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Spellcrackers.com #3
The Bitter Seed of Magic
On the surface, Genny's life seems ripple-free right now. Finn, her sexy boss, has stopped pushing for a decision on their relationship. The seductive vampire Malik al-Khan has vanished back into the shadows. And the witches have declared her no longer a threat. But unless Genny can find a way to break the fertility curse afflicting London's fae, she knows this is just the lull before the magical storm. Then a faeling - a teenage girl - is fished out of the River Thames, dead and bound with magic, and Genny is called into investigate. As she digs through the clues, her search takes a sinister and dangerous turn, exposing age-old secrets that might be better left buried. Then another faeling disappears, and Genny finds herself in a race against time to save the faeling and stop the curse from claiming its next victim - herself!
412 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 17, 2011
14 people are currently reading
978 people want to read
About the author
Suzanne McLeod
14 books375 followersWelcome to my Goodreads page! I write the Spellcrackers.com urban fantasy series about magic, mayhem and murder – liberally spiced with hot guys, kick-ass chicks and super-cool supes! I live on the sunny (sometimes) South Coast of England with my wonderful husband and our two much loved boisterous HellHounds!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews
June 26, 2017
***2017 Summer Lovin’ Reading List ***
On the most obvious level, this is just a very good story, chock full of magic, mystery, and action. Faelings are being killed and Genny is trying to figure out the motive and the perpetrator. In the meantime, she must also be aware of the curse put on London’s Fae community, preventing them from reproducing and putting them at risk of “fading.” Prophecy seems to indicate that Genny is the key and all of the Fae communities are lobbying to provide her with a baby-daddy in order to break the spell.
When I read the book with the curse very much in front of mind, I couldn’t help but think of all the women in the world who are forced to bear children, whether they want them or not. The whole issue of who owns women’s bodies—the women themselves or their families or husbands? Does the community get a say?
For me, this was the best book so far in this series, and I look forward to the next!
On the most obvious level, this is just a very good story, chock full of magic, mystery, and action. Faelings are being killed and Genny is trying to figure out the motive and the perpetrator. In the meantime, she must also be aware of the curse put on London’s Fae community, preventing them from reproducing and putting them at risk of “fading.” Prophecy seems to indicate that Genny is the key and all of the Fae communities are lobbying to provide her with a baby-daddy in order to break the spell.
When I read the book with the curse very much in front of mind, I couldn’t help but think of all the women in the world who are forced to bear children, whether they want them or not. The whole issue of who owns women’s bodies—the women themselves or their families or husbands? Does the community get a say?
For me, this was the best book so far in this series, and I look forward to the next!
February 16, 2011
Really, I'm afraid I'm not going to do the book justice. I never really analyze books, characterization and plot points, etc. Frankly, I wouldn't know the first thing about this type of reviewing. I do know whether I like a book or not though. Mainly I focus on whether I enjoyed reading the book, if the dialogue was good, great or lame and how the story flows....
for me, this means The Bitter Seed of Magic scored high on all three points. The dialogue was great, the enjoyment factor was high and the book flowed from beginning to end, from the first page to the last.
Genny Taylor has come to enjoy a sort of peaceful existence after the events of the last two books - She's not under any immediate threats, the vampires are leaving her alone, the witches are tolerating her, and the fae are holding back on pushing their courting of her. But this is just the eye of the storm, because really, everything has just been on hold. Being called in to look at a body, checking for spells seems to be the catalyst for a series of events that shatter Genny's world and even changes what she thought she knew about herself.
Previously, Genny had found out that the fae were under a curse - no fae would be fertile and they all expected Genny to be able to crack the curse. Many of the fae expect her to be able to break the curse by bearing children with them, or doing the nasty with them. Of course Genny doesn't want to be forced to bear any children with just anyone (or anyfae). But at the beginning, things are calm, until the body is discovered. Turns out this isn't the first body, and they've all been faelings.
Genny is now being pressured in a huge way to find out what's going on, at the same time the same people seem to be going against her finding out, the fertility curse becomes important again to all, and things begin to spiral out of control.
There were many twists in this book. It was great. Just when I thought I knew what was happening, nope - that wasn't it. It's fun being taken by surprise with who's behind the deeds and who's plotting against whom.
I also love the way the different characters speak to each other. Ms McLeod is able to have (for instance) Genny and Malik have a conversation with Genny's more modern speech and Malik's more formal speech with out it feeling forced and awkward. Seems like this should be an obvious skill for writers, but it doesn't always work out for some.... Speaking of characters; I love a good mixup of character types. And the Spellcrackers.com series has lots of fun characters....dryads, brownies, goblins (might be some of my favorites, with their love of the shiny bling), witches, ghosts, vampires, satyrs, and more. I also love the way they are described under their glamour - or their human guises. The attention to detail without being overwhelming, the many varied appearances - I am consistantly amazed at the creativity of writers like Suzanne McLeod. sometimes you get to read a story that calls itself paranormal and yet has very little interactions with different species. Suzanne's novels are all about all the different appearances and species, and behaviours.
Even though one of the main points of the plot was fertility, or the fertility curse- with all the accompanying feelings and desires that go with fertility - I didn't feel like I was getting ambushed with the "hawt and heavy" - y'know, the heaving breasts, and turgid...well y'know. There were some steamy situations and some hot-blooded wants, but it never felt like that was the complete purpose of the book. The parts were there, the situations were happening - but it wasn't obsessively so; there wasn't a time when I felt like rolling my eyes and saying "oh please". Believe me, with some books that's all I felt like doing. I usually don't finish reading them. There was a good blend and balance of story, subplots and all those....y'know - feelings. :)
Fun characters, good plots, fun dialogue, some steam and lots of humor to go along with the suspense and mystery. What else could I ask for in a novel? Wonderful! If you've already read the first two in the Spellcrackers.com series, you're going to enjoy this third book. If you haven't read any of them yet, What are you waiting for?
for me, this means The Bitter Seed of Magic scored high on all three points. The dialogue was great, the enjoyment factor was high and the book flowed from beginning to end, from the first page to the last.
Genny Taylor has come to enjoy a sort of peaceful existence after the events of the last two books - She's not under any immediate threats, the vampires are leaving her alone, the witches are tolerating her, and the fae are holding back on pushing their courting of her. But this is just the eye of the storm, because really, everything has just been on hold. Being called in to look at a body, checking for spells seems to be the catalyst for a series of events that shatter Genny's world and even changes what she thought she knew about herself.
Previously, Genny had found out that the fae were under a curse - no fae would be fertile and they all expected Genny to be able to crack the curse. Many of the fae expect her to be able to break the curse by bearing children with them, or doing the nasty with them. Of course Genny doesn't want to be forced to bear any children with just anyone (or anyfae). But at the beginning, things are calm, until the body is discovered. Turns out this isn't the first body, and they've all been faelings.
Genny is now being pressured in a huge way to find out what's going on, at the same time the same people seem to be going against her finding out, the fertility curse becomes important again to all, and things begin to spiral out of control.
There were many twists in this book. It was great. Just when I thought I knew what was happening, nope - that wasn't it. It's fun being taken by surprise with who's behind the deeds and who's plotting against whom.
I also love the way the different characters speak to each other. Ms McLeod is able to have (for instance) Genny and Malik have a conversation with Genny's more modern speech and Malik's more formal speech with out it feeling forced and awkward. Seems like this should be an obvious skill for writers, but it doesn't always work out for some.... Speaking of characters; I love a good mixup of character types. And the Spellcrackers.com series has lots of fun characters....dryads, brownies, goblins (might be some of my favorites, with their love of the shiny bling), witches, ghosts, vampires, satyrs, and more. I also love the way they are described under their glamour - or their human guises. The attention to detail without being overwhelming, the many varied appearances - I am consistantly amazed at the creativity of writers like Suzanne McLeod. sometimes you get to read a story that calls itself paranormal and yet has very little interactions with different species. Suzanne's novels are all about all the different appearances and species, and behaviours.
Even though one of the main points of the plot was fertility, or the fertility curse- with all the accompanying feelings and desires that go with fertility - I didn't feel like I was getting ambushed with the "hawt and heavy" - y'know, the heaving breasts, and turgid...well y'know. There were some steamy situations and some hot-blooded wants, but it never felt like that was the complete purpose of the book. The parts were there, the situations were happening - but it wasn't obsessively so; there wasn't a time when I felt like rolling my eyes and saying "oh please". Believe me, with some books that's all I felt like doing. I usually don't finish reading them. There was a good blend and balance of story, subplots and all those....y'know - feelings. :)
Fun characters, good plots, fun dialogue, some steam and lots of humor to go along with the suspense and mystery. What else could I ask for in a novel? Wonderful! If you've already read the first two in the Spellcrackers.com series, you're going to enjoy this third book. If you haven't read any of them yet, What are you waiting for?
