Lifted by Water - Ebook #3

The 3rd book in the series sees Apiya on another rescue mission. Within the novel Apiya’s questions more on whether she wants to know her true parentage and is that information being withheld from her for a reason.
We also see the development of subterfuge by China to try and exploit the Mayaks powers. We are left wondering where this will go.

More action and further intriguing revelations into Apiya's background and potential powers in this 3rd instalment. The tale had a lot of momentum but I felt it lacked the depth of the earlier books and stopped too soon, leaving a need to read the next book.

I love this Panong! I only wish the books in this series were longer. A charming and fascinating world is built in Panong. Who is Apiya? But really? Different from Ms. Jeanjean’s other books, very captivating as well, but different. I’ve read 4 of the 5, working on 5 right now!

Way too much fun to stop now. I’m buying the next book immediately. I just love being in this world. The creatures and the eccentricities of the magic are enchanting, and the heroine plucky. I hate dumb heroines. Looking forward to a blossoming romance.

Lifted By Water follows on from Bound By Silver, with Apiya procrastinating about tracking down her birth parents… but when she finally does, she finds herself with more questions than answers. Not to mention Mayak are going missing and in the hunt for them, Apiya turns up powers she never knew she had.

I felt this one took a little while to get going, but it picked up in the second half. I really loved the descriptions of the Baku’s powers of illusion. I felt like I was standing on a cliff as well! And the scenes on the dock are intriguing, leaving more to be discovered in the next book.

The wider difficulties of the Mayak “going public” in the Mundane world work really well as a backdrop for Apiya’s more personal adventures. I was getting a bit of an X-Men vibe with some politicians insisting that the Mayak should all be registered for the safety of the Mundanes. Let’s face it, that’s exactly how humanity would react, as is China and the US offering to “help” a much smaller nation with its magical population.

Lifted-by-Water follows on from Bound-by-Silver, with Apiya procrastinating about tracking down her birth parents� but when she finally does, she finds herself with more questions than answers. Not to mention Mayak are going missing and in the hunt for them, Apiya turns up powers she never knew she had.

I felt this one took a little while to get going, but it picked up in the second half. I really loved the descriptions of the Baku�s powers of illusion. I felt like I was standing on a cliff as well! And the scenes on the dock are intriguing, leaving more to be discovered in the next book.

The wider difficulties of the Mayak �going public� in the Mundane world work really well as a backdrop for Apiya�s more personal adventures. I was getting a bit of an X-Men vibe with some politicians insisting that the Mayak should all be registered for the safety of the Mundanes. Let�s face it, that�s exactly how humanity would react, as is China and the US offering to �help� a much smaller nation with its magical population.

I love this series. Like the previous 2 books in the series, Lifted by Water is a short novel. It adds to the story of Apiya’s mission to save the Mayak (fully magical beings) from the humans who continually encroach into their space. Failure is not an option, unless you like war. Complications keep adding depth to the story, as well as enriching the cast of characters and the locale.
In Lifted by Water, Apiya makes her first attempt to find out where/who she came from. As an adopted child, she never before had any desire to find out. But strange things are happening and knowing might be better than not knowing. Of course, Apiya is thwarted on her first attempt to learn more at the orphanage she came from. So….mystery!
Also, in this story, a Mayak shifter, who was one of Apiya’s barbershop customers, goes missing. It becomes yet another mission for Apiya to find him, along with Sarroch, the shifter she saved in Bound by Silver. The relationship between Apiya and Sarroch is undefined and full of potential. She knows more about him than any non-magical person should. The reverse is probably also true.
Tim, the (talking) cat, is still very entertaining and in a scene that made me laugh out loud, proved that is was ultimately just like any mundane cat. Still, Tim remains unflappable. I love his place in each story.
Mr. Sangong, Apiya’s mentor, was missing from most of the book, but showed up at the end to be helpful and unhelpful all at the same time. I have not changed my opinion about him….he is still a suspect in the greater story arc.
Also mostly missing was Chai, Apiya’s friend. He has had his heroic moments in the past, plus he is her confidant. Chai usually adds perspective, humor and friendship. I missed him.
Definitely read these books in order to get the most out of them. But read them. I have no idea where this story is going, which means it is going to be so fun!
Thanks to the author who provided a copy of her book in exchange for my honest review.

As with the other two books of this series, this book was very, very good! The main characters are believable, the plot is easily followed and fun to read, and the ending was most satisfactory. I highly recommend this book and the first two books of this series.

I enjoyed the growing worldbuilding and character development in this third book. Apiya is gradually growing into her own, each book exploring a new angle of her magic and history.

Lots of questions and mystery were raised in this book that I'm excited to have answered in future installments.

