[early review] Magic Reborn ( The Peacesmith 1 ) by Carly Hansen

Hello to all


            Happy Valentine' Day!  Since books are my first love i had to share one with you today and i'm really happy because this time i will tell you about a book not released yet but one that absolutely loved and such a promising series so perhaps it will become one of your new "coup de coeur"

I will update this when the book is on goodreads but you can already find the info on some ebook retailers.

Happy reading!!!!

Publisher: Carly Hansen

Publication: 2017

ISBN:  ?

Genre: urban fantasy, Magic
Violence: strong
Language: normal
sex: none
Public: 18+

Source: earc

 Description from goodreads :

  On the run and disguised as a boy, Fenix Graystone finds sanctuary when a witch opens her home, arms her with charmed knives, and transforms her into a fearsome fighter. But when an enigmatic vampire overlord arrives seeking help to solve the murders of three young women, Fenix’s newfound peace shatters.

The kidnapping of a fourth girl stirs up strange emotions in Fenix, bringing her illegal magical powers to the surface. But the magic within her points Fenix to suspects too close to the vampire overlord for comfort.

Now she must ally with an enemy she didn’t even know she had if she hopes to rescue the girl and bring the killers to justice—before she becomes their next victim.

If you like fast-paced action, strong female leads, and a dreamy love interest, you'll want to get lost in these pages.

My opinion:

          A very good surprise! Somehow i wasn't expecting this story to be so good so, discovering how much i enjoyed, it was great.

The beginning isn't  the best as we jump from a place to another without really knowing who to follow but once we meet with the team and with the hero: Fenix  -passing for boy but in reality a young woman- we can't stop. The intrigue is well written with some information given  sometimes clearly sometimes more subtly  but we really get all we could wish for to understand the characters and let grow on us. Of course it's the first in a series so there are more to discover but the main plot of the book  is solved so no big cliffhanger to make us despair but just an ending making us want for more without anguish.

I loved Fenix, she is quite loyal and has deep sense of justice, she may not know what she is at first but certainly act as it and i can only it will continue to show later in the series. She suffered but still can put others first, she isn't just a damsel in distress jumping in the rm of the first male playing the knight in shining armor. She may be attracted but she still thinks and put trust before attraction so for me she was simply perfect and so courageous.

Her little gang isn't bad either i particularly love java the falcon shifter and the healing witch for whom money isn't a priority.

Micha is an intriguing vampire....though his age didn't make him less naive. He is one wanting to protect the supernaturals and playing judge and enforcer but if a special class existed to do that before  there must have been a good reason and from what we discover how important they were and how needed they still are despite what some thought at a time. Vampire master he may be but he would prefer to be human and have peace between human and supernatural world. Discovering Fenix 's secret but keeping it while being attracted and going against protocol to try to be with her he is a little too arrogant and speak without thinking...but even with his pride wounded he does keep his promise which show how loyal he can be as well.

So far we learned the name of the big bad vilain and what he did (and why) but he is still quite mysterious so the series could be very promising if the quality stay the same, the main idea magic/ psychic peacemaker/peacesmith is interesting and i would gladly follow it as Fenix, like us has still a lot to learn and allies to make.

Score:  5/5

Disclaimer: All opinions are my own and i voluntary reviewed this book

A Magical Cure ( Magical Cure Mystery 1) by Tonya Kappes

Hello to all!


I'm really sorry time flew and i didn't realise it has been so long since i posted something. Taking care of someone very ill is really time demanding and you tend to get lost in time, sorry! - i will try to do better-


Today i'm sharing with you the first book in the Magical Cure Mystery serie by Tonya Kappes because the 10th book in this series released a few week ago so with book 1 free on most retailer it 's a great opportunity to try it.


Happy Reading!

Publisher: tonya Kappes

Publication: 2012

ISBN13:  9781476414157

Genre: paranormal mystery, cozy mystery
Violence: mild
Language: normal
sex: none
Public: 16+

Source: free offer
 

Short description from goodreads :

Bubble... Bubble...
June Heal has nothing to lose when she relocates her homeopathic cure shop, A Dose of Darla, from the flea market booth in her home town, to a quaint shop in the cozy but unusual little town of Whispering Falls, Kentucky. Or so it seems.

