’ll need the help of Marcus Morion, her former lover, who was also punished by the Tribunal for the same transgression Endora made. Endora and Marcus have been separated for forty years. Can they overcome the doubt they feel about a prematurely severed relationship and cooperate for the greater good, or will the passion they once felt for each other interfere with their mission to save the world? Now, without benefit of their full powers, they must defeat Ashmedai because failure will cost them their lives and subject all witchkind to Ashmedai’s evil rule.

That Old Black Magic has that humorous vein running through just as Some Practical Magic did; there were parts where I actually laughed out loud. Though Endora was a charming secondary character, she is even better as a heroine in her own right. Marcus and his two helpers, Mav and Glenna the Pit Bull, add a delightful twist to the plot. So even if you haven't read book one, you can thoroughly enjoy this book. The skill that Ms. Kuna displayed in Some Practical Magic is shown again as she crafts a story that is truly enchanting in That Old Black Magic. She will have you humming the tune “That Old Black Magic” as you turn the last page.

Reviewed By Theresa
© March 2008