Contemporary Fantasy

Review of A Skirl of Sorcery by Helen Harper

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Synopsis:
Death has a new address—and it’s Kit McCafferty’s.

When Kit offers a room to a powerless ban sith who has lost her magic, she sets off a chain reaction across Coldstream’s supernatural streets. Her neighbours are panicking. Dangerous werewolves are on the prowl. And Kit finds herself trying to solve several desperate problems all at once.

Kit knows the world’s a messy place, especially when magic’s involved. But this reeks of something dark and nasty. She’s paws deep – and there’s every chance that Thane, the copper-haired werewolf who stirs Kit’s heart, will become collateral damage.

Her house is full of cats, and her city is full of monsters … fortunately, Kit McCafferty is one of them.

A Skirl of Sorcery is the third book in the captivating urban fantasy crime series The Cat Lady Chronicles. Expect mystery, adventure and a posse of cats.

Review:
“We all had our demons; some were simply more obvious than others.” (Page 17)

This book was amazing! I wasn’t sure how much Thane was going to play into this novel given how close it was to the full moon, but I actually loved the way his past was tied in to the plot. It was nice seeing Kit remind herself that she is a very capable woman and she can handle things. This book also served as a great reminder that if you’re good to your neighbors/village, they will be willing to do things for you… or maybe Dave just really has grown on Kit/really owed the ban sith. Trilby made some excellent points as well, and I hope that maybe in the very far future we’ll have a series based on her since she is so unique. The ending was both perfect and so frustrating because I cannot wait to hear Tiddles name!!


Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of Magic Bites

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Synopsis:
Kate Daniels is a down-on-her-luck mercenary who makes her living cleaning up magical problems. But when Kate’s guardian is murdered, her quest for justice draws her into a power struggle between two strong factions within Atlanta’s magic circles. Pressured by both sides to find the killer, Kate realizes she’s way our of her league—but she wouldn’t want it any other way…

Review:
This book really reads like an attempt for a female Harry Dresden, which is what I found myself thinking during most of this reading. A mix of Dresden Files entwined with The Southern Vampire Mysteries. While I did find it intriguing, and definitely had some jaw dropping moments, I couldn’t help but wish I had just picked the Dresden files back up. I do believe part of my disconnect was that there were a lot of magical things, powers, etc, thrown at the reader and just expected to be understood. There was way more telling than showing, and a lot of information dumps. All in all, I am glad to have finished it, but do not intend to continue on in this series.

This book has already been passed along, and I will have to see how it was received if it has already been read. I have followed up by gifting Storm Front to the friend who received this book.

Star rating: ✯✯✯

Review of The Dark Hiss of Magic by Helen Harper

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Synopsis:
There will be no pussy-footing around. Not when Kit McCafferty is involved.

When Kit rescues a wealthy witch from the treacherous, monster-filled waters of the River Tweed, she reckons she’s completed her fair share of good deeds for the day. But when a second anonymous body is pulled from the same river, Kit is dragged into a mystery as murky as the water itself. The corpse has no identification, no personal possessions and no one who cares. Kit is determined to change that.

At least Thane Barrow, the copper-haired werewolf who sees the world in a similar way to Kit, is happy to also get involved. Together, they navigate Coldstream’s magical streets and mysterious secrets, determined to uncover the truth about John Doe. Alas, it soon becomes clear that his death was no accident. Kit finds herself investigating a complex crime with more than one victim. She will have her claws full if she’s going to get to the bottom of what’s happened.

One thing is for certain – when death threatens, Kit McCafferty doesn’t back down. She pounces.

Review:
“There was goodwill and second chances00and there was being taken a fool. Sometimes there was a fine line between the two.” (Page 50)

Helen Harper is an author that I have absolutely loved for years. Her writing and stories get better and more nuanced with each new series, and this is by far one of my favourites of hers. This book had so many unexpected discoveries, but among my favourite was how Kit and MacTire worked together. There was a set up for a mess, or something unexpectedly just piecing together, and I was glad my instincts were straight on. Seeing Thane get closer to cats, given his particularity, was quite amusing but also relatable as someone who didn’t have cats until they were an adult.

While most of these stories are magical and fully of witty banter and snark between characters, truly profane things can often be noticed, such as Kit stating, “Nobody actually wears black for the dead, they wear it for the living. It’s a way of saying that a life might be over but that life still mattered.” (Page 73)

All in all, Kit and her cats, with Thane’s help, were quite the team, and I will be excited to continue on in the series in the near future! The first book in another related series about Mallory, Squib, released today. You can look at that book by clicking here.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

* I don’t let myself change out my kindle unlimited books until I have written the reviews, so the continuation of reading this series is in the very near future!

