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kittyhawk's review
5.0
I LOVED this book.
I had never heard of this author before. I will be looking them up after this review to see what else has been written. It does not read like a well published author, so I'm only expecting to find a few books, but it'll be well worth the effort to me to find a new favorite.
So we start out knowing very little about Eli and where she came from, but we get a few very tantalizing hints from the beginning. It is rather confusing at first, and feels a bit like there was another book you didn't actually get to read. But then as you continue you just continue to get bits and dribbles. "How odd," you think, "these things are interesting but don't really feel like a valuable piece of this particular story."
Absolutely will be rereading this in the future, and seeking out any further books in this series. I can only hope this will continue on such a positive note in the future.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I had never heard of this author before. I will be looking them up after this review to see what else has been written. It does not read like a well published author, so I'm only expecting to find a few books, but it'll be well worth the effort to me to find a new favorite.
So we start out knowing very little about Eli and where she came from, but we get a few very tantalizing hints from the beginning. It is rather confusing at first, and feels a bit like there was another book you didn't actually get to read. But then as you continue you just continue to get bits and dribbles. "How odd," you think, "these things are interesting but don't really feel like a valuable piece of this particular story."
Absolutely will be rereading this in the future, and seeking out any further books in this series. I can only hope this will continue on such a positive note in the future.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
pen_and_pixel's review
4.0
I wasn’t sure on this one initially. I’ve seen a few ‘female detective agency’ takes and it can either be fantastic of fall short there is no in between. But Oleander was pretty easy to get into. The main character was easy to love. I found I related to her in many ways. She is struggling to deal with her grief about her grandmothers death, her past trauma, her responsibilities and her desire to have a life.
She didn’t give up despite everything and she had more than enough reason to. I loved that though I was pretty sure I knew where the romance was going to develop, it wasn’t done in a way that made Eli look like she had no backbone. She was her own person, one who was stronger than she often gave herself credit for.
The writing in Oleander was well done. It kept me invested and turning the pages. I loved the characters, even though it felt like I didn’t know enough about any of them. I was a bit sad about the ending though. I love a good cliff hanger as much as the next person but this one felt like more than a cliff hanger it felt rushed. I found myself with two chapters left thinking they can’t possible cram the ending into two chapters.
I feel like Oleander has great potential to be a really great series. Maybe even a few short stories or prequel to let us know more about Bennet and Tess. Despite how I felt about the ending I am really invested and looking forward to watching how things progress.
I highly recommend Oleander to anyone who likes stories involving witches, and seers in the modern world. It’s definitely worth the read.
4 Stars
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
She didn’t give up despite everything and she had more than enough reason to. I loved that though I was pretty sure I knew where the romance was going to develop, it wasn’t done in a way that made Eli look like she had no backbone. She was her own person, one who was stronger than she often gave herself credit for.
The writing in Oleander was well done. It kept me invested and turning the pages. I loved the characters, even though it felt like I didn’t know enough about any of them. I was a bit sad about the ending though. I love a good cliff hanger as much as the next person but this one felt like more than a cliff hanger it felt rushed. I found myself with two chapters left thinking they can’t possible cram the ending into two chapters.
I feel like Oleander has great potential to be a really great series. Maybe even a few short stories or prequel to let us know more about Bennet and Tess. Despite how I felt about the ending I am really invested and looking forward to watching how things progress.
I highly recommend Oleander to anyone who likes stories involving witches, and seers in the modern world. It’s definitely worth the read.
4 Stars
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
whatkatreads88's review
3.0
This was a fun and quick read, with entertaining characters and plot. Some additional exposition would have been helpful, particularly at the start, and it felt like things moved a bit too quickly for tension to build up, or to feel a real sense of threat. I would have liked some time to really build up who these characters are, and how their interactions could have been more meaningful. Overall, a light entertaining read but probably not something I’d pick up again.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
ggwweenn1's review
3.0
This book is good, but it very solidly feels to the start of a series, and not a book that can stand on it's own. It references the TV series "Lucifer" and this feels very much like the pilot episode of a TV series. All the key characters are introduced, the murder mystery is intriguing if a bit simple, and the world of witches and seers and shepherds is well explained, with rules and hierarchies well outlined. I am certainly interested in reading the next one.
