Book Review: The House Witch 2 by Delemhach

 

Goodreads Summary: As a wielder of domestic magic, Finlay Ashowan likes to keep his affairs as neat and orderly as his kitchen. But between his work for the King and Queen of Daxaria and a new (secret) relationship with Lady Annika Jenoure, his life is anything but tidy.
For one thing, if Annika and Fin are to continue their romance, they’ll need to sort out the pesky issue of Fin’s being a commoner—before Annika is forced into a political marriage that interferes with her own carefully laid plans.

For another, pressure is mounting as the war with Troivack draws ever closer. When Fin requests time away from the castle to rest, the King agrees but under a very particular condition: Fin must brave the streets of Austice as a spy, sleuthing out the plans of the Troivackian troops allegedly hidden there.

Further complicating things, Fin’s estranged father is on his way to Daxaria, an unexpected and unappreciated arrival that’s bound to wreak even more havoc in his son’s life.

As Fin forges new friendships and alliances—magical and non-magical alike—he becomes even more enmeshed in courtly intrigues, old feuds, and very personal problems. And the more he tries to clean up the various messes in his life, the more apparent it becomes that his troubles are only just beginning . . .

Goodreads Rating: 4.42 stars with over 13,000 ratings

Genre Listing: Fantasy, Romance, Cozy Fantasy, Magic, Fiction, Witches

Goodreads/ Storygraph challenge: 15/30

2025 Reading Challenge: #Read a book by an author using a pseudonym (Find the entire challenge here)

Book Review:

Hello, Readers! I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the start of spring. I've been really busy with work, so I haven't been able to post much. I've listened to a few books since my last review, but didn't have a chance to post. I'll talk more about those when I do a challenge update at the end of the month. 

I was surprised that my library had The House Witch volume 2 by Delemhach available on audiobook. I instantly grabbed it because the first book was so sweet and fun. The second book definitely did not disappoint. The story starts right where the first book left off, and it doesn't take long to get reacquainted with the whimsical world that Delemhach has created. 

I liked that Fin seemed much more confident in this book. It's been a while since I read the first book, but I remember him being more reserved. I think he showed a lot of growth. I enjoyed seeing him being more accepted within the castle. Fin and Annika's secret relationship brought a surprising number of opportunities for comedy. Their lack of communication was frustrating, but I suppose it helped progress the story. Got to have some kind of conflict, right?

In addition to the comedic moments, a couple made me tear up because they were so sweet and romantic. Given the mood I've been in recently, this meme felt appropriate. 

Some things that bothered me in the first book were still in the second. Mainly, every other line feels like Fin is called "the redhead." It feels repetitive, and my annoyance slightly distracts me from the story. It's a minor issue, though, and overall the story was delightful. I recommend it to anyone who wants a fun fantasy story with cozy feel-good vibes.

Book Review: The House Witch by Delemhach

 

Goodreads Summary: A heartwarming and humorous blend of fantasy, romance, and mystery featuring a witch with domestic powers and the royal household he serves . . . dinner.
When Finlay Ashowan joins the staff of the King and Queen of Daxaria, he's an enigma. No one knows where he comes from or how he came to be where he is, which suits Fin just fine. He's satisfied simply serving as the royal cook, keeping nosy passersby out of his kitchen, and concocting some truly uncanny meals.

But Fin's secret identity doesn't stay hidden for long. After all, it's not every day a house witch and his kitten familiar, Kraken, take to meddling in imperial affairs. As his powers are gradually discovered by the court, Fin finds himself involved in a slew of intrigues: going head-to-head with knights with less-than-chivalrous intentions, helping to protect the pregnant queen, fending off the ire of the royal mage, and uncovering a spy in the castle. And that's only the beginning—because Fin's past is catching up with him just as his love life is getting complicated . . .

Goodreads Rating: 4.24 stars with over 11,000 ratings

Genre Listing: Fantasy, Romance, Magic, Witches, Fiction, Paranormal

Goodreads Challenge: 34/30

2023 Reading Challenge: #43 Read a book with a cat on the cover (find the entire challenge here)

Book Review:

Hello, Readers! As always, I hope everyone is doing well. I will jump right into the review of The House Witch by Delemhach. I picked it up on Kindle Unlimited. It just seemed super cute from the summary. I will try to adequately express how adorable this book actually is. 

The story follows Fin, a lowly cook and witch who just wants to cook and be left alone. Of course, if he were left alone, it wouldn't be much of a story. Many characters are forced into his life and change him for the better. I adored Fin. He was funny, and I loved his sense of justice and the need to protect his friends. The story tackles some weighty topics and addresses them in a light, approachable way. Some issues dealt with are bullying, abuse, sexual assault, and accepting others. Even with some of these topics being pretty dark, the book's tone stays light and whimsical. The writing is relatively clean; I don't really remember any swearing. There is some alluding to sex, but it is not actually described. There are definitely a lot of hilarious innuendos, though. 

The friends that Fin makes are also awesome. We even get to see a few scenes from the perspective of his kitten familiar, Kraken. Hannah is my favorite of the core group of Fin's friends. She is an absolute force, and I love it. I also appreciated that some characters start out as bad but get a chance for redemption. It showed a lot of character growth for all the characters. 

If you're looking for a light-hearted fantasy romance, I'd check it out. Even the chapter titles are funny. It was nice seeing a romance written mainly from the male perspective. The House Witch 2 and 3 are currently available. I'll probably get around to reading them when I can. I'm trying to stay on track with the reading challenge, however. 

Book Review: Time's Convert by Deborah Harkness

 

Goodreads Summary: Set in contemporary Paris and London, and the American colonies during the upheaval and unrest that exploded into the Revolutionary War, a sweeping story that braids together the past and present.

On the battlefields of the American Revolution, Matthew de Clermont meets Marcus MacNeil, a young surgeon from Massachusetts, during a moment of political awakening when it seems that the world is on the brink of a brighter future. When Matthew offers him a chance at immortality and a new life, free from the restraints of his puritanical upbringing, Marcus seizes the opportunity to become a vampire. But his transformation is not an easy one and the ancient traditions and responsibilities of the de Clermont family clash with Marcus’s deeply-held beliefs in liberty, equality, and brotherhood.

A passionate love story and a fascinating exploration of the power of tradition and the possibilities for change, Time’s Convert will delight fans of the All Souls trilogy and all readers of magic, the supernatural, and romance.

