**I was provided with an ARC for an honest review.**
This book got two angsty alphas as our main characters with sexy shifter chemistry:
Hayden, She is **I was provided with an ARC for an honest review.**
This book got two angsty alphas as our main characters with sexy shifter chemistry:
Hayden, She is unassuming and apologetic. And that BEFORE she ever got bitten.
“The world blurred past, too sharp, sight and smell and scent so overpowering I itched at the rasp of mockingbirds rustling, could taste the tang of sage and mesquite in the air, found myself getting dizzy every time I blinked. Rocks scuttled underfoot as I scurried down a gully, the scent of the third wolf causing fury to rise in my blood. Come after me and my sister? I. Would. End. You.”
I adored her protective relationship with her sister Ellie that definitely gave her character more dimensions beyond the initial rocker chick vibes.
Ethan Caldwell, A born werewolf, he has a better understanding of the supernatural world. But not a goddamn clue about romance
“She stormed out of my life three years ago, and I’d wanted to kick myself every day since.”
Both characters had difficult pasts that we learn more through the dual perspective.
But the trick writing dual perspective is to keep both voices strong and separate. So ... because both of our characters are angsty troubled alphas, they had very similar voices at times that I got lili lost and confused.
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Shifter Sexiness I adore werewolves and urban fantasy.
This book didn't focus on developing the world around our characters, but more on our new wolfie learning how to survive in it. I felt like we missed out on the typical supernatural shenanigans of finding your place in the werewolf pack that is separate from the human world. Instead, the world was set up as was more of a vague werewolf coating over the existing human world.
I did enjoy the danger of becoming feral that the wolves can't just suddenly control, but must continually take actions to prevent it
“Anything the wolf wants, you give it in small doses. Keep it in its cage. The three F's. Fight, fuck and feed.” Or risk going feral and killing everyone you love.”
And as a new werewolf, Hayden really captured the terror and panic of learning that control!
“Overwhelmed by the helplessness. I couldn’t leave. Couldn’t see my sister. Night after night, I battled rage, confusion and blackouts. Forgot who I was only to wake in a post-shift stupor. Trembled as tears pricked the backs of my eyes, wanting to break every dish, shred every pillow, destroy all of Ethan’s furniture down to the last chair. And then curl into a ball and weep, trapped and alone with the part of what had happened I could never say aloud. That in those darkest moments just after twilight, I worried I would never feel like me again.”
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Now let me say this. I do not enjoy the usage of email chains/texts/emojis/hashtags in my books.
I understand that it's to relate to our generation... But honestly, some quality sassy remarks are way more relatable than the hashtag will ever be to me.
Also while reading, this book isn't linear. There be some flashbacks that sometimes felt random when not indicated.
Why does our MC have so many goddamn nicknames? - WillKillForThinMints - Anastasia - Batman - Daisy I mean like one would be cute. But these nicknames were casually thrown out there, that I had no clue who was being referenced or the story behind them.
My critiques are about how I wanted MORE from the book. I found the characters interesting, the mystery exciting, the pace thrilling. But I had a hard time connecting.
We don't see the first werewolf attack. We hear about it afterward.
We don't see the two characters meet each other. We hear about how they use to be close
The beginning felt disorganized and chaotic. We are thrown into this world that is new to Hayden and she never really ventures outside one supernatural coffee shop so it implies we gonna see more later
But we are just as clueless as her. Constantly trying to figure out the characters, the world, just everything. Hayden couldn’t explain shit to us so a lot didn’t make sense, and I felt I needed to put wayyy 2 much effort into figuring out what the fuck is happening
Overall, the heroine really had quite a funny personality that provided funny commentary and chemistry with the love interest. Where this book sorta struggles to me and reason it doesn’t quite compare to the other great paranormal mysteries like Nevada Baylor is the lack of character relations and dynamics ...beyond the fun sexual romance. The sisterhood between Hayden and Ellie is cute but surface deep. The rest of the characters are interesting with some fun pop-up scenes… but we don’t have any of the great group dynamics of everyone together laughing struggling bonding. The plot revolved around the heroine's learning her new werewolf nature and trying to figure out the mystery of why and who is tracking her.
If you're bored and just wanna laugh at some ridiculous hot shifter shenanigans then I'd recommend trying it out but know that is very much focused on hot sex, sassy comments, dangerous mystery and.... yah no thats about it...more
**I was provided with an ARC for an honest review#Booksirens**
Best way to describe is just a fun magic mystery mercenary series. I loved the varie**I was provided with an ARC for an honest review#Booksirens**
Best way to describe is just a fun magic mystery mercenary series. I loved the variety of characters, I loved the bisexual representation, and while a lili predictable I enjoyed the ridiculousness of the plot. But .... some of the writing styles choices just kinda failed for me
Meet our local bisexual necromancer, Seraphina Mason
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She not exactly the brightest of the bunch but she fights through any problem, learns to use her powers, and will absolutely make the more reckless decision if it saves more people
“Shit. So, this is how it ended. With my hunting ineptitude. Made sense. Ideally not great, but it tracked.”
Her sassy attitude took dark pleasure from bad things happening to people that annoyed her. The reveal of her abilities as a necromancer leads the audience to believe that she hasn't developed her powers to their full capacity as she thought
Secondary Characters had a great variety of people that stayed pretty one-dimensional and left me wanting more interactions with
“Devyn Shaw—the best damn vampire hunter in the 716—is your woman. She also happens to be my ex.”
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LIKE WHAT??! THAT'S ALL YOU GONNA TELL US?
