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Katie Bishop #1
Crossroads of Bones
Katie Bishop would have taken her secret to the grave, but . . .
a bunch of fat cat society folks smelled her out and made her an offer she couldn't refuse.
Katie just wants to run her tattoo business quietly under the radar. But when a man walks into her shop and hands her a drawing of the same tattoo she's been dreaming about for weeks, things start to spin out of control. The last two people who tried to apply that tattoo are dead.
Only half human, it's her other half that an elite group wants to hire-a group of Savannah's more privileged citizens, including the city's reigning coven of witches.
There's a rogue god on the loose, and Katie is the only one who can send him back to hell before he breaks open the crossroads and lets the underworld waltz right in-if he manages to get that deadly tattoo inked onto his back.
a bunch of fat cat society folks smelled her out and made her an offer she couldn't refuse.
Katie just wants to run her tattoo business quietly under the radar. But when a man walks into her shop and hands her a drawing of the same tattoo she's been dreaming about for weeks, things start to spin out of control. The last two people who tried to apply that tattoo are dead.
Only half human, it's her other half that an elite group wants to hire-a group of Savannah's more privileged citizens, including the city's reigning coven of witches.
There's a rogue god on the loose, and Katie is the only one who can send him back to hell before he breaks open the crossroads and lets the underworld waltz right in-if he manages to get that deadly tattoo inked onto his back.
280 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 19, 2017
About the author
Luanne Bennett
22 books170 followersLuanne Bennett is an author of fantasy and the supernatural. Born in Chicago, she lives in Georgia these days where she writes full time and doesn’t miss a thing about the cubicles and conference rooms of her old life. When she isn’t writing or dreaming up new stories, she’s usually cooking or tending a herd of felines and basset hounds. Look for book three of the Katie Bishop series coming this spring!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 229 reviews
June 27, 2018
As an urban fantasy fanatic, it is always a great day when you find another one that hits that special spot to become another book/series that you will be adding to your must read more shelf. Bennett's Crossroads of Bones hit that spot! Fast, fresh and triggering that I need see where all this going curiosity, Crossroads of Bones sets the Katie Bishop series off to a strong start.
I received this copy of Crossroads of Bones from The Word Lounge. This is my honest and voluntary review.
My Rating: 4 stars
Written by: Luanne Bennett
Series: Katie Bishop
Sequence in Series: 1
Print Length: 282 pages
Publication Date: June 19, 2017
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Crossroads-Bon...
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cros...
For more reviews check out Tome Tender's Book Blog or find us on Facebook.
I received this copy of Crossroads of Bones from The Word Lounge. This is my honest and voluntary review.
My Rating: 4 stars
Written by: Luanne Bennett
Series: Katie Bishop
Sequence in Series: 1
Print Length: 282 pages
Publication Date: June 19, 2017
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Crossroads-Bon...
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cros...
For more reviews check out Tome Tender's Book Blog or find us on Facebook.
June 19, 2018
Crossroads of Bones was such a, pick up on a whim, not expect anything, but got a whole lot of fun, surprise kind of a read. I truly had no expectations going into this one other than I liked the cover and the synopsis sounded intriguing.
I picked it up because I wanted something fresh and different and lets face it, I'm always on the lookout for a new UF series.
I got all of those things in Crossroads of Bones. It was fun, exciting, original, adventurous, and full of the voodoo hoodoo madness that I've come to expect in stories set in the south that are riddled with the unknown and the mysterious.
I devoured this in one day and I was sad that book two wasn't out yet. I loved Katie and her rag tag bunch of friends and I wasn't ready to say good bye to them yet. I can only hope that book two isn't that far away because I think this is a series I could truly get into and enjoy and love.
So glad I took a chance on it and can't wait for more.
*Copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*
I picked it up because I wanted something fresh and different and lets face it, I'm always on the lookout for a new UF series.
I got all of those things in Crossroads of Bones. It was fun, exciting, original, adventurous, and full of the voodoo hoodoo madness that I've come to expect in stories set in the south that are riddled with the unknown and the mysterious.
I devoured this in one day and I was sad that book two wasn't out yet. I loved Katie and her rag tag bunch of friends and I wasn't ready to say good bye to them yet. I can only hope that book two isn't that far away because I think this is a series I could truly get into and enjoy and love.
So glad I took a chance on it and can't wait for more.
*Copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*
Want to read
December 24, 2022This book is free on Amazon (Canada) today (12/24/2022). 🙂
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June 14, 2018
Urban fantasy that is wholly unique is a rare find so I’m delighted with this new series. We have Katie who has made a new start in Savannah just keeping her head down and struggling to keep her tattoo business afloat. She’s made new friends, split up from her boyfriend and is just happy to enjoy what life throws her way. So even though she has a secret of her own she’s not exactly over the moon when her life gets complicated by a secret group with ties to an evil God ! Guess this quiet town isn’t exactly as peaceful as Katie thought .