Goodreads Rating: 3.93 stars with over 49,000 ratings

Genre Listing: Fantasy, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance, Paranormal, Vampires, Witches

Previous Reviews on the Series: A Discovery of Witches, Shadow of Night, The Book of Life

Goodreads Challenge: 12/30

2023 Reading Challenge: #31 Read a book with the word "time" in the title (Find the entire challenge here

Book Review:

Hello, Readers! Surprised to see an actual book review post from me? Yeah, I am too. I'll likely go back to this format. I withdrew from my classes recently. I decided that 3 degrees were enough, and I was only torturing myself by trying to pursue a doctorate. So we are returning to my routine of promising more content and never fulfilling that promise. Please let me know if there are some discussion or content suggestions.

Anyway, on with my thoughts on Time's Convert by Deborah Harkness. Fair warning, there are spoilers ahead. This is a recently published (2018) addition to the All Souls Trilogy. I'm not sure if this is considered a spinoff or if it's lumped in, and the other 3 are still being marketed as a trilogy. It takes place after The Book of Life ends and mainly follows Marcus and his fiance Phoebe. Diana and Matthew are still in it, but take a backseat and become supporting cast. Because of this, the vibe of Time's Convert was a bit different.

The story switches between the present day and Marcus's life as a new vampire during the Revolutionary War. It also provides Phoebe's point of view as she becomes a vampire and Diana's while she and Matthew help Marcus come to terms with things that happened in his early days. Because of this, the story felt more introspective instead of driven by events or drama like the other books. I appreciate that Marcus's reflections on his life happened chronologically. It made it a lot easier to follow.

I liked that Deborah Harkness provided snippets of Diana and Matthew's lives as parents to twins. They weren't the main characters, but they were there enough to feel they were still involved and took on the role of parents to their crew. The ending was really sweet. I wouldn't be surprised if there were more books following Marcus and Phoebe, but it also ended in a way that feels like the story could be closed.

Overall, if you like the All Souls series, I recommend this. However, I would only read this if you have read the other three. There are a lot of characters, and their personalities wouldn't make sense with this out of order. 

Book Review: Witches of East End by Melissa de la Cruz

 

Goodreads Summary: The three Beauchamp women--Joanna and her daughters Freya and Ingrid, live in North Hampton, out on the tip of Long Island. Their beautiful, mist-shrouded town seems almost stuck in time, and all three women lead seemingly quiet, uneventful existences. But they are harboring a mighty secret--they are powerful witches banned from using their magic. Joanna can resurrect people from the dead and heal the most serious of injuries. Ingrid, her bookish daughter, has the ability to predict the future and weave knots that can solve anything from infertility to infidelity. And finally, there's Freya, the wild child, who has a charm or a potion that can cure most any heartache.For centuries, all three women have been forced to suppress their abilities. But then Freya, who is about to get married to the wealthy and mysterious Bran Gardiner, finds that her increasingly complicated romantic life makes it more difficult than ever to hide her secret. Soon Ingrid and Joanna confront similar dilemmas, and the Beauchamp women realize they can no longer conceal their true selves. They unearth their wands from the attic, dust off their broomsticks, and begin casting spells on the townspeople. It all seems like a bit of good-natured, innocent magic, but then mysterious, violent attacks begin to plague the town. When a young girl disappears over the Fourth of July weekend, they realize it's time to uncover who and what dark forces are working against them.
With a brand-new cast of characters, a fascinating and fresh world to discover, and a few surprise appearances from some of the Blue Blood fan favorites, this is a page-turning, deliciously fun, magical summer read fraught with love affairs, witchcraft, and an unforgettable battle between good and evil.

Goodreads Ratings: 3.52 stars with over 19,000 ratings

Genre Listing: Fantasy, Witches, Paranormal, Fiction, Romance, Magic, Urban Fantasy, Supernatural

Goodreads Challenge: 15/48

2022 Reading Challenge: #44 Read a book that a movie/show you've watched is based on but have yet to read (example: Watched The Hobbit, but never read the Hobbit) ( Find the entire challenge here)

Book Review:

Hello, readers! I hope everyone is doing well. I just finished up a Buffy the Vampire binge with Tress. We finished up season three. I'm excited to start in on Angel's spinoff. Also, fun news. Tress is coming out to visit during our birthday week in July. I'm very excited, and we have a fun thing planned for our respective blogs. Stay tuned!

Okay, so on to Witches of East End. I watched the show a few years ago and loved it. I'm super bummed that there were only two seasons. As usually with adaptations, the book is better, and there was a lot in the show that wasn't in the book and vice versa. I'm curious to read the other two books to see if any of the show stuff was from the rest of the series. 

I was instantly drawn to this book. I think a lot of that was I already felt so familiar with the characters because of the show. The book itself is actually pretty short. I think it's around 270 pages. There was a lot of story crammed into those few pages with a connection to Norse Mythology that I didn't expect. It was interesting but felt a little misplaced. I think it was mainly because the ending, where a lot of it is, was so rushed. There was so much buildup to the weird toxicity that was going on in the town, then the last 60 pages just felt too cleanly wrapped up. It was more tell than show, so it felt like I was just getting a recap.

I really enjoyed the magic aspect of Witches of East End. I liked how Joanna, Freya, and Ingrid had their own magic brand. I thought there was a lot of really good explaining of what they could do. I think their magic and Freya's relationships were the first book's focus. I'm curious to see if their magical talents grow in the rest of the series.

Overall, I really liked this book. The only reason I haven't already dived into book two is that I've bought a lot of books lately and am trying to be good. Plus, I've got a ton of categories on the challenge still. If you like paranormal and witchy books, I'd recommend this one unless you don't want to read sex scenes. It's a quick read, enjoyable, with many details on the actual magic system. 

Book Review: Haunting Charlie by Wendy Wang

 

Goodreads Summary: Ignoring the dead can get you killed...

All Charlie Payne wants is to lead a normal life and to be a good mom. But Charlie’s not exactly normal. She's from a long line of witches, and she can see the dead.

Susan Tate has inherited a beautiful old southern mansion on the coast. Unfortunately, the property came with a million necessary repairs. And ghosts.

When Charlie meets Susan, the woman is desperate for help. Taking on a spirit who doesn’t want to see the light can be dangerous but ignoring it? Ignoring the dead can get you killed.

Haunting Charlie is the first in a spine-tingling new Supernatural Suspense that will have you clinging to the edge of your seat. If you like Darcy Coates, Shani Struthers, or JL Bryan, then you will love the Witches of Palmetto Point Series by Wendy Wang!

Goodreads Rating: 4.13 stars with over 6,000 ratings

Genre Listing: Fantasy, Paranormal, Fantasy, Horror, Ghosts, Fiction, Witches, Urban, Supernatural, Mystery

Goodreads Challenge: 17/50

2021 Reading Challenge: #25 Read a book by a Self Published Author (find the full challenge here)

Book Review:

Happy Weekend, readers!  I hope everyone is doing well. I picked up Haunting Charlie by Wendy Wang on Kindle Unlimited. I wasn't really sure where I would put this on the challenge, but it sounded interesting and had me curious. It worked out that it's self-published. 

