A very well written book. I found this a slow burn to start with, then its all drama. I found the internal monologue vey entertaining. I do love an anti-hero. With his almost obsessive love/hate for his queen. Filled with action, drama, a bit of very steamy sex. The only downside is the fact it’s a cliffhanger. ( )

Fantasy

3.5 ( )

A new book by one of my favorite authors, and I have to say I absolutely LOVED it! Like... really, really loved it, and I need the next one asap *ahem* pretty please *puppy eyes*

Worldbuilding:
It's the world as we know it in the present day. Humans don't know about the supernatural, or maybe if they did once, they have forgotten about it. In this book, we have witches, mages, and shifters. Oh, and not to forget the witches' familiars (sorry, Nero, please don't eat me).
While we stay close to home (the Henbane Coven) for most of the book, we start the story with a quest that takes us to South America, a plane crash, and an ancient tomb. Then seemingly random witches are getting killed, and the timer starts to discover who is behind everything.
We learn as we go about the different factions and what defines them, and while this is the first book in a series, there is no information overload. Excellent writing!
The scenes and environments were well described and clear enough to fully enjoy the story.

Character development:
Selene has been working towards one goal for the past year, and that is getting into the Henbane Coven and being able to study magic. Even though every spell she casts takes away a memory, she is steadfast in getting in.
She is very driven, and you have never met anyone as organized as her, I mean, I like lists and post-its, but it's very different for her. She has notebooks galore and post-its all over the place as she desperately needs them in case her magic takes one of those memories.
I liked Selene from the start, trying to overcome her limitations, reaching for her dream, and doing everything possible to get there. She is kindhearted but no pushover, and while she knows the price of using her magic, she's not shy to do just that when the situation demands it.

And then we have Memnom... I can't describe him better than "hot and cold" wrapped in a very yummy package. He gives and takes, and it is seriously hard to get a read on him. I won't say much more, as I do not want to spoil anything, but I'm balancing between hate and love, and that in itself is so so wickedly good :D
Then we have our side characters: Sybil, the best friend, and Kane, a shifter Selene has a crush on *swoon*.
As we've come to expect from the author, all characters have great depth. They have their hopes and fears and reasons for doing what they do. They feel so alive. I love it!

Pacing and flow:
We get thrown into it from the get-go. Selene goes on her quest, and boy, does she find adventure! And Nero! :D There wasn't a moment in the book where it was too much action or the pacing was too slow. I just couldn't put the book down, reading it during every break I could at work and then well into the night. I had to know what would happen!

The book:
The book was well written with no (noticeable) errors. There are some sexual scenes described (I would rate it ( )

Horny doormat is a horny doormat. ( )