Nathaniel Caligari, a local vampire
Rhys: "one of the city’s forensic pathologists and longtime innocent bystander to my paranormal bullshit”
and the sister Elliesigghhhhh
I really struggled with this chick— the sisterly dynamic felt like two strangers in the same house who shared food. I saw her as removed and distant to Sera, the sister who is sacrificing everything for her while Ellie was just off doing her own thing which was ... what now??
The place where this book sorta struggles to me and the reason it doesn’t quite compare to the other great paranormal detectives like Kate Daniels or Nevada Baylor or Toby Daye is the lack of character relations and dynamics.
The sisterhood of Ellie and Sera is cute but surface deep. The romance of her and Nate is fun but hasn’t really gotten sexy or swoon-worthy. The rest of the characters are interesting with some great pop-up scenes like with Dev appearing for one battle scene and a witty line… but I literally couldn't describe any of their personalities to you just differed them by name and job title.
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Worldbuilding this is an urban fantasy with magic normalized in our group of characters. It felt like we kept hearing about the major power players in the world but never really interacted with any groups.... why. it was mostly Sera directly explaining it to us. also why.
“For the sake of clarity, I think I should backtrack a little. The politics between hunters and vampires are complicated."
There are a ton of vampires !
But we don't know how the organized, whether its bunch of leaders of their own groups or one central
There are witches and warlocks !
But we don't meet any or know anything else about them
There are also vampire hunters or something...
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do you see a fucking pattern there?
The Plot
I wanted the adventure to be more incorporated throughout the book but it was pretty limited to the end fight scene. I mean, it took till over half the book for our characters to even come up with a plan! to actually investigate the murders and cult! bruh.
It felt like the build-up of learning the world was explained to us and took up the majority of the book !! which sadly left the actual plot and characters actually taking initiative on the actions to be the last 100 pages.
Perhaps because this is the beginning of a series-type book with a large amount of world-building and explanation that kinda turned me off.
But it was also the writing style and choices made. I mean it felt passive with Sera directly explaining sooo much to me as the reader. Like why didn't the author try to use interactions with characters and dialogue to give us that information? The main character's own background with the sister felt more reminiscent of friends who could ignore each other than a big sister sacrificing everything to a little sister that just left her. like what the actual fuck.
I recommend if you just wanna try a fun mystery and vampires because this book clearly ticks all those essentials. But you really gotta make an effort to connect to the characters so it's more about the mystery and power buildup happening with Sera instead of focusing on the characters themselves...more
**I was provided with an ARC for an honest review.**
Apparently this book is meant to be read as a sequel...oops... only my stubbornness made me see it**I was provided with an ARC for an honest review.**
Apparently this book is meant to be read as a sequel...oops... only my stubbornness made me see it through… But now i gotta go back& figure out who the hell everyone is
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Jordan Sanders a biologist and a leader of a team that studies magical animals
In other words…
Mot social. No touchy touchy. She kinda like the awkward duckling that just trying to get her work done but gets pulled into a whole lotta political crazy that she isnt *quite* equipped to handle
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For a mystery magic book, this was weirdly long (prolonging the badass magical elements I wanted) and world-building got alotta attention
꧁ Worldbuilding ꧂ This is an urban type fantasy with magic normalized in our group of characters. I love the concept of Ancestoral magic and this was a pretty unique take on how that influences the rest of the worlds dynamics of resources and power.
꧁ Writing style ꧂ The writer focused more on the details and worldbuilding more than action, which was likely done to develop the characters but left me wanting more danger. Certain writing choices of the inner monologues were a little disorientating in what was actually happening in the plot. Some moments were drawn out and you were like. Why. But later revelations made some details make wayyy more sense
Overall, this was a fun book with the science nerd doing her best that was made the mystery all the more enteraining with the life chaos surrounding these characters as they struggle. While the beginning was a little basic recipe, all the twists and turns worked to elevate this whole book and really explore this elaborate bookish world....more
I know this says book one, but its really a prequel *mic drop*
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I really enjoyed this book, but not necessarily this heroine *yet*
Nora JacI know this says book one, but its really a prequel *mic drop*
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I really enjoyed this book, but not necessarily this heroine *yet*
Nora Jacob has a little bit of special snowflake Mary-Sue vibes that I have never been a fan of in any book
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But her character also has some great glimpses of being capable, wanting to help people, and actually having self-preservation after being hurt in past
Heads up there are some serious trigger warnings here lots of reference to abuse, rape, PTSD, mind rape, etc.
From a 'curse', Nora draws in people. But as we all know men can be such assholes sometimes. For me, this was honestly the unique twist that sets this series apart
Usually when the supernatural possessive hottie vampire shows up, we assume its the love interest.
“Bring Nora to me,” Henry rasps. I staked the bastard, and he can still talk? He’s like a damn cockroach”
But the author totally flips it around and basically says fuck those guys that wants to “baby her”. Thats not what she fucking wants. She wants support, not to be taken care of.
Now... My Main critique… the love interests
Bitch. If you say this a reverse harem… then give me a goddamn reverse harem
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I guess we could describe this as the slowest burn ever because we meet a variety of guys with no real romance to show for it *frowny face*
Parker the vampire enforcer Oliver the sorcerer (who was really kinda eh wimpy) Terence the awesome troll who got hard-core friendzoned here *tears* Nick a demon ?? something ??
Honestly, I really loved the odd collection of magic and characters we've met so far, they all added a funny overlayer to the plot i really enjoyed
“As I leave, I hear Oliver mutter, “The woman just fist-bumped a troll.” “After she ordered him around like a damn maid and lived,” Nick whispers. “Unbelievable.” Terrance’s laughter shakes the whole place.”
But all of my critiques are about how I wanted MORE from the series, not less. I found the story engrossing, the characters engaging, the mystery exciting, the pace thrilling
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And we'll probably meet more harem potentials as the series develops and Nora joins the supernatural world
So why do I consider this a prequel?