The first scene really drew me into Charlie's story. It takes place with her working in a call center. I actually took a screenshot of the first page and sent it to Tress because it was so dead-on, and we had a good laugh about it. If Wendy didn't have call center experience, she really did her research. 

Because the book is so short, it got into the paranormal pretty quickly. I was impressed because it still gave quite a bit of backstory into Charlie's life. She was really relatable, and I felt sorry for her with everything going on with her jerk of an ex-husband, Scott. Her affinity for ghosts was interesting, and it reminded me of the show Dead Files. There was definitely a lot of thought about how Charlie would interact with the spirits and what the ghosts could do. 

Charlie ends up using her ability to try and help solve a series of girls going missing from their town. The story behind what's happening to them goes back to the 1800s and continues today. When I do the genre listing, I just copy what's on Goodreads, which I think is just people's bookshelves, so it may not always be accurate. This one got considered a mystery, but I didn't really feel like there were any surprises to it. It made it pretty clear who was at fault for the girls going missing and why. It was creepy, but I don't really think it had a lot of mystery to it. 

So this next piece, I generally don't care about, but I know it will bother a few people. There are a handful of places where there are commas in the middle of words. Stuff like this use to really put me off on some books, but now the closer I get to publishing my own book, I realize it's just part of the process, and it happens. 

Overall, I really enjoyed Haunting Charlie. I'll probably read a bit more of the series since it's on Kindle Unlimited, but I'm trying to be good and not get completely sucked into my typical binge of series for now. This book was a quick and interesting read, and I'd recommend it if you're looking for a mix of paranormal meets True Crime.

Book Review: The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness

 

Goodreads Summary:  The #1 New York Times bestselling series finale and sequel to A Discovery of Witches and Shadow of Night
Bringing the magic and suspense of the All Souls Trilogy to a deeply satisfying conclusion, this highly anticipated finale went straight to #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. In The Book of Life, Diana and Matthew time-travel back from Elizabethan London to make a dramatic return to the present—facing new crises and old enemies. At Matthew’s ancestral home, Sept-Tours, they reunite with the beloved cast of characters from A Discovery of Witches—with one significant exception. But the real threat to their future has yet to be revealed, and when it is, the search for Ashmole 782 and its missing pages takes on even more urgency.

Goodreads Rating: 4.17 stars with over 115,000 ratings

Genre Listing: Fantasy, Fiction, Paranormal, Witches, Vampires, Magic, Supernatural, Urban Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Paranormal Romance

Goodreads Challenge: 8/50

2021 Reading Challenge: #28 Read a book published in the 2010s (find the full challenge here)

Book Review:

Apparently, today is Easter. If you celebrate it, Happy Easter. I usually have no clue of when Easter is until right before since I don't celebrate. Case point, my husband and I got married on Easter Weekend and didn't know until we had people decline invites because of it. Whoops. Anyway, if you don't celebrate happy Sunday, or whatever day it is in your part of the world. 

The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness could have landed in a few places on the challenges this year, most likely. However, putting it on #28, a book published in the 2010s, completes a category that requires thinking and research on my part. So the less I have to use my brain, the better. So with this being published in 2014, it felt like a good fit. 

I think it's been a bit since I read the second book of the trilogy. When I first started The Book of Life, I had a hard time getting into it because I couldn't remember what happened other than they time traveled and Diana got new powers. Once I got four or five chapters in, my memory was mostly refreshed, and I started enjoying the book again. 

Like its predecessors, The Book of life follows star-crossed lovers Matthew and Diana and their battles with the covenant that forbids their relationship. They've got all kinds of enemies because, now that Diana returned pregnant, the number has only increased. There is speculation on whether the offspring will be a witch, vampire, or something in between. I thought that the science that Deborah Harkness put into this was exciting. I'm not a science person, but she does it in a way that still sounds realistic but not overly technical. For the world she's created, the genetics discussed seems plausible. 

The way that Diana's powers evolve in The Book of Life is like nothing I've ever read before. It's really unique, and I found it fascinating. Also, I feel like she became who she was supposed to be. I loved reading her transition through the series from a meek university professor trying to ignore her magical roots to being an absolute powerhouse.

As usual, Matthew was overprotective and brooding. He did have some sweet moments. His mom is my favorite in the series (I can't figure out how to spell her name. It's hard.) I would really be interested in reading a prequel about her and Phillip. We get a little more of her backstory in this one. There are some admissions from Glassgow that aren't really surprising, but I do feel sorry for him. 

Overall, I really liked it and found it hard to put down. I think this is the end of the series. I know there's a fourth book, but it seems to focus more on Marcus and Phoebe and Matthew's past. I have it on Kindle, so I'll probably read it eventually. When I originally got into the series, I thought the academia aspect would be really dull, but it's not. It's definitely a unique and creative story, and I highly recommend it for paranormal romance fans. 

Book Review: Hexed by Kevin Hearne

 

Goodreads Summary: Atticus Sullivan, last of the Druids, doesn’t care much for witches. Still, he’s about to make nice with the local coven by signing a mutually beneficial nonaggression treaty—when suddenly the witch population in modern-day Tempe, Arizona, quadruples overnight. And the new girls are not just bad, they’re badasses with a dark history on the German side of World War II.
With a fallen angel feasting on local high school students, a horde of Bacchants blowing in from Vegas with their special brand of deadly decadence, and a dangerously sexy Celtic goddess of fire vying for his attention, Atticus is having trouble scheduling the witch hunt. But aided by his magical sword, his neighbor’s rocket-propelled grenade launcher, and his vampire attorney, Atticus is ready to sweep the town and show the witchy women they picked the wrong Druid to hex.

Goodreads Rating: 4.22 stars with over 56,000 ratings

Genre Listing: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Magic, Mythology, Supernatural, Witches, Vampires

Goodreads Challenge: 47/60

2020 Reading Challenge: #23 Read a book recommended by your local library's website (Find the full challenge here ). Get ready for the 2021 Challenge (here)

Previous reviews on the series: Hounded

Book Review:

Happy New Year's Eve, readers! I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday. I wasn't entirely sure that I was going to finish this book before 2020 ended, but I just made it! I'll do a full review of the books read in 2020 later this weekend. For now, on to talking about Hexed.