February 5, 2011
(This was originally posted on Book Lovers Inc)
Warning: This is a spoiler-free review for this book. But I make some references to the previous books which can be a little bit spoilery.
The Bitter Seed of Magic is the 3rd book in the Spellcracker.com series, and it's now my favorite! I couldn't wait to start reading it when I finished the previous book. The story takes place a few months after the end of The Cold Kiss of Death. Genny's life is still very complicated. To sum it up, there is a fertility curse affecting London's Fae. Genny has to be the one breaking it or the magic will die. Also there's a killer murdering Faelings all over London. Genny think those murders are linked to the curse and starts investigating.
The obvious way for Genny to break the curse would be to get pregnant. Ah! but having a baby is not in Genny's plans. Everything gets complicated when she realized that all the Fae in London are waiting in lines to seduce her to be the potential 'daddy' lol. She has to find a way to break the Curse without getting killed in the process. And when the gods decides to enter the game, it all becomes even more deadly.
This book was fantastic. It's even better than the 2nd book. The story has so many twists and turns, it was a 'OMG'-fest in my house. (Suzanne you're still EVIL!) I just didn't see any of these events coming. Suzanne McLeod created a very fascinating and complex world. I didn't want the book to end.
We learn a lot about all our favorite characters. Of course we get to see more of Malik the smexy vampire, Finn the SexGod satyr, and Tavish the wylde fae. Tavish isn't easy to understand, there's a lot to him we don't know yet. This is not an easy book to review because saying more would spoil the story. I love how the author included different myths in her story.
I think one of the most important thing is that Genny is a great character. She is intelligent and has a big heart. She is courageous and very lovable. She's not one of those Too Stupid To Live (TSTL) heroines, she can't even be qualified as a 'kick-ass' heroine. No, Genny shines for a very different reason. I love this character and I want her to get a HEA. She deserves happiness.
Now, here is proof of the author's writing skill. I had a 'favorite' character I wanted Genny to get involved with. While reading the book, I kept changing my mind. I ended up not knowing anymore which one I wanted her to end up with. (because let's be honest I WANT her to end up with one of them *wink*). Suzanne found a way to make them all appealing in one way or another. I can't believe I'll have to wait a year to know what's coming up next. I feel like Genny with 3V (the virus she has), this series is a drug.
Fanta-bulous, that's how i'd summarize this book. The Bitter Seed of Magic is an action-packed adventure filled with twists and turns. Vampires, Fae, Witches and so much more...this books has them all. It keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to end and you can never guess what's going to happen next (or I don't have much imagination lol). I salute Suzanne's fertile imagination and I can only say this: Give this series a try! It's well worth your time, you won't regret it.
5 stars!
Warning: This is a spoiler-free review for this book. But I make some references to the previous books which can be a little bit spoilery.
The Bitter Seed of Magic is the 3rd book in the Spellcracker.com series, and it's now my favorite! I couldn't wait to start reading it when I finished the previous book. The story takes place a few months after the end of The Cold Kiss of Death. Genny's life is still very complicated. To sum it up, there is a fertility curse affecting London's Fae. Genny has to be the one breaking it or the magic will die. Also there's a killer murdering Faelings all over London. Genny think those murders are linked to the curse and starts investigating.
The obvious way for Genny to break the curse would be to get pregnant. Ah! but having a baby is not in Genny's plans. Everything gets complicated when she realized that all the Fae in London are waiting in lines to seduce her to be the potential 'daddy' lol. She has to find a way to break the Curse without getting killed in the process. And when the gods decides to enter the game, it all becomes even more deadly.
This book was fantastic. It's even better than the 2nd book. The story has so many twists and turns, it was a 'OMG'-fest in my house. (Suzanne you're still EVIL!) I just didn't see any of these events coming. Suzanne McLeod created a very fascinating and complex world. I didn't want the book to end.
We learn a lot about all our favorite characters. Of course we get to see more of Malik the smexy vampire, Finn the SexGod satyr, and Tavish the wylde fae. Tavish isn't easy to understand, there's a lot to him we don't know yet. This is not an easy book to review because saying more would spoil the story. I love how the author included different myths in her story.
I think one of the most important thing is that Genny is a great character. She is intelligent and has a big heart. She is courageous and very lovable. She's not one of those Too Stupid To Live (TSTL) heroines, she can't even be qualified as a 'kick-ass' heroine. No, Genny shines for a very different reason. I love this character and I want her to get a HEA. She deserves happiness.
Now, here is proof of the author's writing skill. I had a 'favorite' character I wanted Genny to get involved with. While reading the book, I kept changing my mind. I ended up not knowing anymore which one I wanted her to end up with. (because let's be honest I WANT her to end up with one of them *wink*). Suzanne found a way to make them all appealing in one way or another. I can't believe I'll have to wait a year to know what's coming up next. I feel like Genny with 3V (the virus she has), this series is a drug.
Fanta-bulous, that's how i'd summarize this book. The Bitter Seed of Magic is an action-packed adventure filled with twists and turns. Vampires, Fae, Witches and so much more...this books has them all. It keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to end and you can never guess what's going to happen next (or I don't have much imagination lol). I salute Suzanne's fertile imagination and I can only say this: Give this series a try! It's well worth your time, you won't regret it.
5 stars!
January 19, 2012
Up until this point, reading Suzanne McLeod’s Spellcrackers series has often been an exercise in frustration. The novels were frequently confusing, but were well-written enough that I couldn’t dismiss them and always felt there was huge potential for the series. With book three, The Bitter Seed of Magic, McLeod finally strikes the right balance between clarity and obfuscation.
The Bitter Seed of Magic focuses on the curse laid on the lesser fae of London by the sidhe queen Cliona. The curse is introduced earlier in the series, but McLeod recaps it in the prologue, a refresher for which I was grateful. Among other things, it has blighted the lesser fae’s fertility, which causes problems for Genny Taylor as the various fae races see her — specifically, impregnating her — as the key to saving their people. The other main plot thread, though the two are linked, is a series of murders of female lesser fae. Genny investigates these crimes and learns more about the messy history of Cliona’s family tree and how it relates to the curse.
I was briefly worried that this book would be confusing too, especially since the fae and the vampires often give Genny cryptic information instead of straight answers, but as I mentioned above, this time the balance is right. The Bitter Seed of Magic is mysterious without being confusing. I didn’t always know how the pieces fit together, but I always felt confident that they belonged to the same puzzle. Heck, I feel like the first two books make more sense now too, after finishing this one.
Also especially satisfying is Genny’s character growth. In this installment, she grows a stronger spine against the powerful vampires and fae who seek to manipulate her, striking hard bargains to give her leverage against them. I also love her determination to not let magical forces control her sex life. Her emotional reactions to revelations about her personal history are compelling. And the ending is fantastic, bringing a touch of lightness into the dark world of Spellcrackers and dealing with the fertility issue in a refreshingly non-cliché manner.
I was worried about The Bitter Seed of Magic, but ended up really enjoying it. I look forward to The Shifting Price of Prey, scheduled for US release in June 2012.
The Bitter Seed of Magic focuses on the curse laid on the lesser fae of London by the sidhe queen Cliona. The curse is introduced earlier in the series, but McLeod recaps it in the prologue, a refresher for which I was grateful. Among other things, it has blighted the lesser fae’s fertility, which causes problems for Genny Taylor as the various fae races see her — specifically, impregnating her — as the key to saving their people. The other main plot thread, though the two are linked, is a series of murders of female lesser fae. Genny investigates these crimes and learns more about the messy history of Cliona’s family tree and how it relates to the curse.
I was briefly worried that this book would be confusing too, especially since the fae and the vampires often give Genny cryptic information instead of straight answers, but as I mentioned above, this time the balance is right. The Bitter Seed of Magic is mysterious without being confusing. I didn’t always know how the pieces fit together, but I always felt confident that they belonged to the same puzzle. Heck, I feel like the first two books make more sense now too, after finishing this one.