Review of Waifs and Strays by Helen Harper

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Synopsis:
Nobody is just a cat lady.

Kit McCafferty’s life is quiet, unremarkable and filled with cat hair. In the magical city of Coldstream, located on the border between Scotland and England, Kit is viewed as little more than mildly eccentric and mostly harmless. She passes her days caring for her family of five cats, feeding the local feral moggies, and maintaining relatively good relations with her neighbours.

All that changes, however, when a teenage werewolf shows up at her door in the desperate hope of renting out a nearby vacant flat. Kit knows that the smart move is to tell him to leave. The last thing she needs is to become embroiled in complicated shapeshifter politics. But something about the secretive young werewolf tugs at her heartstrings.

It’s not long before Kit ends up caught in a maelstrom of mysterious crime and magical wrong-doing. Fortunately, there’s far more to Kit McCafferty than meets the eye and she has a few dark secrets of her own.

Of course, anyone with an ounce of intelligence knows that you underestimate a cat lady at your own peril.

Waifs And Strays is the first book in a new urban fantasy crime series. Expect mystery, magic and adventure with a heroine who will keep you turning pages late into the night. There will also be a lot of cats.

Review:
“No matter how good you are there is always someone better, and greater numbers almost always beat greater skill.” (Page 43)

“They must have had fish paste for brains.” (page 225)

Every time I read a new Helen Harper series (or an older one) I always think, this won’t be as great as whatever the last one of her series I read is and yet, this was absolutely phenomenal. There’s great depth and characterization of all the characters we come to meet, and the twist at the end was simple perfection. This book left me in the biggest book hangover, far more than Nocticadia–which had been addictive for completely different reasons. Kit is relatable, understandable, and with lots of moxie.

As an aside, this book is very realistic to the life of a “cat lady”, I say as Abby has decided she MUST be on top of me as I am working at my desk this very moment. I absolutely love how Kit has very different relationships to all of her cats; similar to how multiple cat households are. I also love how Kit’s cats act when they are worried, both for and about themselves/her. They’re pretty darn awesome!

There’s great banter, an awesome plot, and it hits that perfect modern fantasy itch. I highly recommend this to people who love cats, modern fantasy, werewolves, intrigue (sometimes political) and the unexpected.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of Best Wishes by Helen Harper

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Synopsis:
If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.

Saffron Sawyer is on her own. She’s no longer part of the Office of Faery Godmothers – in fact, she’s no longer part of anything, even if her magic is stronger now than she could have ever dreamed possible. Thwarted at every turn and stalked by monsters in the streets, her life feels like it’s falling apart.

But Saffron isn’t going to give up hope. She’s sworn revenge on the Director and she can’t forget about Jasper and the way he makes her feel. And when some familiar faces come knocking at her door, she might just have found the answers she’s been looking for.

Review:
I loved everything about this book. How spunky Saffron is, how she recognizes that if she had to make it without magic, she can find a way to manage and still bring joy to people while doing so. I love how much Saffron wants to help people, even when she isn’t an official faery godmother. I also absolutely love the comradery and relationships built that help Saffron move on and fight a completely new battle for something that isn’t quite what she’d always wanted. The message that sometimes what you have wanted your whole life isn’t exactly what you need, or exactly what you’d thought it would be, is something that can resonate with many people. There are oftentimes when you think life is going one way and you find yourself doing maybe even the same thing, but in an adjacent to how you thought it would be capacity.

Saffron’s ability to read people, deal with people, and remain her sparky self continue to dazzle in this book, and I am so glad for how things turned out for her with Vincent, and Pumpkin, and of course her friends and Jasper. This was a perfect ending to the series, even if I wished it could have been a bit more/longer. Highly recommend this book, as well as everything else of Harper’s I’ve read thus far. She’s an incredible gem when it comes to modern fantasy–great characters, great plots, smooth reading.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of As You Wish by Helen Harper

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Synopsis:
It’s a dirty job when you’re a faery godmother … but someone’s got to do it.

Saffron Sawyer’s world is spinning out of control in more ways than one. Her newly acquired pooch, Pumpkin, hates her guts and it’s highly possible that the trolls are reneging on their promise of temporary peace. Saffron is also on her way to setting the world record for the number of magical wands lost in one month while the continued proximity of Jasper, the emerald eyed Devil’s Advocate, is turning her into a near helpless lust puddle.

