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A review by bunnerz
Abra Cadabra by Crystal Ash
2.0
I like the carnival setting of the series, and I'm glad the shifters played a larger role in this book, but I didn't really like any of the personalities of Melody's harem members or the giant plot holes in the story. The paranormal and the mundane world didn't seem to flow that well together, and I think setting Melody's age at freshly-turned 18-yr-old with all these other 5+ years older men was a bit weird.
I understand Connor's insecurity with his physical disabilities, but his continuous pushing of Melody into polyamory with other men due to this insecurity yet getting jealous about the situation was pretty annoying after the 2nd time he witnesses Melody and Razvan together. I did enjoy reading about the realistic PTSD reactions he had as a war veteran and his life with his prosthetics.
23-yr-old dragon shifter Razvan kept flip-flopping between being an asshole playboy and super shy with Melody, and he didn't seem like a very cohesive character. I thought that he didn't really act appropriately for his age and life experiences.
I don't think they ever clarified how old Hunter was, but considering that he had two talking toddlers with him by the time his family was introduced, he must be quite a few years older than Melody as well. He seemed rather accepting of his attraction to Melody and the kids' fascination with her after being saved. The wife was also conveniently written off as Lastly, I was also incredibly confused at the minor attempt of his trying to find his old pack in the matter of a few days... was he even physically captured and released near where his pack was? The United States is huge, and it was never explained exactly where his old pack was located.
In general, I found many of the characters to be too trusting of each other way too fast and revealing personal histories without much resistance. It's not that believable to meet someone and in a matter of less than 3 days, reveal your entire life history with all gory details to each other because you feel some magical lust/attraction.
A few things I did like in the story:
* Melody's solid stance on alcohol
* The behind-the-scenes struggle of managing a carnival
Other than the overall theme of avoiding shifter poachers and making enough money to survive the next day, I didn't find the conflict very compelling. The few intimate scenes with Connor in the book read to be rather crude and very first-time teenager-esque to me.
I don't plan on reading any other books in the series.
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Ratings - abandoned series:
#1 Freak Show: ★★★☆☆
#2 Abra Cadabra (this book): ★★☆☆☆
I understand Connor's insecurity with his physical disabilities, but his continuous pushing of Melody into polyamory with other men due to this insecurity yet getting jealous about the situation was pretty annoying after the 2nd time he witnesses Melody and Razvan together. I did enjoy reading about the realistic PTSD reactions he had as a war veteran and his life with his prosthetics.
23-yr-old dragon shifter Razvan kept flip-flopping between being an asshole playboy and super shy with Melody, and he didn't seem like a very cohesive character. I thought that he didn't really act appropriately for his age and life experiences.
I don't think they ever clarified how old Hunter was, but considering that he had two talking toddlers with him by the time his family was introduced, he must be quite a few years older than Melody as well. He seemed rather accepting of his attraction to Melody and the kids' fascination with her after being saved. The wife was also conveniently written off as
Spoiler
being killed by hunters after the 2nd child was born.In general, I found many of the characters to be too trusting of each other way too fast and revealing personal histories without much resistance. It's not that believable to meet someone and in a matter of less than 3 days, reveal your entire life history with all gory details to each other because you feel some magical lust/attraction.
A few things I did like in the story:
* Melody's solid stance on alcohol
* The behind-the-scenes struggle of managing a carnival
Other than the overall theme of avoiding shifter poachers and making enough money to survive the next day, I didn't find the conflict very compelling. The few intimate scenes with Connor in the book read to be rather crude and very first-time teenager-esque to me.
I don't plan on reading any other books in the series.
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Ratings - abandoned series:
#1 Freak Show: ★★★☆☆
#2 Abra Cadabra (this book): ★★☆☆☆