The writing was a bit jerky, with bits of lore and emotional scenes that felt like they were to fill plot holes. Additionally, I felt like this book may have had too much lore, as for a book that feels like a pilot it rather gives away a lot about the world and the characters. It doesn't feel like there is much left to learn about Eli or her comrades.
And this is nitpick-y and doesn't factor into my rating, but the story being set in Australia wasn't clear. That is probably just my American-centric worldview, but a quick mention of the nearest major city early in the book would have done a lot for setting the scene.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The writing was a bit jerky, with bits of lore and emotional scenes that felt like they were to fill plot holes. Additionally, I felt like this book may have had too much lore, as for a book that feels like a pilot it rather gives away a lot about the world and the characters. It doesn't feel like there is much left to learn about Eli or her comrades.
And this is nitpick-y and doesn't factor into my rating, but the story being set in Australia wasn't clear. That is probably just my American-centric worldview, but a quick mention of the nearest major city early in the book would have done a lot for setting the scene.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
leigh_the_spoonie's review
4.0
I received an ARC of this book to read and review.
It's not my usual read as I usually go for the spicier end of the romance scale rather than a slow burn romance with zero spice like this but something in the description caught my attention and I decided to go for it and I'm glad I did.
I enjoyed the flirting, the will they won't they and the torn between two love interests.
The world building wasn't bad but could have done with being a little stronger in places but it is the first book of a series so there is plenty of room left to strengthen that and was definitely left wanting to read more which is always good.
It's not my usual read as I usually go for the spicier end of the romance scale rather than a slow burn romance with zero spice like this but something in the description caught my attention and I decided to go for it and I'm glad I did.
I enjoyed the flirting, the will they won't they and the torn between two love interests.
The world building wasn't bad but could have done with being a little stronger in places but it is the first book of a series so there is plenty of room left to strengthen that and was definitely left wanting to read more which is always good.
curiouslykatt's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This has some great bones and has the potential to be an amazing series. I loved the idea behind the story of a supernatural private investigator who can talk to ghosts, plus the small town vibes. It’s a win win. I ADORED Eli as a character, her humour and quick wit had me beaming and rooting her for from page one.
The writing gets a bit frazzled and I found myself confused a few times pulling facts together and I think some fleshing out of some back details and side characters would have really helped tie this together in a more cohesive manner. All in all a really enjoyable read and I can’t wait to see this author and series grow and get better.
Thank you BookSirens and Jennifer for the ARC and allowing me to provide my honest review.
The writing gets a bit frazzled and I found myself confused a few times pulling facts together and I think some fleshing out of some back details and side characters would have really helped tie this together in a more cohesive manner. All in all a really enjoyable read and I can’t wait to see this author and series grow and get better.
Thank you BookSirens and Jennifer for the ARC and allowing me to provide my honest review.
meltingpages's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This was okay, not terrible but not the best either. Really, this book just ultimately wasn’t for me. It was a fast read and I liked the premise, but the execution was lacking. There wasn’t a whole lot of character development, and the characters felt pretty flat. I don’t feel like there was actually any chemistry between Eli and Dan, and also in the summary it states this is a slow burn romance, which it most definitely is not. From the very beginning the two characters are into each other, and with this being only about 200 pages, they very quickly fall in love with each other.
I was very confused about their entire relationship, because in the beginning Eli makes it sound like she thinks Dan wants to arrest her but really he loves her? And once he finds out she’s a seer he just goes along with it and uses his resources as a cop to help her, which I feel like wouldn’t happen. A typical cop would probably think that Eli is delusional for saying she can see ghosts, or at least be a bit more skeptical about her claims.