Also especially satisfying is Genny’s character growth. In this installment, she grows a stronger spine against the powerful vampires and fae who seek to manipulate her, striking hard bargains to give her leverage against them. I also love her determination to not let magical forces control her sex life. Her emotional reactions to revelations about her personal history are compelling. And the ending is fantastic, bringing a touch of lightness into the dark world of Spellcrackers and dealing with the fertility issue in a refreshingly non-cliché manner.
I was worried about The Bitter Seed of Magic, but ended up really enjoying it. I look forward to The Shifting Price of Prey, scheduled for US release in June 2012.
July 22, 2012
I wasn't too sure where the series was headed with the fertility issue in book 2. I admit I did think that that this one wasn't going to be as good as the previous books. But boy was I wrong! It was amazing, and the shocks kept coming, I had no idea what was going to happen next. I practically had to force myself to put the book down and pull my head out of Genny's world. I gave up fighting it in the end and finished the rest, lol. Now I'm sitting down, biting my fingernails, thinking how I'm going to survive until the next instalment in 2012. At least we got a happy ending and yay! no cliffhangers. Which'll make the next year or so bearable!! If you haven't read this series, you should. I promise you won't regret it.
June 29, 2011
Life is never easy when the fate of London fae society rests in your womb . . . it has been months since sidhe Genny learnt that her ability to conceive would unlock an ages-old infertility curse. Since then she’s had dryads and kelpies on her dance card and some less-than-subtle advances on her person.
Genny is busy looking for an alternative curse-breaker that doesn’t involve a bun in her oven. Meanwhile, a dead girl turns up in the river Thames and Genny is dragged into a police investigation that sees her butting heads with DI Helen Crane (again). Matters are made more awkward when Helen’s ex-husband, Genny’s current boss and almost-kinda-boyfriend, Finn, wants to solidify their courtship.
Not to mention the mysterious and enigmatic head-honcho vampire, Malik Al Khan, and all the delicious problems he entails . . .
‘The Bitter Seed of Magic’ is the third book in Suzanne McLeod’s brilliant urban fantasy series, ‘Spellcrackers.com’.
I was beginning to run out of reader-steam after second book ‘The Cold Kiss of Death’. I was mostly disgruntled with the lack of romantic-development in Genny’s life, despite the central plot of her baby-making curse-breaker indicating that love interests should factor in heavily . . . so it was with slight trepidation that I went into ‘Bitter Seed’, but I came away a reborn-devotee of McLeod’s fascinating series.
In this book, Genny really can’t hide from her destined curse-breaking baby-making any more. London fae are getting impatient, orderly courtship cues are being formed and Genny is rudely forced into acknowledging her fertile-role in the whole thing. Whereas in previous books the baby-making curse has wrecked Genny, forcing her to question Finn’s attraction to her and run for her life from fae-rapists, in ‘Bitter Seed’ she isn’t so much reacting as she is acting. She is actually taking matters into her own hands and getting to the bottom of her fate. Yes! This is what I wanted from our girl Genny! She is somewhat pushed into action by a trip to ‘Disney Heaven’ and a psychotic fae-child, but still – it’s nice to see our heroine sit up and take control of her fate.
She crouched next to me and I froze as she fixed me with her pale gold gaze. “She prays for my help.” Shadows shifted in her eyes and she touched her finger to my breastbone. “Her prayers disturb my thoughts. Put ashes in my mouth. Pierce my flesh.” Her voice took on a deeper timbre. “You will stop this. You will answer her pleas. You will break this curse. You will give them a new life.”
This book also marks a new transition in Genny’s love life. Finn is getting antsy and clearly wants to start something with Genny . . . but she is still struggling with her attraction to the devilishly delicious vampire, Malik Al Khan. I loved the development of Genny’s romances in this book – especially with Malik. We learn a bit more about him and what he has done to keep Genny safe, and I've got to say – he’s now a real contender for Genny’s affections. Finn is still a question-mark for me, only because he has so much to gain from getting Genny pregnant . . . but McLeod also drops a few bombshells where he’s concerned, and I was thankful that so much of the book was spent developing his character in relation to Genny.
I also loved ‘Bitter Seed’ for concentrating more on Genny’s adversary, DI Helen Crane. She’s such a fantastic witch-bitch; both for being Finn’s (somewhat) jealous ex, but as McLeod demonstrates in this third book, Helen has many reasons to make Genny her ‘whipping girl’. I loved the femme-fatale tension between Helen and Genny, and I hope we haven’t seen the last of Scotland Yard’s finest.
One thing I always love about ‘Spellcrackers.com’ is McLeod’s London setting. She does often go for the obvious scene-setter – like using the River Thames as the final resting place of a dead girl. But she paints the London picture so well that I absolutely fall into the scene. I love the city, and McLeod’s descriptions leave me yearning to revisit London town (even if her vision is scarily noir at times);
The wind-rippled waters of the Thames reflected the blazing clouds, giving the river a metallic sheen, and in the distance the Ferris-wheel silhouette of the London Eye was a dark, nobbly circle against the bright sky. Nearer was the Tower of London, its two outer stone walls guarding the massive castle compound with the mediaeval White Tower dominating the centre. Dusk seemed to swathe the Tower’s regimented battlements and the lead-capped turrets in ever-shifting shadows. As I looked the shadows coalesced into a huge amorphous shape that rose high into the heavens, the sound of wings buffeted my ears, and the bridge beneath me turned insubstantial and swayed.
I wasn’t overly thrilled with past ‘Spellcrackers.com’ instalment . . . but ‘Bitter Seed of Magic’ is a real crescendo in the series. There’s curses to be broken, babies to make, Jack Sparrow-impersonators and a love triangle that gets heated up a notch. I can’t wait for the 2012 release of ‘Shifting Price of Prey’!
Genny is busy looking for an alternative curse-breaker that doesn’t involve a bun in her oven. Meanwhile, a dead girl turns up in the river Thames and Genny is dragged into a police investigation that sees her butting heads with DI Helen Crane (again). Matters are made more awkward when Helen’s ex-husband, Genny’s current boss and almost-kinda-boyfriend, Finn, wants to solidify their courtship.
Not to mention the mysterious and enigmatic head-honcho vampire, Malik Al Khan, and all the delicious problems he entails . . .
‘The Bitter Seed of Magic’ is the third book in Suzanne McLeod’s brilliant urban fantasy series, ‘Spellcrackers.com’.
I was beginning to run out of reader-steam after second book ‘The Cold Kiss of Death’. I was mostly disgruntled with the lack of romantic-development in Genny’s life, despite the central plot of her baby-making curse-breaker indicating that love interests should factor in heavily . . . so it was with slight trepidation that I went into ‘Bitter Seed’, but I came away a reborn-devotee of McLeod’s fascinating series.
In this book, Genny really can’t hide from her destined curse-breaking baby-making any more. London fae are getting impatient, orderly courtship cues are being formed and Genny is rudely forced into acknowledging her fertile-role in the whole thing. Whereas in previous books the baby-making curse has wrecked Genny, forcing her to question Finn’s attraction to her and run for her life from fae-rapists, in ‘Bitter Seed’ she isn’t so much reacting as she is acting. She is actually taking matters into her own hands and getting to the bottom of her fate. Yes! This is what I wanted from our girl Genny! She is somewhat pushed into action by a trip to ‘Disney Heaven’ and a psychotic fae-child, but still – it’s nice to see our heroine sit up and take control of her fate.
She crouched next to me and I froze as she fixed me with her pale gold gaze. “She prays for my help.” Shadows shifted in her eyes and she touched her finger to my breastbone. “Her prayers disturb my thoughts. Put ashes in my mouth. Pierce my flesh.” Her voice took on a deeper timbre. “You will stop this. You will answer her pleas. You will break this curse. You will give them a new life.”
This book also marks a new transition in Genny’s love life. Finn is getting antsy and clearly wants to start something with Genny . . . but she is still struggling with her attraction to the devilishly delicious vampire, Malik Al Khan. I loved the development of Genny’s romances in this book – especially with Malik. We learn a bit more about him and what he has done to keep Genny safe, and I've got to say – he’s now a real contender for Genny’s affections. Finn is still a question-mark for me, only because he has so much to gain from getting Genny pregnant . . . but McLeod also drops a few bombshells where he’s concerned, and I was thankful that so much of the book was spent developing his character in relation to Genny.
I also loved ‘Bitter Seed’ for concentrating more on Genny’s adversary, DI Helen Crane. She’s such a fantastic witch-bitch; both for being Finn’s (somewhat) jealous ex, but as McLeod demonstrates in this third book, Helen has many reasons to make Genny her ‘whipping girl’. I loved the femme-fatale tension between Helen and Genny, and I hope we haven’t seen the last of Scotland Yard’s finest.