Because all the elements are just set-up here. Yes its clearly building to something but I kept waiting for it to actually occur in THIS book
We meet the heroine. But its not till the end that she shares her dreams, and gets a job - so implies for next books we gonna get some more mystery later
We meet the guys. But again, nothing really develops with romance so implies we gonna get some later
We get introduced to the world. But its completely new to Nora and she never really ventures outside one supernatural club so implies we gonna see more later
are you seeing a pattern?
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So that's why I consider this a prequel because its all set-up for the real first book and rest of series. Overall, I enjoyed this *as a prequel* I am definitely excited to see where it develops next. I'm looking for Nova develop out of her Mary-Sueness into her own character, the harem to start forming some more chemistry and bonds, and more supernatural mysteries that I always adore...more
Sooo, I love paranormal detectives. I love the twisted plots, the dangerous characters, the desperate situations…it provides a rush that few other genSooo, I love paranormal detectives. I love the twisted plots, the dangerous characters, the desperate situations…it provides a rush that few other genres can match.
And October Toby Daye is a damn good example with the fey-orientated series that blends crime, action-adventure, and some pretty great characters.
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As a heroine, Toby is definitely one of my favorites *acknowleding her depression and struggle in book 4+5* even with all the shit in her life, she doesn't just bitch and moan about how unfair life is. She does what needs to be done, often in the most hilarious way possible
“According to the digital readout, it wasn’t even eight o’clock in the morning. I’d been in bed for less than ten minutes. The doorbell rang again. “Oh, someone’s getting murdered today,” I muttered”
Toby's official court/squad has been formed and together they solve one major fuck-up after another: Toby, Tybalt, Quinn, Raj, Luidaeg, Ormond, Danny
Before, we had some side scenes with brief peaks at each of these characters. Now they are way more developed, interacting with each other AND Toby, and just honestly fucking adorable.
“ I resent that,” said Quentin. “Many men have resented me in their days, young prince,” said Tybalt. “Be proud of the legacy you have joined.” “Tybalt, don’t taunt my squire,” I said. “Quentin, don’t kill my boyfriend. Both of you, shut up and let me work.”
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By far my favorite is definitely, Quinn and Raj. These two kids characters were hilarious and added to the whole story !! Usually I get annoyed with kids slowing stuff down but McGuire does a great job to keep them engaged with Toby in character realistic ways
“You can start a snowball fight with Raj later, okay?” “Okay,” said Quentin. “Wait, what?” said Raj. “Both of you, come on.” I turned, trying not to shiver”
oh hey remember that fucker that turned Toby into a fish? Well he’s backkkkk “Consider your own history. You’ve killed a Firstborn and overthrown a Queen. Against your record, turning someone into a fish is positively friendly.” [image]
Honestly its so strange to think about how far we’ve come and its so weird to think about Toby’s old life in the human world
And now the biggie, Tybalt, our ♥Lord of Cats♥
“I am beginning to feel as if we do not save each other in equal measure,” he said wearily, voice rasping a little from the strain he had put on it with all the screaming. “Next time you must let me save you, or I will start to feel I am not contributing to this partnership.”
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Thie series creatively builds a storyline that is credible and interesting around the tendrils of magic power wielded in different ways by many of the characters in this novel.
“Why do you ask?” “Because we’re all too stupid to live, and that’s why we’re all going to die soon,” I said slowly.”
October’s past in the fey court with the lords and ladies that either love or hate her come back into play
And better yet, we able to create a female magic-wielder who wasn't a witch. Honestly I just kinda sick of witchy urban fantasy and paranormal heroines, it's gotten to the point where it's almost cliche'. So that made me love this series even more with the fey aspect especially a weaker fey series just a great fresh take.
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The author's use of folklore is clever and well-placed. She takes a different direction with fey courts and the different hierarchies of magic. The mythical badass Luidaeg being a prime and my favorite example:
“Mother, if you can hear me, I’ve been very good,” said the Luidaeg. “I haven’t killed anyone who didn’t deserve it, not even my sister, who should probably have been killed a hundred times over by now”
Even baddies are afraid of their terrifying fucking mothers that gave them a portion of their power
How would I describe this series? Paranormal mystery solver? Check! Tough-talking super bravado? Check! Awesome secondary side characters that make me like heroine more? Check!
The land of Faerie has always intermingled with the mortal world. With their secret Courts. Terrifying creatures and legends. Where their beauty is oThe land of Faerie has always intermingled with the mortal world. With their secret Courts. Terrifying creatures and legends. Where their beauty is only equal to their danger.
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One definitely unique change to the fey world is that changelings aren't stolen children like most fey stories, instead they are mortal halfbreeds who don't quite fit into either worlds. Enter our heroine, October 'Toby' Daye. And all the shenanigans she gets into.
Re-Reading this series I'm able to appreciate and enjoy it a lot more than the first go-around.
Now that I know what the world is like, see where all of this is going with Toby Daye and Tybalt, know what's up with all of the cryptic references to her past, and recognize which characters are actually important staples in this universe in later books
So let me summarize:
Book 1: Good intro book, general set-up Book 2: Established world better and I fell in love with Tybalt Book 3: intro the series plot of the series with the Firsts Book 4: little bland and dry Book 5: depressing as fuuuck Book 6: Toby back in action! The banter coming back, and group dynamic forming Book 7: *Top fucking tier!* Book 8: We have a system and I’m liking it
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I definitely plan to be continuing this series and recommend it as an entertaining series. Each book in itself is enjoyable, but the power definitely lies in the series as a whole and just how creative this world is. Highly recommend giving it a try if you like fey, fun & mystery. See if it's your cup of tea....more
While the other books had hints and glimmers of greatness, this FUCKING ONE brings it aThis! THIS IS THE REASON I STARTED THIS SERIES
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While the other books had hints and glimmers of greatness, this FUCKING ONE brings it all together and has made the whole journey worth it
The worldbuilding?? Fucking brilliant
“Purebloods make knowes, Firstborn make worlds…what did you think my parents made?” “They made Faerie,” I said. “They did. And Faerie misses us”
The action? Just creative tension with building up of important key characters and events combined with that *iconic* McGuire sass
“I did not consent to your presence,” she said peevishly. “Please depart, and attempt your political assassination on someone else’s property.”
