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A review by bookadventurer
The Witchkin Murders by Diana Pharaoh Francis
3.0
Advance copy provided by NetGalley.
The story is set in an interesting "post-Magicfall" Portland, when magic has challenged technology for supremacy. Fans of the Kate Daniels series and the show Grimm will likely find the premise familiar. The protagonist is a former cop who's hiding one or two really significant secrets: 1. She's witchkin, and 2. she comes from a background none of her former colleagues would suspect. Once Magicfall hit - when magic became the dominating force over technology - she changed into an unrecognizable shapeshifter, and became one of the "enemy." Which is why she spends her time alone and foraging for rare goods such as peanut butter and chocolate chips. She's drawn back into the world of criminal investigation when a multiple murder takes place - and the victims are all also witchkin.
The unfolding of what she's become, the tension of her return to the fold, and the reveal of the mystery are all interesting and kept my attention after the first few pages. There’s a love triangle, which irks me. The protagonist is at the center, with her former partner and a technomage on the other corners. In the beginning, Her former partner has just realized he’s in love with her, making him possessive, jealous, and angry - in other words, really unattractive. The technomage, on the other hand, is confident, perceptive, witty, and curious. The love triangle seemed to be used initially to add conflict to the romance subplot, and some justification of the split narrative. The split narrative was the other thing I didn't enjoy. The cop partner's voice didn't really seem to fit, or I just didn't like it.
Overall, I enjoyed everything except the romance subplot.
The story is set in an interesting "post-Magicfall" Portland, when magic has challenged technology for supremacy. Fans of the Kate Daniels series and the show Grimm will likely find the premise familiar. The protagonist is a former cop who's hiding one or two really significant secrets: 1. She's witchkin, and 2. she comes from a background none of her former colleagues would suspect. Once Magicfall hit - when magic became the dominating force over technology - she changed into an unrecognizable shapeshifter, and became one of the "enemy." Which is why she spends her time alone and foraging for rare goods such as peanut butter and chocolate chips. She's drawn back into the world of criminal investigation when a multiple murder takes place - and the victims are all also witchkin.
The unfolding of what she's become, the tension of her return to the fold, and the reveal of the mystery are all interesting and kept my attention after the first few pages. There’s a love triangle, which irks me. The protagonist is at the center, with her former partner and a technomage on the other corners. In the beginning, Her former partner has just realized he’s in love with her, making him possessive, jealous, and angry - in other words, really unattractive. The technomage, on the other hand, is confident, perceptive, witty, and curious. The love triangle seemed to be used initially to add conflict to the romance subplot, and some justification of the split narrative. The split narrative was the other thing I didn't enjoy. The cop partner's voice didn't really seem to fit, or I just didn't like it.
Overall, I enjoyed everything except the romance subplot.