Mixed Feelings

First off, I received a free copy of this book from Story Cartel in exchange for an honest review.

I have received several books from them over the last couple years and have mildly enjoyed them. This one is different!

I LOVED this book! The only reason it isn't 5 stars is that it was a little too bawdy for my taste from time to time. That is the only thing I didn't like. Seriously, that's it!

The plot was great. The pacing was good. There were hints that there is more to the story, so we want to read future books in the series. There was one scene at the end with Dirk that didn't seem completely necessary. However, there might be events in the coming books in the series that reference that scene.

The characters are well rounded. They change over the course of the story and throughout the story we are allowed to see different sides of them. Even the minor characters were changed and adapted throughout the story. There are also lots of hints that there is more to come. However, the hints are not so large as to make you frustrated. You don't feel as if there is too much that you don't know.

A few favorite things:

Gwen is an empath and does a great job of explaining how others people's feelings make her physically react. Her sweet tooth and defense thereof is pretty funny. I'm not always so fond of her laziness. But she admits it and it makes it easier to wait on the future books in the series. So we end up feeling if she doesn't care then I don't need to care. It works for this book.

The anonymous snarky note leaver adds a good dash of humor and a little mysteriousness to the book and the series in general.

The slow and steady revelation of the other world. We are not given all the answers at the beginning when Laurel and Hardy show up and ask for Gwen's help. She doesn't go on some crazy research binge to find everything out. She asks a few people and goes out try things on her own. We aren't even given all the answers by the end of the book either. And I like that.

A few not so favorite things:

The bawdiness of several scenes with Mel and a couple scenes with Evadne. Some of it seems like sexy for the purpose of sexy and not for anything needed in the plot.

The entire character of Evadne, but that might be on purpose. Maybe we aren't supposed to like her.

The character of Merrin is too weak. She does some great stuff, but she doesn't have much character herself. Once again, maybe that's on purpose.


Final thoughts:

I like this book enough to actually read future books in the series.