kepheus's review
4.0
These books break my long-standing rule of not reading anything with a cheesy, bad-Photoshop-style cover. That said, they're fun, fairly light, and very heavily influenced by the Dresden books. So long as they keep that up, I'll keep reading.
wellactjoally's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
3.0
Bad choices, personal history, growth.
dlberglund's review
2.0
I found this book more problematic than the first book, since Jade goes back to her Crow family of origin to stop some murders and solve some mystery. it turns out that her Crow family is really a community of crow shape shifters, brought together by a charismatic dictator, who is her grandfather and actually Native Crow. Not everyone in the cult is, however; they are from a variety of tribal affiliations and non-Native cultures as well. This is not a good turn for the series to make. It sets up the Native characters to look like crazy cultists (who may or may not be true believers). Problematic, coming from a white writer.
athenaevarinya's review
4.0
As I said about the first story: Too short. I hope the author goes back one day and really fleshes out each story more.
bunnerz's review
4.0
Ratings - completed series:
#1 Justice Calling: ★★★★☆
#2 Murder of Crows (this book): ★★★★☆
#3 Pack of Lies: ★★★★☆
#4 Hunting Season: ★★★★☆
#5 Heartache: ★★★★☆
#6 Thicker Than Blood: ★★★★☆
#7 Magic to the Bone: ★★★☆☆
#8 Dungeon Crawl: ★★★★☆
#9 River of No Return: ★★★★☆
#10 Balancing the Scales: ★★★★☆
#1 Justice Calling: ★★★★☆
#2 Murder of Crows (this book): ★★★★☆
#3 Pack of Lies: ★★★★☆
#4 Hunting Season: ★★★★☆
#5 Heartache: ★★★★☆
#6 Thicker Than Blood: ★★★★☆
#7 Magic to the Bone: ★★★☆☆
#8 Dungeon Crawl: ★★★★☆
#9 River of No Return: ★★★★☆
#10 Balancing the Scales: ★★★★☆
mandycandy7118's review
4.0
This series continues to be good, even if each book is a bit short. However, they do fully resolve, flow nicely, and are entertaining. I'll keep reading.
book_whispers's review
3.0
For such a tiny page count these books pack a punch. I'm totally invested in this world. HOWEVER. The biggest problem is that they are so tiny.
Especially with Jade and Alek as a couple. I still don't see it. Because there is just not enough room to have this action packed adventure and emotional content. Don't get me wrong, this book is not cold. But it doesn't have the time to fully explore and develop things outside of Jade's current problem.
Thankfully that's really my only issue. Sure there's a few errors here and there. But the overall writing and Jade's voice is perfect. I adore Jade and her fangirl self. It's great having a book friend to geek out with while reading.
Overall I enjoyed seeing Jade's “blood” relations. It was very interesting and you could both see why she was drawn to Samir. But also wonder why she trusted him so much. It was a fun mystery and it also sheds light on how different Alec and Jade think. To be honest she was pretty naïve about how she went about things. I agreed with who needed to die, but she was just stupid thinking that that person would be the only casualty. I'm very curious as to what will happen between Jade and Alec. I really want to feel them as a couple. Also, I look forward to the books getting longer.
Sexual Content: Sexual humor, minor dark themes, and some alluded to fun time. Nothing graphic.
3/5- Adored it, just a few minor details held it back.
Originally reviewed at Book Whispers.
Especially with Jade and Alek as a couple. I still don't see it. Because there is just not enough room to have this action packed adventure and emotional content. Don't get me wrong, this book is not cold. But it doesn't have the time to fully explore and develop things outside of Jade's current problem.
Thankfully that's really my only issue. Sure there's a few errors here and there. But the overall writing and Jade's voice is perfect. I adore Jade and her fangirl self. It's great having a book friend to geek out with while reading.
Overall I enjoyed seeing Jade's “blood” relations. It was very interesting and you could both see why she was drawn to Samir. But also wonder why she trusted him so much. It was a fun mystery and it also sheds light on how different Alec and Jade think. To be honest she was pretty naïve about how she went about things. I agreed with who needed to die, but she was just stupid thinking that that person would be the only casualty. I'm very curious as to what will happen between Jade and Alec. I really want to feel them as a couple. Also, I look forward to the books getting longer.
Sexual Content: Sexual humor, minor dark themes, and some alluded to fun time. Nothing graphic.
3/5- Adored it, just a few minor details held it back.
Originally reviewed at Book Whispers.
liacooper's review
3.0
These stories are pretty much cotton candy. Pretty fun, diverting for a couple hours of reading, lots of pop culture references and a really cool spin on the magic system as it is used by the protagonist, but not a whole lot of substance.
I think i would actually REALLY like these if they were longer and more developed. Unfortunately Bellet railroads through semi-mystery plots in the blink of an eye where I think a little bit more meat, more development, possibly a smaller character building subplot, to flesh it out would be really appreciated. Heck, i think just making it a little more difficult for Jade to solve the mysteries would help it, but the world's pretty cool.
I liked the glimpses we got into Jade's past here. I think the faux conflict created at the end to throw a wrench in her relationship with Alek was pretty eyerolly. We'll see what happened in the next one.
In the end I picked this up because I just wanted to read about a sarcastic lady kicking ass after the American Gods sausage fest and it did deliver that.
I think i would actually REALLY like these if they were longer and more developed. Unfortunately Bellet railroads through semi-mystery plots in the blink of an eye where I think a little bit more meat, more development, possibly a smaller character building subplot, to flesh it out would be really appreciated. Heck, i think just making it a little more difficult for Jade to solve the mysteries would help it, but the world's pretty cool.
I liked the glimpses we got into Jade's past here. I think the faux conflict created at the end to throw a wrench in her relationship with Alek was pretty eyerolly. We'll see what happened in the next one.
In the end I picked this up because I just wanted to read about a sarcastic lady kicking ass after the American Gods sausage fest and it did deliver that.
chloe_dancing's review
4.0
Another tale of Jade (this is the second in the series), who's learning sorcery based on D&D while she hides out in a small town, doing her best to avoid an ex-boyfriend who’s out to kill her. Super fun concept, and I loved the journey through her past and the focus on found family. You’ll want to read the whole series.