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The plot: Find another missing child…. Chelsea who is full of power and potential with no control. To simplifiy it? Its a shitshow
But our heroine? Heres where it gets a little tricky
The last couple books, our changeling knight Toby Daye was legit depressed. Her personal losses caused her to lose sight of her values, make reckless decisions, and honestly not behave like the changeling knight we’ve come to know and love
“You can’t save everyone and leave yourself lost, October. It isn’t fair. Not to you and not to the people who care about you.”
But thanks to her friends and awesome court, in this book Toby has some serious character development and now she the heroine we always knew she could be
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Toby's official court/squad has been formed and together they solve one major fuck-up after another: Toby, Tybalt, Quinn, Raj, Luidaeg, Ormond, Danny
We’ve had some great characters in this series... but it always felt a little lacking. In this book, now they are all fully developed and interacting with each other which makes for some great group banter
“What’s going on?” “You nearly died. Again. I put you back together. Again. Oh, and you owe Tybalt and May so many favors I can’t even put it into words”
And now the biggie, Tybalt. Everybody’s favorite ♥Lord of Cats♥
“Tybalt shrugged. “I am sure you would have been fine without me.” “Oh, yeah. I just let you help so you wouldn’t feel useless.” Tybalt spared a small smile. “Quite kind of you.”
Okay i have literally been shipping these two fuckers since the first book! Theyve had some serious ups and downs. I mean there was one book Tybalt didnt even make an appearance ^fuck that noise^
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“A smile crossed his face. “If I believed that, I would walk away and never darken your door again. I can forgive you your foolishness only because I know how lost you are. But one day, you’ll have to come back home. When you do, I hope you’ll find me waiting.”
He is exactly how you expect the Lord of Cats to act. Together they support and *mostly* challenged each other
I’ve always loved how when they first met, he helps her but in the most dickish way possible i.e. mysterious vague clues. But now *6 goddamn books later* he actively part of Toby’s schemes and reckless decisions
“How was he supposed to know we’d be total morons and stay together for them to attack us?” “And the logical place for you to go would be here?” asked Tybalt.”
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Honestly, I’d read this series just for Tybalt. Overall. I love this series. I love the worldbuilding with the different levels of fey and how it all connects with the Faerie and human world. I love Toby’s character (minus the depressing 4th book) because she always fighting to help others, stand up for herself, and kick Tybalt’s ass as needed hehe
This the kinda series that gets better and better with each book. So you gotta be in right mood of patience for the buildup and just enjoy each one more and more. But this one? This one truly wowwed me
“Can’t I? It’s been a long time since I’ve loved someone, but I know what it feels like. When you turn from me, it hurts. When you think badly of me, I think badly of myself. When you do stupid, suicidal things, I want to slap you upside the head and demand to know how you can be so brilliant and so blind at the same time.” Tybalt’s expression was calm. “If that’s not love, what is it?”
The siren is coming to the surface and changing Nora's personality — turning her into a dark killer
And honestly I was HERE for it *snaps*
“My
The siren is coming to the surface and changing Nora's personality — turning her into a dark killer
And honestly I was HERE for it *snaps*
“My siren burns with indignation at his arrogance. She wants to devour this man, and I want to let her. Maybe I should let Parker lift my compulsion.”
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tho why the hell would you go into a fight knowing you locked away your own powers. the amount of marysue-damsel in distress-bullshit in that sentence
But everyone else wanted to 'fix' her to not go outta control which is our main plotline here
This series is just enjoyable. The characters are hilarious and leave you wanting more. The heroine has a unique backstory that I’m excited to see how its developed. And the harem isn’t a total smut fest *shucks*
“Stop!” I yell, giggling. I let go control of him and hold onto my gut as I laugh. “I ask you to do a little dance, and you give us a striptease?” “What other kind of dance is there?”
Parker, Oliver, Rook, Illren, then we got Terrence, Nick, Ren & Enzo as nonsexual can members
I really adore each of these characters and how unique their dynamic is. They each add an essential element with one uber sweet, possessive, badass, protective, etc.
I wanted this book to really focus on these established characters group dynamic by continuing to build their bond together, chemistry, and have them all interacting with each other AND Nora
But instead, the focus went more towards introducing ANOTHER new guy named ... Charlie ??
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Cupid Charlie was admittedly a funny character,
“Charlie clutches his hand over his heart, almost as if he’s in pain. “I can’t take it anymore,” he says. “The love in this room is incredible”
But literally, why was he added?? I didn't like how cupid was labeled as fey Where was the magic variety we had going? I didn't like that he was dubbed as the fae mate what about Illren He just felt thrown in last-minute like oh hey this guy would be funny
The big climax of the series
“They seem to be in good spirits, considering we’re about to fight for our lives.”
All the build-up of stuff we've been waiting to happen in this series -- happened in this book!!
These characters are HILARIOUS, and unique and funny and I could just keep reading books of them all going fucking shopping together or something. But the plot was very much revolved around Nora's identity so once that was solved-- they just ended it.
Overall. This series was hilarious. I adored the characters *acknowledging Nora's eh marysue. I loved the world and magic building. Honestly, I could've read an even longer more plot-driven series with these characters but I enjoyed the 4 books. I'd definitely recommend this if you enjoy laughing, fun reverse harems that don't take themselves 2 seriously.
