I really liked this book. ( )

Kudos for a good imagination. However, poor execution, wooden dialogue & stilted writing made it a bit of a slog. It does not flow.
Two 1st person POVs. This book reminds me how much 1st person POVs suck when not in the hands of a capable author.
Even so, I finished the book. I would encourage this author to take some writing courses which could aid her in significantly improved her writing skills.
I would chalk this book up to experience and earning one's chops. It's a good starter attempt but not a good book. Not recommended. ( )

A terrible good book

I like the writing. I like the characters. The plot works (mostly).

But. The world building is atrocious. I mean egregiously bad.

MC is a witch. Magical creatures are common with several varieties appearing. Humans were all slaves until ~300 yrs ago and are not dominant...except cars and cellphones exist and all of the city and town names are the same and there is a President in Washington DC. And somehow humans committed atrocities by hunting various creatures.

The problem is that if you change how the world works, things have to change. Without humans being in charge and driving technology, how do you have televisions? Who invented democracy? Why do you have police departments if everybody—except humans—belongs to a witch clan, shifter pack, or other similar species specific grouping?

The author simply tried to paper over the real world and forgot that when you change the power structures it changes everything. The world ‘created’ in the novel has glaring holes of cognitive dissonance. If magic has such a huge place in the world, then the world and its history will ^NOT^ resemble our own to such a high degree.

Yet, I finished reading the book. The writing is very clean and the characters are compelling. The occasional infodump feels organic to the story, even when hammering cognitive dissonance into place.

It’s like listening to a really good liar you know is lying. You know they’re full of shit, but they tell a great story.

I may even read the next novel. Usually I bail when the dissonance becomes too severe to ignore (for example, Russia had a Theocracy take over in 1910 instead of communists, but Stalin was still running things in the 30s and 40s. I couldn’t keep reading that book).

Somehow, I like the characters but not the world. ( )

At her home, and a bed and breakfast run by a brownie couple, Michelle learns a tip that there is someone experimenting with the magical beings of the world. This could explain why Michelle received the three AM phone call from the sheriff's office and had to capture the strange chihuahua type creatures fling around the mayor's house. Michelle sees banners for a group publicly demanding that the trolls need to be free. Trolls that are known for eating all living things.There are even spelled household items that were sold at a family yard sale around causing troubles among people. All this and the frustrating attraction Michelle feels for a beautiful elf staying at the bed and breakfast has her reflecting on questions in her own life. Elron is also struggling with his own life traumas and feels a draw to the young witch.

I listened to this book and was pleasantly surprised with all the voices! I am impressed with the variety of voices to go with each character here. I'm thinking Jeff, the narrator, used a system to modify his voices for different tones and pitch for each character. And I highly approve! Female and male, all sounding different to differentiate between different people (magical or not). This made it fun to listen to.

Hmm. I'm impressed. Nice, quick beginning that had me smiling but then slowed as we got to see into Michelle's history and surroundings, even Elron's too. But when I started to think it was to much into personal life, the story took off with the cases she's running between...the magic she crafts to help the police with, I was taken away with the story as she tried her hardest to track trolls and work tips for other troubles in the areas around her. There are hints of troubles and promises that could be used in future books. I find that I'm curious to read/listen to those stories.

This world is magic filled and all know of the magic and magical "people" that are present in it. There are so many magical beings here. From fey to elves, witches, vampires, brownies, unicorns, dwarfs, and oh so many more.

Michelle lives at a brownies bed and breakfast. It's interesting all the beings that pass through and stay here as it's close to wooded lands and peaceful area. But with others passing through it's a nice way to meet different beings and being a kind home, get tips of things in the supernatural world.

The chapters are primarily divided between two character's POV's. Michelle and Elron. Most of the story is Michelle's POV with short chapters from Elron's POV. Elron is an 1500 year old elf recently trying to find his way in the world again. Though he's not part of the investigations that Michelle works on. He's more a view of a potential suitor and one that wants to see her safe. Michelle is a clanless witch, which is a hidden secret by her mother and the father she's never meet. They were worried that she would be in great danger from the clans. Or something more? I'm looking forward to learning what they are hiding her from and why. She works in different counties for the police helping on different cases with her knowledge of the magical world and how to help solve problems and mysteries with spells.

I found I really enjoyed this story and look forward to the next stories to come. There are many things that could happen in a magical world this big. And I'm curious as to her father and the deal with the clans. Also that nice young man she had coffee with. I'm thinking that this book has given us the ground work for the world and the stories will take off from here. ( )