thegeekyblogger's review against another edition
4.0
Listened for Fun (Audible)
Overall Rating 4.00
Story Rating 4.25
Character Rating 3.75
Audio Rating 3.50 (not part of the overall rating)
First Thought when Finished:Cursed Moon by Jaye Wells was a good mix of gritty mystery, brash detective work, and enough magic to keep you guessing.
Overall Thoughts:I was a bit hesitant to listen to this because a friend of mine had huge problems with it. Though something she said made me think I would like it (see negative reviews really aren't a bad thing). Yes this is gritty, crass, and very raw series. The language is a bit like reading/listening to an OZ episode (which I loved so this is a huge compliment). Mix that with a rape potion and it is a dark case. I LOVED IT! Seriously the case was downright awesome. I had some character issues in Cursed Moon (Kate was close to going into annoying UF lead for me) but the ending made me think that maybe those will be over with book 3. I think she came to terms with herself, so I hold out hope. Overall though I would say this is a great mix of Urban Fantasy and Gritty Thriller!
Audio Thoughts:
I liked the audio in 1.5x speed but in 1x speed it drove me nuts. Morgan isn't a bad narrator (I had less of a problem in book 1) but something just sounded off in a few of the secondary character voices. I will continue this in audio as it may have been me not the narrator this go around.
Status Updates and Quotes
5%: "#Listening Chapter 3 she just cursed herself. Never think everything seems together :)"
40%: #Listening 4 hrs 30 min in: Interesting case. Had to laugh because if I was Kate I would have checked out his ass too :)
80%: #Listening Gritty, Crass, and I am really liking it. Kate is getting on my nerves but I have a feeling she is going to call herself out before the end of the book."
“But men who dress as goats and gallivant through sex riots playing flutes tend not to be the most logical people.”
“Debriefings were always framed as closure, but sometimes they felt like ritualized reopening of wounds. Having to stand in front of someone with the power to steal your badge and defend the choices you made in the line of fire felt like its own sort of hell. Not the watery hell of that lake with the monster and the madman, but a hell lorded over by the demons Would Have, Could Have, and Should have.”
Part of my Read It, Rate It, File It DONE! Reviews
Overall Rating 4.00
Story Rating 4.25
Character Rating 3.75
Audio Rating 3.50 (not part of the overall rating)
First Thought when Finished:Cursed Moon by Jaye Wells was a good mix of gritty mystery, brash detective work, and enough magic to keep you guessing.
Overall Thoughts:I was a bit hesitant to listen to this because a friend of mine had huge problems with it. Though something she said made me think I would like it (see negative reviews really aren't a bad thing). Yes this is gritty, crass, and very raw series. The language is a bit like reading/listening to an OZ episode (which I loved so this is a huge compliment). Mix that with a rape potion and it is a dark case. I LOVED IT! Seriously the case was downright awesome. I had some character issues in Cursed Moon (Kate was close to going into annoying UF lead for me) but the ending made me think that maybe those will be over with book 3. I think she came to terms with herself, so I hold out hope. Overall though I would say this is a great mix of Urban Fantasy and Gritty Thriller!
Audio Thoughts:
Narrated By Morgan Hallett / Length: 11 hrs and 9 mins
I liked the audio in 1.5x speed but in 1x speed it drove me nuts. Morgan isn't a bad narrator (I had less of a problem in book 1) but something just sounded off in a few of the secondary character voices. I will continue this in audio as it may have been me not the narrator this go around.
Status Updates and Quotes
5%: "#Listening Chapter 3 she just cursed herself. Never think everything seems together :)"
40%: #Listening 4 hrs 30 min in: Interesting case. Had to laugh because if I was Kate I would have checked out his ass too :)
80%: #Listening Gritty, Crass, and I am really liking it. Kate is getting on my nerves but I have a feeling she is going to call herself out before the end of the book."
“But men who dress as goats and gallivant through sex riots playing flutes tend not to be the most logical people.”
“Debriefings were always framed as closure, but sometimes they felt like ritualized reopening of wounds. Having to stand in front of someone with the power to steal your badge and defend the choices you made in the line of fire felt like its own sort of hell. Not the watery hell of that lake with the monster and the madman, but a hell lorded over by the demons Would Have, Could Have, and Should have.”