I did have to double check a few times to make sure that this was actually the first book in the series and not a continuation or companion to another series, because there were definitely things that I felt like I was missing, especially when it came to the characters and their relationships to each other.
I also didn’t really like the way that the mystery started, we learn about Eli and her grandmother, and then suddenly we flash back to this event when Eli was a child where her friend pulled out a mirror and it was her first encounter with a spirit. But it also is the start of the whole mystery. I didn’t think the mystery was all that difficult, nor did I feel like there were any stakes in solving the mystery.
I also didn’t really like how Eli suddenly decided she would be the matriarch of the seers, like “okay I’m this now” and it just seems like something that maybe other seers would have a say in? The synopsis makes it clear that she was forced to take on the title ‘Mistress of Seers’, but the scene where it happens is just…anticlimactic. We’re also told that she’s an incredibly powerful seer, but we also don’t really get to see much of that l either. I also didn’t like the interactions with Nick at all. Literally within one page, she would be thinking about her relationship with Dan and all of a sudden Nick would show up and she would be instantly all over him? It didn’t make any sense to me, and if the intention was to create a love triangle then I think the mark was mis sed.
I did like the pacing, and it was a fast read, but I don’t think I’ll be continuing the series. I’ve read other mystery series that I enjoyed a lot more than this one, but if the synopsis intrigues you, you should give it a shot!
brons_books's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
3.0
Thank you so much to BookSirens for sending me an ARC of Oleander.
I had such a fun time reading this novel to me. I read it in one sitting and it helped pull me from my reading slump. It was such a fun and quick read which I believe Supernatural fans would absolutely love.
It's an urban fantasy that sees our main character hunting down ghosts and spooky entities with the help of the police. It was definitely a fun time to binge in bed on Saturday morning.
Would definitely recommend if you're in a slump and need a quick, snappy novel to drag you out of it!
I had such a fun time reading this novel to me. I read it in one sitting and it helped pull me from my reading slump. It was such a fun and quick read which I believe Supernatural fans would absolutely love.
It's an urban fantasy that sees our main character hunting down ghosts and spooky entities with the help of the police. It was definitely a fun time to binge in bed on Saturday morning.
Would definitely recommend if you're in a slump and need a quick, snappy novel to drag you out of it!
neskimow's review
adventurous
challenging
funny
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
4.0
I want to thank Jennifer Allis Provost,Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America and Netgalley for this ARC.
I was pleasantly surprised by this book! My main fear was the fact that the main character is a seer, I never necessarily liked this kind of supernatural in the other books I could read before. But I liked reading the story of Eliza, who tries as much as possible not to be a seer because of her past and hopes to have, as PI, the most normal investigations possible but of course, you can well imagine, it will be all the opposite. I loved the dynamic between Eliza and Dan the detective who will follow her around. I enjoyed that dan was made aware of the nature of Eliza, rather than having a whole story revolving around Eliza having to hide what she is from him. The fact that he knows her nature makes their relationship more real and muuuuch more interesting.
I liked the investigation and the surprises that the author reserved for us, and I can’t wait to read the rest of this series!
I was pleasantly surprised by this book! My main fear was the fact that the main character is a seer, I never necessarily liked this kind of supernatural in the other books I could read before. But I liked reading the story of Eliza, who tries as much as possible not to be a seer because of her past and hopes to have, as PI, the most normal investigations possible but of course, you can well imagine, it will be all the opposite. I loved the dynamic between Eliza and Dan the detective who will follow her around. I enjoyed that dan was made aware of the nature of Eliza, rather than having a whole story revolving around Eliza having to hide what she is from him. The fact that he knows her nature makes their relationship more real and muuuuch more interesting.
I liked the investigation and the surprises that the author reserved for us, and I can’t wait to read the rest of this series!