Cures and trouble...
Whispering Falls has a lot of secrets. From talking snow globes to whispering animals not to mention a few sprinkles of fairy dust, June realizes Whispering Falls is more magical than she thought. . .literally.

My opinion:

          I really enjoy Tonya Kappes' writing it's fluid and so entertaining after trying one of her series i had to get more so i jumped on this mystery series and it's fantastic! a lot more magical and paranormal than her Southern Mysteries at least that's the impression after reading the first book on each series however if the paranormal element is a  big factor in the series, the investigation isn't pushed aside at all and i do love this mix when so well balanced.

June lost her mother recently and decided to continue to make and sell herbal remedies...she does most of them by instinct changing recipe found and trying new ingredients. She is quite happy living like than with her cat mr Prince Charming if it wasn't for nightmares plaguing her since childhood; Suddenly, she is invited to join a small village not that far from her city and to open a shop there....a village very special with a magical feel to it. people there are strange to June also speaking by riddle or speaking of power, spirits etc.

Pushed by her childhood friend Oscar, June accept to go live there as one of the rules of Whispering Falls is that to work there you have to live in the village ( among a lot of other rules^^). June is taking over a shop that was owned by her mother Darla in the past, because surprisingly she came from said village even if June has no memories of it,  while Oscar becomes the police officer there.

June needs to adapt to the changes and starts a quest to learn more about herself, her past and her parents'  however that will get a lot more complicated when after not even one day a murder is committed in the village and June is the suspect number one as the corpse had her bracelet. Suddenly clearing her name becomes the priority even if it means admitting the strange magical elements and events as real.

I loved June, she is so fresh. She has power but she isn't overconfident, she jump on Ding Dong at the first difficulty but most importantly she has a good soul. I also loved her relationship with Oscar who is a little like a brother to her and Prince Charming is  impossible not to love^^, he made smile a lot and suspect a lot of things.

The folks from Whispering Falls are intriguing to say the least and some of their powers are terribly tempting but most importantly for the most of part they made me smile.

The investigation is well written, the plot is believable and all together is a series i do plan to continue and that i recommend to lovers of this genre

Score:  4/5

Disclaimer: All opinions are my own and no compensation was received in exchange for this review

Challenges:

            

Blood Bound ( Gallows 1) by Sharon Stevenson

Hello to all,


I know i should have picked a sequel for today review but i had a book received for free that sounded too tempting so i had to give it a try even if it was a new author to me... i will read two sequels after i guess^^

Anyway, today i'm introducing you to a dark YA Urban fantasy....the next books are already released so better to start with book 1 ( because it's not a series you could read out of order for sure) Blood Bound by Sharon Stevenson

Happy Reading

Publisher: Sharon Stevenson

Publication: 2012

Genre: urban fantasy , YA, vampire
Violence: very strong
Language: mild
sex: none
Public: 18+

Source: free book
 

Short description from goodreads :

 19-year-old twin demon trackers Shaun and Sarah Gallows are used to running into trouble - mostly the kind with fangs - but while Sarah embraces her powers to their fullest extent, trusting her instincts implicitly, Shaun distances himself from his abilities and can do little more than despair at his sister’s reckless nature and idly back her up.

When they come across 17-year-old Melissa Carling, a demon tracker who’s been torturing innocent super-naturals, they know they have to stop her. Sarah is desperate to punish Melissa for what she’s been doing but Shaun’s instant attraction to the girl points to a soul-mate bond stronger than anything he’s ever had to fight before…

My opinion:

          Interesting first instalment but not enough background info....that was my feeling at the beginning of the book and sadly it stayed well after the last page. I liked the characters but i don't really understand the universe...Shaun and Sarah are demon trackers that was aid and repeated yes and we learn that it gives them some special powers oki....looks like there is some kind of organisation as well and their family is an important one....but why, how? who decided what creature are "good" or evil and right at the beginning we learn that Shaun was gravely hurt ( lost an eye) but not when or how...why he never accepted his power and wants a normal life? how was he raised?

