3.5 stars for Shifty Magic (Shifty Magic book 1) by Judy Teel.
I cannot help but do a double take when I first come across this book because the 'f' in shifty appears so much like a 't' at one glance that my mind cannot shake out the impossibility of such a title. Surprisingly, the naming of the author's debut novel catches and intrigues me to an extent that I decide to explore this series.
Not sure if it's purely coincidental, but lately it seems that my choice readings are mostly penned in the yet-to-come future. It makes me wonder how my feelings will turn out if I actually read the book in terra year 2033 or after. So here we go. The story takes place in Charlotte in year 2033 and is told through the eyes of 19-year old Addison Kittner, a licensed private investigator and bounty hunter since 2032.
As it usually is, the plot centers around our heroine and her attempt to solve the mystery of a renegade vampire that has been murdered and drained of blood. While at it, the author introduces the 3 paranormal types in this urban fantasy world - vamps, weres and practitioners who are essentially humans but possess the uncanny ability to see beyond the physical and to work with other levels of reality. What good is a story without a hero? I am glad the author agrees and throws in our man in the form of a FBI agent, Cooper Daine.
I have read a lot of paranormal romance and urban fantasy novels. Yes, A. LOT. And because of this 'a lot', it takes much much more than your run-of-the-mill story to impress me. Come on, there is just that much to how a vampire or a werewolf can be, no matter how different, the basics are almost always the same, more or less. So what makes Shifty Magics any different? Actually it doesn't. It does not even rank up high in terms of originality. What impresses me instead is the writing and maturity level of our heroine that the author doles out. If the author has not, at any point, revealed the age of Addison, I will definitely have pegged her in the age bracket of mid to late twenties.
All in all, Shifty Magic is an enjoyable novel in the first of a series. The author, with heaps of writing potential up her sleeve, is one to watch out for. Lastly, hurry up and go grab your free copy of this book 1 at Amazon.com. Not sure if or when the promotion will end, but at time of posting this review, it is available FOC for your reading pleasure.
Publisher: Judy P. Mills; 1 edition
Publication date: 11 May 2013
@}--->>--->>-----
A serial killer in a paranormal dystopian world…
One night Addison comes across a girl about to be killed by three rogue vampires. She kicks some vamp butt and saves the girl, but one of the vamps escapes. Just her luck, he turns up dead the next morning, inspiring the vampire leaders to put pressure on her to solve the case or take the rap.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, her ex-lover, werewolf FBI agent, Cooper Daine, approaches her and gives her an offer she can’t refuse…a paycheck. Mixing business with lust is never a good idea, but neither is starving, so she accepts.
But as the body count builds, Addison finds herself embroiled in an ever deepening and dangerous mystery. One that leads her to something frighteningly personal. Her unknown heritage.
*Blurb from author's website*
Add to:
Links to purchase:
:D <3 <3 <3
ReplyDelete