Carole's Sunday Review: A fistful of evil - Rebecca Chastain

Author: Rebecca Chastain

Title: A Fistful of Evil (Madison Fox, Illuminant Enforcer #1)

Genre: Urban Fiction, Fantasy, YA, & Paranormal

Pages: ebook

First Published: August 2014

Where I Got It: My shelf (Given by an author/publisher for my honest and unbiased opinion)

Madison Fox just learned that her ability to see souls is more than a sight: It’s a weapon for fighting evil. The only problem is she doesn’t have a clue what she’s doing. 

On the positive side, her money problems are over, she’s possibly discovered her purpose in life, and her coworker is smoking hot. On the negative side, evil creatures now actively hunt her, and deadly experiences are becoming the norm.

When she thinks it couldn’t get worse, a powerful evil sets up shop at a local hotel’s video game convention, and it’s got its eye on more than the gaming geeks: it is hungry for Madison’s soul. Madison needs to become an expert illuminant enforcer overnight to save her job, her region . . . and her life.

This is the first of the Madison Fox Illumnant Enforcer series. I'm excited to see where the story goes from here. 

Madison has an interesting power, she can see souls of people and things. She randomly finds a job posting and goes for it. Well, it leads her to use her ability to fight pure evil. However...she is a complete newbie and is thrown to protect a whole region. She meets new people and a new world.

I love the whole concept of the book/series. This is an interesting ability she has and it was very refreshing for this genre. I did like Madison. She's not kickass yet, but she is learning and is funny. Honestly, I'm glad she wasn't a "natural" at battle the forces of evil, she has LOTS and LOTS to learn. There is a lot of training still in her future. Yes...she does have her dumb moments which made me roll my eyes, BUT she is a complete newbie in this world and this job. 

Ooooh Niko you hot, hot man. ;) I liked him a lot and I want to learn more about him. But I did like Dr Love the Vet as well. I know, I know - Dr Love is a lame name, but I think its kinda funny and clever. I feel like there is a possibility of a love triangle in the future....BUT I have some suspicious on Dr Love...I hope he's not a baddie, but he seems too perfect hmmmmm. HOWEVER, what I really REALLY liked was that romance was not the center of this story. It wasn't Madison's main goal to find love, yes, she thought Niko and Dr Love were hot, but her main concern was saving her region. Major props to avoid the pitfall of a making the story to loved filled. I hope this remains the same in the second book.

My only issue was the lag that occurred after her first meet with a stronger evil. The lag only lasted about 25 pages, but it picked up again and thank goodness. 

In the end, this was a fun read. It was a refreshing read. Urban fantasies were blending together, but this was a fresh new story with an interesting cast and power. Also, I loved the fact that the romance was there a little bit, but it wasn't the center/core of the story. The lag killed me, but it didn't last too long. However, I am super excited for the second book in the series! I can't wait to see what Madison is up to next. I highly recommend this to those that want to read UF, but want something refreshing and fun. Out of five stars, I stamp this with 4 stars. 

Review: Songs of the Earth - Elspeth Cooper

The Book of Eador, Abjurations 12:14, is very clear: Suffer ye not the life of a witch. For a thousand years, the Church Knights have obeyed that commandment, sending to the stake anyone who can hear the songs of the earth. There are no exceptions, not even for one of their own.

Novice Knight Gair can hear music no one else can, beautiful, terrible music: music with power. In the Holy City, that can mean only one thing: death by fire—until an unlikely intervention gives him a chance to flee the city and escape the flames.

With the Church Knights and their witchfinder hot on his heels, Gair hasn’t time to learn how to use the power growing inside him, but if he doesn’t master it, that power will tear him apart. His only hope is the secretive Guardians of the Veil, though centuries of persecution have almost destroyed their Order, and the few Guardians left have troubles of their own.

For the Veil between worlds is weakening, and behind it, the Hidden Kingdom, ever-hungry for dominion over the daylight realm, is stirring. Though he is far from ready, Gair will find himself fighting for his own life, for everyone within the Order of the Veil, and for the woman he has come to love.

Series: The Wild Hunt #1, Genre: Fantasy, Pages: 496, Published: Feb 23 2012, Publisher: Gollancz, Source. For review

My thoughts:

Religious persecution against those with magic. Yes that always brings forth emotions in me. They are the perfect baddies, sitting in their cold towers preaching about salvation and hunting innocents with magic in their blood, even if those loves the Goddess just as much as the rest.

We got Gair, our hero, who is being tortured because he has magic. A good hero who finds his own way, friends and love down the road that is this book. He never loses faith either, something that is not easy after what he has been through. But he does does wonder what he really is.

Still what I liked most was the story. We had our Spanish inquisition, they had theirs; going after those who heard the song. There are even fundamentalists in the desert that they are fighting. A world very true to our own in a way. In other ways not to much, they have a one true Goddess, they have magic, and they have a veil that separates other world from theirs. A veil that is breaking, and then all hell will break loose. 

A church is always a good bad guy, because we as the reader know that Gair is good and it not to blame for hearing something that is in tune with the earth itself. And as the story progresses I learn more and I do want to read the next book because how can this end well when the world is caught up in their own madness?

Conclusion:

An interesting start to a new series. It is so familiar, yet so different from our own world and that makes it ring more true. I hope book 2 is just as exciting.

Cover.

It looks cool when I see it irl


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And I am over at Alternative Read with a review of Dark Enchantment by Anya Bast