I think some of these answers were needed to make this book even better and i do hope we will get them in the next one so that we really can understand Shaun and Sarah Better because at some time they are very, VERY confusing.

That being said the story is promising, there area lot of violence, some graphic, some no but the suspense and investigation give it a form of balance...some secondary characters are intriguing ( Elle) some are moving ( Katie), Ray is touching.....Dev i don't like him at all.. i don't want to reveal too much but there is another one you will probably hate if you are like me^^

Between Shaun and Sarah i really prefer Shaun, he is suffering but trying his best to adjust...Sarah is too single minded and while she wants to help her reckless attitude cause more damage than help.

So you like dark urban fantasy (with vampire, fae and others creatures) you could give this one a try knowing you will have a lot of unanswered questions, for my part i want to see what happen next before i decide for good where to shelve this book.

Score:  3/5

Disclaimer: All opinions are my own and no compensation was received in exchange for this review

Challenge:

Shadow Sight ( Ivy Granger Psychic Detective 1) by E. J. Stevens

hello to all,

 so while Carnaval has started meaning even less sleep for me it gives me the advantage of more reading/ internet time ( at least during the day as in evening it's more power cuts that are frequent with all the spotlight, etc).

So While reading for the Take Control of your TBR pile i decided to start with an urban fantasy that i wanted to read forever and never started for whatever reason, now it's done and book 2 will follow soon. Why Shadow Sight by EJ Stevens? Because at this time it's free in digital on nearly all platform so if you are tempted to try it it's definitively the time to grab it.


Happy reading

Publisher: Sacred Oaks Press

Publication: 2012

ISBN:  0984247580

Genre: urban fantasy
Violence: strong
Language: normal
sex: none
Public: 18+

Source: bought

Description from goodreads :

 Welcome to Harborsmouth, where monsters walk the streets
unseen by humans…except those with second sight, like Ivy Granger.

Some things are best left unseen...

Ivy Granger's second sight is finally giving her life purpose. Ivy and her best friend Jinx may not be raking in the dough, but their psychic detective agency pays the bills—most of the time. Their only worry is the boredom of a slow day and the occasional crazy client—until a demon walks through their door.

Demons are never a good sign...

A demon attorney representing the water fae? Stranger things have happened. And things are about to get very, very strange as a bloodthirsty nightmare hunts the city of Harborsmouth.

There's blood in the water...

Kelpies have a reputation for eating humans. Unfortunately, Kelpies are the clients. When an Unseelie faerie this evil stalks the waterways of your city, you have to make hard choices.


The lesser of two evils...

My opinion:

          A very enjoyable adventure! Ivy is a character you come to like easily, she is stubborn, loyal , kind hearted but also very determined and has a warrior spirit despite being too naive at time.

I really spent a good time reading this book despite some elements not being too surprising or original.

Discovering her " gift" of psychometry at an young age Ivy closed on herself until she met Jinx and discovered that her gift could also help people not just give her pain. Together they decided to open a detective agency and were doing enough on their own until a demon comes asking for Ivy's services....as a war is brewing.

Knowing the supernatural world exist, being able to see the faes and other creatures without their glamour is still very different that to work and fight for it. Ivy is thrown  in a adventures she doesn't realise all the extent and she is doing her best to protect humans and others from the most of the damages. That being said, with the perhaps limited but still existing knowledge she has of the fae i don't understand how she can bargain and grant wishes without more specifics...fae and bargain that should have been a red alert ^^;;

The investigation, in the mist of the war is really well written. we see Ivy trying to gain allies while still trying to fullfill her part of the bargain with a lot of action and a touch of humour...some events are predictable but  when you are caught on the story you enjoy it too much to mind.

The secondary characters are really interesting as well, i loved Kaye the witch and i’m curious at all her powers, Galliel the unicorn, Marvin,  each one is important and play a big role.

It's a good urban fantasy story and i would gladly read more

Score:  4/5

Disclaimer: All opinions are my own and no compensation was received in exchange for this review

Challenges:

Witch Song ( tome1) par Amber Argyle

Bonjour à tous!