So, I kind of cheated for this prompt. My library had recommended Hounded, but I decided it was a series recommendation and picked up Hexed instead since I already read the first book. Truthfully, I just wanted to read it and needed a place for it. Whatever.  As Co-Creator of the challenge,  I do what I want. :)

Hexed picks up a couple of weeks after Hounded ends. Atticus is trying to clean up the mess from his last battle and finds himself facing a new enemy in an unlikely alliance with the local witches. It's effortless to get back into the story, though, for some reason, I had forgotten Atticus's name and, in my head, had been referring to him as "Iron Druid." 

I think what I like most about Hexed is I get Paranormal, Mythology, and Humor. I feel like this series doesn't take itself too seriously. There's always a joke or a snarky comment, even in the most serious action moments. It doesn't ever really feel cheesy, or out of place though, it just feels like Atticus's personality to make light of things. There were many times when I just started cracking up because of some of the dialogue, especially between Atticus and Oberon. 

I think my favorite characters in Hexed were The Widow and Oberon. They're just too pure, and the Widow is just so sassy. She just seems like a fun old lady that would have some great stories. I could not stop laughing at her scene towards the end of the book when Atticus is trying to protect her. It was probably one of the most hilarious book chapters I've read in a while. I really needed the laugh that it provided.

If you've read my blog for any amount of time, you've probably realized that when I read, I get really weird and random pop culture references in my head (See any Wheel of Time review for proof where I let it be unchecked in Tress's twitter thread of our conversation.) I can't help it, and this is how my brain operates most of the time. I don't know if I mentioned this in Hounded, but when The Morgaine is described, the only thing I can picture for her is Yzma from The Emperor's New Groove. I don't know why this is the image my brain conjured up, but it's there to stay. Which made a particular scene with Atticus incredibly terrifying.  I would like some kind of brain bleach, please.

For those who don't know what I'm talking about when I say Yzma:

Anyways, back to the review. I really liked the Mythology and history that was in Hexed. I don't remember if, in Hounded, Atticus gave any great detail about specific points in time, but I enjoyed that we got a glimpse of what he was doing in WWII. I think it just gave great context for how old he actually is. I really hope that there are more glimpses into his history in the rest of the series. 

I absolutely adored Hexed, and I can't wait to read more in the series. I highly recommend it for anyone who likes Urban Fantasy and likes to laugh. The books aren't terribly long; I think Hexed was around 300 pages. It's a quick and fun read, and not hard to stay into the story between books. 

Book Review: Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman

Goodreads Summary: The Owens sisters confront the challenges of life and love in this bewitching novel from New York Times bestselling author Alice Hoffman.
For more than two hundred years, the Owens women have been blamed for everything that has gone wrong in their Massachusetts town. Gillian and Sally have endured that fate as well: as children, the sisters were forever outsiders, taunted, talked about, pointed at. Their elderly aunts almost seemed to encourage the whispers of witchery, with their musty house and their exotic concoctions and their crowd of black cats. But all Gillian and Sally wanted was to escape.

One will do so by marrying, the other by running away. But the bonds they share will bring them back—almost as if by magic...

Goodreads Rating: 3.78 stars with over 69,000 ratings

Genre listing: Fantasy, Fiction, Magic, Witches

Goodreads Challenge: 32/60 

2020 Reading Challenge: #2 A book you got for under $3 (See the full challenge https://linzthebookworm.blogspot.com/2019/12/2020-reading-challenge.html)

Book Review:

*Edit: Apparently, my Grammarly updates aren't taking effect when I make them. Please excuse my dust while I go through and edit hundreds of posts in between work and classes.*

Happy August, Readers! I am so excited that it is August because that means it's that much closer to being fall, my favorite season. I am ready for the leaves to turn, and it to get chilly.  

At some point and time this week, I had to read Managing to Learn by John Shook. It was required for a training class I was in at work, so I decided if I was going to read, it should count for something. It bumped me up to 31 books for the year, and I'm using it as #49 Read a motivational/inspirational book, which I probably wasn't going to read anything for anyways. 

On to Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman. I did not know this was actually a book until Amazon decided to tell me it was on sale for under $3. I knew there was a movie called Practical Magic, but I've never actually watched it. I figured I'd go ahead and snag it at the time, because why not. I had other books that were slated for this category, but I rarely stick to plan anyways. 

When talking about this book, I described it as having a "creepy, whimsical vibe." Now that it's finished, I feel like that's still true, but it kind of faded as the book went on. The creepy, whimsical feeling was more surrounding The Aunts. Given the title, I mistakenly assumed that magic would be a lot more present than what it is in the book. It's there, but it felt very subtle and was never really named. People would call the Owens women witches as insults, but there was never any moment where I felt like they outright acknowledged it. It came across as like the aunts were doing concoctions, odd happenings, or senses and feelings. The exception being the acknowledgment of Jimmy's ghost. Everything else felt incredibly undefined. 

The central portion of the story was just about the women and their love interests, including the women who came to visit their aunts. Inline with that was just a story about sisterly bonds. It was interesting, and I liked it, but not what I was really expecting. All of the relationships seemed to be this instantaneous love at first sight type of thing as well. Love at first sight relationships just makes me roll my eyes. 

The only characters I really found myself wanting to know more about were the aunts. Sally seemed kind of annoying, and Gillian and Antonia might as well have been the same person. Kylie was okay, and there could have been a lot of room to expand on the emotions and spirits she was sensing.  The whole time reading it, I kept wondering if Sally, Gillian, and Antonia had some kind of magic, but it was so subtly written that it was hard to tell. I think I expected a lot more Charmed type of story where they find out their witches or always knew and learned to use their powers.

In the end, I think I just wanted more details, especially more world-building. The ending was kind of abrupt as well. I don't even really remember what the conclusion is. I expected to have like another 30-40 pages of story, and then it was just done. So, that part of it was somewhat disappointing.  Overall, I enjoyed the story, but I wanted more magic and less romance. 

Book Review: Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness

Goodreads Summary: Picking up from A Discovery of Witches’ cliffhanger ending, Shadow of Night takes Diana and Matthew on a trip through time to Elizabethan London, where they are plunged into a world of spies, magic, and a coterie of Matthew’s old friends, the School of Night. As the search for Ashmole 782 deepens and Diana seeks out a witch to tutor her in magic, the net of Matthew’s past tightens around them, and they embark on a very different—and vastly more dangerous—journey.
Goodreads Ratings: 4.07 stars with over 150,000 ratings
Genre Listing: Fantasy, Fiction, Romance, Paranormal, Historical Fiction, Vampires, Witches
Previous Review on the series: A Discovery of Witches
Goodreads Challenge: 4/60
2020 Reading Challenge: #10 A book that takes place in Winter (find the full challenge here)

Book Review:

One moment, please. I have to let out a giant Fangirl squeal... 