I really enjoyed this story from this new to me author. I enjoyed this slice of southern charm where even the most prominent and genteel of its citizens are not exactly lily white. Katie has a unique heritage that seems to make her a magnet for weird and wonderful so it was fun reading about her taking everything in her stride. You would think that nothing would or could faze her but ironically a certain biker who rudely enters her life adds complications Katie never expected.
I loved everything about this book. The original story, the diversity of the supporting characters, burgeoning romance and even shifters that just blew my mind ! Yes I happily recommend this book and I’m keen to read more because there’s still a lot left to be revealed.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair
I really enjoyed this story from this new to me author. I enjoyed this slice of southern charm where even the most prominent and genteel of its citizens are not exactly lily white. Katie has a unique heritage that seems to make her a magnet for weird and wonderful so it was fun reading about her taking everything in her stride. You would think that nothing would or could faze her but ironically a certain biker who rudely enters her life adds complications Katie never expected.
I loved everything about this book. The original story, the diversity of the supporting characters, burgeoning romance and even shifters that just blew my mind ! Yes I happily recommend this book and I’m keen to read more because there’s still a lot left to be revealed.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair
October 19, 2018
Sorry, but this one was not something for me and I struggled quite a lot to finish it.
While I normally read uninterrupted for hours, this one had me stopping again and again after just a short time, just to do something else - I was bored and often a bit frustrated over the heroine's actions. Like when she chooses to attend a barbecue instead of focusing on the hole evil spirit thingy. I rather dislike bikers, so her hooking up with one such very unlikable ashole'ish specimen very shortly after the death of her lover (whom I rather liked), didn't help either.
Most of the African root magic left me rather confused, I certainly felt like I was missing some form of explanations. Like I never actually managed to understand why that demon spirit was so dangerous.
☛ I requested an advanced copy of this title from NetGalley, and I'm voluntarily making this review.
Shelved as 'did-not-finish'
August 2, 2018I couldn't make it past chapter three. I really wanted to like this one. I was intrigued by the blurb. A tattoo that kills the tattoo artist trying to complete the work. Who wouldn't want to see what happens next?
I should have known I wasn't going to like it by the end of chapter one. If the fact that she exposed her deepest darkest secret to an employee she's known for months and was rewarded with "I'm cool with it. Can I touch it?" all in the first chapter, wasn't a clear enough warning of impending stupidity, I don't know what is. But I figured I'd give it another chance, it could get better. I don't know if it does. I was only able to handle another two chapters before I gave up. It might be a good book, I'm not saying it's not. I'm just saying it wasn't for me. Two unbelievable occurrences before chapter four is just two too many for me.
I won't give spoilers but I'll give you a made up situation and you decide for yourself if it all checks out.
Let's say you're having nightmares every night about your neighbor murdering his wife. They are extremely vivid and have you waking up in a cold sweat. They're so terrifying that you've almost stopped sleeping altogether. After weeks of this your neighbor sees you outside washing your car, he walks across the divider separating your lawns and just stands there watching you. Super creepy right? So you ask him if he needed something, just to get him moving along again. You notice that something looks off about him but you just can't put your finger on it, you chalk it up to not knowing him that well. After all, you're new to the neighborhood. After a couple minutes of his silence he finally speaks. He wants to know if you have a spare tarp, some rope, bleach, and a chainsaw that he can borrow. Now at this point in time you should probably be thinking that those are strange items to be asking your neighbor for and then you remember the dreams. You think, "I need to get inside, lock my doors, and call the police". So that's exactly what you do. You make up some excuse to get inside as fast as you can. You walk to your phone and pick it up. Then you think, "Hrm perhaps he's just doing some gardening, I guess it can't hurt to lend him those items". You walk back out to him with all four items and tell him you hope they help. The next day the cops show up at your door and inform you that your neighbor murdered his wife sometime yesterday morning and want to know if you have any knowledge of the crime.
Anything seem off about that scenario to you? If not then please do check out this book. If you're like me and think that whole situation was insane, then I recommend you look elsewhere for your next read.
I received a copy of this book via Net Galley, the opinions are my own.
I should have known I wasn't going to like it by the end of chapter one. If the fact that she exposed her deepest darkest secret to an employee she's known for months and was rewarded with "I'm cool with it. Can I touch it?" all in the first chapter, wasn't a clear enough warning of impending stupidity, I don't know what is. But I figured I'd give it another chance, it could get better. I don't know if it does. I was only able to handle another two chapters before I gave up. It might be a good book, I'm not saying it's not. I'm just saying it wasn't for me. Two unbelievable occurrences before chapter four is just two too many for me.
I won't give spoilers but I'll give you a made up situation and you decide for yourself if it all checks out.