                Cet été un livre qui a attiré mon attention depuis sa sortie aux Etats-Unis c'est enfin vu publié en français par une toute jeune mais prometteuse maison d'éditions " Lumen"! Je voulais au début partager mon avis à son sujet lors de la parution le 28 août cependant la fièvre de la rentrée accaparait un peu trop les esprits et je craignais que vous ne soyez pas assez disponible or ce livre en vaut la peine.

Maintenant que la rentrée c'est faite et que les horaires sont distribués, les derniers achats effectués bref que la pression est retombée je tiens à vous faire connaître " Witch Song" premier tome de la série du même nom par Amber Argyle.
Pour l’anecdote, Amber Argyle fait face en ce moment à des ennuis de santé alors si vous lisez ce livre n'hésitez pas à la contacter pour lui dire merci ou simplement partager vos impressions cela lui fera certainement plaisir.

Sans plus tarder donc voici mon opinion sur Witch Song et; mesdames et messieurs instituteurs et professeurs de français veuillez prendre ce titre en considération pour motiver vos élèves à la lecture ;)


Bonne Lecture

Editeur VF: Lumen 2014
Titre original: Witch Song  ( edited 2011)
Genre: fantasy,YA
Violence:  niveau moyen
Langage: normal
Public: +12ans

Prix : 15euro
Obtenu : copie en échange d’un avis honnête

Quatrième de couverture de l'éditeur Lumen:

Dans les profondeurs de la forêt, à l'abri de la haine des habitants du village voisin, Brusenna mène une existence paisible aux côtés de sa mère. Elle sait simplement qu'elle est une sorcière, une des Gardiennes de la nature qui contrôlent les éléments par la force de leur chant. Quand, un matin, sa mère l’abandonne pour aller combattre un ennemi dont elle ignore tout, le monde de Brusenna bascule.

Jeune et sans expérience, elle se retrouve seule dans un pays ravagé par la sécheresse, où se lève le vent de la guerre. Les Chasseurs ne tardent pas à la débusquer, car elle est désormais la dernière. La dernière des sorcières. Avec une seule mission : survivre. Et un seul allié, le Protecteur chargé de l'amener à bon port.

La dernière des sorcières parviendra-t-elle à empêcher leur chant de s’éteindre ? Sous la plume ensorcelante d’Amber Argyle, suivez Brusenna sur les routes d’un monde menacé, quand une quête où ses choix peuvent sauver ou condamner les Hommes !

Avis:

          Envoûtant et émouvant, « Witch Song » tient vraiment ses promesses et même mieux que cela.

Commençons par la première impression : celle de la couverture. Un Travail magnifique vraiment ! Mathieu Samson est en charge de cet aspect des choses et il ne s’est pas contenté d’un copier/ copier de la version originale oh non. Le  type d’écriture du titre est changé et maintenant il correspond mieux au récit selon moi, il est aussi beaucoup plus attrayant. Ce n’est pas tout, l’illustration est plus claire et plus en avant que dans les autres éditions ce qui donne vraiment la sensation de pouvoir se perdre dans le regard de l’héroïne. C’est vraiment très bien fait, on est captivé dès le premier regard. La texture de la couverture souple est également très agréable au toucher.

Autrement dit, rien que concernant l’aspect extérieur c’est vraiment un bel  ouvrage et qui vaut largement les 15 euros demandés.

Toutefois le contenant  n’est qu’accessoire vis-à-vis du contenant or ici il  va de pair avec un très bon récit et Amber Argyle est parvenue à créer un univers dans lequel on prend plaisir à s’aventurer et se laisser entraîner. L’histoire n’est pas un récit initiatique même si l’héroïne Brusenna, dite Senna, découvre ses pouvoirs de sorcières progressivement ainsi que la force qu’elle a en elle. C’est vraiment un récit de fantasy.

Dès le départ, on s’attache à Senna qui tente de faire de son mieux, elle doute souvent d’elle ce qui parfois est un peu lassant mais c’est humain surtout qu’elle doit tout apprendre seule comme elle se retrouve être la dernière sorcière. Elle a grandit assez bien entre le début et la fin de ce tome et c’est principalement du à Joshen, son protecteur. Elle a une certaine innocence et bonne volonté qui nous donne vraiment envie de la suivre.