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Okay, so I don't know if that will tell you anything, but I LOVED Shadow of Night. I think I liked it more than A Discovery of Witches, which is kind of weird for a second book. It starts up right after the first book leaves off, and we're instantly whisked away into the 1500s and Matthew's past. Matthew picks a fascinating time in his life for them to go. He thinks it's going to be an easy trip and only take a couple of weeks, of course, if it was the Shadow of Night would be a lot shorter book. Mayhem ensues around every corner for our main characters. 

Writing-wise, the main thing I appreciated about Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness is that it is more action-packed than A Discovery of Witches. I feel like the academic side of it is easier to read. In Discovery of Witches, it was kind of overwhelming at times, if I remember correctly. The scientific stuff is in Shadow of Night, but it's more spread out and for me only got really confusing when it was the actual alchemy stuff.

We get introduced to a lot of people from Matthew's past, which centers around his companions in the School of Night.  There's an interesting dynamic to the friends. Matthew definitely seems to be the leader of the group and here are some lovable characters in it as well as some that were definitely not enjoyable. We also get introduced to Phillipe and Goody. I so badly want to go into who they are and what they're about, but I feel like if I do I won't stop giving spoilers. Just know that they're my favorites in the book. 

Diana really gets in touch with her powers in Shadow of Night. Her power is actually really unique and interesting. I thought the idea for it was a pretty original concept. I really hope book three goes even further into what she can do. I always love reading the specifics with magic that authors give their characters, I think it has so much potential to showcase creativity. It usually ends up being my favorite part of a book, if I like it. Diana's power is very visual the way it's explained, and I felt like I could picture her performing her spells.

Matthew kind of lets some of his guard down in Shadow of Night- Eventually. He's a broody overprotective vampire for a lot of the book. He doesn't really let his guard down with other people, but he does eventually let Diana into more of his secrets. They actually have a real wedding ceremony early on and is a really sweet scene. 

I honestly don't have anything critical or bad to say about Shadow of Night. Even in some of the worst parts I was grinning like an idiot because I was just so into the story and loved it so much. If you've read Discovery of Witches definitely take a chance on this second installment of the story. There's a lot of fun story developments with Matthew and Diana's relationship, the sciency stuff, and how them being in the past affects the future. Plus, if you need a book for #10 on the 2020 Reading Challenge, most of this takes place in the winter.

Book Review: A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

Goodreads Summary: A richly inventive novel about a centuries-old vampire, a spellbound witch, and the mysterious manuscript that draws them together.
Deep in the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell.

Debut novelist Deborah Harkness has crafted a mesmerizing and addictive read, equal parts history and magic, romance and suspense. Diana is a bold heroine who meets her equal in vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont and gradually warms up to him as their alliance deepens into an intimacy that violates age-old taboos. This smart, sophisticated story harks back to the novels of Anne Rice, but it is as contemporary and sensual as the Twilight series-with an extra serving of historical realism.
Goodreads Rating: 4 stars with over 300,000 ratings
Genre Listing: Fantasy, Fiction, Romance, Paranormal, Vampires, Witches, Magic, Supernatural
Goodreads Challenge: 18/50
2019 Reading Challenge: #11 A New York Times' Best Seller (Past or Present). Find the full challenge here.

Book Review:

Hurray! I finished a full tier on the 2019 reading challenge. This worked out well for A New York Times' Best Seller, especially considering it was already on my kindle. I thought I was going to have to buy something specifically for this category.

I honestly wasn't sure how I was going to like A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. I had a few people tell me it was good, but the description above mentioning Twilight made me cringe. Seriously, if you ever want to recommend a book to me do not compare it in a positive light to Twilight or 50 Shades. That is almost a guaranteed way to get me to not read it. Early on in the book, I couldn't really take Diana seriously. I felt like there was a lot of hypocrisy surrounding her magic and lack of using it. I also rolled my eyes a lot at Matthew's initial mood swings and possessive creepiness. Because of this, it made getting into A Discovery of Witches kind of hard. I thought it was interesting, but I wasn't completely engrossed in it. I also expected to completely detest it. I mentioned to some friends that I was "torn between liking it, being completely annoyed by it, and disgusted with myself for liking it."

I eventually got into the book. I think it was somewhere around 40% where I really took an interest in what was going on. I think most of what initially kept me going was the fact that two of my closest friends had highly recommended it. Neither of these ladies has steered me wrong so far in their book recommendations. Once I hit that moment of where I got completely absorbed into A Discovery of Witches, I couldn't put it down.

A lot of Diana's story is based on her unwillingness to use her magic and her study of Alchemy. I thought that with how the story played out, it felt destined that she was a Historian with a specialty in Alchemy. I want to dive more into this topic, but I feel like if I do, I'll just give out all kinds of spoilers. I'll be honest, I didn't understand a lot of the Alchemy stuff. It's not something I've really read anything on (fiction or otherwise), however, despite my lack of knowledge, I found it really interesting. I would have loved to see an image of the alchemy books and pictures described. I think it would have added so much to the story.

I loved the history in A Discovery of Witches. There's a lot of witch history and urban legends as well as Vampire history. I was amused when Diana and Matthew had an entire conversation based on what was true about witches (in their world) and what was made up by humans. I also liked that Matthew and his family are very ancient vampires. I feel like in most vampire stories, the age range is around 500 years. Matthew is much older than most vampires. Because of his age, there is a lot of history involved.

I liked that Deborah Harkness provided a glimpse of life with each very different family. I think that I liked Matthew's family a bit more than Diana's. Because of the tension between Vampires and Witches portrayed in the story, both families were a little standoffish when meeting the spouse. I feel like Matthew's family was quicker to accept Diana, and it felt more genuine than when Diana's family met Matthew. House wise though I loved Diana's house more, except for Matthew's library. The Bishop House is a fantastic character in its own right. It's moody, opinionated, and has a life of its own. The Bishop House finds and loses objects, adds rooms on when it thinks there will be guests, and slams things around when it wants attention. It's a perfect addition to a witchy house.

I was actually kind of bummed when I finished A Discovery of Witches. I think when I bought it, I got it on sale, so I couldn't dive right into the second book. Why, you ask? Because I'm cheap as hell and not going to pay $14 for an e-book. I don't even pay that for paperbacks. The BFF, however, has a copy of the 2nd and 3rd books and promised to mail them to me. I can't wait to indulge. Now that a Discovery of Witches is finished, I'm moving on to the second tier of the challenge. I'm currently working on "A book with a color in the title." So, stay tuned for that post!