One thing I always love about ‘Spellcrackers.com’ is McLeod’s London setting. She does often go for the obvious scene-setter – like using the River Thames as the final resting place of a dead girl. But she paints the London picture so well that I absolutely fall into the scene. I love the city, and McLeod’s descriptions leave me yearning to revisit London town (even if her vision is scarily noir at times);
The wind-rippled waters of the Thames reflected the blazing clouds, giving the river a metallic sheen, and in the distance the Ferris-wheel silhouette of the London Eye was a dark, nobbly circle against the bright sky. Nearer was the Tower of London, its two outer stone walls guarding the massive castle compound with the mediaeval White Tower dominating the centre. Dusk seemed to swathe the Tower’s regimented battlements and the lead-capped turrets in ever-shifting shadows. As I looked the shadows coalesced into a huge amorphous shape that rose high into the heavens, the sound of wings buffeted my ears, and the bridge beneath me turned insubstantial and swayed.
I wasn’t overly thrilled with past ‘Spellcrackers.com’ instalment . . . but ‘Bitter Seed of Magic’ is a real crescendo in the series. There’s curses to be broken, babies to make, Jack Sparrow-impersonators and a love triangle that gets heated up a notch. I can’t wait for the 2012 release of ‘Shifting Price of Prey’!
October 13, 2018
Enjoyable and would recommend reading the others before this one. I really liked Genny because she's a strong protagonist.
February 22, 2011
On the surface, Genny's life seems ripple-free right now. Finn, her sexy boss, has stopped pushing for a decision on their relationship. The seductive vampire Malik al-Khan has vanished back into the shadows. And the witches have declared her no longer a threat. But unless Genny can find a way to break the fertility curse afflicting London's fae, she knows this is just the lull before the magical storm. Then a faeling - a teenage girl - is fished out of the River Thames, dead and bound with magic, and Genny is called into investigate. As she digs through the clues, her search takes a sinister and dangerous turn, exposing age-old secrets that might be better left buried. Then another faeling disappears, and Genny finds herself in a race against time to save the faeling and stop the curse from claiming its next victim - herself! From Amazon UK
Being a fan of so many authors and series, I do sometimes find it difficult to keep track of release dates, much to my annoyance. Don't ask me why, but for some reason, I don't think of pre-ordering. Thankfully, we have the wonderful social networking site Facebook, where Suzanne McLeod announced that her new novel would soon be released. And not long after that, it arrived on my doorstep.
What can I possibly say about The Bitter Seed of Magic that I haven't already said about The Sweet Scent of Blood and The Cold Kiss of Death? I'm not sure there is anything, because all of the books in the Spellcrackers.com series are just so good. They are amazing!
There is the usual amount of action you come to expect from a Spellcrackers novel, always exciting, always with you sitting on the edge of your seat. With Genny going from one problem to another, it's so difficult to put the book down! Even though I'm only reading, I find reading McLeod's novels, like Karen Chance's, to be exhausting - but in a really good way! So much happens! But this doesn't mean that they are rushed through, and before you know it something else is going on. No, there is more detail in than I've read in any other book - or that I remember reading, at least. I'm not much of a details person, it wouldn't bother me much if an author didn't give a lot of description about a setting, as long as there was a story and characters I could believe in. But with McLeod's books, I love it! Perhaps this is half down to me being from London; even if I don't know the exact places she's talking about, I can picture London very clearly, so I can get the atmosphere almost instantly. But it's more than just the setting; there's sight, touch, sound, taste, smell. We get it all! The detail in the action sequences, or the detail when it comes to the twisting plots, it's all just fantastic!
Overall, I'd say The Bitter Seed of Magic is a more emotional novel than the other two. In the previous books there are moments of emotion, but in this book, it's throughout - for Genny and for the reader. With the deaths of the faelings, and the effects of a spell put on Genny by a goddess, there are lots of moments where I felt myself mentally going "oh!" at how sad things were. There weren't any tears, but I was definitely touched by some of the things we see. That's not to say this novel is despressive, there are the light, funny moments too - got to love Sylvia the Dryad.
The only found two problems. The first was, although I remember loving it, I struggled to remember what happened in the last book, so sometimes people or event s were mentioned and I was left a little confused for a while until I vaguely remembered what was being referred to. This is my fault, the events were quickly surmised in this book, but it had been quite a while since I read The Cold Kiss of Death, so I should have done a re-read. Also, there was a bit of a problem with the timeline, I think. There is a point in the book when Genny spends quite a number of hours someplace, but we don't see her there for most of that time. Then later in the book, the characters would be discussing an event which happened "yesterday", when I thought yesterday included those hours we didn't see, so it would have been the day before. I got a little confused. It's not a big deal, really, it doesn't confuse the plots or cause any problems for the story, I just think I'm a little anal when it comes to knowing when something happened.
I absolutely loved this book, and seriously cannot wait for The Shifting Price of Prey, which is due out next year. I can't recommend this book, or this series, enough! McLeod is still up there with my favourites!
From Ink and Paper - fantasy book blog.
Being a fan of so many authors and series, I do sometimes find it difficult to keep track of release dates, much to my annoyance. Don't ask me why, but for some reason, I don't think of pre-ordering. Thankfully, we have the wonderful social networking site Facebook, where Suzanne McLeod announced that her new novel would soon be released. And not long after that, it arrived on my doorstep.
What can I possibly say about The Bitter Seed of Magic that I haven't already said about The Sweet Scent of Blood and The Cold Kiss of Death? I'm not sure there is anything, because all of the books in the Spellcrackers.com series are just so good. They are amazing!
There is the usual amount of action you come to expect from a Spellcrackers novel, always exciting, always with you sitting on the edge of your seat. With Genny going from one problem to another, it's so difficult to put the book down! Even though I'm only reading, I find reading McLeod's novels, like Karen Chance's, to be exhausting - but in a really good way! So much happens! But this doesn't mean that they are rushed through, and before you know it something else is going on. No, there is more detail in than I've read in any other book - or that I remember reading, at least. I'm not much of a details person, it wouldn't bother me much if an author didn't give a lot of description about a setting, as long as there was a story and characters I could believe in. But with McLeod's books, I love it! Perhaps this is half down to me being from London; even if I don't know the exact places she's talking about, I can picture London very clearly, so I can get the atmosphere almost instantly. But it's more than just the setting; there's sight, touch, sound, taste, smell. We get it all! The detail in the action sequences, or the detail when it comes to the twisting plots, it's all just fantastic!
Overall, I'd say The Bitter Seed of Magic is a more emotional novel than the other two. In the previous books there are moments of emotion, but in this book, it's throughout - for Genny and for the reader. With the deaths of the faelings, and the effects of a spell put on Genny by a goddess, there are lots of moments where I felt myself mentally going "oh!" at how sad things were. There weren't any tears, but I was definitely touched by some of the things we see. That's not to say this novel is despressive, there are the light, funny moments too - got to love Sylvia the Dryad.
The only found two problems. The first was, although I remember loving it, I struggled to remember what happened in the last book, so sometimes people or event s were mentioned and I was left a little confused for a while until I vaguely remembered what was being referred to. This is my fault, the events were quickly surmised in this book, but it had been quite a while since I read The Cold Kiss of Death, so I should have done a re-read. Also, there was a bit of a problem with the timeline, I think. There is a point in the book when Genny spends quite a number of hours someplace, but we don't see her there for most of that time. Then later in the book, the characters would be discussing an event which happened "yesterday", when I thought yesterday included those hours we didn't see, so it would have been the day before. I got a little confused. It's not a big deal, really, it doesn't confuse the plots or cause any problems for the story, I just think I'm a little anal when it comes to knowing when something happened.
I absolutely loved this book, and seriously cannot wait for The Shifting Price of Prey, which is due out next year. I can't recommend this book, or this series, enough! McLeod is still up there with my favourites!
From Ink and Paper - fantasy book blog.
March 2, 2011
This is the third book in the Spellcrackers.com urban fantasy series. Our MC is Ginny, a full-blooded sidhe fae who has no magic of her own, but is capable of cracking (breaking) other peoples magic.
There is a major continuation here from events in the previous books, but essentially, a fertility curse has been placed on the fae, and they have been unable to conceive any full-blooded fae children for a while. They are able to have faelings (half fae/half human). Ginny has been viewed as the hope of the fae race, and if she can conceive and carry a child to term, it is believed that the curse will be broken. There are some pretty funny moments of everyone courting Ginny, but she is really not interested in getting pregnant to break the curse.
