Revolution by W.L. Goodwater
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Revolution is the 2nd installment in the Cold War Magic series. It is a new installment in what I consider to be a great newcomer in the Urban Fantasy or Speculative Fantasy genre. I would lean towards more calling it Speculative Fantasy because it tells an alternate version of what happened at the end of World War II where magic is a known entity and only some people were born with magic. Where the first book has a setting in Berlin and describes how magic played a key part in how the war ended and the repercussions of the use of dark magic which culminates in a book that multiple parties are trying to find. To some, the book is a myth. To others, it is a fact and they will do whatever is necessary to obtain the book.

Karen is on her last legs with the magic agency where she is employed. She is afraid of her magic and has decided that she would prefer to not use magic which means leaving her job. In the middle of making this decision, she receives a weird package that turns out to be a request for help from a former employee. He has uncovered something at his current employer that causes him to risk his life and the lives of others trying to assist him. This investigation takes Karen to Florida and to Cuba where she will have to decide whether she has a choice about using her magic. There is a lot more at stake than her job and it turns out that the book thought to be destroyed is still front-and-center in the story.

I have to admit that I love this series. The characters are flawed, including Karen, and she questions herself throughout the book but, at her core, she cannot help but stand up for those that need help which makes her an admirable character. She also realizes that she has no clue who really can be trusted and as usual who is good and who can be trusted is not always as clear as she would hope. I plan to follow this series and avidly wait for the next installment.