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Laura Resnick
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Unsympathetic Magic (Esther Diamond Novel Book 3) Kindle Edition

by Laura Resnick (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 94 ratings
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"...gripping and enticing..." —Crash and Burn Reviews

Acting jobs don't grow on fire escapes, so struggling actress Esther Diamond is outraged when her guest role as a hooker on controversial TV drama The Dirty Thirty is jeopardized by zombies, angry spirits, and a voodoo curse. Meanwhile, the talented teens Esther is coaching at a Harlem cultural center are also being attacked by the sinister supernatural power that's spreading through Manhattan. Since the show must go on, Esther boldly helps her friend, the 350-year-old sorcerer Dr. Maximillian Zadok, combat the Evil forces at work—all while attempting to salvage her love life with her would-be lover, Detective Connor Lopez. But will Esther's courage backfire and end up leading her to become a human sacrifice on the altar of the sinister supernatural powers that are taking over New York City?

Unsympathetic Magic is the exciting third installment of the Esther Diamond series.
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  1. Book 3 of 7
    Esther Diamond
  2. Print length
    403 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publisher
    DAW
  6. Publication date
    August 3, 2010
  7. Reading age
    18 years and up
  8. File size
    1055 KB
  9. Page Flip
    Enabled
  10. Word Wise
    Enabled
  11. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  12. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Plenty of humor, action, magic, and a bit of romance make this urban fantasy a sure favorite. Don’t miss this exceptional series." —SciFiChick.com "

"Unsympathetic Magic by Laura Resnick may be one of the funniest, wittiest, most intriguing books I’ve read in a while. Even if I weren’t fascinated by Vodou and delicious detectives, I would have fallen in love with this book." —Bitten by Books

"...a tightly woven, madcap dash of a story that manages to weave religious practices, seedy television, hilarious situational humor, snappy dialogue, mythical stinky creatures, and an utterly believable cast of characters into a tapestry that you’ll have a hard time taking your eyes off of." —Gravetells

About the Author

Laura Resnick was born in Chicago, and when she was a teenager her family moved to Cincinnati, Ohio. Growing up in a family of writers, daughter of SF writer Mike Resnick, she never thought she would end up in a writing career, herself. A cum laude  graduate of Georgetown University, where she studied languages and linguistics. Laura can speak French and Italian. After college, she moved overseas for a few years, where she studed acting at London Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art. Laura Resnick can be found at sff.net/people/laresnick/.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B003YFJ5ZO
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ DAW (August 3, 2010)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 3, 2010
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1055 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 403 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 94 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Laura Resnick

Laura Resnick

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Laura Resnick is the author of the popular Esther Diamond series, whose releases include UNSYMPATHETIC MAGIC, DOPPELGANGSTER, DISAPPEARING NIGHTLY, and the upcoming VAMPARAZZI. She has also written traditional fantasy novels such as IN LEGEND BORN, THE DESTROYER GODDESS, and THE WHITE DRAGON, which made the "Year's Best" lists of Publishers Weekly and Voya. An opinion columnist, frequent public speaker, and the Campbell Award-winning author of many short stories, she is on the Web at www.LauraResnick.com.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
94 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Cissa
5.0 out of 5 stars FUNNY urban fantasy FTW!
Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2012
Verified Purchase
I LOVE this series. I've been enjoying urban fantasy for many years now, but have gotten fairly bored with most of the dark, angsty, kick-ass heroines therein... and also with the standard weres and vamps.

This series is different. Esther has no occult powers at all- just a habit of getting herself into weird mystical situations. She tends to have a sense of humor about it, though, and that shows- these books have nice bantering. The secondary characters are usually lots of fun, too.

I'll admit that the on-again, off-again romance with Lopez is getting a bit repetitious... but Resnik writes it well, and I hope at some point there's a change from the current stalemate.