Also, in this story, the faelings have started dying of mysterious circumstances, and Ginny is trying to help solve the case. Not to give anything away, but the central mystery turns out to be tightly intertwined with the curse and Ginny's hidden family tree.
The major things that I like about this series are that Ginny is not a powerful, kick-butt heroine, although she does have certain talents. And Suzanne McLeod has done some great world-building here, with the different races and their primary characteristics. And there are also some powerful sexy love interests!
There is a major continuation here from events in the previous books, but essentially, a fertility curse has been placed on the fae, and they have been unable to conceive any full-blooded fae children for a while. They are able to have faelings (half fae/half human). Ginny has been viewed as the hope of the fae race, and if she can conceive and carry a child to term, it is believed that the curse will be broken. There are some pretty funny moments of everyone courting Ginny, but she is really not interested in getting pregnant to break the curse.
Also, in this story, the faelings have started dying of mysterious circumstances, and Ginny is trying to help solve the case. Not to give anything away, but the central mystery turns out to be tightly intertwined with the curse and Ginny's hidden family tree.
The major things that I like about this series are that Ginny is not a powerful, kick-butt heroine, although she does have certain talents. And Suzanne McLeod has done some great world-building here, with the different races and their primary characteristics. And there are also some powerful sexy love interests!
April 19, 2012
Book three in the Spellcrackers.com Series and things got a little confusing for me. I found this instalment a lot harder to follow and did not like the prominent fey storyline. It wasn't until the vampires reappeared that things made a little more sense. But on the whole, a bit of a hard slog this one.
I'm still liking the overall storyline and enjoying the interaction between Genny & Malik in particular. Although both Tarvish and Finn are interesting as well. I'm hoping in the next instalment we will see some resolution to the romance quadrangle rather than this to and fro from one to the other. After a while it does become a little old hat.
I am still very enamoured with the vampire concept in this series. They are not your typical romance novel vampires. I love the four fangs, the venom addiction and their base evil, manipulative and deathly characters. These are not warm and fuzzy vampires and it is what saves this series from being another run-of-the-mill PNR.
This book features the fertility curse and involves goddesses, fey, witches and vampires. Interesting, but as already stated, unfortunately difficult in parts to follow. A little too complicated for my liking so this one gets a lower score than the first two as it was simply not as enjoyable.
Still a decent score on the NBRS, 6/10: "Good light-weight read, well done".
I'm still liking the overall storyline and enjoying the interaction between Genny & Malik in particular. Although both Tarvish and Finn are interesting as well. I'm hoping in the next instalment we will see some resolution to the romance quadrangle rather than this to and fro from one to the other. After a while it does become a little old hat.
I am still very enamoured with the vampire concept in this series. They are not your typical romance novel vampires. I love the four fangs, the venom addiction and their base evil, manipulative and deathly characters. These are not warm and fuzzy vampires and it is what saves this series from being another run-of-the-mill PNR.
This book features the fertility curse and involves goddesses, fey, witches and vampires. Interesting, but as already stated, unfortunately difficult in parts to follow. A little too complicated for my liking so this one gets a lower score than the first two as it was simply not as enjoyable.
Still a decent score on the NBRS, 6/10: "Good light-weight read, well done".
March 11, 2011
Just as the other books in the Spellcrackers series were good, The Bitter Seeds of Magic continued that winning streak. There was a huge mystery, well several huge mysteries, and some serious surprises along with a bit of mystery left unanswered. There are a ton of magical beings and I was confused a bit for a while with all the twists and turns. But, by the end I had things figured out. Good read!
March 2, 2011
Absolutely loved this book! Suzanne has grown throughout the series as an author. I am waiting for the next book now....if I could pre-order it now would!
I loved the revelations about Genny's family tree. I had guessed about her Mother but not the rest! I can't wait to see how this will develop! I am also torn between several of the male characters as to whom I would like to see her end up with....but I LOVE that in these books the romance side is not the majority of the plot/story!
I loved the revelations about Genny's family tree. I had guessed about her Mother but not the rest! I can't wait to see how this will develop! I am also torn between several of the male characters as to whom I would like to see her end up with....but I LOVE that in these books the romance side is not the majority of the plot/story!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 4, 2011
I absolutely loved this book! For those of you who have not read this book yet I have only one thing to say. Don't hesitate you will not be disappointed!
January 12, 2011
Wonderful third book in this fab series. Brilliant characters, excellent story line and a pleasure to read - can't wait for the next one!
January 17, 2016
These books are so comlpicated but real fun
March 8, 2011
FABULOUS.... cannot wait for the next installment!!
September 26, 2012
Third in the Spellcrackers.com urban fantasy series revolving around Genny Taylor, a sidhe fae whose pregnancy everyone thinks will break the fertility curse.
My Take
Reading this is like trying to figure out the fae mind. Confusing, bewildering, and leaving you with a headache as you struggle to figure out what's going on. McLeod drops all sorts of information, but rarely includes any hint of a suggestion as to how it may connect. Or, at least, not until the end. I feel like Genny does when Helen derides her for not knowing everything when no one actually tells Genny anything. Too irritating!
Everything is so vague about anyone's powers or what they know. In the past, I've gotten a bit irritated when the author keeps grinding away about what a particular character does or how they react, now I'm beginning to appreciate it. The repetition creates a more intimate connection to that character as I feel that I know them, how they will react, and what their abilities are. With Genny...who the hell knows because we don't really understand her abilities, what she knows and the same about the people/characters around her.
If the dryads already know about Bandana's proclivities, why was he ever even on the list??
Genny makes me nuts with her stupidity. She complains that no one tells her anything, yet she also doesn't want to know. So, what does she expect?? Duh… It's like McLeod has picked up on some formulas for writing, but forgot to consider continuity. Then there's her "ignorance" about blood and how it can affect her relationship with Malik. Where did she ever get the idea that she had a partnership with Malik? McLeod's characters' relationships are so all over the place that it's giving me another headache as I try to sort it out for this review!
As for the big attraction Genny has for Finn and Malik al-Khan, it's a good thing McLeod uses words to tell us how hot she is for them, 'cause I'd never pick it up from the story as McLeod just doesn't build the heat. The characters and the story are always just half there. I like the main plotline, I just wish McLeod could write it so I became engaged in it. She just slides through the story too fast with too much happening.
Most authors wrap up the story's activities. Too bad McLeod isn't one of those. Or maybe even she is daunted by the convoluted, tremendous number of actions occurring within the story that she loses track or there aren't enough pages to explain the results to her readers.
I did like the concept of that charm bracelet---very clever. I also appreciate Genny's reasons for refusing to have a child. Very practical. It's too bad more people don't make these sorts of considerations in real life.
Ohh, the mind sequence when Genny inhabits Darius is amazing. Another complication to add to Genny's life and my brain.
The Story
Faelings all over London are being murdered and somehow it ties into the curse and Genny Taylor with her solicitor and goddesses vying for her attention. And body.
The Morrigan places her own injunction on Genny, Mad Maxim has his complex play to make, and Finn is hiding a bit of family.
Kidnappings and deals, betrayals and mad-scientist research abounds.
The Characters
Genevieve Taylor is half-fae, half-human, and, somehow, vampire due to the 3V with which Malik infected her. The London fae have decided that the curse can be broken if Genny gets pregnant and have been pursuing her relentlessly. Genny's magic is unreliable for the most part. About the only skill that works well is her ability to see magic or crack a spell. To stop or cancel it.
Finn Panos is a satyr, a sex god, and the owner of Spellcrackers.com. Genny's employer. He's also DI Crane's ex-husband and they have a child, Nicola; seems Crane tricked Finn one night. Finn is one of the fae on the "'court' Genny" list—it has some rather stringent requirements before a fae can be posted to it. Tavish is a kelpie and is much more involved in the list than Genny would have suspected. Seems he's in his own spot of trouble with the Morrigan.
Malik al-Khan is the Oligarch, the vampire in charge of all of London. It also puts him back under Bastien's authority. Malik has put a claim on Genny which protects her from the other vampires, but that claim only goes so far as a "tattoo" around her wrist. I suspect he's in love with her and wants her to truly want him before he'll touch her.
Detective Sergeant Hugh Munro is with the Metropolitan Police's Magic and Murder Squad and he's a friend of Genny's. At least one policeman has her back!. WPC Mary Martin is also a witch who believes what the Witches Council and DI Crane have told her. Witch Juliet Martin is WPC Martin's mother and the official doctor on call.