My main critique is that the sex scenes were minimal. Like after 3 books of build-up, I thought we were gonna get some menage steamy. But we never really got that hot and steamy sexual details *bummer* We just got like 1 or 2 vague scenes of her being intimate with other people. so if you don't like descriptive graphic sex, you will def like this!...more
This series is pretty easy to enjoy with its creative supernatural shenanigans, but could be just as easy to hate on with the whole special sno[image]
This series is pretty easy to enjoy with its creative supernatural shenanigans, but could be just as easy to hate on with the whole special snowflake syndrome
So Imma review this as a fun paranormal book that didn't take itself seriously
This series is just fun. The characters are hilarious and leave you wanting more. The heroine has a unique backstory that I’m excited to see how its developed. The harem isn’t a total smut fest *bummer* and there are some lines that are pretty fucking funny.
“Nora, if you don’t relax, I’m going to duct tape your ass to the couch.”
We are *finally* getting some real development of the characters. the harem start forming with more chemistry and bonds that makes these characters all the more developed and better for it
“Terrance’s answering grunt-and-glare combo makes Nick raise his hands in surrender. “Subject closed. You’re in excellent health.” “Damn right.”
The harem
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We got ... Parker the vampire enforcer, has a kinda angsty goth thing Oliver the sorcerer, still kinda wimpy but now also sweet as fuck Terence very much the father figure in this one and i dig it Nick Her partner in solving crimes with a mysterious power that im thinking either demon, dragon, or any variation therefore Rook werewolf and kinda moody in this one
and our newest addition *and my fav*Illren the fae assassin who definitely came into this situation all like ...
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I honestly think Illren is my fucking favorite because he adds some edge and spunk that was *sorely* missing
“You can blow on my dice anytime you’d like.” Rook growls, pissed at the innuendo, but everyone else laughs. I punch Illren in the shoulder. When he cocks an amused brow at me, I realize I’ve just hit a notorious assassin, and I’m not worried in the least.”
Looking back its almost like the authors were trying to give Nora personality by having her interact with guys of those traits
She needs to be sweet? send her off with Ollie Needs more badassness? ship her with the assassin for some edge Mary-sue vibes? say her as dominant as alpha werewolf
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I really really adore each of these characters so I guess it totally worked in how they each bring out different side of Nora and they doesn't need to be all super macho alphas. But this technique also made me clearly pick favorites
The gem in this book is we get some real development occurring *yay*
We know our heroine better. She shares her dreams, and gets a job which builds to more supernatural mysteries that I always adore
We interact with the guys more, which really allows for more development of them individually and as a harem
We still learning about the supernatural world that is completely new to Nora, but she really pushing herself to develop her powers and venture outside the one supernatural club
My main complaint is that.... for a reverse harem we not really progressing physically wise. We on the third book and she only sorta kissing some of men in her harem (◡﹏◡✿)
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I mean I really sorta picked a reverse harem to enjoy the characters, sexyness and a plot. We got two of three of those, acknowledgly in abundance which keeps me reading but definitely isn't what I was expecting first coming into this.
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I get that this series is also pretty easy to hate on. There are clearly some issues with this series and you could spend the whole time critiquing it - the special snowflake, rough plot development, some cliches secrets that are supposed to be plot twists. But the fun characters, unique magic & worldbuilding kept me intrigued and reading the rest of this series.
Definitely recommend for the hilarious boy band, this harem is the funniest mixture of magic and personalities that i really enjoy each one which makes Nora all the more entertaining as she gets to know each of these characters more....more
Welcome to the first full book of Nora Jacob’s series (#1 was a prequel, check out my review)
The love interests … how do you call this a "reverse harWelcome to the first full book of Nora Jacob’s series (#1 was a prequel, check out my review)
The love interests … how do you call this a "reverse harem" book when all these fuckers are trapped in the friend zone!
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We got ... Parker the vampire enforcer, has a kinda angsty goth thing I dig
“He picks up a stylish sleek black jacket next, and I sigh. “Don’t they have anything…I don’t know…badass? Something that says stay back, before I cut a bitch?” Parker bursts into laughter.”
Oliver the sorcerer, still kinda wimpy but now also sweet as fuck Terence he totally faded into the background in this book *tears* Nick Her partner in solving crimes with a mysterious power that im thinking either demon, dragon, or any variation therefore
Rook werewolf and main focus in this book
“Rook’s eyes snap to mine. “Down, boy. I’m not ready to turn furry and have your pups.” He does that rumbly purr thing in his chest again.”
I understand we going for a slow burn BUT that still entails the characters actually interacting with each other -- the teasing. the banter. the support that we've come to expect and crave from our monster love interests.
I wanted sex, chemistry and was left wanting more
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The unique twist continues to be the main feature in this book that really sets this series apart from other reverse harems/paranormal detectives
Usually, when the supernatural possessive hottie vampire shows up then we assume it's the love interest.
“I smirk. “Well, let’s see. Aside from all the drama with Henry, Elijah kidnapped me and stabbed me. Then there was that faerie who strangled me. Oh, and of course Josephine tortured and nearly killed me. But I’m still kickin’, and I got myself a nice new coat. So, you know, not too bad, no.”
But the author flips it around and basically says fuck those guys that want to “baby her”. That's not what she fucking wants. She wants support, not to be taken care of. And I love that element more and more with each book.
With the creativity and diverse magic of the first, I gotta admit I was pretty disappointed the second was about... wErEwOlVeS
I mean this whole book about Rook, and HE wasnt even in the first one!