Book Review: Magic & Murder by Annabel Chase

Goodreads Summary: Welcome to Starry Hollow, where spells were made to be broken.
Short on both cash and time, Ember Rose does her best as a single mom in New Jersey, serving up attitude along with repossession notices. When a repo job goes sideways, she and her daughter find themselves in imminent danger--until a visit from estranged relatives turns their world upside down. Ember, Marley, and their Yorkie are transported to Starry Hollow, a paranormal town where witches rule and magic is as normal as pizza. Where Ember goes, though, trouble seems to follow. When a member of the coven turns up dead, and the sexy werewolf sheriff identifies Ember as a suspect, she decides to take matters into her own hands like only a Jersey girl can.
Goodreads Rating: 4.31 stars with over 1200 ratings
Genre Listing: Cozy Mystery, Paranormal, Witches, Magic, Fantasy
Goodreads Challenge: 15/50 (woohoo! I'm catching up.)
2019 Reading Challenge: #10 a book with a title done in alliteration (find the full challenge here)

Book Review:

If anyone's wondering why the influx of reviews, it's because I'm avoiding real life responsibilities. I have a 30-page business plan to finish so I can graduate and need to pack up my apartment, so I can move out of state in August. The logical thing to do in this situation is to just ignore these things and read, obviously.

I was really struggling to find something with an alliterative title that I wanted to read. I found a couple of titles and started to read them, but lost interest quickly. I finally found one. Magic & Murder is a fun and short cozy paranormal mystery. Annabel Chase is the same author who put out the Spellbound series that I was obsessed with most of last year. Magic and Murder is very similar to the Spellbound series. A single woman in her mid to late 20s doesn't know she has magic, or that it even exists, and finds herself living in a paranormal town as a witch. There's a lot of similar humor like references to Harry Potter that no one in the Starry Hollow gets. Both main characters of the two series have to take some form of magic classes to get up to speed, and both also find themselves in the middle of a murder investigation. At one point and time, Spellbound even gets mentioned.

I don't mind the similarities, but I can see how it'd be a deal breaker for some readers. While I think the foundation is similar, the story its self is somewhat different. Ember ends up in Starry Hollow with her ten-year-old daughter after their lives are threatened by a complete psychopath. I thought this was a really well-done intro to Ember's story because it's highly dramatic and makes her interesting right away. She and her daughter Marley are then whisked away by three witchy relatives that Ember didn't even know existed.

Marley is probably my favorite character in the book. She's sassy and way too smart for her own good. Ember and Marley have a good dynamic that feels realistic. Ember ends up with an Aunt and three cousins (and their families). I can't remember any of their names, and aside from the Aunt they really didn't make an impression on me. The Aunt likes to throw her name around a lot to get her way, and that should be an interesting plot line throughout the series.

The thing I like the most about Magic & Murder (as well as the other Annabel Chase books I've read) is they're short. This one is only 193 pages. It's easy to get into the story, there's a bit of wit and humor, and it's a quick read. If you're trying to get some challenge fillers, this is a good one it'd fit for Fantasy, an M title, Alliteration, Free spaces, and if you're doing just a straight number's challenge, it only takes a couple of hours. 

Book Review: Crazy for Brew by Annabel Chase

Goodreads Summary:  Welcome to Spellbound, where paranormal is the new normal.
It's the first annual Spellbound Day, and the community has come together to celebrate recent seismic changes. Local lawyer Emma Hart is on top of the world, reveling in her new marriage and her promotion within the coven's academy.

When residents begin acting strangely, the entire town is thrown for a loop. With the help of Sheriff Astrid and the rest of her friends, Emma sets out to uncover the cause. Is it simply a negative response to the influx of new paranormal residents? Or is there magic at work?
Goodreads Rating: 4.40 stars with just over 600 ratings.
Genre Listing: Paranormal, Witches, Romance, Cozy Mystery, Fantasy, Magic
Get the Book: Amazon
Goodreads Challenge: 33/30

Book Review: 

I really need to step away from burning through series. Granted, I picked this one up because I knew it would be light and enjoyable, which is precisely what I needed after Aaru: Halls of Hel. Crazy for Brew by Annabel Chase is the first book in the Spellbound spinoff series, Spellbound Ever After. It picks up a few weeks after the Spellbound series ends. Emma and Daniel flee Spellbound since the curse is broken and head to Greece for a Honeymoon, and come back to a few changes. 

The whole main plotline for Crazy for Brew is the struggle of now having newcomers in the town and people leaving. Of course, because it's Spellbound; there is chaos and mayhem. It also centers around Emma's friends, so she naturally decides to figure out who's behind the mayhem. There are also copious amounts of swooning over Daniel.

I don't know if it's because I burned through the entire Spellbound series like I'd never get to reread it, or what, but I wasn't all that enthusiastic about Crazy for Brew. I was actually able to set it down for a day or two. It's still incredibly short at 191 pages, so it's not like it was going to take me long anyways. At this point though, it just feels like there's a particular format. Emma gets a case, something else happens in town that probably involves her friends, something her client or someone else says to her flips a switch and all of the sudden she knows who did the thing in town. 

I think there's a definite influence from the real world that creeps its way into Annabel Chase's work. It's interesting and subtle but also relatable. I could be reading way too much into things, but I think the mayoral election took place near when the real world presidential election would have taken place. In Crazy for Brew, the borders of Spellbound are now open, and the residents have to deal with issues like infrastructure, how to let new residents in, resident quota, etc. It just published in March, and obviously, border discussions are a hot topic right now. Again, I could be reading way too much into it, but it's something I found interesting.

I think my favorite character in the book and series will always be Agnes. She's old, she's sassy, she doesn't give a damn about what people say or think. Even though Agnes is my favorite, Annabel Chase does an excellent job of giving each character a decent amount of personality. I'm reasonably impressed with this considering that the books are so short. Emma especially feels extremely relatable, despite having magical powers.

Overall, I enjoyed Cray for Brew. I liked the inclusion of new residents and showing how some of the residents of Spellbound were for it, while others were against it. I will say that why the books are entertaining, they each follow a precise formula, and Crazy for Brew was no different. The inclusion of everyone acting differently felt a little similar to when the council was made to act like children. I'll most likely continue the series, but I'm not going to binge through it like I did with Spellbound. I think it'll be an excellent filler to read in between other books when I just want something short and quick.

Book Review: Lucky Charm by Annabel Chase

Goodreads Summary: New witch Emma Hart is at her wit’s end and, this time, it’s not the result of her vampire ghost roommate, her snarky owl, or her feelings for a certain fallen angel. Key members of Spellbound society are acting like children, and it’s wreaking havoc on the town’s regulation-happy infrastructure. When Emma is turned invisible during the investigation, she realizes that the spell was no accident and that someone is out to silence her—permanently.
Lucky Charm is the fourth book in the Spellbound paranormal cozy mystery series.
This is a full-length, humorous cozy mystery novel.

