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Dime Store Magic is the third novel in the Women of the Otherworld series. It is narrated by Paige Winterbourne.

Synopsis[]

Leader of the American Coven, guardian to the preteen daughter of a black witch ... it's not the lifestyle twenty-three year-old Paige Winterbourne imagined for herself, and it's wreaking hell on her social life.

But she's up the challenge. When half-demon Leah O'Donnell returns to fight for custody of Savannah, Paige is ready.

She's not as prepared for the team of supernaturals Leah brings with her, including a powerful sorcerer who claims to be Savannah's father. Cut off from her friends, accused of witchcraft, Satanism, necromancy, murder...Paige quickly realizes that keeping Savannah could mean losing everything else. Has she finally found a battle she isn't willing to fight?

Plot[]

Paige and Savannah have settled into a new normal after both their mothers were killed almost ten months ago by human scientists. Paige is the de facto leader of the North American Coven, and all of the Coven elders are constantly harassing her about Savannah, who they assume will become a dark witch like Eve. They especially hate when Savannah does anything that might draw attention to the Coven, such magically messing with her classmates.

Paige receives a petition for custody of Savannah from Leah O'Donnell, a half-demon who was also imprisoned at the scientist compound with Savannah. Leah and her sorcerer lawyer Gabriel Sandford are working on behalf of Kristof Nast, who claims to be Savannah's father. They are working through the human court system, which severely limits twenty three-year-old Paige's ability to justify taking in a seemingly random teenage girl. Leah threatens to expose Paige as a witch during the custody battle, which riles up the super-secretive Coven elders.

Paige persuades the elders to give her three days to clear matters up. She then arranges a meeting with Grantham Cary Jr., the local human lawyer. It is decided to request that Nast submit to DNA testing to prove his paternity claim. Sandford, as Paige expected, refuses on behalf of his client.

In order to force her to submit, Leah and associates begin a dirty tricks campaign that includes placing a hand of glory on her property and setting up satanic altars in the fields behind. Paige comes under investigation by the town sheriff's department and also the social services.

At this point, Lucas Cortez turns up on Paige's doorstep and offers his services. His offer is refused as witches do not trust sorcerers. The media set up camp outside Paige's house and, on a drive into town to pick up a takeaway, Paige's car is deliberately run into by Grantham Cary Jr because she refused his offer of paying his fees by sharing his bed. Furious, she confronts his wife at his house and then returns home. Cary leaves a message on her answering machine asking her to come to his office to talk. However, when she gets there it is to discover Leah is there too. The half-demon uses her powers to throw Cary out of a window, framing Paige for his murder.

Paige is taken to the police station, from where she is released by Lucas Cortez, despite Paige's protests. They then go to a Coven meeting, but receive little support from the other members. Angry, Paige agrees to talk to Lucas and he provides her with background information on the Cabals.

The next day Paige receives a call telling her to come to the funeral home to pick up her file from Cary's people. Thinking this is strange, as it is currently Cary's visitation, Paige nonetheless agrees and she and Savannah go to the home. However, whilst they are there Nast employees stage a scene that involves bodies raising from the dead and illusions. Paige and Savannah are rescued by Lucas. The police arrive but are forced to let them go.

Events continue to escalate with other incidents occurring. The Coven get increasingly anxious, and Social Services turn up to check on Savannah. However, the interview does not go well as Savannah is upset - at least until she discovers that she has begun to menstruate. Cortez grows concerned because the menses ceremony associated with a witch's first period can be vital to ensuring her loyalty to her Cabal and he believes that this will increase the urgency of any action Leah and her colleagues take.

Paige also grows curious about the differences between witch and sorcerer magic. She starts to realise that there were once several grades of spell: primary, secondary and tertiary. However, at some point the higher level spells were lost or deliberately destroyed, only a few surviving in old grimoires that the Coven Elders refuse to let the other witches use. These grimoires are kept by Savannah's aunt, Margaret. When they visit her to borrow her car, Paige takes the grimoires. She, Savannah and Lucas then drive to Salem, Massachusetts. There, the two witches argue. Savannah insists on the ceremony her mother wished to use, not the Coven approved one Paige underwent. Paige finally agrees to Savannah's wish, but the ceremony requires them to get certain ingredients which requires them to go to the cemetery. Afterwards, Paige shares the knowledge of the grimoires with Lucas and they become lovers.

The next day Paige's house is fire-bombed, and she and Savannah are kidnapped by the Nast Cabal. Nast presents his claim to Savannah. Savannah agrees to it provided she can have Paige do the originally planned ceremony and also that Paige can stay. Kristof Nast accepts. They then meet Greta and Olivia Enwright. They are supposed to be teaching Savannah, however during this lessons they force her to sacrifice a boy and drink his blood. Savannah is deeply upset. Nast denies any knowledge. Sandford observes that the Cabal Witches had expected Greta's daughter to succeed her, not Savannah, and that the ritual might have been a form of revenge.

Paige is secured and gagged so that she can't spellcast. Sandford brings her to the notice of Lucas' family and one visits her. He orders her death by sundown. Friesen takes her away to kill her, but Paige manages to escape. When she returns to Nast's house, it is to find all hell has broken loose in her absence. Savannah has called a demon as she attempts to raise her mother from the dead. Nast is killed trying to save his daughter. Lucas tells Paige a spell that will permit her to look like Eve Levine temporarily. They use this to get Savannah out of the house.

Characters[]

Major Characters[]

The Coven[]

The Cabals[]

The Humans[]

  • Grantham Cary Jr - Human Lawyer
  • Lacey Cary - Human Wife of Grantham Cary Jr
  • Peggy Dare - Human Social Worker
  • Detective Flynn - Human detective investigating murder of Grantham Cary Jr.
  • Travis Willard - Human Deputy Sheriff for East Falls

Mentioned Characters[]

Publication[]

See also: Goodreads - Editions of Dime Store Magic

Dime Store Magic was first published in 2004. It has been republished numerous times, including a recent Tantor Media audio CD reissue in 2021.

Translated Editions[]

  • Romanian: Magie de doi bani ("Two-penny magic")
  • Italian: Il destino di una strega ("A witch's fate")
  • Turkish: Bit Pazarı Büyüleri ("Flea Market Spells")
  • Spanish: A golpe de magia ("A stroke of magic")
  • French: Magie de pacotille ("Junk magic")

Cover Gallery[]


Otherworld Series
Women of the Otherworld Novels
BittenStolenDime Store MagicIndustrial MagicHauntedBrokenNo Humans InvolvedPersonal DemonLiving With The DeadWaking the WitchSpell BoundThirteen
Collections
Men of the OtherworldTales of the OtherworldOtherworld NightsOtherworld SecretsOtherworld ChillsLed Astray
Novellas
SavageAscensionChaoticAngelicCounterfeit MagicThe Case of El Chupacabra, BeginningsBewitchedForbiddenHiddenVanishing ActThe Ungrateful Dead
Short Stories
V PlatesThe ListChivalrousLucifer's DaughterLearning CurveLife SentenceTwilightZen and the Art of VampirismParanormal Romance BluesStalkedRebirthInfusionKitsunegariDemonologyBirthrightThe Case of the Half-Demon SpyExpectationsTruth and ConsequencesTerritorialGhostsEscapeWedding Bell HellAdventurerBargainFramedBamboozledYoung Bloods
Graphic Novels
BecomingBounty Hunt
Kate & Logan
Wolf's BaneWolf's Curse
  1. Almost ten months after Stolen, and four months before Industrial Magic which takes place a month after 9/11/01
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