N.M. Catalano

3.75 stars

I went into this book expecting something else. I feel like an anomaly here because I was told how amazing this book was. However, I struggled to connect with the characters and story. There were parts that I really liked and others that were just meh. This is hard for me to admit as this author does have a fantastic cadence and tone to her writing style. I just never really connected with the motivations behind the characters and their actions.

Even though this book wasn't for me, I will still look for more from this author in the future.… (plus d'informations)

4.4 stars
I love all things, New Orleans. Add in voodoo and this book became one of my most anticipated books. The suspense of this book, the crime scenes, and one of the best dirty talking men and I was all in from the first pages. I loved the feel of this book and the history of NOLA being incorporated. The author did a phenomenal job of creating the feel of the city and building on the mystique and magic of it.

The crimes itself were brutal, and they need to be in order to give this book the edge that it needed to make it special. The entire premise and ritualistic killings and what they symbolized was a stroke of genius and how they tied to distinctly different religions together. I liked how both Dominique and Ignatius had a background that tied to the story more than just a fireman and an FBI specialist. The steamy times between these two were FIRE. I loved Hattie, although I feel like this was a little let down too considering I felt like it was a loose end since both Dominque and Ignatius had gone to her for help as they were looking for answers.

And then the pinnacle of the story felt anticlimactic. I was so enraptured with this story that I felt let down at who the killer turned out to be and how it was resolved. The mystery of the killer was surprising but after being so heavily invested in this story it just fizzled when everything happened. That is the reason this didn't get five stars. The epilogue was nice but I still felt a little bummed. Still a fantastic book and made this author go on my watch list.… (plus d'informations)