Goodreads Rating: 4.39 stars with over 1,000 ratings
Genre listing: Fantasy, Paranormal, Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Urban Fantasy, Witches
Number of Pages: 190
Book in series: 4/10
Previous reviews for the series: Curse the Day. Doom and Broom, Spell's Bells
Goodreads Challenge: 25/30

Book Review: 

I think it's safe to say that I'm addicted to the Spellbound series by Annabel Chase. Every time I finish one I have to dive into the very next book. I keep telling myself I'm going to read something else, but obviously, I have not. I keep staring at my unread bookshelf and mentally apologizing to it. On the bright side, I'm at least getting close to meeting my Goodreads Challenge for the year. The 2018 Reading Challenge, not so much. Which reminds me, I should probably start working on 2019's. 

A little recap on the series for those of you just tuning in: Emma Hart finds herself stuck in Spellbound, a cursed Paranormal town, thanks to Fallen Angel Daniel Starr. To boot she's found out, she's a witch and has been placed in remedial witch classes to get her up to speed, Oh, and she's also taken over the position of the town's public defender that was vacated when her vampire predecessor was murdered and became a ghost that only she can see. 

As much as I enjoyed Lucky Charm, it definitely wasn't my favorite book in the series so far. I didn't really get a good feel for the mystery at hand in this one. It felt like an afterthought to all the chaos that happened in the book. I don't even remember who she had to defend (or why) in this one. I will say that having a bunch of well-respected council members spelled to act like children was fairly entertaining. I think that Emma taking charge the way she did also really secured her place in Spellbound. 

I think what I enjoyed most about this cozy paranormal mystery is that Emma learns a lot about who she is. She gets to figure out why she's so different from the other witches in Spellbound, and how powerful she could actually be. I feel like because of this her bond with Sedgewick is strengthened. By the way that Owl amuses me. I love sassy side-kicks! 

As I write this review, I'm already mostly done with the fifth book. A new love interest is introduced in the very last part of this book, and it had me intrigued. I'm a sucker. There are ten books in this series, so far. I have a feeling I'm not going anywhere else in the literary world until I finish this series. Luckily all of the books are pretty short, and I'm getting through them in a couple of days time. It's a good series to get into if you want something to binge, something quick to read, like paranormal or cozy mysteries, want something that's slightly humorous. The entire series is on Kindle Unlimited, which is making it extremely easy for me to binge. I think as of right now, each of the books is around $3.99 each.

Book Review of Doom and Broom and Spell's Bells by Annabel Chase

Goodreads Summary: 
Welcome to Spellbound, where paranormal is the new normal.

Emma Hart hasn’t had a moment’s peace since her arrival in Spellbound. Her fear of heights hits an all-time high when she’s tasked with mastering a broomstick. It doesn’t help that Lady Weatherby seems determined to make basic witch training feel more like the magical ninja warrior championships.

When a werewolf is found dead and Daniel is named as the prime suspect, Emma takes the initiative to prove that the angel’s halo is firmly intact, once again stepping on the hooves of the cranky centaur, Sheriff Hugo.

The heat is on as Emma struggles to get a grip on her broomstick and identify the killer before it’s too late.

Doom and Broom is the second book in the Spellbound paranormal cozy mystery series.
Goodreads Rating: 4.33 stars with over 1,100 ratings
Number of Pages: 294
Book in series: 2/10

Goodreads Summary: Welcome to Spellbound, where paranormal is the new normal.

When a sleeping dwarf is found entombed in a glass coffin and remedial witch Sophie is blamed, Emma Hart must defend her friend while trying to get to the bottom of the enchantment. The investigation lands Emma smack dab in the middle of Spellbound’s matchmaking scene, where plenty of the town’s residents are eager to find her an appropriate suitor.

Emma knows it's time to kick her witchy skills up a notch if she expects to survive Thursday night speed dating and keep sweet Sophie from a life in paranormal prison.

Spell's Bells is the third book in the Spellbound paranormal cozy mystery series.

Goodreads Rating: 4.36 stars with over 1,000 ratings

Genre Listing: Paranormal, Supernatural, Cozy Mystery, Mystery, Fantasy
Get the Books: Doom and Broom Spell's Bells
Goodreads Challenge: 23 and 24 out of 30.
Number of Pages: 274
Book in series: 3/10
Previous Review: Curse the Day

Book Review:

You may be wondering what's going on with the format above. Well, the thing is I have problems. I downloaded Doom and Broom from Kindle Unlimited right after finishing Curse the Day, the first book in the Spellbound Series. I finished the cozy mystery either late Friday night or Saturday night and read Spell's Bells until 4 am in the morning. When I finally put it down, I was about 88% finished with it. Since I read both books back to back like that they've merged in my brain, so I figure I'll do one post for them. Plus, I'm lazy.

So, as you can probably tell from the binging, I adore this series. I think I relate to Emma with the whole working and going to school full-time thing. There's a lot of details that make the town of Spellbound enjoyable to read. I can tell that Annabel Chase put a lot of effort into including a broad mix of species in her stories. I like that she's slowly getting into Emma's background as far as being a witch goes. I think that's what I want to read the most. Towards the end of Spell's Bells, there is some interesting foreshadowing going on.

Daniel's growing on me the past two books. I won't say I'm entirely for team Daniel, but he's a better option than some of the other choices that she's presented with. I do feel like she's using the Vampire friend a lot though. I can't remember his name at this moment in time. I guess he's not making a huge impact in the story if I can't remember the name.

I'm keeping this short and sweet tonight. I'm recommending the series for anyone who needs something quick and enjoyable to binge read on Kindle. The books are under 300 pages. The stories move quickly. There's good detail, but not so much that it bogs the story down. The characters are enjoyable for the most part. Interesting mysteries. I won't say they're complete shockers, but the conclusions seem reasonable. I will say that I pegged who the murder was in Doom and Broom fairly easily. I was admittedly wrong about the crime in Spell's Bells.


Here's a couple of quotes I liked from the books: 

"This was supposed to be the remedial class. We should all suck equally." -Somewhere around 12% in Doom and Broom

"I had people I cared about, then I risked losing them. In my experience, the negatives far outweighed the positives." -Somewhere around 57% in Doom and Broom

"Maybe you want to be tall, but your DNA has other plans."- Somewhere around 73% in Doom and Broom. (Also, my life.)

"Unsurprisingly, he was mistaken. I never set out to make him look like an idiot. He managed to do that all by himself." Somewhere around 7% in Spell's Bells.

