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3.97 AVERAGE


I listened to the audiobook through netgalley and i think the narrators turned me off a bit. i liked the characters but the voices they used to distinguish between them made it hard for me to listen to.

overall, i think it was a solid story but some of the dialogue was a little strange especially in the beginning. slate and cadence were over the top

I listened to the audiobook through netgalley and i think the narrators turned me off a bit. i liked the characters but the voices they used to distinguish between them made it hard for me to listen to.

overall, i think it was a solid story but some of the dialogue was a little strange especially in the beginning. slate and cadence were over the top

This was a fun one. Life threatening magic, small town mystery, secret societies, and witty characters combine to form an unexpectedly addictive story. So much so that I actually finished this novel in one sitting. Truly, a book I could not put down.
I loved the plot and concept. It was unique, and dealt with a kind of magic that I had never really seen before. However, the real appeal to this novel is the characters.
I pretty much adored every character in Of Wicked Blood, even the ones you’re supposed to hate. There were a couple side characters that felt one dimensional, but that was perhaps because they did not appear often enough for me to really get a sense of them. My favourite is Slate, and I loved his back and forth with Cadence. It was a little “love at first sight” in terms of how quickly they developed feelings for one another, which is not to my taste, but otherwise it was very entertaining.
Other than that, my only major problem with the book came at the end. In the last 25% of the story there is a short scene that involves a confrontation between Slate and another character regarding an overarching mystery that did not find a conclusion in this novel. This book is the first in a series, so continuous narrative threads are to be expected. The issue is that this scene is not complete. There is a teaser dialogue line that casts suspicion on an already suspicious character, and then the rest of the conversation occurs off page. Since this scene doesn’t really add anything to the events of this novel, or the progression of said overarching mystery, all it becomes is a lame and unnecessary lead-in to the sequel book. It wasn’t enough to spoil Of Wicked Blood, but it did leave a sour aftertaste to an otherwise wonderful read.

Mixed feeling about this book.
Overall I rate this book 3.75 stars

This was a great start to a new series, and I really enjoyed most of it. I liked the characters for the most part, Slate, specifically, although Cadence has potential to grow on me more, once she discovers that she doesn’t need her Papa for everything, and that really sinks in.
The beginning of this took awhile for me to get into. Lots of information being doled out, which is necessary, of course, but it got to be that I felt inundated with it all.
However, once we got over the hump and things picked up, I was throughly invested. I’m excited to read the next in the series, because I can see many things on the horizon for this group.

As a side not, I read and listened to the audio, and the narrators were absolutely wonderful. I didn’t feel like I couldn’t listen to either of them, and felt they did justice to the characters.

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would!

*This e-arc was sent to me by the author to give an honest review in return*

I liked this book. It's about an Orphan named Slate who steals a ring in Great Britain which activates a curse. He meets Cadence who was raised on magic and now they must work together to make sure the curse doesn't destroy them. I enjoyed the story plotline which was well structured and had an easy world-building. The writing was well done by both authors but I have to say that the pacing was off which knocked down a star for me. The beginning was slow which was fine but towards the middle, it picks up speed which is where all the action is happening. In my opinion, it should have been slower because I would have loved to learn and see more of those scenes that had me hooked. I loved how the book was written in two POVs, from both Slate and Cadence so you could get into their minds.

I enjoyed the characters in this book. I felt more connected with Cadence and enjoyed her character more than Slate. She is a brave and caring character that develops throughout the story. There is so much family history that she learns which I thought was interesting to read about. Slate is a handsome young fellow though I didn't enjoy his personality as much. He also had great character development and is a brave character that would do anything for his friends. There were many supporting characters in the book but I wished we got to read more about them. There is some steamy romance and the trope is enemies to lovers.

This book had a good ending that makes me want to read the second book. I enjoy the romance but would love to see more of the supporting characters involved in the book. I did have some problems with this book though I still enjoyed it. I will most likely be reading the second book just to find out what happens next. This book is perfect for fans of paranormal romance that enjoy witches and curses.

I received my copy of this book via Goodreads giveaway which has no bearing on my review.

This book was kind of a mishmash of a lot of others (and some films), but it somehow managed to work pretty well.

The bulk of the story takes place in the fictional French town of Brume, where Slate has been called home, which is ironic because Slate spent his youth in a series of foster homes and never really had a home until he came of age, became a conman/swindler/thief, and set up a home for his younger foster brother.

Slate learns he has a different birth name and a fortune awaiting him if he'll do something for the mysterious man who sent him the letter beckoning him to Bruge, but all Slate really wants to do is the man's daughter. But she hates him because he kind of broke into her family crypt and took something from her mother's body which has unleashed a ticking timebomb of sorts upon Brume.

Twisty, turny, engaging ride, however the ending kind of fell flat for me. Too much left unexplained. I get leaving material for future books, but I really hate the cliffhanger type of endings this book had. Might continue the series, might just stay salty about how this one ended.

4 out of 5 stars.

I received the arc for this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review so here goes.

*4.5 stars

Loved the plot and concept of a trial with a badass team assembling. I feel the start however was a bit slow paced and the ending extremely fast paced. Overall it was a good read and an easy one to get through.

The characters themselves were great and there was a good amount of character development for Slate and Gaelle, I feel there is a lot more too the De Morel and Mercier family which I’m really excited to learn about in the upcoming sequel novels.

The romance was good, the issues that occurred between them were not drawn out and I feel they were concluded well and maturely for a YA novel.

Was I the only one confused by the ending though? I might have to reread that and try and make more sense out of it. I think maybe a chapter after the final one may have been go to maybe hint at whats to come in the next book to keep some hype for it.

Overall it was a great read and I’ll definitely be picking up a physical copy and reading the rest of the series when it’s released!

Overall Rating: 4/5
Spice: 0/5
Plot: 5/5
Romance: 3/5
World-Building: 5/5



Things I loved:
* Slate Ardoin. Slate Ardoin. Slate Ardoin! His character was so fascinating to me and I loved every chapter from his point of view. Yes, this book alternates the point of view between the two main characters, which I also loved! He is so snarky and passionate. I know his backstory is meant to be of the tragic sort but I almost wanted to see more of it. We got just enough to understand his actions, but I wanted more! Favorite character of the entire book.
* Cadence was an amazing female main character as well. She is coming into her own and learning how to stand up for herself and she has fear but the girl is fearless. She jumps into everything head on!
* I loved the adventure and storytelling in this book. The plot and world building are wonderful. It made me want to cozy up on a rainy, misty day and get lost in the story. I wish Brume was a place I could actually visit, it sounds beautiful and fascinating.

Things I liked:
* The side characters and the backstory surrounding the town and the Quatrefoil are fantastic. They are definitely supporting our two main characters, but I loved Bastian and Alma the most. I hope to see more of them in the next book!
* I cannot brag enough about the world set up and the vibes this town gives. It gives eclectic snowy, holiday, gothic vibes. You can’t beat that honestly.
* How the history was woven into the story to push our characters along through the plot, I enjoyed reading about the towns history and previous events that helped our characters.

Things:
* Adrien and Papa de Morel can both catch these hands. Adrien was kinda creepy in some aspects and ole Papa was making some super questionable decisions there. I do not trust him at all, he gives off really suspicious vibes. The end scene also made him super creepy.
* The ending left on such a cliffhanger. What happened? Why did that happen?! I need the second book now!

Overall I can’t wait for the second book to get some answers and hopefully get my suspicions about ole Pops confirmed. Definitely recommend this book, it had everything!