Detective Inspector Helen Crane should be taken out back and shot. She may be a good detective---provided you don't get on her bad side. But, she's too inclined to consider her greater good than that of the people or fae of London's. Besides the daughter she has with Finn, Crain also has a son, Jack the raven, with Maxim, a son whom she gave up to the sidhe.
Darius is the vampire who came to Genny's rescue in Cold Kiss of Death and now Genny is helping him survive being masterless by donating her blood. He's currently working at the Coffin Club and rarely sees the Moth-girls. Fyodor Andreevich Azkharin leads the White Diamond family; Mad Maxim is Fyodor's hateful son and both are Genny's relatives. Able to turn into a dog, Maxim is a bad vampire who owes his allegiance to Bastien. We do learn rather a lot about Genny's family tree in this. Francine is Golden Blade and may be its next head.
Victoria Harrier is the solicitor hired to get Genny out of gaol; turns out she has some unusual control issues. She's also a witch, on the board for the Merlin Foundation (a charity that provides financing for HOPE, but also for genetic reproduction), and has a family at risk. Her son Oliver Craig is a wizard who married a faeling, Annan. So far, they have five children; the daughter is her and Oliver's while the sons are Craig's, her brother-in-law. Yuck. Dr. Craig, Victoria Harrier's son, helps out at HOPE and is on call to help the police.
Sylvia is a dryad and can be either man or woman which allows her to court Genny for impregnation purposes. Ricou is a water fae who won a chance at Genny in a poker game. Seems these two would prefer their own company to Genny's. The Morrigan is a bean nighe and a goddess of prophecy, war, fertility, and death. The Old Donn, the Morrigan's son executed for rape, is now a ghost anxious to get a body back and his freedom; Dr. Craig is using the power of the Old Donn's orange skin to glamour the faelings and Witch Harrier.
Angel, a.k.a., Rhiannon, a.k.a., Nataliya, is the nutjob fae Genny met in Cold Kiss of Death whom Clíona was desperate to get back. She's one of the ladies in Clíona's court and is possessed by a goddess, The Mother.
Clíona is the powerful sidhe queen who had a son whom, she thought, was killed by the vampires. In retaliation, she laid a curse on the lesser fae she blamed for not protecting her son, a droch guidhe which will impact the London faes' fertility. A slow-acting death sentence. Grianne is a phouka and Clíona's bitch---both want Genny dead.
Bandana, a.k.a., Algernon, and his gang are dryads who tried to kidnap and rape Genny. Lady Isabella is the head dryad in London.
Between is the "gap that links the humans' world and the Fair Lands" and it can be molded to suit your desires. Sucker Town belongs to the "B-, C-, and Scary-list London vamps, venom-junkies, blood-groupies", and the fang-gangs. Where the Coffin Club, owned by the White Diamond family, is located.
The Cover
The cover is black and white and shades of gray with just enough red to play off Genny's hair. It's the Tower of London with a couple of its resident ravens waiting for a leather-clad Genny to make a move.
It's a Bitter Seed of Magic all right as Genny finally learns the truth about her own heritage.
vampires, fae, curse, babies, maternity, fertility, Tower of London, England, police, witches, kelpie, goddesses, Morrigan, ravens, mad doctor, Stepford wives, incest,
My Take
Reading this is like trying to figure out the fae mind. Confusing, bewildering, and leaving you with a headache as you struggle to figure out what's going on. McLeod drops all sorts of information, but rarely includes any hint of a suggestion as to how it may connect. Or, at least, not until the end. I feel like Genny does when Helen derides her for not knowing everything when no one actually tells Genny anything. Too irritating!
Everything is so vague about anyone's powers or what they know. In the past, I've gotten a bit irritated when the author keeps grinding away about what a particular character does or how they react, now I'm beginning to appreciate it. The repetition creates a more intimate connection to that character as I feel that I know them, how they will react, and what their abilities are. With Genny...who the hell knows because we don't really understand her abilities, what she knows and the same about the people/characters around her.
If the dryads already know about Bandana's proclivities, why was he ever even on the list??
Genny makes me nuts with her stupidity. She complains that no one tells her anything, yet she also doesn't want to know. So, what does she expect?? Duh… It's like McLeod has picked up on some formulas for writing, but forgot to consider continuity. Then there's her "ignorance" about blood and how it can affect her relationship with Malik. Where did she ever get the idea that she had a partnership with Malik? McLeod's characters' relationships are so all over the place that it's giving me another headache as I try to sort it out for this review!
As for the big attraction Genny has for Finn and Malik al-Khan, it's a good thing McLeod uses words to tell us how hot she is for them, 'cause I'd never pick it up from the story as McLeod just doesn't build the heat. The characters and the story are always just half there. I like the main plotline, I just wish McLeod could write it so I became engaged in it. She just slides through the story too fast with too much happening.
Most authors wrap up the story's activities. Too bad McLeod isn't one of those. Or maybe even she is daunted by the convoluted, tremendous number of actions occurring within the story that she loses track or there aren't enough pages to explain the results to her readers.
I did like the concept of that charm bracelet---very clever. I also appreciate Genny's reasons for refusing to have a child. Very practical. It's too bad more people don't make these sorts of considerations in real life.
Ohh, the mind sequence when Genny inhabits Darius is amazing. Another complication to add to Genny's life and my brain.
The Story
Faelings all over London are being murdered and somehow it ties into the curse and Genny Taylor with her solicitor and goddesses vying for her attention. And body.
The Morrigan places her own injunction on Genny, Mad Maxim has his complex play to make, and Finn is hiding a bit of family.
Kidnappings and deals, betrayals and mad-scientist research abounds.
The Characters
Genevieve Taylor is half-fae, half-human, and, somehow, vampire due to the 3V with which Malik infected her. The London fae have decided that the curse can be broken if Genny gets pregnant and have been pursuing her relentlessly. Genny's magic is unreliable for the most part. About the only skill that works well is her ability to see magic or crack a spell. To stop or cancel it.
Finn Panos is a satyr, a sex god, and the owner of Spellcrackers.com. Genny's employer. He's also DI Crane's ex-husband and they have a child, Nicola; seems Crane tricked Finn one night. Finn is one of the fae on the "'court' Genny" list—it has some rather stringent requirements before a fae can be posted to it. Tavish is a kelpie and is much more involved in the list than Genny would have suspected. Seems he's in his own spot of trouble with the Morrigan.
Malik al-Khan is the Oligarch, the vampire in charge of all of London. It also puts him back under Bastien's authority. Malik has put a claim on Genny which protects her from the other vampires, but that claim only goes so far as a "tattoo" around her wrist. I suspect he's in love with her and wants her to truly want him before he'll touch her.
Detective Sergeant Hugh Munro is with the Metropolitan Police's Magic and Murder Squad and he's a friend of Genny's. At least one policeman has her back!. WPC Mary Martin is also a witch who believes what the Witches Council and DI Crane have told her. Witch Juliet Martin is WPC Martin's mother and the official doctor on call.
Detective Inspector Helen Crane should be taken out back and shot. She may be a good detective---provided you don't get on her bad side. But, she's too inclined to consider her greater good than that of the people or fae of London's. Besides the daughter she has with Finn, Crain also has a son, Jack the raven, with Maxim, a son whom she gave up to the sidhe.
Darius is the vampire who came to Genny's rescue in Cold Kiss of Death and now Genny is helping him survive being masterless by donating her blood. He's currently working at the Coffin Club and rarely sees the Moth-girls. Fyodor Andreevich Azkharin leads the White Diamond family; Mad Maxim is Fyodor's hateful son and both are Genny's relatives. Able to turn into a dog, Maxim is a bad vampire who owes his allegiance to Bastien. We do learn rather a lot about Genny's family tree in this. Francine is Golden Blade and may be its next head.
Victoria Harrier is the solicitor hired to get Genny out of gaol; turns out she has some unusual control issues. She's also a witch, on the board for the Merlin Foundation (a charity that provides financing for HOPE, but also for genetic reproduction), and has a family at risk. Her son Oliver Craig is a wizard who married a faeling, Annan. So far, they have five children; the daughter is her and Oliver's while the sons are Craig's, her brother-in-law. Yuck. Dr. Craig, Victoria Harrier's son, helps out at HOPE and is on call to help the police.