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But Nora truly is working to understand the world better and is ready to hold her own --- to be a monster herself
“Rook is staring at me, rubbing the back of his neck. “Well, you’re already here,” he says. I think this means he’s giving in, and my face lights up. “Damn it, woman, don’t look at me like that. We’re not training.” And cue my face fall…and his sigh”
Even if she keeps getting kidnapped and needs her harem buddies to come to help her out
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My expectations for Nora was to have her develop out of her Mary-Sueness and into her own character
And I think she’s definitely on an acceptable path *slowly* towards that...
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It's like the authors were trying to walk back the Mary-Sueness by constantly telling us how dominant Nora is. Literally just kept describing her as dominant because she kept eye contact, even the most dominant female werewolf, the Alpha's mate. This is a classic told, not shown writing mistake because Nora is so NOT dominant in her personality, actions, literally everything we know about her up to this point. We are told one thing but show another.
Heads up like other books, are some trigger warnings here lots of references to abuse, rape, PTSD, mind rape, etc.
Overall, these books are just funny as hell. Nora is a Mary-Sue but I'm also comparing her to most bloodthirsty heroines I love, so just changing my mindset to have a different bar to compare her to. The reverse harem is just a big friend group right now but I love each of these characters and want more from each other -- more about their quirks, powers, traits, sex which god I hope is coming soon. I'd recommend as just a fun silly read when you want a book that doesn't take itself too seriously but does give you an interesting plot, heroine discovering her magical powers, and some hot monsters.
Best way to describe is just a fun fey mystery mercenary series. You know you gonna get a sassy reckless heroine. The cutesy bff. The love interest. ABest way to describe is just a fun fey mystery mercenary series. You know you gonna get a sassy reckless heroine. The cutesy bff. The love interest. And some magical problems to solve. So just enjoy the ride....
We got, Ivy Lane fey mercenary and magic problem-solver
“Dammit.” I hadn’t expected them to come out wearing name tags, but come on. Hooded figures in black masks. Really helpful for identification. Which, of course, was the point.”
Her POV continues to be a fun sassy perspective in the midst of adversary and danger. She not the brightest of the bunch but she works through the problems, learn to use her powers, and will absolutely make the more reckless decision if it saves more people
Worldbuilding I really enjoy how each book builds so more and more as we learn about the characters and the world —- specifically, the fey world
“Yeah, I got it.” My mind was still reeling from the vision and the battle. “How in hell did it know my past? Can the forest read minds?” “Memories,” said the banshee. “Certain experiences leave imprints on us, and on the world. The most ancient spots like this remember.”
Like goddamnnnnn, i adore how Faerie is described here. It perfectly encapsulates the beauty and danger of the land that makes me wanna drop right down the rabbit hole
Secondary character wise… its mainly Drake and Isabel with both getting limited screen time sadly
“A heavy wooden table sometimes used for meetings was covered with a hand-drawn map of the city. Someone—probably Drake—had drawn a cartoon dragon in the bottom-right corner and labelled it “Here be dragons”. “Nice,” I commented. He’d marked the spot where the ancient shifter god had awakened. The Ley Line was a thick black marker line through the page. “Isn’t it?” said Drake. “I was in the middle of embellishing the map when he sent me off to guard duty.”
Drake is * slowly* starting to appear in more scenes and clearly distinguishing himself as the funny comedic sidekick of Vance. I dig it but damn I wish they had more scenes of mocking each other while fighting together
The plot of this book is more witches orientated this time in which they venture outside the city to the more wild magical parts of the human world
“Lady Harper gave him a grim smile. “They didn’t give up their lives. They gave up their mortality, and some say their sanity, too. They’re tethered to the forest, and can no longer leave it.” Yassss more witches badassness. I mean i wanted it from isabels coven but hidden coven cursed to the land works too
The love interesting… continuing at a slow slow burn *sighhhhh* “Vance shot me an amused look. “What do you know. I told her to stay here, and she did. If it’d been you, you’d have climbed out the window and come back covered in blood by now.” And thats what you love about her !
The place where this books sorta struggles to me and reason it doesn’t quite compare to the other great paranormal detectives like Kate Daniels or Nevada Baylor or Toby Daye is the lack of character relations and dynamics. The friendship of Isabel and Ivy is cute but surface deep. The romance of her and Vance is fun but hasn’t really gotten sexy or swoon-worthy. The rest of the characters are interesting with some great pop-up scenes like with Derek appearing for one battle scene and a witty line… but we don’t have any of the great group dynamics of everyone together laughing struggling bonding.
I definitely recommend if you just want fun mystery and fey, because this book clearly ticks all those great essentials. But you really gotta make an effort to connect to the characters and accept that they not really trying to connect to each other either. They all just trying to survive *fucking valid tho* so its more about the mystery and power buildup happening with Ivy instead of focusing on the characters themselves...more
Another day, another book from the Changeling Chronicles
The land of Faerie is magical *yah no shit sherlock* but that means being there, changes youAnother day, another book from the Changeling Chronicles
The land of Faerie is magical *yah no shit sherlock* but that means being there, changes you and gives you power … and Ivy was *trapped* there for a long long time
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Ivy Lane our heroine is a magical badass detective who runs her own business with...
Isabel the witchy best friend and partner in *solving* crime with
Erwin their self-appointed protector pixie
“Isabel came out of the house. “You look like you saw a… ghost,” she finished, as Erwin flew out, screaming, “Bad faerie!” He landed on the banshee’s head, tearing at her hair. “Get your faerie away from me!” she yelled. “Erwin, no,” I said. “Protecting you!” screamed the piskie. Oh, dear god. Isabel looked at me like I’d sprouted horns. “What have you doing?”
