Blood & Magic Series
Book #1
Danielle Annett
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Release Date: January 28, 2015
ISBN: 978-1507538555
ASIN: B00QKYB57M
Pages: 202
Cover Design: Regina Wamba @ Mae I Design
Goodreads Rating: 3.62
My Rating: 4.5
Book Description:
It has been
six years since the Awakening and peace in Spokane, Washington is still tenuous
at best. The vampires and shifters are all vying for control of the city and
the humans seem to be the ones suffering the consequences, or so it seems.
Aria Naveed
has spent the last two years of her life fighting to make the many wrongs of
the world right, but soon finds out that the humans aren’t as weak as they
appear and may be a more terrifying foe than any of the other races combined.
When a
stranger rolls into town with trouble on his heels, Aria finds herself trapped
in the middle of a battle that could cost her more than she has bargained for
as a fight for justice turns into an unexpected fight for her life.
My Take on the Book:
My reactions in this book were all over the map, ranging from googley eyes and squees to anger on what felt like mere minutes.
It’s a genuinely good book with an intriguing cast of characters and an exciting premise; one that kept me up till late at night and early into the morning…
The Great (Pros):
- Powers. I loved the idea of people specific powers. Sure, there are other with similar powers but it’s not a generalized set of abilities. ANNNDDD the way they were introduced was pretty cool!
- James. Love him! He’s a great friend and swoon worthy. His friendship with Aria is so realistic and awesome… if you ignore his whole going furry side and her unpredictable firework status. Everyone needs a James in there life.
- Aria. Kicking butts and taking names, this girl is too awesome. She’s a great lead character! She’s a bit stubborn so she makes so majorly stupid decisions but her heart is always in the right place.
- Storyline. I liked the ‘newness’ of this storyline. It gives you some backstory so you do see some similarities to other books in this genre but nothing as polished.
- Supernaturals. I like how all the supernaturals and their systems are formed and explained. I really like how different this in particular is from other books and series.
- Cover Art. You should never judge a book by its cover, and yet it’s what most of us look at first, so it never hurts to have a book with such an awesome covert image.
The Not So Great (Cons):
- Jumpy Story. Some parts came off as for lack of a better word jumpy. The flow was compromised almost reading like a form of staccato.
- Relationships. While most of the relationships are believable and progress naturally, some seemed forced and lacking which severely impacted to dynamics. It’s very clear that the author is trying to take their relationships somewhere but it kind of fell flat in some places.
- Improper foreshadowing. There were some occurrences where it seems like the author is having Aria foreshadow an event or some revelation but her ‘knowledge’ of the situation has yet to be revealed to her. It’s hard to explain without spoiling the story so I’ll attempt it but be warned that it may give away something you as the reader might find important. Ex. Aria notes that only one person in the pack drives a certain vehicle and suggests that the pack knows who this person is, as does she, but then in a later portion she has said character explain to her what he is. It interrupts the flow of the story because you have to reread those sections a couple of times.
4.5 Quills
This was a solid start to a pretty awesome story! I'm definitely hooked! Its a solid read for anyone who love vampires and shifters and magic.
Book #2
Danielle Annett
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Release Date: September 13, 2015
ISBN: 978-1516881994
ASIN: B00YSYO906
Pages: 192
Cover Design: Regina Wamba @ Mae I Design
Goodreads Rating: 3.92
My Rating: 5.0
I was initially a fan or Declan, even going as far as getting a smidge giddy when he popped up on page. He was in a dead heat tie with James. I loved them both. But after reading book 1 in its entirety, I concluded that he was a jerk. I didn’t think anything would make him tolerable. But no other character has ever redeemed himself as well and as thoroughly as he did. By the end of this book I was back on team Declan and getting giddy when he popped up on page again. *I still love James though, and would 1 or both of them ;) *
If it’s possible, which I guess it is, this book was exponentially better than the last. That’s saying something cause the last book was ah-maze-ing.
Aria is still the feisty firecracker that I loved from Cursed by Fire and she doesn’t seem to be losing that quality anytime soon. I love how strong she is. Physically she’s not anything re-donk-you-lus but she never goes down without putting up a fight. I loved these qualities about her, but she is still flawed and human so she definitely drove me nuts and made me angry. There were times I wanted to yell at her.
As far as length goes, this book was a lot quicker to read. Luckily, it wasn’t lacking in anything so the story didn’t suffer. It progressed nicely and filled the gaps and answered questions from book 1.
Are you a fan of Patricia Briggs’ “Mercy Thompson” or Suzanne Johnson’s “Sentinels of New Orleans”? Did you like the first couple of “Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vamp” Series or “Anita Blake”? Then this is definitely the series for you! And now I’m done with the cheesy infomercial lol. Seriously though, this series is great so far. The characters are awesome and the storylines are pretty cool. If you liked any of the books mentioned above, then this is a series you may want to give a chance.
Pages: 192
Cover Design: Regina Wamba @ Mae I Design
Goodreads Rating: 3.92
My Rating: 5.0
Book Description:
As Friend of the Pack, Aria Naveed should be untouchable, protected by
the most influential group in the Pacific Northwest. But someone is unleashing rogue
vampires to hunt her down, and she is determined to find out why.
When Aria gains command of Sanborn Place and takes on a case involving a
mysterious paranormal, her life is put in more peril than ever as she finds
herself bound to an influential power player. She doesn’t want to be anyone’s
puppet, but must tread carefully as she traverses the streets of Spokane, WA,
or risk being overwhelmed by the forces moving against her.
As the only known pyrokinetic in the area, Aria is in high demand, but
not for her services. It seems that to those in power, she’s worth more dead
than alive, and if a mysterious enemy has their way, she won’t live long enough
to find out why.
My Take on the Book:
As far as length goes, this book was a lot quicker to read. Luckily, it wasn’t lacking in anything so the story didn’t suffer. It progressed nicely and filled the gaps and answered questions from book 1.
5 Quills
Are you a fan of Patricia Briggs’ “Mercy Thompson” or Suzanne Johnson’s “Sentinels of New Orleans”? Did you like the first couple of “Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vamp” Series or “Anita Blake”? Then this is definitely the series for you! And now I’m done with the cheesy infomercial lol. Seriously though, this series is great so far. The characters are awesome and the storylines are pretty cool. If you liked any of the books mentioned above, then this is a series you may want to give a chance.
About The Author
Danielle Annett is a reader, writer, photographer, and the blogger behind Coffee and Characters. Born in the SF Bay area, she now resides in Spokane, WA, the primary location for her Blood & Magic series. 
Addicted to coffee at an early age, she spends her restless nights putting pen to paper as she tries to get all of the stories out of her head before the dogs wake up the rest of the house and vie for her attention.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
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“I received a free copy of these books from the author/publisher for my honest opinion. I was in no way compensated for these reviews and all opinions are expressly my own”
