Reviews

A Haunting at Midwinter by Kai Butler

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heabooknerd's review

4.0

A HAUNTING AT MIDWINTER was a great intro to the SAN AMARO INVESTIGATIONS series and I'm definitely looking forward to reading more! I was especially thrilled to learn that this is a world where everyone knows about magic; I love when books make the paranormal elements commonplace instead of hidden. Parker is a paranormal PI who is hiding his fae magic and pretending to just be a regular witch. His voice was really enjoyable and a touch irreverent. Since this is just an introduction there isn't really any romance but we do mean Parker's love interest, Nick, and they do share a quick but heated kiss.

teresab78's review

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4.0

This was a great introduction to the characters and the bones of the world. Reading it again after reading the other books in the series and knowing things only hinted at here makes this more clever.

jennifox's review

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

the_otaku_bibliophile's review

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adventurous funny fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

kto2459's review

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medium-paced

3.0

wardenred's review

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adventurous funny tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Oh, I’d definitely be seeing him again, even if I had to commit a crime to guarantee it.

As far as series introductions go, this was pretty excellent! The novella stands on its own well enough, too, being a thrilling, tightly plotted haunted house story with two likable queer characters who have vastly different views on what's even happening. The mutual attraction does develop rather quickly, which is normally not something I often like, but in this case, it felt really natural: there was that initial spark, and then it got fueled by adrenaline into a promise of a bigger fire.

The main point of this story, however, is to be the primer for a bigger series, and this is a job it does so, *so* well. It showcases the tip of such an exciting iceberg. A "broken masquerade" type of urban fantasy world with multiple magical systems whose practitioners have vastly different views on the supernatural phenomena? Clearly a kitchen sink of magical beings, since there are passing mentions of so many of those, from fairies to werewolves to vampires? And what's with the MC's magic? Can I please learn more about his backstory? When do I get to meet this Lauren, whoever she is, who gave him that spell book? And, of course, I do want to see the above-mentioned flaring spark develop!

Clearly, San Amaro Investigations is going to be the next queer urban fantasy I delve into, and I'm delighted to see there are quite a few novels in it already. Who needs [insert all sensible purchases here] when I can buy new books instead? :D

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