Let's say you're having nightmares every night about your neighbor murdering his wife. They are extremely vivid and have you waking up in a cold sweat. They're so terrifying that you've almost stopped sleeping altogether. After weeks of this your neighbor sees you outside washing your car, he walks across the divider separating your lawns and just stands there watching you. Super creepy right? So you ask him if he needed something, just to get him moving along again. You notice that something looks off about him but you just can't put your finger on it, you chalk it up to not knowing him that well. After all, you're new to the neighborhood. After a couple minutes of his silence he finally speaks. He wants to know if you have a spare tarp, some rope, bleach, and a chainsaw that he can borrow. Now at this point in time you should probably be thinking that those are strange items to be asking your neighbor for and then you remember the dreams. You think, "I need to get inside, lock my doors, and call the police". So that's exactly what you do. You make up some excuse to get inside as fast as you can. You walk to your phone and pick it up. Then you think, "Hrm perhaps he's just doing some gardening, I guess it can't hurt to lend him those items". You walk back out to him with all four items and tell him you hope they help. The next day the cops show up at your door and inform you that your neighbor murdered his wife sometime yesterday morning and want to know if you have any knowledge of the crime.
Anything seem off about that scenario to you? If not then please do check out this book. If you're like me and think that whole situation was insane, then I recommend you look elsewhere for your next read.
I received a copy of this book via Net Galley, the opinions are my own.
Want to read
August 6, 2019🎁 FREE on Amazon today (8/6/2019)! 🎁
September 14, 2018
This seemed like a pretty good, albeit predictable, urban fantasy.
Our heroine, Katie Bishop is a tattoo artist in Savannah, she has a team of misfit colleagues who work for her in her shop, oh and she has dragon tattoo on her back - except she was born with it. She's been having trouble sleeping, dreaming of a dead man and an intricate tattoo which fills her with dread.
When a weird guy comes in one day and requests the exact tattoo from her dreams Katie can't refuse but then she discovers the tattoo has enabled half of a demon's spirit to fully possess the unfortunate man who requested the tattoo. Now the gates of hell are opened it is only a matter of time before the other half of the spirit breaks free from the underground prison that has held it and gets its own tattoo to join the two halves together. The spirit has killed a number of other tattoo artists who either weren't strong enough or accurate enough to complete the tattoo.
Pressed into joining a secret society called the Crossroads Society Katie realises that the other half of the demon's spirit will come for her soon.
This novel is full of stock characters/ caricatures: the disgraced cop, the mysterious biker, secret societies, tattoos, cross-dressing black men (hello Sookie Stackhouse), African hoo-doo magic (hello Sookie Stackhouse #2) the sneering older man who runs the town, the bar staff who are not what they seem (hello Sookie Stackhouse #3). It also had a clever take on a new kind of shifter.
It had promise but there were points where I thought "why is Katie detouring to a biker BBQ when she has a demon to contain?" only to discover it was a plot device to shoe-horn a get-out-of-jail-free card into the plot. The novel seemed to take a long time to get to the big climax and then it was quickly disposed of in a few sentences. I still don't understand quite what happened. Maybe a glimmer of light is that Katie didn't save the day single-handed.
Overall, it was a fun read but I can't say I feel any great interest in reading the second book.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Our heroine, Katie Bishop is a tattoo artist in Savannah, she has a team of misfit colleagues who work for her in her shop, oh and she has dragon tattoo on her back - except she was born with it. She's been having trouble sleeping, dreaming of a dead man and an intricate tattoo which fills her with dread.
When a weird guy comes in one day and requests the exact tattoo from her dreams Katie can't refuse but then she discovers the tattoo has enabled half of a demon's spirit to fully possess the unfortunate man who requested the tattoo. Now the gates of hell are opened it is only a matter of time before the other half of the spirit breaks free from the underground prison that has held it and gets its own tattoo to join the two halves together. The spirit has killed a number of other tattoo artists who either weren't strong enough or accurate enough to complete the tattoo.
Pressed into joining a secret society called the Crossroads Society Katie realises that the other half of the demon's spirit will come for her soon.
This novel is full of stock characters/ caricatures: the disgraced cop, the mysterious biker, secret societies, tattoos, cross-dressing black men (hello Sookie Stackhouse), African hoo-doo magic (hello Sookie Stackhouse #2) the sneering older man who runs the town, the bar staff who are not what they seem (hello Sookie Stackhouse #3). It also had a clever take on a new kind of shifter.
It had promise but there were points where I thought "why is Katie detouring to a biker BBQ when she has a demon to contain?" only to discover it was a plot device to shoe-horn a get-out-of-jail-free card into the plot. The novel seemed to take a long time to get to the big climax and then it was quickly disposed of in a few sentences. I still don't understand quite what happened. Maybe a glimmer of light is that Katie didn't save the day single-handed.
Overall, it was a fun read but I can't say I feel any great interest in reading the second book.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
April 17, 2024
Kinda boring and no heat….disappointed 😢
July 31, 2018
Katie always thought that she ended up in Savannah by pure chance, but it turns out that she's not the only freak in town.