Part of my Read It, Rate It, File It DONE! Reviews
scostanzo42's review
3.0
3.5 stars. A good second book. I enjoyed the development of Kate's character. There was a lot of needless swearing and a few parts the dragged a bit, but over all good read.
feelingferal's review against another edition
3.0
I can’t help but wonder how much better this series would be if it weren’t for the extremely unlikable MC
kblincoln's review
4.0
The drugs, police, magic, and emotional turmoil fun continues in this second book as magical enforcer Kate Prospero gets more deeply entangled in Cauldron politics.
Kate's secret is out, she's no longer completely magically sober and best friend Pen is having a hard time forgiving her whilst little brother/ward Danny keeps on singing the praises of Cauldron politician and ex-criminal (and ex-lover for Kate) John Volos for saving his hide.
Meanwhile, someone's stolen a bunch of love potions and something big is going down in Babylon during a full moon.
Kate's life basically gets more and more complicated and a bit more depressing in this book. There's some truly whackadoodle scenes in this one bordering on the distasteful: like an orgy at a college Kate and hunky partner Morales have to break up. There's also a lot of guilt and bad handling of Danny and Pen, seriously abusing her relationship with the lovely old lady who looks after her brother, and some self-pity I just want to her to snap out of.
And there's a kind of lock ness monster in Lake Erie that plays a big part in overcoming the big bad's ultimate weapon-- which felt a bit silly juxtaposed with all the quite gritty, believable drug-parallel mess Kate's made of her life.
Still, this is a great series. I still wish there was a bit more romance (or for Kate to get her head to gether regarding John V) but I will probably at some point continue on with it.
Kate's secret is out, she's no longer completely magically sober and best friend Pen is having a hard time forgiving her whilst little brother/ward Danny keeps on singing the praises of Cauldron politician and ex-criminal (and ex-lover for Kate) John Volos for saving his hide.
Meanwhile, someone's stolen a bunch of love potions and something big is going down in Babylon during a full moon.
Kate's life basically gets more and more complicated and a bit more depressing in this book. There's some truly whackadoodle scenes in this one bordering on the distasteful: like an orgy at a college Kate and hunky partner Morales have to break up. There's also a lot of guilt and bad handling of Danny and Pen, seriously abusing her relationship with the lovely old lady who looks after her brother, and some self-pity I just want to her to snap out of.
And there's a kind of lock ness monster in Lake Erie that plays a big part in overcoming the big bad's ultimate weapon-- which felt a bit silly juxtaposed with all the quite gritty, believable drug-parallel mess Kate's made of her life.
Still, this is a great series. I still wish there was a bit more romance (or for Kate to get her head to gether regarding John V) but I will probably at some point continue on with it.
chllybrd's review against another edition
4.0
With a ton of action, plenty angst, lots of drama and a little romantic tension, CURSED MOON was a great continuation of The Prospero's War series.
Kate is dealing with quite a bit in CURSED MOON. She performed dirty magic to save Danny in book 1 and no one knows. She has a lot of guilt over it and seems to be looking over her shoulder at every turn afraid of who will find out. She also doesn't like lying to her friends who already think she is changing too much with her new job. On top of that Danny thinks that John Volos saved him so he is doubly obsessed with him and is sneaking around talking to him behind her back while being a teenage pain in the butt to Kate thinking she didn't care enough about him to save him herself. He causes a lot of hurt feelings and I just wanted to give him a time out in just about every chapter.
We get to witness Kate come face to face with her Uncle. I think she handled it really well and their last meeting together in CURSED MOON really showed how much Kate has grown since she was under his control. He seems to have his hands in a lot of pockets so I'm positive we will be seeing him again soon.
I very much enjoyed the progress of Kate and her partners *fingers crossed* relationship. I like them together and by the end it looks like there might actually be some romance in the next book. John is fine and all but he causes so much trouble for Kate and I don't know why she would ever contemplate a relationship with him again.
As soon as CURSED MOON was over I went in search of when book 3 would be out. DEADLY SPELLS is set to release in March 2015 and is already on my wishlist.
* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Kate is dealing with quite a bit in CURSED MOON. She performed dirty magic to save Danny in book 1 and no one knows. She has a lot of guilt over it and seems to be looking over her shoulder at every turn afraid of who will find out. She also doesn't like lying to her friends who already think she is changing too much with her new job. On top of that Danny thinks that John Volos saved him so he is doubly obsessed with him and is sneaking around talking to him behind her back while being a teenage pain in the butt to Kate thinking she didn't care enough about him to save him herself. He causes a lot of hurt feelings and I just wanted to give him a time out in just about every chapter.