Joshen est le fils d’un protecteur aguerri et il a toujours voulu suivre ce chemin, cependant lorsqu’il aperçoit Senna c’est tout de suite beaucoup plus personnel. C’est un garçon volontaire et très loyal, nombreuses sont les lectrices qui rêveraient d’un pareil jeune homme si dévoué à leur côté.

Senna et Joshen sont parfaits ensemble mais la romance est assez secondaire dans ce récit et il ne faut pas vous attendre à plus qu’un baiser ou deux. L’action et la magie, elles, dominent. Dès les premières pages, on découvre la magie propre aux gardiennes (elles sont assez similaires  à des druidesses dans le sens où leur pouvoir est relié aux plantes et aux éléments) liés à leur chant. Elles sont chargées en fait de maintenant l’équilibre et d’aider au rythme des saisons… c’est vraiment positif mais comme souvent il y a des ignorants. Certains les craignent, les accusent de tout et de rien et d’autres les chassent, cette situation en a amenée certaines à se vouloirs asseoir leur pouvoir et vendre leur services dans une forme de vengeance pour ces traitements. Or c’est oublié qu’il y n a d’autres qui savent ce que les sorcières font et ce qu’elles offrent comme les protecteurs et ceux dont l’activité dépende de leur aide. Mais voilà les sorcières ont vu leurs rangs diminuer progressivement et la situation du monde s’est dégradée ce qui n’a fait que renforcer les hostilités.

C’est dans ce contexte que Senna découvre qu’il y a bien plus de chose liées à son chant que ce que sa mère lui a appris et une fois sur les routes elle va devoir faire de son mieux pour libérer les autres et que l’équilibre soit rétablis.

 L’action commence vraiment dès le départ et le rythme est assez soutenu de sorte que l’on est prit dans le récit et qu’on ne veut pas s’arrêter avant la fin. Les chapitres sont toutefois assez courts ce qui permet une lecture plus facile lorsque on l’a moins de temps et que l’on est forcé de faire une pause.

A mes yeux il n’y a que deux bémols à ce récit : si vous êtes un amoureux des animaux, que vous avez un petit cœur certains passages vont vous arracher des larmes tellement ils sont poignants et bien écrits. Le premier je peux le comprendre vu l’histoire à vrai dire je le redoutait dès el début. Le second non  pour ma sensibilité c’est trop et ils auraient pu trouver d’autres solutions (à noter aussi un qu’on semble simplement « oublié ». Je le précise c’est mon ressenti mais aussi la raison je ne peux pas donner une note parfaite.

Ensuite, le second point, je pense que j’aurai préféré si l’histoire s’était arrêtée à la fin du combat avec Espen et son résultat; et que les chapitres suivants soient inclus dans le tome 2. Pourquoi ? Simplement  du fait que c’est L’histoire de Senna et soudain elle se laisse dominer, effacer au point que certaines décisions sont prises- que je n’approuve pas- alors que logiquement  Senna aurait dû s’y opposer. Elle a des alliés, elle sait que les sorcières ont des partisans et pourtant elle les laisse passer au second plan oh une partie d’elle regrette mais je ne sais pas. Je pense qu’après tout ce qu’elle a vécu, ce qu’elle a apprit et fait elle aurait dû agir autrement et je crains vraiment  les conséquences que cela va avoir pour la suite.

Pour résumer : » Witch song » est vraiment un fabuleux récit dont je souhaite la suite avec impatience et que je recommande sans hésitation si vous aimez les récits avec de la magie, des personnages attachants et si vous recherchez un livre pour vous tenir en haleine.

Score:  4/5

Disclaimer: Toutes les opinions exprimées ici sont les miennes, il s’agit de d’un avis honnête et personnel. Aucune compensation n’a été fournie en échange de ce dernier.

