This past week I read Cracked! A Magic iPhone Story by Janine Southard, which is a bit of magic set in Seattle, WA.

In Cracked!, there are three main characters: Morena, who’s obsessed with an iPhone sent to her by her ex-boyfriend; Suzyn, who’s addicted to cocaine and Morena’s roommate; and Magic Guy, a near-immortal magical being who enjoys tabletop gaming with the two women.

At first glance, the book appears to be about a magic iPhone, but in reality, the story is really about three people and their budding friendship. Three misfits who don’t feel like they fit in anywhere, find that together, they can conquer anything, including technology addiction, magical curses, and cocaine.

The story is also a great exploration of Seattle culture. As someone fairly new to Seattle, I enjoyed the bits of history and culture I’ve already discovered while learning new things to check out about my new city.

The narrative is very omniscient, with author commentary and humor sprinkled throughout. That isn’t the type of narrative I usually enjoy, and it did take a bit of time for me to adjust to it. About halfway through, the story really picked up, and I was sucked into it. I’d adjusted to the narration and cared about the characters’ futures.

I stayed up way too late to finish this book, and definitely recommend it for Seattle geeks everywhere.

4/5 stars.