I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book was a lot of fun.
Katie is the daughter of a dragon, but she is used to hiding her beast.
After moving from New York to Savannah for a failing relationship, she ends up trying to settle down and do what she does best - setting up a tattoo shop!
Unfortunately, some people are more interested in the hidden beast, and want to use Katie for their own ends.
I really enjoyed this story. I liked Katie a lot, she's trying to be a regular human, and she's determined to make her new business succeed. She's passionate about tattoo art, and has some great employees that are becoming like family. I thought it was a really nice balance between life and paranormal craziness.
Oh, and I loved Sugar, she's awesome and I want her in my life!
The story uncovers a secret society with a supernatural element, and I can't wait to see how that develops later in the series.
I definitely recommend picking it up.
I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book was a lot of fun.
Katie is the daughter of a dragon, but she is used to hiding her beast.
After moving from New York to Savannah for a failing relationship, she ends up trying to settle down and do what she does best - setting up a tattoo shop!
Unfortunately, some people are more interested in the hidden beast, and want to use Katie for their own ends.
I really enjoyed this story. I liked Katie a lot, she's trying to be a regular human, and she's determined to make her new business succeed. She's passionate about tattoo art, and has some great employees that are becoming like family. I thought it was a really nice balance between life and paranormal craziness.
Oh, and I loved Sugar, she's awesome and I want her in my life!
The story uncovers a secret society with a supernatural element, and I can't wait to see how that develops later in the series.
I definitely recommend picking it up.
September 6, 2019
more like 2.99 stars
You know that moment when you're bored and you flip through channels on the TV and you find a tv series that looks interesting and you start watching even though it's not the first episode and you don't really know anything? And you start watching from there until the end because you want to know how it ends?
That's how this book felt like to me. We get thrown into the story of Katie Bishop and her life in Savannah but the author kept dropping little bits about her former life in New York (which sounded very interesting) and I actually checked to see if I missed any books before this one. If there was any prequel because it felt like I missed a big part of her story.
But, no. This is actually the first book in the series. And it didn't impress me. I don't think I'll be reading the next one.
You know that moment when you're bored and you flip through channels on the TV and you find a tv series that looks interesting and you start watching even though it's not the first episode and you don't really know anything? And you start watching from there until the end because you want to know how it ends?
That's how this book felt like to me. We get thrown into the story of Katie Bishop and her life in Savannah but the author kept dropping little bits about her former life in New York (which sounded very interesting) and I actually checked to see if I missed any books before this one. If there was any prequel because it felt like I missed a big part of her story.
But, no. This is actually the first book in the series. And it didn't impress me. I don't think I'll be reading the next one.
September 25, 2019
This book would have been passable as an urban fantasy if it hadn’t been for all the transphobic shit in it.
Sugar, who’s pretty much our protagonist’s sidekick, is a trans woman. Whilst all the characters (apart from Sugar’s mother, who can’t see her for who she is) use the correct pronouns, in the beginning Katie carries on about how she’s really a man underneath. I’m cis, but that made my blood boil.
Sugar is a woman. She’s not a substandard woman, nor is she a man in a dress, or a handsome man under the makeup.
Seriously, if you care about our fellow transgender folks, don’t bother with this book. Your blood pressure will thank you.
Sugar, who’s pretty much our protagonist’s sidekick, is a trans woman. Whilst all the characters (apart from Sugar’s mother, who can’t see her for who she is) use the correct pronouns, in the beginning Katie carries on about how she’s really a man underneath. I’m cis, but that made my blood boil.
Sugar is a woman. She’s not a substandard woman, nor is she a man in a dress, or a handsome man under the makeup.
Seriously, if you care about our fellow transgender folks, don’t bother with this book. Your blood pressure will thank you.
September 20, 2020
Completely Transphobic
I tried to file the first incident of transphobia as just poorly worded (saw a man on the tattoo chair) but the second was blatant. I don't know if the author is a trans exclusionary feminist or just unable to do basic research alongside their editor, but there's no excuse for the bigotry.
I tried to file the first incident of transphobia as just poorly worded (saw a man on the tattoo chair) but the second was blatant. I don't know if the author is a trans exclusionary feminist or just unable to do basic research alongside their editor, but there's no excuse for the bigotry.
November 14, 2022
An interesting book but it just felt a bit rushed. We don't learn much about the supporting characters who feel like they're just there serve as foils for the min character Katie Bishop, the book is mainly told from her.point of view, some characters motivations aren't really clear and their behaviour a bit baffling, e.g. The male love interest refuses to let a woman tattoo him and is quite rude about it but then next time we see him he insists Katie works on his tattoo he later explains this behaviour but it doesn't really explain why he was rude. .😅A female tattoo artist, 24 years old (though she seems older) living in a new city string up her own tattoo shop. She it strong confident and cocky. Because Katie has a dragon to call on she feels invincible even after finding out there are way more dangerous creatures in Savannah than herself. One of those creatures is about to come knocking on her door, but luckily for Katie there's a secret society whose job it is to fight supernatural threats and they've issued an invitation to join them.tt
July 12, 2021
I wanted to like it more than I did, honestly.