""I'm warning you, Silas. Get your genie butt out of here before I shove you inside the nearest lamp.” She gave him a pointed look. “And I won’t be rubbing it.” - Somewhere around 27% in Spell's Bells. I audibly cackled at this one, I think. 

I'm giving both books 4 moons :)

Book Review: Curse the Day by Annabel Chase

Goodreads Summary: 

Welcome to Spellbound, where paranormal is the new normal.

The only magic Emma Hart believes in is caffeine and the power of the dryer to lose one sock per load. A public interest lawyer buried under a mound of student debt, Emma’s whole life has been one turn of bad luck after another.

Her streak seems to continue when she gets lost on the way to see a client in the remote Pocono Mountains. A chance encounter with a suicidal angel lands her in Spellbound, a town where supernaturals have been cursed to remain for centuries--probably not the best time for Emma to discover that she's actually a witch.

Between the recent murder of the town’s public defender, a goblin accused of theft, remedial witch classes, and the attention of one smoking hot vampire, Emma struggles to navigate this unfamiliar terrain without losing her mind...or her life.

Curse the Day is the first book in the Spellbound paranormal cozy mystery series.

This is a full-length, humorous paranormal cozy mystery novel.

Goodreads Rating: 4.19 stars with just over 1,400 reviews

Genre Listing: Cozy Mystery, Mystery, Paranormal, Supernatural, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy

Get the Book: Amazon
Number of Pages: 290 pages
Book in series: 1/10

Goodreads Challenge: 22/30

2018 Reading Challenge #3, A Cozy Mystery. See the full challenge here

Book Review:

After I finished up Thunderhead, I wanted to start something quick and relatively easy to read. I figured it was a good time to knock out the Cozy Mystery category for the 2018 reading challenge. It took me a while to find one, but I'm glad I took my time and decided on Curse the Day by Anabel Chase. It's around 290 pages and is fairly fast-paced. I finished it in a day. Which with my current insanely busy schedule is pretty impressive. (When I say busy, I'm not kidding. I work full time, go to school full time, run a jewelry business, and run this blog. Send help in the form of coffee!)

Curse the Day by Annabel Chase was an enjoyable cozy paranormal mystery story that was entertaining from the start. I found Emma to be a likable main character. Her inner monologues with herself are pretty funny. I found myself laughing (out loud, even) quite often while reading this story. I enjoyed that she gets shoved into a remedial witch class with several misfits who take her under their wing. I ADORED that she gets them to watch The Craft. It's one of my favorite movies. Oh, and there are several Harry Potter references in the story. 😍

Anabel provided a nice variety of paranormal species in this one story. The entire town is paranormal, so I was glad to see it wasn't just the typical weres, vamps, and witches. These types are there, but there's also goblins, harpies, fairies, incubus/succubus, elves, gorgon, and of course a grumpy hairless cat that's an insult to all cats. (That's a reference to the book. It'll make sense if you read it.)

I like that Emma's background is a mystery. It sets up the series for exciting twists and turns, especially since she's not quite like the other witches in Spellbound. I imagine it'll be an ongoing mystery in each book. I will say I thought the actual conclusion of who the killer/thief was in Curse the Day came out kind of abruptly. It's revealed around 80% into the book, and while it makes sense, the reveal didn't necessarily wow or surprise me. I will say I'm glad that it was a logical character choice instead of some random off the wall surprise with nothing leading up to it.

There are a couple of potential love interests already lined up, but both make me roll my eyes. The suitors so far are the typical love interest of "He's so HAWT" and zero depth. I'm reserving judgment for now. Maybe they'll grow on me. One of them certainly isn't going away any time soon.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and already started on book two. Now hopefully I can get a chance to finish it soon. I recommend it if you like cozy mysteries, paranormal books, or need something quick to get you out of a reading slump. The entire series is on Kindle Unlimited for those of you needing a series to binge on.

I only had one part that I highlighted during my read, but it's a good one.

"Sometimes we seem to forget that the entire reason we're trapped here is because we mistreated someone. It's important that we strive to do better and look out for one another." - located around 70% of the book.

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Book Review Pale Demon By Kim Harrison

Goodreads Summary: New York Times bestselling author Kim Harrison takes her indomitable heroine on a wild journey of dark magic and supernatural adventure.

Pale Demon
Condemned and shunned for black magic, Rachel Morgan has three days to get to the annual witches' convention and clear her name or be trapped in the demonic ever-after...forever after.

But a witch, an elf, a living vampire, and a pixy in one car going across the country? Talk about a recipe for certain disaster, even without being the targets for assassination.

For after centuries of torment, a fearsome demon walks in the sunlight - freed at last to slay the innocent and devour souls. But his ultimate goal is Rachel Morgan, and in the fight for survival that follows, even embracing her own demonic nature may not be enough to save her.

Goodreads Rating: 4.45 stars with over 40,000 ratings
Genre Listing: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Witches, Demons, Vampires
Get the Book: Amazon, Book Depository
Goodreads Challenge: 15/30
2018 Reading Challenge: #60, The Main Character has the same hair color that you do (Find the challenge here.)

Previous reviews on the series: Black Magic Sanction,  White Witch Black Curse, For A Few Demons More, The Outlaw Demon Wails

Book Review:

I went into this book thinking it was going to be not as entertaining as the other books in the series. All of these characters in a car to go on a road trip? This is going to be boring. I should have known better because one minute I'm like 15% into the book, and then I'm at 65%, and it's 4:30 in the morning.  At this point, I didn't want to put it down, but my eyes were watering, and I had to force myself to take a break for some sleep. 

I was thrilled to see Rachel embrace her Demon status, and I loved what she did to the Everafter after accepting this new status. I was kind of hoping she'd stay there a little bit longer, but she quickly went back to the Hollows and found a way to stop her demon magic. A lot of her survival in this book is because of Trent, granted a lot of the trouble is because of Trent too. Given how the book ends, I think I see how the series is going to end as well.

I felt like this book was the start of some growing for Rachel and her friends. Ivy comes to terms with things and mentions how they're all starting to go different ways, which is true. I've already begun the next book in the series, and it touches on this quite a bit. So, I'm curious to see where Rachel's character grows from here.

I've been trying to think of what series' I can compare this with to give readers an idea of whether or not they'll like it or not. The series is highly regarded by Charlaine Harris, from what I can tell. So fans of Sookie Stackhouse will probably enjoy it as well. It actually reminds me of female-centered version of Jim Butcher's Dresden files as well. The entire series has a lot of snarky humor, a lot of action, an exciting world, a fantastic backstory for the characters and the magic, and is all around just great urban fantasy. I can't recommend this series enough.