Just to say, i have read twice already. Although Tim the cat saves the day in his own way, this is the story of Apiya. Much more background on the characters and history of magical players makes this a stellar continuation of the saga of Apiya. Well worth the read! Just go for it, you wont be disapointed!!

interesting questions on identity
I enjoyed the latest instalment of Apiya's adventures and read it far too quickly then again at a leisurely pace. It raised interesting questions on identity and I liked the little country trying to stand up to the interests of China and the USA. It does not read as a political novel but the issues of conservation do run through it. Mostly its a fast paced adventure with friends in trouble and fun dialogue. I look forward to the next in the series.

I enjoyed the latest instalment of Apiya's adventures and read it far too quickly then again at a leisurely pace. It raised interesting questions on identity and I liked the little country trying to stand up to the interests of China and the USA. It does not read as a political novel but the issues of conservation do run through it. Mostly its a fast paced adventure with friends in trouble and fun dialogue. I look forward to the next in the series.

Things are starting to reveal themselves for Apiya, sort of. All the answers she finds just seem to lead to more questions. Questions which some people can’t give her the answers to… in a very literal sense. In short, she is still on her own for finding things out, but at least we now know that there may be a good reason for it.

Apiya’s interactions with Sarroch have also flip-flopped from cold, awkward and dismissive in the first book to almost warm and comfortable in this one. The events that happen between them in the second book could explain it, but you get the feeling that there might be more to it than that.
All in all, we learn some answers, but more questions spawn because of them. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A Happy Fastpaced Read
Book 3 into this series and I�m absolutely loving it. It�s fast paced, action packed and has funny light moments as well. In this installment, Apiya learns more about herself, her past, and her magic. Although everyone seems to under estimate her (including herself), her compassion and courage see her through, and enables her to save her friend. Sarroch is also a hot potential romantic interest. If you�re new to this series, definitely start with book 1 (Touched-by-Magic). For a teaser, Celine Jeanjean also has free prequels on her website to this, as well as her series, the-bloodless-assassin which I also very much enjoyed.

Book 3 into this series and I�m absolutely loving it. It�s fast paced, action packed and has funny light moments as well. In this installment, Apiya learns more about herself, her past, and her magic. Although everyone seems to under estimate her (including herself), her compassion and courage see her through, and enables her to save her friend. Sarroch is also a hot potential romantic interest. If you�re new to this series, definitely start with book 1 (Touched-by-Magic). For a teaser, Celine Jeanjean also has free prequels on her website to this, as well as her series, the-bloodless-assassin which I also very much enjoyed.

Apiya’s tries to search for her biological fathers to understand her powers, meanwhile a frequent customer disapears and its up to her to find him and for making things worst she has to team up with Tim the cat, her bane on her job.
A funny story full of adventures that made me enjoy it from the start till the end. If you enjoyed the Viper and the Urchin stories you'll enjoy this one too and be on your toes waiting the next installment.

Ok, so this is the third book of the Razor's Edge series and it fits right in. Normally I'm not a fan of books this short, because I prefer a little more depth and background than you usually get with books under 200 pages. But in this case, the world and the characters still feel intricate and interesting, it's only the adventure that is rather straightforward with not too much build-up. And I actually find it quite refreshing now to read something light and quick, yet still atmospheric. Kind of like sometimes it's nice not to eat a full meal, but just some delicious street food (maybe from a Panongian food stall? ;). This time the story is particularly linear, just one thread. But we still get quite a lot of additional information about the world and the events that are now unfolding after book 2, and the mystery around Apiya's magic deepens. So, all in all a delightful read, well-paced, written in a very warm and engaging voice - definitely a recommendation!

Ok, so this is the third book of the Razor's Edge series and it fits right in. Normally I'm not a fan of books this short, because I prefer a little more depth and background than you usually get with books under 200 pages. But in this case, the world and the characters still feel intricate and interesting, it's only the adventure that is rather straightforward with not too much build-up. And I actually find it quite refreshing now to read something light and quick, yet still atmospheric. Kind of like sometimes it's nice not to eat a full meal, but just some delicious street food (maybe from a Panongian food stall? ;). This time the story is particularly linear, just one thread. But we still get quite a lot of additional information about the world and the events that are now unfolding after book 2, and the mystery around Apiya's magic deepens. So, all in all a delightful read, well-paced, written in a very warm and engaging voice - definitely a recommendation!

Apiya�s tries to search for her biological fathers to understand her powers, meanwhile a frequent customer disapears and its up to her to find him and for making things worst she has to team up with Tim the cat, her bane on her job.
A funny story full of adventures that made me enjoy it from the start till the end. If you enjoyed the Viper and the Urchin stories you'll enjoy this one too and be on your toes waiting the next installment.