Vous pouvez retrouvez Amber Argyle sur son site ( en anglais)

Challenge:

Grave Dance (Alex Craft 2) by Kalayna Price

Hello to all,

                  i'm posting this a little later than i hoped but my top priority at this moment is my dog. I had to go to the vet in emergency ( bad friday 13th) and the results are really, really bad. So, Right now i'm doing all i can to reverse the situation and stop the renal failure while keeping off the pain. Thankfully he has started to take his medecine without a fight but he isn't eating a lot right now and i can only pray everything will work and that he will get back on his pawn  healthy and happy  as soon as possible.

 Anyway i did manage to read, it just took longer^^ so today i continue with a series i started not too long ago but quite enjoyed and i wasn't disappointed so let see what i thought of Grave Dance

Happy Reading

Publisher: ROC

Publication: 2011

ISBN:  0451464095

Genre: urban fantasy, paranormal romance, witches, faes, Magic
Violence: strong
Language: normal
sex: none
Public: 18+

Source: bought

Short description from goodreads :

Whoever said dead men tell no tales obviously never met Alex Craft.

After a month spent recovering from a vicious fight with a sorcerer, grave witch Alex Craft is ready to get back to solving murders by raising the dead. With her love life in turmoil thanks to the disappearance of Fae Investigation Bureau agent Falin Andrews and a shocking “L” word confession from Death himself, Alex is eager for the distractions of work. But her new case turns out to be a deadly challenge.


The police hire Alex to consult on a particularly strange investigation in the nature preserve south of Nekros City. The strange part: There are no corpses, only fragments of them. A serial killer is potentially on the loose, and Alex has no way to raise a shade without a body, so she’ll have to rely on the magic of others to find leads. But as she begins investigating, a creature born of the darkest magic comes after her. Someone very powerful wants to make sure the only thing she finds is a dead end—her own

My opinion:

          This series is really getting more interesting after each book and I appreciate Alex more and more. She is an interesting character and I haven’t read about a lot like her. Yes I was hesitant before because this is a series about a witch making ghosts  and souls speak, with a death collector ( soul collector being more appropriate term) so I feared it would be really dark but I was wrong.

Oh this world is dark yes and there are some dark moment, violence etc but the focus isn’t on that… in a sense even the death doesn’t sound as terrifying either. Alex is respectful of the deceased; she doesn’t use them as general rule. I love her romance with Death, the soul collector… oki their relationship is strange and quite forbidden but it sounds sincere and he is protective of her. Falin, the fae, who appeared in book 1 can be gorgeous… and sometimes help her I don’t trust him ( yes in this story he gets some bonus point but if i could pick Death would get the girl)

This second book take place a few months after the events of book 1 in which Alex discovered her true nature… those events were not without leaving traces physically and psychologically… Alex is discovering new powers and her old ones don’t act like they did in the past… sometimes they seem more potent sometimes more unpredictable. In any case she knows she has to keep her head low to keep her secret.

When hired to look at a crime scenes, she discover that she can easily see past fae glamour  which could be dangerous for her but at first she doesn’t realize it’s glamour and tell a little too much. Also her fae nature is starting to affect her more deeply while she is still completely ignorant of their rules and of the numerous dangers.

I must say that the plot was really well twisted and I even had doubts at some moment^^; like I said Falin did won some points but I still don’t trust him. Alex will learn a lot about faerie and makes a few more enemies along the way.

This book doesn’t end on a cliffhanger at all but I must say I’m impatient for book 3. If you love Magic, investigation, suspense and romance this is a universe you should appreciate and more.

Score:  4,5/5

Disclaimer: All opinions are my own and no compensation was received in exchange for this review

Challenges:

Grave Witch (Alex Craft 1) by Kalayna Price

Good evening ( or day depending on the time you will be reading this^^) ,


                     Time is flying and Halloween is nearly upon us so i need to prepare after i take care of my health but at the moment i'm  wanting to read  more than anything else so when i was entering Brenda's event Ghoulishly Good Monster Mix Mash up and i saw yesterday a book that had been waiting on my pile for a long time i didn't resist and i started it... could have been used for yesterday topic ( zombie, reapers etc) at her event but i was really happy to discover that it was also fae and witch  and ghost ( this month main topic^^) and a lot less horror that what i feared at first.