Unfortunately, life is never simple in the Office of Faery Godmother … especially when your past mistakes are preparing to come back and haunt you.

Review:
“The only limits are the ones we place on ourselves.” (Page 21)

This book really set Saffron up to show that she has guts. She keeps getting knocked down despite doing admirably, with harder things continuously putting her at risk, but she never once considers letting others that may be considered “stronger” or “higher up” deal with the people she’s upset. I absolutely love her interactions with Jasper, as well as her “sidekick” Vincent, and who couldn’t love Pumpkin? While I do not necessarily wish it on anyone, I did really like how PTSD from previous jobs was shown/represented in this book, and how despite everything Saffron has been through, she, too, could crack. I couldn’t believe where this story ended–what a cliffhanger! Be prepared to start book 4 immediately after.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of Wish List by Helen Harper

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Synopsis:
You don’t have to be mad to work at the Office of Faery Godmothers. But you do have to be magic.

Saffron Sawyer is a faery on a mission. She may no longer have the same rose-tinted spectacles about her job as she once did, but she’s still determined to be the best faery godmother that there is. And when she’s given the role as leader of a taskforce designed to hunt down the elusive trolls, she knows it’s her time to step up and be counted.

Juggling her new responsibilities while dealing with difficult clients isn’t easy, however. Danger lurks around every corner – and Jasper, the handsome and powerful Devil’s Advocate, is continually looming over her shoulder in the office.

Can Saffron prove her worth to the world of magic? Or will she make one mistake too many and find herself in mortal danger?

Review:
“Because the only person I’ve seen with a drive and will to succeed that surpasses my own is you,” he said simply. “What you lack in experience, you gain in determination.” (Page 16)

This book showed that Saffron really is willing to go above and beyond to do anything and everything for her clients, which perhaps a cat shaped tattoo should have alerted us to earlier. While Saffron is stuck trying to figure out exactly what Jasper and she want, she’s also stuck trying to take care of a very cantankerous client who refuses to open up, and lead people on a task force that rather refuse to listen to her. Every time Saffron does something serious, she finds herself thinking it’s the end for her faery godmother career. It is so refreshing to see a character who cares that much about everyone–even those that definitely aren’t as welcoming and kind to her(here’s looking at you, Pumpkin).

I couldn’t wait and immediately downloaded (and am currently reading) the next book. I highly recommend this book if you read the first, but by now you know I’m an avid Helen Harper fan, and recommend her for your Modern/Urban Fantasy reads.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of Wishful Thinking by Helen Harper

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Synopsis:
Muddled magic. Missing faeries. She’s having one spell of a day at work…

Saffron Sawyer has ambition by the bucketload and magic at her fingertips. When she lands a position at the esteemed Office of Faery Godmothers, she thinks all her dreams have come true.

But it’s not all glitter and glass slippers, especially with emerald eyed Jasper, the Devil’s Advocate, who is looming over everything. And when Saffron learns that other faery godmothers have been going missing, she realises that she might just be in over her head.

Wishful Thinking is the first book in the refreshingly original How To Be The Best Damn Faery Godmother in the World (or Die Trying) urban fantasy series. If you love determined heroines, enchanting spins on old tales, and clever twists and turns, then you’ll love Helen Harper’s captivating story.

Review:
“No matter what else was going on, I was still going to be the most awesome faery godmother the world had ever seen.” (Page 58)

I absolutely love Saffron Sawyer. She is what so many people wish they could be–someone with a plan, who tries to always stay positive while doing the right thing and keeping to her own morals. The tension between Jasper and Saffron is unbelievable, and while he can be quite frustrating at times, I cannot help but hope that in the end, they manage to realize how perfect they are for each other. Though Saffron doesn’t come from the uppity high end faery world, I really appreciated how much of her background as a dope faery makes her more knowledgeable and understanding of people’s wants, desires, ulterior motives, and how to look at getting them what they really want. She is in a world where she doesn’t look the part, but she has the right stuff, and it was so wonderful seeing her give her dream her all and truly shining while doing so. I absolutely loved this book, and immediately started on book 2.

If you like plucky heroines that aren’t perfect, who sometimes screw up and yet own it and try to still get the upper hand, along with magical hijinks and a slow burn romance, I’d highly recommend this book/series and Helen Harper’s novels in general.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