Title: Dirty magic
Author: Jaye Wells
Series: Prospero’s war #1
Genres: MAgic, Urban fantasy, Mystery
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The last thing patrol cop Kate Prospero expected to find on her nightly rounds was a werewolf covered in the blood of his latest victim. But then, she also didn’t expect that shooting him would land her in the crosshairs of a Magic Enforcement Agency task force, who wants to know why she killed their lead snitch.
The more Prospero learns about the dangerous new potion the MEA is investigating, the more she’s convinced that earning a spot on their task force is the career break she’s been wanting. But getting the assignment proves much easier than solving the case. Especially once the investigation reveals their lead suspect is the man she walked away from ten years earlier—on the same day she swore she’d never use dirty magic again.
Kate Prospero’s about to learn the hard way that crossing a wizard will always get you burned, and that when it comes to magic, you should be never say never.
This was my first read from the author so I didn’t know what to expect writing style wise. I have her Sabina Kane series too, but some way I didn’t started that one yet. This book introduces you to a world full of magic even if it’s not really accepted by the general populace. Kate Prospero, the protagonist is a police woman with her own brand of magic. The story is told from her point of view.
The plot starts on a scary note because at the very beginning Kate is already in a dangerous and possibly life threatening situation. She survives but her actions start a domino effect and she falls from one bad situation to another without break. But with this the story became a magical mystery spiced with a lot of jaw-dropping secrets and revelations.
Kate is a persistent and magically talented, but this talent of hers is also the source of most of her problems. She is determined to use as little of her magic as possible and to stay as far as possible form people she trusted in the past. They are bad news. The only obstacle is that if she wants to advance in her current line of profession she is going to need to use her past experiences and knowledge. What I loved about her the most is that she is a born survivor, she finds a clever way out from the worst situations. One thing she is not capable is to make her little brother understand the dangers of their magic.
She also has a great supporting team they are all interesting and multilayered. I enjoyed getting to know them.
While I loved reading about how the structure of this world works and found a lot of original ideas in the story I still has mixed feeling after finishing. I loved the world building and the characters; the storyline goes on multiple different directions I still feel like something is missing. First of all I didn’t like the dynamic and the timeline of the story; I expected more action and less dragging. The writing style is not the easiest to read and then there is the possible love-triangle. No, just no.
I think the balance of the storyline is off and it’s a bit predictable. It’s not the most exciting book I ever read but it’s strong enough in other aspects to keep my attention.
My Favorite Quotes From It
“Why did everyone send casseroles in times of crisis? Why didn’t anyone ever send brownies and Jack Daniel’s?”
Fantasy Raiders 