Sylvia is a dryad and can be either man or woman which allows her to court Genny for impregnation purposes. Ricou is a water fae who won a chance at Genny in a poker game. Seems these two would prefer their own company to Genny's. The Morrigan is a bean nighe and a goddess of prophecy, war, fertility, and death. The Old Donn, the Morrigan's son executed for rape, is now a ghost anxious to get a body back and his freedom; Dr. Craig is using the power of the Old Donn's orange skin to glamour the faelings and Witch Harrier.
Angel, a.k.a., Rhiannon, a.k.a., Nataliya, is the nutjob fae Genny met in Cold Kiss of Death whom Clíona was desperate to get back. She's one of the ladies in Clíona's court and is possessed by a goddess, The Mother.
Clíona is the powerful sidhe queen who had a son whom, she thought, was killed by the vampires. In retaliation, she laid a curse on the lesser fae she blamed for not protecting her son, a droch guidhe which will impact the London faes' fertility. A slow-acting death sentence. Grianne is a phouka and Clíona's bitch---both want Genny dead.
Bandana, a.k.a., Algernon, and his gang are dryads who tried to kidnap and rape Genny. Lady Isabella is the head dryad in London.
Between is the "gap that links the humans' world and the Fair Lands" and it can be molded to suit your desires. Sucker Town belongs to the "B-, C-, and Scary-list London vamps, venom-junkies, blood-groupies", and the fang-gangs. Where the Coffin Club, owned by the White Diamond family, is located.
The Cover
The cover is black and white and shades of gray with just enough red to play off Genny's hair. It's the Tower of London with a couple of its resident ravens waiting for a leather-clad Genny to make a move.
It's a Bitter Seed of Magic all right as Genny finally learns the truth about her own heritage.
vampires, fae, curse, babies, maternity, fertility, Tower of London, England, police, witches, kelpie, goddesses, Morrigan, ravens, mad doctor, Stepford wives, incest,
August 31, 2012
Sabina: Both Laurie and I love this series. I even know we would get into a cat-fight over one of the characters, if it got to that. :-) (Don’t even try to deny it, Laurie!!
Laurie: No denial necessary. I've switched my alliance from Eric Northman to Malik Al Khan. Big time.
Sabina: Suzanne McLeod keeps sweeping me off my feet with her writing and it’s ALWAYS a pleasure to sit down with one of her books. I love the way she can use 5, 6 plots in one book and you’re left looking baffled at the page thinking “where the f**** did THAT come from?!” Suzanne is a master at sneaking things in without you noticing before the truth hits you right between your eyes.
Yes, yes I’m gushing, I know, but damn it – I’m in awe of how she can do it! I know Laurie agrees with me – and we CAN’T be the only ones here!
Alright let me tell you about The Bitter Seed of Magic. Genny got an offer from Queen Clíona in the end of The Cold Kiss of Death; she had one year and one day to break the curse or she could come to Queen Clíonas court and stay – if she isn’t pregnant.
The rest of the Fey still believes that getting Gen knocked up is the only way to break the curse, but Gen isn’t so sure. She wants to make sure ALL other options been explored before even beginning to think about bringing a child into the world, just because of the curse. She starts to investigate old books – her apartment is full of them, but is getting nowhere.
But things come in the way for Gen to take her mind, partly, off the curse. Faelings (half fey and half humans) are being murdered and Genny want to know why. But the “dear” police inspector Helen Crane is not inclined to let Genny stick a single toe into the investigation. Well, it’s good that Gen has other friends on the police force who are willing to help her. However, she finds out “someone” has tagged her with a spell. A sleeping beauty spell. Short story; some people wanted to protect her and tagged her with it, so she would live an uneventful life for….oh about twelve months…
Thing starts to get dicey, the Morrigan decides to step in and make this worse. She has captured Tavish and she tells Gen if she gets pregnant she will kill her. Also, so she can feel the pain of losing a child, the Morrigan gives her memories that don’t belong to her. And just to top it off, she slaps a chastity spell on her.
Soon Genny finds herself surrounded by people who want to hurt her, to protect her and boy does she have way too much family. Family she didn't know about. Family a girl would just as soon not ever know about. A girl can get kind of desperate with that mix.
It is almost impossible to review this book and not give spoilers away. All I can say is, Suzanne has delivered again. The scenes with Malik are so filled with sexual tension, the murder mystery is intense, powerful beings are taking notice of Gen and that isn't always a good thing, and she's got these spells on her she has GOT to crack.
Not all of the plots are closed in this book. After I wrote this review, I received an Advanced Reading Copy in the mail of "The Shifiting Price of Prey" and I can tell you, Suzanne Mcleod has many more surprises up her sleeve. But the scenes in both books that jump off the page are those with Malik. (Sorry Finn, but I’m on Team Malik.)
Laurie: You might say we are both SOLIDLY on Team Malik.
Sabina: Ooooh, can I tell? Pleeeaaase, Laurie? Okay, I’m telling – yell at me later ;-)
Laurie: I'm not yelling, I'm as excited as you are! Tell them!
Sabina: We have a character interview with MALIK coming very soon!
Laurie: *fans face*
Sabina: Laurie and I are going to sneak off, Laurie from California and me from Denmark, and for one day...meet up and then together interview London's sexiest, most enigmatic, frustrating, devious, gorgeous Vampire.
Laurie: I'm terrified. And excited. And terrified. It's like meeting the rockstar of your dreams. At a vamp bar. I'm a little nervous about that part. I wish we were meeting at coffee shop or something. Not somewhere where we could be on the menu. Besides, what am I going to say to him? Hi, I'm your biggest fan. Since I'm happily married, I wish you'd just sweep Gen off her feet and marry the girl. You two are killing me.
Sabina: Yeah, we might want to play it a little more subtle then that don't you think? We need to show some decorum. We're reporters for God's sake. We'd better figure it out soon, we're meeting him in just a couple days. It was very generous of Suzanne to set up this meeting. To my knowledge, Malik doesn't give interviews. Ever.
Laurie: I can't stand it. I'm so excited. It will be fun to meet you in person too Sabina! Great review by the way. Stay tuned folks, we'll have the interview with Malik up soon. If we survive the encounter that is.
Sabina: Suzanne swears Malik has given his word that we'll be safe, and he keeps his word and so does she.
Laurie: It isn't Malik I'm worried about. What if one of those other; crazy, bastard Vampires walks in while we're interviewing him and decides we look like lunch? Like Maxim?
Sabina: Hush. No spoilers.
Laurie: Right, sorry.
Sabina: That’s alright I forgive you. ;-) Suzanne McLeods new book, The Shifting Price of Prey is released August 30, and let me tell you…. It’s just as wild, wonderful, terrifying, complicated, heartbreaking, and mind blowing as the rest of her books! Alright, I’m not going to tell you anymore, but there’s going to be a review up very soon, so keep an eye out!
Laurie: And you are either going to read an interview between Sabina, Laurie, and Malik or Dangerous Romance will go dark forever and you'll know something bad happened despite Malik's promise. Stay tuned!
Laurie: No denial necessary. I've switched my alliance from Eric Northman to Malik Al Khan. Big time.
Sabina: Suzanne McLeod keeps sweeping me off my feet with her writing and it’s ALWAYS a pleasure to sit down with one of her books. I love the way she can use 5, 6 plots in one book and you’re left looking baffled at the page thinking “where the f**** did THAT come from?!” Suzanne is a master at sneaking things in without you noticing before the truth hits you right between your eyes.
Yes, yes I’m gushing, I know, but damn it – I’m in awe of how she can do it! I know Laurie agrees with me – and we CAN’T be the only ones here!
Alright let me tell you about The Bitter Seed of Magic. Genny got an offer from Queen Clíona in the end of The Cold Kiss of Death; she had one year and one day to break the curse or she could come to Queen Clíonas court and stay – if she isn’t pregnant.
The rest of the Fey still believes that getting Gen knocked up is the only way to break the curse, but Gen isn’t so sure. She wants to make sure ALL other options been explored before even beginning to think about bringing a child into the world, just because of the curse. She starts to investigate old books – her apartment is full of them, but is getting nowhere.
But things come in the way for Gen to take her mind, partly, off the curse. Faelings (half fey and half humans) are being murdered and Genny want to know why. But the “dear” police inspector Helen Crane is not inclined to let Genny stick a single toe into the investigation. Well, it’s good that Gen has other friends on the police force who are willing to help her. However, she finds out “someone” has tagged her with a spell. A sleeping beauty spell. Short story; some people wanted to protect her and tagged her with it, so she would live an uneventful life for….oh about twelve months…
Thing starts to get dicey, the Morrigan decides to step in and make this worse. She has captured Tavish and she tells Gen if she gets pregnant she will kill her. Also, so she can feel the pain of losing a child, the Morrigan gives her memories that don’t belong to her. And just to top it off, she slaps a chastity spell on her.