I think my problem is that dude! This chick is a DRAGON! That's badass! She should be badass!
And she isn't.
I mean, at the end of the day, Katie allows everyone to push her around. Everyone. From the douchebag biker bro with his sexist shit, to the entitled elitist douchebags who supposedly run this town but don't actually DO anything. Seriously, this entire situation is their responsibility, their fuckup, and yet somehow they put the whole thing on Katie to fix.
And she just accepts it all.
It's tiresome. If I'm going to read a book about a motherfucking DRAGON, I want her to take no shit. If people want her help, they need to ASK, not demand or act as if she's their damn pet.
I'm reading onward, but I'm pretty lukewarm at the moment.
I think my problem is that dude! This chick is a DRAGON! That's badass! She should be badass!
And she isn't.
I mean, at the end of the day, Katie allows everyone to push her around. Everyone. From the douchebag biker bro with his sexist shit, to the entitled elitist douchebags who supposedly run this town but don't actually DO anything. Seriously, this entire situation is their responsibility, their fuckup, and yet somehow they put the whole thing on Katie to fix.
And she just accepts it all.
It's tiresome. If I'm going to read a book about a motherfucking DRAGON, I want her to take no shit. If people want her help, they need to ASK, not demand or act as if she's their damn pet.
I'm reading onward, but I'm pretty lukewarm at the moment.
November 27, 2022
This series has some interesting twists and flamboyant characters. It’s full of some unique beings. The like our heroine and her tattoo shop. The guy she hooks up with was a bit fast for my taste though that’s second to figuring out how to stop a god.
Rated: 3 Stars
FRTC
Rated: 3 Stars
FRTC
March 19, 2020
A lot of fun going on, but too much stupid for more than 3 kind stars...
August 26, 2017
Crossroads Of Bones by Luanne Bennett.
Savannah is a crossroads, a point where the worlds meet. Some of those worlds aren’t very pretty, and the things that can step over the line into the mundane world need watching—Welcome to the Crossroads Society.
A new contemporary Southern fantasy series.
Katie Bishop is a dragon’s child—a zmaj—marked at birth with the beast on her back.
After leaving Manhattan to start a small tattoo shop in the South, she never expected to end up in the middle of crazy town. But her reoccurring dreams of tattoos will become more than annoying disturbances in the night—they’ll become living nightmares that open the gateway between the genteel society folks of Savannah, Georgia and a rogue god determined to let all hell break loose. Drawn to Katie for her unique heritage and skills with ink, the god tries to force her to manifest a doorway to set him free from his prison. But with the help of a secret society patronized by some of Savannah’s most prominent citizens—and a little bone magic—she just might escape his trap and save them all. But she may seem normal compared to the likes of those who partner with her in the quest to recapture him and send him back to the grimoire from where he sprang.And just when she thinks her life can’t get any more complicated, Jackson Hunter rides into town on his Harley, bringing with him a whole new set of complications that prove that it certainly can.
Fantastic read with brilliant characters. Gripping read. Highly recommended. Tbc on fb.
Savannah is a crossroads, a point where the worlds meet. Some of those worlds aren’t very pretty, and the things that can step over the line into the mundane world need watching—Welcome to the Crossroads Society.
A new contemporary Southern fantasy series.
Katie Bishop is a dragon’s child—a zmaj—marked at birth with the beast on her back.
After leaving Manhattan to start a small tattoo shop in the South, she never expected to end up in the middle of crazy town. But her reoccurring dreams of tattoos will become more than annoying disturbances in the night—they’ll become living nightmares that open the gateway between the genteel society folks of Savannah, Georgia and a rogue god determined to let all hell break loose. Drawn to Katie for her unique heritage and skills with ink, the god tries to force her to manifest a doorway to set him free from his prison. But with the help of a secret society patronized by some of Savannah’s most prominent citizens—and a little bone magic—she just might escape his trap and save them all. But she may seem normal compared to the likes of those who partner with her in the quest to recapture him and send him back to the grimoire from where he sprang.And just when she thinks her life can’t get any more complicated, Jackson Hunter rides into town on his Harley, bringing with him a whole new set of complications that prove that it certainly can.
Fantastic read with brilliant characters. Gripping read. Highly recommended. Tbc on fb.
August 13, 2021
I really had a hard time liking this book
It's not a terrible story, but I really had a hard time connecting with Katie. Her personality is a bit stand off-ish, and hard to relate to. She supposedly cares for her friends so much that her dragon comes out to defend her "clan" when threatened. But for the guy she's been role playing with and boinking on and off, she only spares a small concern for his death and her role in it.
