Book Review: It Happened One Doomsday by Laurence MacNaughton
A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
It Happened One Doomsday by Laurence MacNaughton
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Book 1 of Dru Jasper
Publisher: Pyr (July 12, 2016)
Length: 280 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
I knew I was going to have fun with this book, but I ended up liking it even more than I expected. I’ve reached the point in my reading where I already have several go-to authors or series I seek out whenever I want my routine Urban Fantasy fix, so for me to jump into a new UF, something has to be unique or special about it to catch my interest. I’m happy to say that It Happened One Doomsday was just that—fresh, original, and extremely entertaining. It’s not every day you come across a magic system based on crystals, minerals and gems, or a version of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse who herald in the end of the world driving fast classic cars.
Our protagonist is also not your typical sorceress. In fact, by her own admission, Dru Jasper is barely a sorceress at all. She knows her own magical potential is weak, but she tells herself she’s fine with that. Most folks in the magical community aren’t the most stable, anyway. All Dru wants now is to be a “normal” person, to settle down with her “normal” successful dentist boyfriend Nate, and start a “normal” life together with him. In the meantime, she’s happy enough supporting other more talented sorcerers with her store, The Crystal Connection, supplying them with powerful potions and magical crystals. Every once in a while, a regular customer will also come in asking for some relaxation incense or crystal healing.
Then one day, a hunky mechanic named Greyson rolls up to her store in a black muscle car and walks in with complaints of nightmares keeping him awake. Right away, Dru feels a connection with him. Just being near him seems to amplify her powers, so that she can achieve more magical healing with her crystals than she’s ever managed before. However, despite Dru’s best efforts, Greyson’s symptoms don’t seem to be getting any better. Her worst fears are confirmed when horns start sprouting from his head and his eyes start glowing red: Greyson is turning into a demon. Turns out, an order called the Harbingers are bent on bringing about doomsday and for some reason Greyson has been targeted to be one of their Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. To stop the end of the world, Dru and her friends must recover an artifact known as the Apocalypse Scroll, but first they’ll have to survive long enough to find a way to reverse Greyson’s terrible transformation.
I had a wonderful time with this fast-paced and entertaining story. Laurence MacNaughton’s writing is very engaging and readable, and he has a great touch with dialogue, especially when it comes to snappy back-and-forth interplay between characters. However, for this review, I want to focus on what I thought were the book’s main standout features.
To start things off, Dru’s use of crystal magic is something I don’t think I’ve ever seen before. The author recently wrote a guest post for The BiblioSanctum which talked about the magic system in It Happened One Doomsday and it is clear he knows a lot about the history and properties of crystals and gems. The main focus of the post was on galena, which Dru uses in the book to fight demons, but there are so many more types of rocks, minerals, and even metals that are featured in this story. Our protagonist’s touch can activate the magical potential in the crystals, which she can then use or channel to so some pretty amazing things. It’s a simple idea, but the possibilities are virtually limitless.
Second, the characters are what makes this book shine. Dru is headstrong and isn’t afraid to step up to do what needs doing, but she’s also far from being the perfect heroine archetype. MacNaughton paints her as something closer to an underdog, someone who doubts her own powers and worth. She’s reluctant to reach for what she really wants, fearing failure and disappointment, so she decides to settle for what she thinks is good enough. Fortunately for Dru, she has good friends who provide her with a daily dose of reality check. Enter Rane, a six-foot-tall Amazonian sorceress who can turn her body into whatever substance she is in contact with, which makes Dru and her extensive inventory of metal and rock jewelry a good ally for her to have. Rane is proof that sometimes you can like a supporting character even more than the main protagonist; I just loved her and her friendship with Dru, and I was happy that she had a big role in this story.
Third, I liked the idea of possessed cars. While I’m not a fan of muscles cars or hot rods, the concept of demons riding them seemed like an apropos, modern-day equivalent of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Greyson’s car, dubbed Hellbringer, was a delight, and much credit goes to MacNaughton for giving an inanimate object such a convincing personality and for making it seem so alive.
The ending ties things up nicely, but also sets the stage for more. Bottom line, even though I’m following way too many urban fantasy series these days, I’ll never say no to entertaining stories and great characters. It Happened One Doomsday definitely sold me, and I know I’ll be waiting on pins and needles until the sequel.
More on The BiblioSanctum
Guest Post: “Creating Crystal Magic” by Laurence MacNaughton
Woot! For liking it more than expected 😀
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It was a wild ride! I hope you’ll enjoy it!
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oh possessed cars? that’s fun! And it’s great to see some good characters like that! I want to try!
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The characters are amazing in this. I loved Dru right away, and her friend Rane is the awesomesauce.
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This sounds really good. I love the idea of possessed cars.
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I was pretty impressed the author was able to give an inanimate object such personality 🙂
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This sounds super refreshing and original – just what I need! I have an eARC, but was a bit hesitant about starting it – your review has totally convinced me to give it a try.
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I thought it was going to be your run-of-the-mill UF before I started, so I was pretty pleased when I read about the crystals and muscle cars 🙂
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When it seems that all of the ideas for UF stories have been explored, here comes an author with a fresh approach! And if you add snappy and fun dialogues, this is indeed the book for me! Sold 😀
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This one had some of the best dialogue I’ve read in a while…very fun 🙂
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Brilliant review as always ! I really enjoyed this too – it was a blast of fresh air.
Lynn 😀
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“A blast of fresh air” – Well put!
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I really liked this one as well. I mentioned in my review that I grew up around muscle cars and really loved how the author incorporated them into this story. I also liked the relationships in the book and like you, I’m really awaiting the next installment.
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I can imagine what a treat this must have been, for someone who knows their muscle cars! Just added the sequel to my watch list the other day, I believe it’s going to be called Last Kiss Before Doomsday.
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Yay! I have a copy of this and will have to keep it in mind next time I want a fun UF. Sounds much better than my most recent attempt at a fun UF.
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It’s very fast, and very fun. I think you’ll breeze right through this!
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