We get to witness Kate come face to face with her Uncle. I think she handled it really well and their last meeting together in CURSED MOON really showed how much Kate has grown since she was under his control. He seems to have his hands in a lot of pockets so I'm positive we will be seeing him again soon.
I very much enjoyed the progress of Kate and her partners *fingers crossed* relationship. I like them together and by the end it looks like there might actually be some romance in the next book. John is fine and all but he causes so much trouble for Kate and I don't know why she would ever contemplate a relationship with him again.
As soon as CURSED MOON was over I went in search of when book 3 would be out. DEADLY SPELLS is set to release in March 2015 and is already on my wishlist.
* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
mdlaclair's review against another edition
3.0
this was a good read had some interesting subplots that are building. and a lot of tensions rising. will be interested to see what she does next.
juliwi's review against another edition
4.0
This book was, in many ways and from the very beginning, a surprise to me. I was sent this book by Orbit after I became more interested in Urban Fantasy and I had never heard of the author, the book or the series. In some ways you could argue this is a terrible starting point, on the other hand it doesn't happen often I get to start a book completely blank. And in the case of Cursed Moon that was a definite advantage.
Cursed Moon is completely different from, well, almost everything I have read before. Wells writes completely unapologetically and when it comes to magic that unleashes sexual aggression, it shouldn't come as a surprise that some of the passages in the book are quite confrontational. On the one hand I found myself disliking these parts of the book and on the other hand I loved the honesty of those scenes. And even if they are not your cup of tea, the more explicit scenes are relatively sparse and surrounded by some really fun and energetic writing. Energetic might seem a strange word to use for a writing style, but Wells' writing moves easily between dialogue, exposition and description and successfully keeps the pace going. Not once does a scene feel unnecessary or as if it's dragging the book down. The frequent cursing might throw some readers of but I felt that most of the curses were relatively colloquial ones that people do genuinely do use in their every day lives, so I wasn't too bothered by them.
One of my favourite things about this book (and the rest of the series, which I am yet to read) is how it deals with magic. Although it is something innate, to some people, it is highly addictive and is also something you can leave behind you. Magic is something that is used in a lot of books but not always successfully. In Harry Potter it works because Rowling spent a lot of time figuring out how it should work. Similarly, it feels as if Wells really thought about the idea of magic being cooked and how it would operate, which means that the concept works. Although there are a few gaps for me here and there, those will probably be filled when I read Dirty Magic, the first book in the Prospero's War series, and then anxiously wait for the next one.
Kate is a fascinating main character. Helped by Wells' insightful writing, it is really interesting to see Kate Prospero battle with old and new demons. Although her situation sounds about as unrelatable as they get, her problems are very human. Whether it is dealing with family members, struggling with your job or trying to come to terms with your past, there will always be problems and I really enjoyed how Wells combined those "normal" problems with magic. Apart from Kate, there are a whole range of interesting characters with a good balance between female and male characters. I also enjoyed the appearance of a hermaphrodite, which is a group who we don't often see represented in literature or any kind of media. I also felt that their relationships were well developed and not too cliche. Of course there is romantic attraction here and there but it never overpowered the narrative, which I was very happy about.
I really enjoyed reading Cursed Moon. It isn't often a book manages to overthrow my expectations and I enjoyed this book much more than I thought I would. Wells' writing style is really fun and recognizable, which makes her characters all the more enjoyable as well. I would recommend this to people who need a strong, female heroine in their life and are looking for something new with magic. Cursed Moon is a quick read but is full of remarkable moments.
Cursed Moon is completely different from, well, almost everything I have read before. Wells writes completely unapologetically and when it comes to magic that unleashes sexual aggression, it shouldn't come as a surprise that some of the passages in the book are quite confrontational. On the one hand I found myself disliking these parts of the book and on the other hand I loved the honesty of those scenes. And even if they are not your cup of tea, the more explicit scenes are relatively sparse and surrounded by some really fun and energetic writing. Energetic might seem a strange word to use for a writing style, but Wells' writing moves easily between dialogue, exposition and description and successfully keeps the pace going. Not once does a scene feel unnecessary or as if it's dragging the book down. The frequent cursing might throw some readers of but I felt that most of the curses were relatively colloquial ones that people do genuinely do use in their every day lives, so I wasn't too bothered by them.