This series had been recommended to me for long but i didn't feel like starting it ...it wasn't the right time, it could be too dark etc.... now it's halloween season so the "dark" factor was a little out of for me to delay my reading of this book and seeing the cover yesterday i just had to start it....once started i devoured it^^ a really great change with the last one i tried.

So today it's a great pleasure for me to introduce you to the Alex Craft series by Kalayna Price with the first book " Grave Witch". Happy Reading

Publisher: Roc

Publication: 2010

ISBN:  451463803

Genre: urban fantasy
Violence: mild
Language: normal
sex: mild
Public: 18+

Source: bought
 

Short description from goodreads :

 Grave witch Alex Craft can speak to the dead, but that doesn’t mean she likes what they have to say.

As a private investigator and consultant for the police, Alex Craft has seen a lot of dark magic. But even though she’s on good terms with Death himself—who happens to look fantastic in a pair of jeans—nothing has prepared her for her latest case. Alex is investigating a high profile murder when she’s attacked by the ‘shade’ she’s raising, which should be impossible. To top off her day, someone makes a serious attempt on her life, but Death saves her. Guess he likes having her around...


To solve this case Alex will have to team up with tough homicide detective Falin Andrews. Falin seems to be hiding something—though it’s certainly not his dislike of Alex—but Alex knows she needs his help to navigate the tangled webs of mortal and paranormal politics, and to track down a killer wielding a magic so malevolent, it may cost Alex her life...and her soul.

My opinion:

         I loved this one! I must said that I hesitate a lot before trying this series even if this book was in my TBR pile for age…I guess I was afraid it could be too dark but now I just regret not having read it sooner. This is a great mix of fae, ghosts and magic with a lot of action and glimpse of romance underneath.

We follow the adventures of Alex Craft, a witch specialized  in grave magic meaning she can raise shade, speak with ghosts and see in that other plane of existence… another bonus is that she can see and speak with souls collector and one she know since her childhood and nicknamed Death…. A really sexy male but they are rules and she can ask him all the questions she would love like his real name…. I loved their relationship and how it’s started did made me smile^^ . Sadly if her grave magic is really good, and that kind of magic is quite rare, all other kinds of “simple” classic magic are out of her reach or only possible at a basic level and with great difficulties. In a sense I loved she wasn’t all that powerful and had weakness it made her even more appealing.

Also the use of her power has a price and after each use she is left blind for a moment while her sight gradually deteriorates.

Alex has become a PI in memory of her best friend who disappeared without leaving a trace but so far it’s not really paying well however since her family disowned her for practicing magic  it’s one of the only job she can do and she does do it well. She even has several friends in the witch or magic community and also some fae ones like her house owner Caleb. It’s when she is called to investigate the murder of an important member of the anti fae and magic users group ( Witch and fae got out of the closet but sadly some are hard bind to strip them off any right) that things start to heat up. First, for the first time she loose control of a shade, normally only a memory, and get hurt before seeing something magically strange. Then she escaped narrowly to be shot at thank to a direct intervention of Death which should be forbidden.  Suddenly everyone wants to kidnap or kill her and it’s only with the help of a new fae: Falin that she must learn to trust and a ghost Royce determined to get his vengeance that she can have a chance to solve the case and she must do it quickly because a serial killer is killing women and her injury is worse that it seemed and she could loose her soul.

I really loved how some mysteries got hints sometimes subtle sometimes easier and I didn’t manage to guess everything so it was more than a pleasant read. I’m really curious to see who will get and keep her heart Falin or Death because both seem to be prevented to have a real relationship with her for a reason or another but both took risk for her. I also loved the universe as a whole and how the fae were depicted….she must find a way to save her dagger too I feeling she will need it a lot^^

So definitively a book I recommend and I’m so glad to have discovered it because it has all the element of an excellent series.

Score:  4/5

Disclaimer: All opinions are my own and no compensation was received in exchange for this review

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Brenda's halloween contests

One great thing with urban fantasy is the diversity of paranormal creatures that can appear in one book...hard to put those book in only one category so this one i inviting you to enter several of Brenda's contests...check the prize on the Zombie/Reaper Day Here; On the fairy Day here  and the Witch day (lot of fun today^^) Here. Remember you have only until Halloween and they are international! Good Luck