Honestly, her biggest concern is getting blamed for his death and sent to jail, but the actual guy only gets a passing thought of remorse.
In fact, the next night she goes out with the bad boy biker dude that just rolled into town, and boinks him.😕
I mean, her ex-lover has been dead for less than a day, and she just drops him like a hot potato with zero emotional reaction.
That wasn't the only thing off about this story. Most of the characters are hard to relate to. Fin is annoying, the whole secret society thing with the excessively wealthy people and bad choices, but obsession with high fashion is bizarre. The hoodoo with the bones and the root people is strange, and also the people that turn into inanimate objects is a new one for me.
Katie yoyo's between "strong independent woman" and "damsel in distress" in a whiplash inducing frenzy...I guess it was a lot of things that felt off about this book to me in a way that made it hard for me to enjoy.
I'm not sure I will read the next book.
It's not a terrible story, but I really had a hard time connecting with Katie. Her personality is a bit stand off-ish, and hard to relate to. She supposedly cares for her friends so much that her dragon comes out to defend her "clan" when threatened. But for the guy she's been role playing with and boinking on and off, she only spares a small concern for his death and her role in it.
Honestly, her biggest concern is getting blamed for his death and sent to jail, but the actual guy only gets a passing thought of remorse.
In fact, the next night she goes out with the bad boy biker dude that just rolled into town, and boinks him.😕
I mean, her ex-lover has been dead for less than a day, and she just drops him like a hot potato with zero emotional reaction.
That wasn't the only thing off about this story. Most of the characters are hard to relate to. Fin is annoying, the whole secret society thing with the excessively wealthy people and bad choices, but obsession with high fashion is bizarre. The hoodoo with the bones and the root people is strange, and also the people that turn into inanimate objects is a new one for me.
Katie yoyo's between "strong independent woman" and "damsel in distress" in a whiplash inducing frenzy...I guess it was a lot of things that felt off about this book to me in a way that made it hard for me to enjoy.
I'm not sure I will read the next book.
September 6, 2017
4.5 stars
A really cool shifter story involving a dragon shifter that was a nice break from your typical werewolves and vamps. But there’s a lot more going on with this story, too. It’s set in Savannah, Georgia, where weirdness, not just of the supernatural kind, is a way of life amid numerous secret societies and subcultures. The plot is rich, and the magic takes many forms. And I found it easy to get into the characters.
A really cool shifter story involving a dragon shifter that was a nice break from your typical werewolves and vamps. But there’s a lot more going on with this story, too. It’s set in Savannah, Georgia, where weirdness, not just of the supernatural kind, is a way of life amid numerous secret societies and subcultures. The plot is rich, and the magic takes many forms. And I found it easy to get into the characters.
July 21, 2019
The book isn't bad, but I struggled to relate to the characters. Most of them seemed more like caricatures than people. Add in the fact that the writing seemed to lack a lot of reasoning behind the plot points , and I just didn't enjoy the story enough to read the rest of the series.
Shelved as 'never-reading-andor-finishing'
December 26, 2020DNF 71%
No urge to return this, may be at some point. Issue is characters and plot didn't have me drawn in.
Free on amazon 15th July 2019
No urge to return this, may be at some point. Issue is characters and plot didn't have me drawn in.
Free on amazon 15th July 2019
July 2, 2020
Not good enough. Lots of problematic points, from shallowness to plot holes. Not going to book 2
June 15, 2018
(I thank Netgalley and the author for sending me the ARC in exchange for my honest review)
I enjoyed this book very much. I love urban fantasy and this series Katie Bishop seems really promising. To be honest I was bewildered by one point or maybe two (see bellow) but as the book is, if I understood well, self-published, some kind of tiny flaws are acceptable in my point of view.
The narration is quite good, for a comfortable and interesting read. I loved the context, Savannah, a small business, a tattoo shop, an independent and amiable main character, an extraordinary young woman with an ordinary life (well, almost!). The story is interesting, with a lot of hidden in plain sight magic - voodoo, demonic spirits and various kind of shape-shifters.
The story presents a very good mix of action (not too much, not non-stop one, yes!), mysteries and mundane situations - which I particularly like in fantasy or science-fi contexts.