Vance the asshole, I mean all powerful mage lord that we all totally respect and do not mock at all
Each book has some fun characters, fast plot revolved around Ivy saving everyone, and we get a hint of info thats clearly building up to something. But we already in book 4 and I haven’t really seen the growth or development in our heroine or main plot that most have AND EXPECT after 4 fucking books
Overall, I’ve really been enjoying this series *I mean I’m on the goddamn 4th one already* but I also haven’t really been “wowed”. They are fun fast reads to enjoy a fresh take on the magical detective trope through its fun characters and unique worldbuilding. Here we got the Faerie World, the Grey Veil and the “regular” world where the humans live beside the half-fey, necromancers, etc …. And everyone hates each other ! What could possibly go wrong for our little changeling detective...more
Ivy lane is a total smack talking — fey fighting — baddie
with Isabel her witch friend, who is adorable as fuck
“There was a popping sound, an
Ivy lane is a total smack talking — fey fighting — baddie
with Isabel her witch friend, who is adorable as fuck
“There was a popping sound, and a torrent of purple glitter exploded all over the floor. Dammit, Isabel. I’d been joking when I’d said the best way to piss off a trespasser was to throw glitter at him.”
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With each book, the world-building gets stronger and we are definitely seeing that strict line separating human and fey... start to disappear with the worlds merging and our characters traveling between the two which makes for some great plot twists
“The fire mage scrambled to his feet. “Whoever heard of a fireproof plant?” he demanded of the universe in general. “Welcome to Faerie.” I disentangled myself from the thorns, snagging my jacket in the process. “Common sense need not apply.”
And we can't forget our love interest Vance the powerful asshole mage who is more humanized and 3 dimensional now
“Is this what you used to do?” I asked. “You guys hate each other. Before all this madness started, did you always go around pissing off every head of each supernatural community in town?” “Sometimes I pissed off the ones outside the town as well.” I burst out laughing. “Vance, I think I’m a bad influence on you.”
The slow burn isn't a lack of trying... its a lack of time, cuz bitches be crazy
I do wish the chemistry between these twos had more ... intimacy to it ?? In addition of the constant fight argue kiss, id love some scenes of the two bonding while practicing fighting and sharing facts that kinda sweet sharing details of their lives together over some great banter
Instead, we keep getting these vague references to future plans AfTeR 3 fUcKiNg BoOkS ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
“My hand came away covered in dirt. So much for our date. “Next time I’ll be the one to rescue you, I swear. I’ll even carry you out.” His mouth quirked a little. “I’ll keep that in mind. You need to get home. It’s not safe here.”
Compared to the first two, I love the actual plot of this one a lot more as it really brings Ivy having a role in the action instead of her just throwing herself into danger and figuring stuff out later. Now she actually engaging with some powerful *batshit crazy* characters like Lady of the Tree.
This plot is also setting a more bigger picture for the rest of the series that im definitely going to be continuing to learn more about this world, wait till Vance and Ivy finally fucking get together, and for Isabel to get the goddamn happily ever after she deserves more than any other goddamn character
Mu main critique I’ve mentioned before is still occurring with Ivy still kinda being a bitch and sassing every power player in the city while refusing to take a leadership role herself
But hey at least Vance is her backup now
“Ivy Lane—” Too late. “Hey, Vance,” I said brightly. “I’m at the Necromancy Guild and Lord Evander is insisting on keeping me in custody on false allegations. I’m sure you’d be happy to come and explain to him that I’m here investigating a murder.” My heart thudded in the silence following my words. Five seconds passed. Ten. Crap. Maybe I’d finally tipped him over the edge. Twenty seconds. “I’ll be there.”
♬♫♪ if there's something strange, In your neighborhood Who you gonna call?
Ivy Lane!
I ain't 'fraid of no ghost / fey / zombie / mage / shifter ♪♫♬
Ivy La♬♫♪ if there's something strange, In your neighborhood Who you gonna call?
Ivy Lane!
I ain't 'fraid of no ghost / fey / zombie / mage / shifter ♪♫♬
Ivy Lane is back along with crazy world of fey, half-fey, fey changeling, human changelings, humans with fey powers
I’m just saying, there's a lot going on right now in this book world
“There are fifty piskies trapped in a garden shed,” I said. “It’s not ‘bad’. It’s a shitstorm of epic proportions.”.
The plot begins with a lotta dead bodies piling up, and a mysterious new power player promising immortality to their followers
So naturally, Ivy puts herself right in the thick of it
“I took a deep breath. “I may have entered myself into a magical tournament for half-faeries.”
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I have a kinda love-hate going on with Ivy right now. Good news, she's fierce. Bad news, she's fierce.
Its the second book so she’s met *most* of the leaders of the major groups in the city — minus the Isabel’s coven and yes im bitter about it —
One on hand, she is riffling up all the head honchos that *definitely* have failed in their leadership duties to their people and generally to the world
But she also being a total ass about it …
“So basically… you hid it in a place faeries can easily get into? And we have to go there now, with this guy—” I jerked my thumb at the Chief—“who has no weapons, so you can unlock a potentially devastating spell. That can’t go wrong at all.”
