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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
What an amazing start to a new series!!!! This is the first book in the Quaterfoil chronicles and did a good job of setting up the world and tone for the series. It is written in dual POV and is an urban fantasy setting.
The story starts with Slate Ardoin, a thief and a con artist receiving a letter stating he is the last surviving member of the founding families of an order in a quaint little town. It also states he is to come visit the town to receive the inheritance left to him and attend school there with full scholarship. Naturally Slate is mad and also curious to find out the truth and sets out for the town of Brume. In a fit of drunken rage over the unfairness of his life situation, he breaks into the family mosoleum of the guy who sent him the letter and steals some jewellery off of the dead. Unknown to him that the ring which he steals is in fact a stolen artifact which is cursed and sets in motion a quest to gather different cursed pieces before the time runs out to restore magic and save his life.
The story starts of quite spectacularly. The setting is in this frigid little town which believes in their local lore of magic and witches and warlocks and lots of traditions. People celebrate magic and lore, little aware of the fact that it is infact true and their are ways to restore magic. Coming to the characters
Slate- yeah he is the cliché bad boy of the book and good for him that I can never get tired of such characters. His POV chapters are soooo good. They are absolutely hilarious and I almost choked laughing. He is snarky, drips sarcasm, a big flirt and his priorities during life threatening situations definitely made me laugh out loud. He starts hitting on Cadence right when they meet and persistently flirts with her throughout the book. But he is a softie at heart. His relationship with his little foster brother is the sweetest thing. He cares strongly about the people he loves ( and the cactus which he keeps). He makes a lot of mistakes but never shies away from apologizing. He was most definitely my favorite character of the story.
Cadence- She makes up for a good mc. She is kind, brave and a curious type. She is very righteous and compassionate. Very likable. I enjoyed her chapters. Her relationship with her best friend Alma was really precious.
Bastian- he is Slate's little brother and probably my second fav character. He is an adorable little dork who fiercely loves Slate and their brotherly love just melted my heart. He is such a cinammon roll of a character. Sweet, shy and extremely smart❤. So cute.
There are bunch of supporting characters who are memorable in their own rights. The plot is fast moving and kept me engaged. The author did a good job of planting a lot of questions in this book which does a good setup for the next. By the end of the story I was left with so many questions and I need the next book with answers. It was a clever way indeed to end the book.
Now coming to the only problem I had with the book - the romance. The romance was good for most of the parts, I was just not the fan of the insta love part of it. I get having attraction towards someone in first look but falling in love to an extent to want to give up own's life to save theirs? Nah I don't buy it. Also what's with the whole jealousy thing? Why should they be so intensely jealous about the other person having someone else in their life? Like you just met...please calm the heck down!! Was not a fan of it at all.
Regardless, it was a very enjoyable read. Looking forward to more in this series.
--> 3.75
The story starts with Slate Ardoin, a thief and a con artist receiving a letter stating he is the last surviving member of the founding families of an order in a quaint little town. It also states he is to come visit the town to receive the inheritance left to him and attend school there with full scholarship. Naturally Slate is mad and also curious to find out the truth and sets out for the town of Brume. In a fit of drunken rage over the unfairness of his life situation, he breaks into the family mosoleum of the guy who sent him the letter and steals some jewellery off of the dead. Unknown to him that the ring which he steals is in fact a stolen artifact which is cursed and sets in motion a quest to gather different cursed pieces before the time runs out to restore magic and save his life.
The story starts of quite spectacularly. The setting is in this frigid little town which believes in their local lore of magic and witches and warlocks and lots of traditions. People celebrate magic and lore, little aware of the fact that it is infact true and their are ways to restore magic. Coming to the characters
Slate- yeah he is the cliché bad boy of the book and good for him that I can never get tired of such characters. His POV chapters are soooo good. They are absolutely hilarious and I almost choked laughing. He is snarky, drips sarcasm, a big flirt and his priorities during life threatening situations definitely made me laugh out loud. He starts hitting on Cadence right when they meet and persistently flirts with her throughout the book. But he is a softie at heart. His relationship with his little foster brother is the sweetest thing. He cares strongly about the people he loves ( and the cactus which he keeps). He makes a lot of mistakes but never shies away from apologizing. He was most definitely my favorite character of the story.
Cadence- She makes up for a good mc. She is kind, brave and a curious type. She is very righteous and compassionate. Very likable. I enjoyed her chapters. Her relationship with her best friend Alma was really precious.
Bastian- he is Slate's little brother and probably my second fav character. He is an adorable little dork who fiercely loves Slate and their brotherly love just melted my heart. He is such a cinammon roll of a character. Sweet, shy and extremely smart❤. So cute.
There are bunch of supporting characters who are memorable in their own rights. The plot is fast moving and kept me engaged. The author did a good job of planting a lot of questions in this book which does a good setup for the next. By the end of the story I was left with so many questions and I need the next book with answers. It was a clever way indeed to end the book.
Now coming to the only problem I had with the book - the romance. The romance was good for most of the parts, I was just not the fan of the insta love part of it. I get having attraction towards someone in first look but falling in love to an extent to want to give up own's life to save theirs? Nah I don't buy it. Also what's with the whole jealousy thing? Why should they be so intensely jealous about the other person having someone else in their life? Like you just met...please calm the heck down!! Was not a fan of it at all.
Regardless, it was a very enjoyable read. Looking forward to more in this series.
--> 3.75
Thanks to Olivia Wildenstein and NetGalley for the advanced audiobook copy!