I was a little overwhelmed by the slang and familiar speech in the dialogues (I was hypnotized by all the "them" used as demonstrative adjectives!) but I must admit that I prefer classical dialogues, too bad for local colour... I had sometimes the vague impression of conventional persons shaming, as all the the wealthy and privileged characters were systematically judged as nasty and unworthy at first sight. It shocked me as the heroin is a nice person, not inclined to be judgmental without any reasons. It's probably for a lack of exposure of the characters (one scene or two showing and not telling their unpleasantness would have been interesting), the author knowing these people's personalities and jumping to the conclusion, forgetting that the reader hasn't got the right clues to forge their own opinion. The last thing that bothered me quite a lot, before understanding my problem, was with Sugar. Till the very beginning Sugar is presented as a trans genre woman, still in a man body, but named "she" by everybody "out of respect for her". So far so good, sexual identity is not always linked to the right body and a person should always be listened for knowing best. But if the pronoun "she" was always used in dialogues, and Sugar being respected (she's an important character, with and an endearing and dynamic personality) the narration keeps describing her as a man. I couldn't understand it: Sugar identifies as a woman, the narrator is okay with that, so why insisting and speaking about her as a he, a man? I decided finally that it must have been an involuntary clumsiness, writing "man" where "man's body" would have been correct, and insisting on the whole portrait of a large man wearing woman clothes, abundant make-up, and wigs, to be sure that the reader never forgets that Sugar isn't a traditional woman, with a comfortable feminine body to wear (actually it worked for me, Sugar's image is quite vivid in my mind!).
All in all a book I warmly recommend "Crossroads of bones" to all readers who like good urban fantasy, without any excess of sexe, violence and boring action, but personality and a well thought context, effective and fun.
I enjoyed this book very much. I love urban fantasy and this series Katie Bishop seems really promising. To be honest I was bewildered by one point or maybe two (see bellow) but as the book is, if I understood well, self-published, some kind of tiny flaws are acceptable in my point of view.
The narration is quite good, for a comfortable and interesting read. I loved the context, Savannah, a small business, a tattoo shop, an independent and amiable main character, an extraordinary young woman with an ordinary life (well, almost!). The story is interesting, with a lot of hidden in plain sight magic - voodoo, demonic spirits and various kind of shape-shifters.
The story presents a very good mix of action (not too much, not non-stop one, yes!), mysteries and mundane situations - which I particularly like in fantasy or science-fi contexts.
I was a little overwhelmed by the slang and familiar speech in the dialogues (I was hypnotized by all the "them" used as demonstrative adjectives!) but I must admit that I prefer classical dialogues, too bad for local colour... I had sometimes the vague impression of conventional persons shaming, as all the the wealthy and privileged characters were systematically judged as nasty and unworthy at first sight. It shocked me as the heroin is a nice person, not inclined to be judgmental without any reasons. It's probably for a lack of exposure of the characters (one scene or two showing and not telling their unpleasantness would have been interesting), the author knowing these people's personalities and jumping to the conclusion, forgetting that the reader hasn't got the right clues to forge their own opinion. The last thing that bothered me quite a lot, before understanding my problem, was with Sugar. Till the very beginning Sugar is presented as a trans genre woman, still in a man body, but named "she" by everybody "out of respect for her". So far so good, sexual identity is not always linked to the right body and a person should always be listened for knowing best. But if the pronoun "she" was always used in dialogues, and Sugar being respected (she's an important character, with and an endearing and dynamic personality) the narration keeps describing her as a man. I couldn't understand it: Sugar identifies as a woman, the narrator is okay with that, so why insisting and speaking about her as a he, a man? I decided finally that it must have been an involuntary clumsiness, writing "man" where "man's body" would have been correct, and insisting on the whole portrait of a large man wearing woman clothes, abundant make-up, and wigs, to be sure that the reader never forgets that Sugar isn't a traditional woman, with a comfortable feminine body to wear (actually it worked for me, Sugar's image is quite vivid in my mind!).
All in all a book I warmly recommend "Crossroads of bones" to all readers who like good urban fantasy, without any excess of sexe, violence and boring action, but personality and a well thought context, effective and fun.
July 6, 2018
Crossroads of Bones, A Katie Bishop Novel Book 1, Luanne Bennett
Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews
Genre:, Sci-fi and Fantasy
I wasn't sure what to expect from this, Luanne is a new-to-me author, but its a story I really enjoyed.
There are some terrific characters here, and that's really important for me. I loved Katie, a strong and independent lady, not a whiny TSSL heroine. She's got a mysterious past, is making a new life for herself in her tattoo shop. Her employees are a mixed bunch but really interesting, and as the story unfolds some of them have valuable info for her. I loved her friend Sugar too, a great secondary character who proved very important and was such a treat to read. I really enjoy reading about people who are different in some way, individuals in the fullest sense and Sugar was perfect.
The adventure, the story, the bit that's the focus of the book was cleverly done, and kept me reading avidly and this book set me up to look forward for the next. I like that there are characters other than the usual vampire/shooters, I love those but I love stories which take things a bit further too. This one was very vivid in the way it played out and even though we're talking about fiction, specifically fantasy, it all felt so very real to me. The touches of root/voodoo/voudun magic were good and added so much to the atmosphere, and blended perfectly with the setting.
That ending, not a cliffhanger but a terrific, tantalising glimpse of what's in story for Katie next. I look forward to reading that.