Like she just struts into their offices with no warning, yells at them for not listening to her and later complains when they don’t want to help her
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She adamantly refuses to really take charge or be a leader to any group. She won’t stop criticizing the decisions of who did step up to lead and asks why they didn’t ask her opinion
BITCH THEY DONT KNOW YOU
And instead of trying to help them by sharing info… she runs head first into danger, asks for their help usually at last minute without telling them her plan
Like its funny to read and sure she a baddie that can handle herself… but after the first book, I was hoping she was gonna step it up little bit and want to actually help people and share her info… that means collaborating
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Overall, another fun quick entertaining read that’s I’d recommend to anyone who just wants to enjoy some quirky characters and decent plot. Definitely no heartthrobbing roller coaster, but enjoyable...more
This gonna be a review about Crescent City as a new urban fantasy book and a rant about it's overhyped next Maas series
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I ADORE paranormal deteThis gonna be a review about Crescent City as a new urban fantasy book and a rant about it's overhyped next Maas series
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I ADORE paranormal detectives and ubran fantasies. I love the twisted plots, the dangerous characters, the desperate situations…it provides a rush that few other genres can match.And this book definitely was a fey-orientated series that blends crime, action, and shit ton of interesting characters (that's a technical term). But it wasnt even close to being a new favorite…
꧁The Characters꧂
Bryce Quinlan our MC. Half-fae and half-human, full partygirl who works as antiqiuities dealer
When we first meet our heroine, Bryce, she the accumulation of everything I hate. She’s naive. She’s immature. She in complete denial about developing her powers.
Her partygirl sassy attitude defines her character as she works through trauma. Part of me wanted to shake her to be lili more mature, and other part just say eyyyyy a new entertaining POV that wants to enjoy life
“Which left Bryce with enough time to either really, truly get into trouble, or face what she’d been avoiding for an hour now. She opted for trouble.”
Looking back now, I see that Bryce was just starting out naive. But by the end of book, she has become a fully realized character, capable and cunning, ready to fight.... Just why did we have to wait fucking 800 pages for that *tears*.
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꧁Worldbuilding꧂
From the first page, it's immediately a pretty unique change for Maas in that we stayed prominently in one vibrant city. This setting really emphasizes the urban fantasy/ paranormal detective vibes she was going for. I loved the variety of creatures and magic in this world via secondary characters such as the hella long list below:
Aidas: ??? I really enjoyed our sneak peak into this character that I am dying to know more. He absolutely Lord of Cats character just cloaked in mystery and shadows while also helping our MC in the most dickish way possible via mysterious vague clues.
I just wanted him to be more part of the actual danger and plot. He only really appeared on the sidelines or infodumps. He definitely gonna be a reoccurring character who gonna be in the middle of trouble * ya know how cats be but the question remains whether he on Bryce's side
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Lehab: Fire Sprite with a personality to match, indentured servant
Ruhn: Crown Prince of Valbaran Fae, half-brother to Bryce
Danika: BFF alpha shapeshifter that was pretty awesome girlpower but clearly limited by the ... amount of pages they actually interact together
Hunt Athalar: hottie with an angel body. He was the sulky bodyguard of our crime-fighting duo that was funny to read and very much the iconic alpha-asshole that Maas writes... is he gonna have a Tamlin/Chaol character twist tho??
“Hunt stormed toward Bryce Bryce had the nerve to push back the sleeve of her leather jacket, frown at her bare wrist as if she were reading a gods-damned watch, and say, “You’re two minutes late.” Hunt’s eyes practically glowed as he said, in full view of those cowering along the street, “I am going to kill you.”
Syrinx: chimera
Micah: Archangel and Governor of Lunathion
Isaiah: Malakim warrior
“Thank the fucking gods,” Isaiah said when he heard Hunt’s voice. Hunt smiled at the male’s uncharacteristic relief. “What’s happening on your end?” “My end?” Isaiah barked a laugh. “What the fuck is happening on your end?” Too much to say. “Are you at the Comitium?” “Yeah, and it’s a gods-damned madhouse. I just realized I’m in charge now.”
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See!! This accumulation of really interesting characters that just 3 of them could've figured out how to get the ring back to go for. But sadly it felt really overwhelming where I didn't feel like I connected with ANY of them. Especially because most of them didn't interact DIRECTLY with Bryce, most of them were just in actions that affected her
꧁Writing Style ꧂
I really kinda struggled to write this review. Looking back, I had saved all these great quotes reflecting the fun characters, worldbuilding and great writing !!
Shapeshifting, angel empire, heroine learning powers, plots of overthrowing tyrannical kings, and did I mention demons?
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But I remember how I felt while reading this. Disappointed.
I've read a lot of paranormal detectives in urban fantasy books. And this book doesn't really compare to them. It was only the development and intricate detail that was *finally* revealed in the last couple chapters that made me feel like this was ACTUALLY a Maas book.
Quite honestly, this book could’ve been cut down by 200 pages. That beginning was just a basic ass murder mystery within a vibrant city with dynamic characters.... until the last 100 pages that suddenly made you feel like you were on crack because of how fast everything finally developed
“It was catastrophic.” She swallowed against the memory. “When the Oracle looked into her smoke to see my future, she screamed. Clawed at her eyes.” There was no point hiding it. The event had been known in some circles. “I heard later that she went blind for a week.”
It has great elements but sometimes failed to actually engage the readers in it DURING the book itself. Looking back, it honestly feels like a Prequel with meeting the heroine and world because it isn’t till those last couple chapters that we gloriously get thrown into the middle of an amazing book adventure... only to be told TO BE FINISHED LATER
At first, I was quite excited about this book being aimed towards adult content. I was picturing Kate Daniels style swagger: Where the perfect additions of some curse words, sexy sexy fun times and darker actions would've made this book alllll the more delicious that her previous books usually couldn't *quite* commit because of the limitations of YA genre.
Yah no.
Maa’s version of adult content is basically nonstop swearing and more sex.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and I am very excited to see where it goes. I think it's just been a while since I've read the FIRST of a series in that it really involves a lotta of info-dumping, character introductions, and worldbuilding. And I just wanted to be entertained. And a couple chapters in the middle were pretty slow moving that I had to work through though I do appreciate that great payoff in the end.
If you enjoy paranormal detectives and fey then I definitely recommend checking out this book!
If you are a big Maas fan... then I recommend toning down your expectations before trying it...more
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