Apiya, our heroine, has taken her courage in hand to try to locate her real parents through the orphanage from where she was adopted. She goes to the Anak Orphanage to speak to the director only to discover that no one knows how she arrived and there is no record of parents or anyone else.
What a frustrating turn of events. Naturally, her best bet for more information is Sarroch since Mr. Sangong isn’t around much anymore. They meet in a Mayak restaurant as Sarroch was there tohave lunch with a friend who has not arrived. It’s Ari, the kitsune, and Apiya tells Sarroch that Ari missed his haircut today, too.
It’s all too possible that the kitsune has been kidnapped by Nerong, the Mundane whose amulets reveal the true form of the magical. Sarroch and Apiya surmise that with the help of an enslaved Baku, Nerong knows about the magical who come to the barbershop where Apiya works..
That mean they must close down the barbershop, notify all clients to stay away, and then find who is the Baku that Nerong has control over. Sarroch is going to go hunting, and he wants Apiya to stay safely home.
As if.
What happens next? Who saves Ari? How do they do it? Luckily for you, those questions get answered as the adventure unfolds.
And don’t forget to keep thinking about who – or what – are Apiya’s real parents.

I am loving every page of this series and this book is no exception.
Apiya is a touched, a human with weak magical powers, who works in a Mayak barbershop, that is owned by her mentor, Sangong, a powerful Mayak, (non-humans with strong magic).
Apiya is the heroine of the story and boy does she have her work cut out for her. Not only does she have to deal with keeping her powers secret from non-magical humans, she also is completely at the bottom of the magical food chain, and has to watch her back for the Mayak, many of whom are vampires and other such dangerous creatures.
Did I mention that Apiya has been tasked by the Mayak Council to prevent a war between Mayak and Humans?
In this book, one of Apiya's regular customers comes up missing and as usual, she must put herself in danger to find out what has happened to him.
If you like magic, intrigue, a bit of snark and just an all 'round fun read, you won't want to miss this book or the series. I recommend it highly!
The books are definitely best read in order, as it is a continuing saga.

So the description of this book covers that, my review is about quality.
It's a good little book in a series, which at the time of this review is only completed to this book, there are more planned I've heard. Each book of the series has it's own complete little story that reads quickly and easily. Each book also furthers the series story, and in this one I get a slow burn romance feel more strongly. The main character has a back story that is slowly, very slowly, being revealed and it's starting to feel like she's someone important to the magical community, maybe. Or maybe someone powerful if she can just figure it out, or remember.
The magic is still murky to me, how it works, what it's rules are. I still can't tell if that's on purpose because the main character doesn't know or if it's a fault of the author's but I'm still taking a star off for it. I may come back and add the star if I find out in later books that it's purposely vague.
BOTTOM LINE IS OF YOU'VE READ BOOKS 1 AND 2 THEN READ THIS ONE TOO!
The faults I have are minor and don't matter but the author sent me an ARC and asked for an honest review.
UPDATE! After reading book 3 I read book 0.5 Found by Rain and it enlightened me a bit. Not completely but enough that I have changed my rating to 5 stars for the first three books (as far as I've read).
Book 0.5 explains that Apiya knows jack about magic when she moved to Panong. Although her mentor has taught her much, my belief is that all of the Touched are kept as much in the dark as possible by the Mayak. I now think that the reason we the reader are unclear about how the magic works is because Apiya is unclear.

Exciting 3rd episode of this Asian urban fantasy
There are two parallel threads in this episode of Apiya�s story. One is her confusion over whether to seek out her birth mother. She is very close to her adoptive parents, she is nervous about what she might discover and yet she would like to know why she has been �touched� by magic. The main narrative is yet another dangerous adventure when once again she tries to go solo to find a missing friend. As you might expect she will find herself involved once more with the charismatic Sarroch. Is there a hint of romance or are they connected by her unknown parentage? This continuing story set on an exotic Asian island populated by a mixture of ordinary Mundanes and magical Mayaks yet set in a technologically advanced society still intrigues and offers more revelations in future novels.

There are two parallel threads in this episode of Apiya�s story. One is her confusion over whether to seek out her birth mother. She is very close to her adoptive parents, she is nervous about what she might discover and yet she would like to know why she has been �touched� by magic. The main narrative is yet another dangerous adventure when once again she tries to go solo to find a missing friend. As you might expect she will find herself involved once more with the charismatic Sarroch. Is there a hint of romance or are they connected by her unknown parentage? This continuing story set on an exotic Asian island populated by a mixture of ordinary Mundanes and magical Mayaks yet set in a technologically advanced society still intrigues and offers more revelations in future novels.