Stars: Four and a half, almost the magic five, and a terrific series opener.
ARC supplied by Netgalley and publisher
Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews
Genre:, Sci-fi and Fantasy
I wasn't sure what to expect from this, Luanne is a new-to-me author, but its a story I really enjoyed.
There are some terrific characters here, and that's really important for me. I loved Katie, a strong and independent lady, not a whiny TSSL heroine. She's got a mysterious past, is making a new life for herself in her tattoo shop. Her employees are a mixed bunch but really interesting, and as the story unfolds some of them have valuable info for her. I loved her friend Sugar too, a great secondary character who proved very important and was such a treat to read. I really enjoy reading about people who are different in some way, individuals in the fullest sense and Sugar was perfect.
The adventure, the story, the bit that's the focus of the book was cleverly done, and kept me reading avidly and this book set me up to look forward for the next. I like that there are characters other than the usual vampire/shooters, I love those but I love stories which take things a bit further too. This one was very vivid in the way it played out and even though we're talking about fiction, specifically fantasy, it all felt so very real to me. The touches of root/voodoo/voudun magic were good and added so much to the atmosphere, and blended perfectly with the setting.
That ending, not a cliffhanger but a terrific, tantalising glimpse of what's in story for Katie next. I look forward to reading that.
Stars: Four and a half, almost the magic five, and a terrific series opener.
ARC supplied by Netgalley and publisher
December 15, 2020
Katie just wants to run her tattoo business quietly under the radar. But when a man walks into her shop and hands her a drawing of the same tattoo she's been dreaming about for weeks, things start to spin out of control. The last two people who tried to apply that tattoo are dead.
Only half human, it's her other half that an elite group wants to hire-a group of Savannah's more privileged citizens, including the city's reigning coven of witches.
There's a rogue god on the loose, and Katie is the only one who can send him back to hell before he breaks open the crossroads and lets the underworld waltz right in-if he manages to get that deadly tattoo inked onto his back I enjoyed the Kate Bishop series , I like Katie and how sure she is while not being cocky, but if you were a dragon guess you could be cocky. The attraction and chemistry between her and Jackson was interesting and the two make a pair, I look forward to reading more of the Crossroads of Bones books.
Only half human, it's her other half that an elite group wants to hire-a group of Savannah's more privileged citizens, including the city's reigning coven of witches.
There's a rogue god on the loose, and Katie is the only one who can send him back to hell before he breaks open the crossroads and lets the underworld waltz right in-if he manages to get that deadly tattoo inked onto his back I enjoyed the Kate Bishop series , I like Katie and how sure she is while not being cocky, but if you were a dragon guess you could be cocky. The attraction and chemistry between her and Jackson was interesting and the two make a pair, I look forward to reading more of the Crossroads of Bones books.
August 19, 2018
Crossroad of Bones is an interesting start to the Katie Bishop series. Cool concept and some quirky characters drew me in. A bit slow to start, but it did pick up. Also I felt that some details were not fleshed out as well as they could have been. A few awkward scenes left me scratching my head. All in all an entertaining read that I hope improves over time.
*ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review.
*ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review.
July 29, 2019
Great new series, My first read by Luanne Bennet - one of best new voices I've read in a very long time! Great worldbuilding and an author I'll be watching. I really can’t wait to read more in this series and books by this author. If you like great urban fantasy with a little romance thrown in, do yourself a favor and get this book. #CrossroadsOfBones #NetGalley
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https://www.pcbookreviews.com/2019/07...
September 15, 2021
Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars
January 9, 2022
3-3.5 star
Maybe it’s a me thing. I just couldn’t find myself being that interested in this book. I didn’t particularly like any of the characters, not Fin not Sugar not Jackson, sadly not even Katie rang the oh-mi-gosh bell with me. The plot was also very dragging, at least for me.
While it’s not the best of best nor is best in my books, Crossroads of bones was well written and the plot was unique and well thought out. I will be continuing with book two and I hope I find myself warming up to the characters. It’s been so long since I read a long UF series and loved it.
UPDATE: couldn’t do it. Couldn’t finish book two. Got to the part where she realized she was ‘falling in love’ after only months of knowing the dude and that was it. 15% of the book. And already a love confession. N. O.
Maybe it’s a me thing. I just couldn’t find myself being that interested in this book. I didn’t particularly like any of the characters, not Fin not Sugar not Jackson, sadly not even Katie rang the oh-mi-gosh bell with me. The plot was also very dragging, at least for me.
While it’s not the best of best nor is best in my books, Crossroads of bones was well written and the plot was unique and well thought out. I will be continuing with book two and I hope I find myself warming up to the characters. It’s been so long since I read a long UF series and loved it.
UPDATE: couldn’t do it. Couldn’t finish book two. Got to the part where she realized she was ‘falling in love’ after only months of knowing the dude and that was it. 15% of the book. And already a love confession. N. O.
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