One of my favourite things about this book (and the rest of the series, which I am yet to read) is how it deals with magic. Although it is something innate, to some people, it is highly addictive and is also something you can leave behind you. Magic is something that is used in a lot of books but not always successfully. In Harry Potter it works because Rowling spent a lot of time figuring out how it should work. Similarly, it feels as if Wells really thought about the idea of magic being cooked and how it would operate, which means that the concept works. Although there are a few gaps for me here and there, those will probably be filled when I read Dirty Magic, the first book in the Prospero's War series, and then anxiously wait for the next one.
Kate is a fascinating main character. Helped by Wells' insightful writing, it is really interesting to see Kate Prospero battle with old and new demons. Although her situation sounds about as unrelatable as they get, her problems are very human. Whether it is dealing with family members, struggling with your job or trying to come to terms with your past, there will always be problems and I really enjoyed how Wells combined those "normal" problems with magic. Apart from Kate, there are a whole range of interesting characters with a good balance between female and male characters. I also enjoyed the appearance of a hermaphrodite, which is a group who we don't often see represented in literature or any kind of media. I also felt that their relationships were well developed and not too cliche. Of course there is romantic attraction here and there but it never overpowered the narrative, which I was very happy about.
I really enjoyed reading Cursed Moon. It isn't often a book manages to overthrow my expectations and I enjoyed this book much more than I thought I would. Wells' writing style is really fun and recognizable, which makes her characters all the more enjoyable as well. I would recommend this to people who need a strong, female heroine in their life and are looking for something new with magic. Cursed Moon is a quick read but is full of remarkable moments.
rclz's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this but I didn't. It's actually closer to a 3 1/2
The author wants to have it both ways. We're suppose to think that Porpero's cooking Magic is terrible but she did it to save her brother. Not much villainy there. Then there is her friends magic potion abuse. The woman had busted ribs and whiplash. Addiction is hard to lick but it's hard to condemn people who get caught up trying to heal. So, their bad because of magic use is their big bad secrets but it doesn't wash. And frankly I'm tired of the addiction preaching. I'm glad Propero's gotten over her aversion to cooking and realizes good can come of it. For that reason alone I might read the next one.
Oh, and I'm also tired of her knocking John. He's done nothing that makes him the enemy but she doesn't want to admit that she still has a thing for him so she never gives him a break but she goes to him when her cases get tough. I also think she needs to admit that maybe there is a chance he's changed as well. Her condemnation is getting old.
The author wants to have it both ways. We're suppose to think that Porpero's cooking Magic is terrible but she did it to save her brother. Not much villainy there. Then there is her friends magic potion abuse. The woman had busted ribs and whiplash. Addiction is hard to lick but it's hard to condemn people who get caught up trying to heal. So, their bad because of magic use is their big bad secrets but it doesn't wash. And frankly I'm tired of the addiction preaching. I'm glad Propero's gotten over her aversion to cooking and realizes good can come of it. For that reason alone I might read the next one.
Oh, and I'm also tired of her knocking John. He's done nothing that makes him the enemy but she doesn't want to admit that she still has a thing for him so she never gives him a break but she goes to him when her cases get tough. I also think she needs to admit that maybe there is a chance he's changed as well. Her condemnation is getting old.
novelinsights's review against another edition
4.0
I felt that this was a good second installment in the Prospero's War series. It deepened Kate's world and added complexity to characters who had seemed a little flat and stereotypical in the first book. I appreciated the nuance with which Kate's refusal to participate in magic was handled, as well as the complications that arose in her relationships. I did, however, still had to take a star away from this book for incredibly sloppy editing.
gems_31's review against another edition
4.0
This is a series that has gone from strength to strenght. It is tightly written and keeps excellent pace. Wells has written a series that though you think you know what is happening, in the shadows of the background, the real puppet master is at play. Kate thinks she knows what is going on, but further down the rabbit hole she goes, the more we see that she is merely scratching the surface.
And that ending..... Woah mumma! While it closes one chapter, it rips open the next. I can't wait to see the conclusion
And that ending..... Woah mumma! While it closes one chapter, it rips open the next. I can't wait to see the conclusion