Indigo Springs by A.M. Dellamonica

Astrid is a wizard-well tapper — she can access the vitagua, or spirit water, that is the essence of magic. However, her ability to control the liquid is unstable, and the more she uses it, the more unstable she becomes, losing her grasp on time and reality. Pushed too far by friends who want to use the magic for their own ends, her control slips, and she unleashes the magical equivalent of a nuclear holocaust in her small town. Somehow, she has to figure out how to pick up the pieces and make things right.

I remember watching the Dungeons and Dragons movie in the theater and being completely disappointed in it, and then seeing Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon shortly thereafter and thinking, “This is what Dungeons and Dragons should have been.” While reading Indigo Springs, I kept thinking, “This is what the X-Files mov... Read More

Indigo Springs by A.M. Dellamonica

Indigo Springs is the first novel by A.M. Dellamonica, who has been publishing short fiction for nearly two decades. It shows the skill of someone who has long practiced in making words do what she wants them to do, and also the inexperience of a first-time novelist who has a great idea but doesn’t exactly know how to execute it. It’s a terrific story with new ideas and a unique magic system that works. With a stronger structure and a more coherent ending, Indigo Springs would have been a contender for major prizes. As it stands, it is fun to read and offers great promise of even better work to come.

The story is told mostly in flashbacks, a tale told by a prisoner to a law enforcement agent who has been tasked with finding out where the prisoner’s dangerous friend might be and what can be done to stop her. The agent, Will... Read More

Indigo Springs by A.M Dellamonica

Indigo Springs is the first novel by established and accomplished short story writer A.M Dellamonica. In the house she inherited from her father, Astrid finds a cache of enchanted objects and a vial of viscous blue fluid called vitagua or “spirit water.” Along with her stepbrother Jacks and her best friend Sahara, Astrid soon realizes that she is a protector of the blue liquid, and that the house is built over a well of it, a portal to a magical universe. She is of a long line of well-tappers or guardians. Astrid must master the use of vitagua, fight off external enemies and deal with the shocking changes vitagua makes in her friends, as well as learn vital lessons about responsibility and power if she, and the world as we know it, is to survive.

The dialogue alone in this book reassures us that we are in the hands of a pro. Two things stand out: the ... Read More

Indigo Springs by A.M. Dellamonica

Indigo Springs is the first book in the INDIGO SPRINGS duology by A.M. Dellamonica. While there is a lot to enjoy in each, neither book really drove me to the finish and throughout the entire work there was a constant nagging issue I just couldn’t shake. I’m clearly the outlier in our stable of reviewers, however, so you might want to look over the rest of our reviews of Dellamonica’s work (above) before taking my word on it.

Indigo Springs introduces us to Astrid, who upon returning to her hometown of Indigo Springs discovers a powerful source of magic with which she can enchant objects and people. She experiments with this source, eventually dragging in some of the most important people in her life: her housemate and longtime friend Jacks (who loves her and whom she kinda sorta likes/lov... Read More

Blue Magic by A.M. Dellamonica

Blue Magic is the second book in a duology by A.M. Dellamonica that began with Indigo Springs. I gave the first book three stars and while Blue Magic improves on book one in several ways, it also takes some steps back as well.

The first book introduces us to Astrid, who upon returning to her hometown of Indigo Springs discovered a powerful source of magic with which she can enchant objects and people. Her longtime friends Jacks (who loves her) and Sahara (whom Astrid loves, but Sahara’s true love is herself), and her mother become involved and after some argument over how to handle the magic, tragedy ensues for some and Astrid is locked up by the government. Blue Magic picks up shortly after and broadens the canvas to global (and beyond) impact, and involves lit... Read More

Lightspeed Magazine is edited by the formidable John Joseph Adams, who has produced a long series of wonderful anthologies and is soon to launch a new horror magazine. One might be concerned that such a busy schedule would mean that something would get short shrift, but if that is the case, it certainly isn’t Issue 26 of Lightspeed.

About half of the content of this magazine, which is produced in electronic format only, consists of interviews, novel excerpts, an artist gallery and spotlight, and author spotlights. In addition, roughly half of the fiction offered is original; the r... Read More