If you’re a fan of magic, curses, and heroes going through a series of trials that bond them in ways they don’t expect, then this is the book for you. I’ve been a fan of Olivia Wildenstein since I read her book Feather (and its sequel Celestial) a few months back so when I got an opportunity to listen to this book via NetGalley before its release on February 2nd, 2021, I jumped at the opportunity. I had high hopes and WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED. I started off listening for an hour at a time while walking my dog and got so invested, I ended up listening to it at work (luckily my job lets me stick in headphones while I’m doing things). The story follows Slate, our hero who grew up in foster homes, discovering where he came from and returning home to learn more about his family history and begin school. The dual perspective also follows Cadence, the daughter of the Dean who grew up on stories of magic and the Quatrefoil responsible for the loss of magic in the world until the 4 pieces are reconnected again. As the characters face their demons during their trials to obtain each piece, they have to quickly learn to rely on each other if they want to survive.
This book drew me in so quickly and I became so invested in these characters stories and trials. If you enjoyed Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, this book is for you! I tried to pace myself and got so invested that I ended up listening to the second half in two days. I cannot wait for the second book to be released and also may or may not have pre-ordered the kindle version as well. If you’re new to Olivia Wildenstein and Katie Hayoz, this book will draw you in and I already am excited to read more by both of these authors! This book was a definite 5/5 and I am (im)patiently waiting for the second book to be released.
If you’re a fan of magic, curses, and heroes going through a series of trials that bond them in ways they don’t expect, then this is the book for you. I’ve been a fan of Olivia Wildenstein since I read her book Feather (and its sequel Celestial) a few months back so when I got an opportunity to listen to this book via NetGalley before its release on February 2nd, 2021, I jumped at the opportunity. I had high hopes and WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED. I started off listening for an hour at a time while walking my dog and got so invested, I ended up listening to it at work (luckily my job lets me stick in headphones while I’m doing things). The story follows Slate, our hero who grew up in foster homes, discovering where he came from and returning home to learn more about his family history and begin school. The dual perspective also follows Cadence, the daughter of the Dean who grew up on stories of magic and the Quatrefoil responsible for the loss of magic in the world until the 4 pieces are reconnected again. As the characters face their demons during their trials to obtain each piece, they have to quickly learn to rely on each other if they want to survive.
This book drew me in so quickly and I became so invested in these characters stories and trials. If you enjoyed Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, this book is for you! I tried to pace myself and got so invested that I ended up listening to the second half in two days. I cannot wait for the second book to be released and also may or may not have pre-ordered the kindle version as well. If you’re new to Olivia Wildenstein and Katie Hayoz, this book will draw you in and I already am excited to read more by both of these authors! This book was a definite 5/5 and I am (im)patiently waiting for the second book to be released.
Very creative and well written. Uniquely done and I cannot wait for the next part of their story.
It was fine, the audiobook acted a bit more like background noise to me. If books are either a diary or a folk tale (which I think all fiction books can be categorized as), it definitely reads like a folk tale, which some people love, but just isn’t my vibe
Pretty close to a 4.5 - pulled me out of a book funk, enjoyed this so much more than I expected to. Refreshing fantasy YA with engaging characters and an interesting mystery.
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Like all books by Olivia Wildenstein, I devoured Of Wicked Blood. Like all world she builds, Brume, France is completely immersive—this time, a snowy, glittering, ancient, atmospheric French town. From start to finish, Cadence and Slate are impossible to look away from.
I received an audio ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased opinion.
Slate Ardoin grew up in foster care and is stunned when he receives a letter that his dead parents left a trust for him. He heads to Brume, France to claim his inheritance. Angry at de Morel, who knew he was out there and let him stay in foster care, Slate visits the de Morel family mausoleum and helps himself to Madame de Morel's ring, which is actually a cursed bloodstone. Cadence de Morel grew up knowing the Brumian legends about magic but never believed they were real. Now Slate, Cadence, and two others have to assemble the Quatrefoil to restore magic and save Slate's life.
Holly Fielding and Thomas Locklear did a phenomenal job of narrating the audiobook! I would definitely recommend listening to the book if you enjoy audiobooks. This urban fantasy was such a great story. I hate that we will have to wait almost a year for the sequel. My only complaint with the book would be the overused trope of the bad boy/innocent girl romance, but it works so well in this story that I couldn't help but root for them anyway. If you like fantasy, you should check out this book! I would especially recommend this to fans of The Gilded Wolves or Six of Crows.
Slate Ardoin grew up in foster care and is stunned when he receives a letter that his dead parents left a trust for him. He heads to Brume, France to claim his inheritance. Angry at de Morel, who knew he was out there and let him stay in foster care, Slate visits the de Morel family mausoleum and helps himself to Madame de Morel's ring, which is actually a cursed bloodstone. Cadence de Morel grew up knowing the Brumian legends about magic but never believed they were real. Now Slate, Cadence, and two others have to assemble the Quatrefoil to restore magic and save Slate's life.
Holly Fielding and Thomas Locklear did a phenomenal job of narrating the audiobook! I would definitely recommend listening to the book if you enjoy audiobooks. This urban fantasy was such a great story. I hate that we will have to wait almost a year for the sequel. My only complaint with the book would be the overused trope of the bad boy/innocent girl romance, but it works so well in this story that I couldn't help but root for them anyway. If you like fantasy, you should check out this book! I would especially recommend this to fans of The Gilded Wolves or Six of Crows.