These books are a lot of fun, and great to read when life becomes fraught.
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Maryam
4.0 out of 5 stars and have to say that it's fun to read some urban fantasy that's not dark
Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2015
Verified Purchase
I've just started reading the Esther Diamond series, and have to say that it's fun to read some urban fantasy that's not dark, dismal, full of angst, and sex-ridden. This particular installment is a little heavy on the teaching about vodou (voodoo, vaudun), but I thought that the author portrayed the belief system well and in general kept the story moving. Esther isn't, and isn't trying to be, the biggest badass out there; she knows what she is and accepts that she has limitations. I'm enjoying the perspective on the acting profession and the pitfalls thereof.

Each of the previous books has explored a different aspect of magic, and that's been fun as well. I'm hoping to see further development of the characters within the recurring cast as Esther's adventures continue. I'd recommend this book to anyone who wants a quick but enjoyable read.
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MishVMD
5.0 out of 5 stars A bit darker, good subject matter
Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2012
Verified Purchase
Like that Ms. Resnick is not afraid to delve into the darkness....not everyone can sparkle (cough cough). Esther's conversation with the killer was very dramatic. Can I also say that I like that she has no "special skills" beyond wit and chutzpah? So there is a wizard as a friend - even he doesn't overuse his talent in place of common sense. Nice change of pace!
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LuckyACat
5.0 out of 5 stars Exciting Read
Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2014
Verified Purchase
Great book. Very funny. Real!!!
Very good information on other beliefs. Characters who are not one dimensional. A must read for zombie fans.
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J. Jones
4.0 out of 5 stars Esther and Connor continue to be tortured
Reviewed in the United States on October 31, 2011
Verified Purchase
Poor Esther, even when she gets a good role something bad happens. While she is playing a hooker on The Dirty Thirty TV show zombies, angry spirits and a voodoo curse threaten everything. Enter Esther's sometime boyfriend Connor Lopez, a New York City detective and Dr. Maximilian Zadok , a 350 year old sorcerer whose day job is to protect New York City. Again this is a set up for disaster. Connor does not believe in magic and Esther is right in the middle of a plot full of good and bad magic. Will these two ever get together?

This is the third book in the Esther Diamond series. I found it to be slow going at first but once the pace picked up it was filled with fun and humor. Unsympathetic Magic can be read as a stand-alone but I recommend starting with the first book. The other two books in the series are Disappearing Nightly and Doppelgangster.
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R
5.0 out of 5 stars A fun and scary adventure
Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2018
Verified Purchase
this was a very unique adventure for Esther. I was blown away by the magic in this one - especially how it impacted Esther's... personal... life. LOL Yikes! So much fun.
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James K Motsinger
3.0 out of 5 stars though I enjoyed the book (and the preceding novels) I found I ...
Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2014
Verified Purchase
I don't understand why, though I enjoyed the book (and the preceding novels) I found I could give this only three stars. Perhaps the plotting was quite tight enough, or the story wandered a bit, but I kept putting this one down and reading other things. Eventually I finished from sheer exasperation. I figured out the "secret" early on, and that took a lot of excitement from the denouement. I still enjoyed it, and will buy the next one. I just wasn't quite satisfied when all was said and done.
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Kindle Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars The Spirit World and Esther
Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2015
Verified Purchase
Resnick has definitely found her feet in the new genre she has undertaken. But up front? I'm not a real fan of the spirit world. I've seen too much and know too much about it. That doesn't make this book any less readable or enjoyable. Even though I was not comfortable with the subject matter, I nevertheless was very impressed with the well-researched and well-represented ton of facts about the Vodou religion. That's one of the many things I appreciate about Resnick's writing. She informs as well as entertains. As to the story, poor Esther -- she and Lopez can't seem to get it together. They really are made for each other, and the book ends with them once again separated. I am very much enjoying how Resnick is fleshing out her fledgling characters in this new series and appreciate how very likable she makes the good ones and and you really want to boot the bad ones.That's how real her characters are.
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Top reviews from other countries

Donna H Bueschkens
5.0 out of 5 stars Have fun tonight!
Reviewed in Canada on March 17, 2014
Verified Purchase
Another fun read from Laura Resnick. The life of a B list actress is never dull when magic is afoot.
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