Ok, we loved the first book in this series, for its plausible deniability of magic (see my review, Summer Series: Delightful New Take on Wizards). It ended and we just weren't sure -- was Rin a wizard? Or was it all an amazing set of circumstances? I've never seen another author pull it off quite so well.
In the second book, it's clear there's magic, but it's still kinda murky as to whether Rin or Ozzy have it. It was more like, it would've been extremely unlikely for the events, especially the ending, to NOT be magic.
Then COVID struck, and there were supply chain issues, and I felt like I waited forever to get this. But finally, in this one, Magic Required, it's clear: Rin is a wizard. And Ozzy's got some seriously plaid pants to fill. He's no longer an apprentice, he's a full blown wizard, too.
I loved this one. It brings back the villain, Ray; his attack dog, Jon, who's rocked by the revelation that the world contains magic and he now wants a part of it; Ozzy gets the wizard pants, so it's time for him to seriously start learning on his own; Sigi, whose mom, along with the Sheriff, are determined to alter Sigi's life path as far from Rin and Ozzy's as possible; and Clarke, who's kinda reborn (it doesn't last, thank goodness, but I enjoyed it while it stuck) as a dragon.
Ozzy learns some hard, cold truths, while Rin's still working the case from the first book, finding Ozzy's parents. And he does.
I won't spoil how this ends, or how events unfold in the truly, is-it-magic or is-it-coincidence fashion. Enjoy the ride of the read!