Soon Genny finds herself surrounded by people who want to hurt her, to protect her and boy does she have way too much family. Family she didn't know about. Family a girl would just as soon not ever know about. A girl can get kind of desperate with that mix.
It is almost impossible to review this book and not give spoilers away. All I can say is, Suzanne has delivered again. The scenes with Malik are so filled with sexual tension, the murder mystery is intense, powerful beings are taking notice of Gen and that isn't always a good thing, and she's got these spells on her she has GOT to crack.
Not all of the plots are closed in this book. After I wrote this review, I received an Advanced Reading Copy in the mail of "The Shifiting Price of Prey" and I can tell you, Suzanne Mcleod has many more surprises up her sleeve. But the scenes in both books that jump off the page are those with Malik. (Sorry Finn, but I’m on Team Malik.)
Laurie: You might say we are both SOLIDLY on Team Malik.
Sabina: Ooooh, can I tell? Pleeeaaase, Laurie? Okay, I’m telling – yell at me later ;-)
Laurie: I'm not yelling, I'm as excited as you are! Tell them!
Sabina: We have a character interview with MALIK coming very soon!
Laurie: *fans face*
Sabina: Laurie and I are going to sneak off, Laurie from California and me from Denmark, and for one day...meet up and then together interview London's sexiest, most enigmatic, frustrating, devious, gorgeous Vampire.
Laurie: I'm terrified. And excited. And terrified. It's like meeting the rockstar of your dreams. At a vamp bar. I'm a little nervous about that part. I wish we were meeting at coffee shop or something. Not somewhere where we could be on the menu. Besides, what am I going to say to him? Hi, I'm your biggest fan. Since I'm happily married, I wish you'd just sweep Gen off her feet and marry the girl. You two are killing me.
Sabina: Yeah, we might want to play it a little more subtle then that don't you think? We need to show some decorum. We're reporters for God's sake. We'd better figure it out soon, we're meeting him in just a couple days. It was very generous of Suzanne to set up this meeting. To my knowledge, Malik doesn't give interviews. Ever.
Laurie: I can't stand it. I'm so excited. It will be fun to meet you in person too Sabina! Great review by the way. Stay tuned folks, we'll have the interview with Malik up soon. If we survive the encounter that is.
Sabina: Suzanne swears Malik has given his word that we'll be safe, and he keeps his word and so does she.
Laurie: It isn't Malik I'm worried about. What if one of those other; crazy, bastard Vampires walks in while we're interviewing him and decides we look like lunch? Like Maxim?
Sabina: Hush. No spoilers.
Laurie: Right, sorry.
Sabina: That’s alright I forgive you. ;-) Suzanne McLeods new book, The Shifting Price of Prey is released August 30, and let me tell you…. It’s just as wild, wonderful, terrifying, complicated, heartbreaking, and mind blowing as the rest of her books! Alright, I’m not going to tell you anymore, but there’s going to be a review up very soon, so keep an eye out!
Laurie: And you are either going to read an interview between Sabina, Laurie, and Malik or Dangerous Romance will go dark forever and you'll know something bad happened despite Malik's promise. Stay tuned!
April 22, 2019
I've read all Suzanne McLeod's Spellcracker books now, and simply love the imagination in them. And everyone is SO sexy! The fae, the witches, the vampires, Genny herself. Lots of twists and turns, and, as the blurb says, murder and mayhem galore. Great speculative escapism. Recommended.
July 11, 2017
I did not like this book as much as I thought as I would have. The first book was great, the second not so much, and this one not for me at all.
October 26, 2017
Decent. No complaints.
November 26, 2017
Spellcrackers #3. Jolly good read about a Sidhe (Genny) caught between her kind, witches and vampires.
January 24, 2018
Exciting and different . A who done it with magic and fantasy.
January 23, 2020
Really interesting twist at the end. I definitely love this series.
December 18, 2022
3.5 stars. I really am enjoying this series tho' this book had a few too many twists and turns and characters for me to keep together.
August 27, 2024
A really enjoyable read.
July 25, 2012
I found the Spellcrackers.com series a few days ago & tore through the 1st two books. I was eager to start this third one because the story got stronger in each outing. This was no exception. In my opinion, this is the strongest story in the series thus far. That author has gotten a better hold on the multiple plot lines that have been weaving together throughout the books. We find Genny at the beginning of the story with all of her worries firmly in place...a fertility curse on all of the lesser fae in London that she is seemingly the answer too, the strange relationship between Malik-al-Kahn, her fanged protector/master & herself, her relationship with her boss/maybe more than a friend Finn, & the wylde fae Tavish. Of course, there is the ever present fear of the Autarch finding out where she is as well. She is also still dealing with the aftermath from the ending of the previous book The Cold Kiss of Death
The mystery/crime of this story feels more desperate to me than in the previous two books. Gen is being led in circles by the fae, the vampires, and now two Goddesses. As the story unfolds we get more & more pieces to Gen's background & family...by the end we have some pretty revealing information that will certainly influence the direction of future books. There are many secrets that come to light in this story. I find this to be one of the biggest strengths, there is movement. Gen is not constantly rehashing the same thing. I also feel she is growing as a character.
We see all the characters we have grown to love & (for a few) hate. We also get to meet some new ones that I think are wonderful additions to the cast (specifically vampire Francine & dryad Sylvia).
For the shippers out there (I am unabashedly Team Blood Sucker)-there are some really nice scenes between Gen & Malik...I appreciate that the author is taking her time with this relationship.
There are also some interesting developments with Finn, great info on his past (specifically relating to DI Helen Crane).
As for Tavish, he has a strong outing despite being missing for a decent portion in the action.
While I am certainly rooting for Malik, I can see being ok with Tavish as well. Finn still does not do it for me, especially after this book. Of course Gen is fae, & I am all for an "open" relationship for her ;)
Anyway, this is a really great story. As I mentioned above, I think the author really hit her stride. As always, the pacing is break-neck but balanced nicely. She tied all of the moving parts together beautifully & we actually have a bit of resolution to a major arch that has been present in these 1st three books. This was also an info heavy story, lots of answers, lots of new questions...all which I think will lead to the next major story arch in the series (which in my opinion will be a confrontation with the Autarch.)
You need to read the first two books in the series. There are a lot of small details that seem like they could be throw away, but come back later on.
The Sweet Scent of Blood
The Cold Kiss of Death
The mystery/crime of this story feels more desperate to me than in the previous two books. Gen is being led in circles by the fae, the vampires, and now two Goddesses. As the story unfolds we get more & more pieces to Gen's background & family...by the end we have some pretty revealing information that will certainly influence the direction of future books. There are many secrets that come to light in this story. I find this to be one of the biggest strengths, there is movement. Gen is not constantly rehashing the same thing. I also feel she is growing as a character.
We see all the characters we have grown to love & (for a few) hate. We also get to meet some new ones that I think are wonderful additions to the cast (specifically vampire Francine & dryad Sylvia).
For the shippers out there (I am unabashedly Team Blood Sucker)-there are some really nice scenes between Gen & Malik...I appreciate that the author is taking her time with this relationship.
There are also some interesting developments with Finn, great info on his past (specifically relating to DI Helen Crane).
As for Tavish, he has a strong outing despite being missing for a decent portion in the action.
While I am certainly rooting for Malik, I can see being ok with Tavish as well. Finn still does not do it for me, especially after this book. Of course Gen is fae, & I am all for an "open" relationship for her ;)
Anyway, this is a really great story. As I mentioned above, I think the author really hit her stride. As always, the pacing is break-neck but balanced nicely. She tied all of the moving parts together beautifully & we actually have a bit of resolution to a major arch that has been present in these 1st three books. This was also an info heavy story, lots of answers, lots of new questions...all which I think will lead to the next major story arch in the series (which in my opinion will be a confrontation with the Autarch.)
You need to read the first two books in the series. There are a lot of small details that seem like they could be throw away, but come back later on.
The Sweet Scent of Blood
The Cold Kiss of Death
February 25, 2012
Mon avis en français
My English Review
Once the second volume finished, I only wanted to read the third one to know more. I had to wait a little for his release in December, but I can say that I’m more than happy. Of course, like in the last one, all the characters are here, and when I say all, it’s really all of them! We can discover some new too (well, yes, be careful to not be lost with all the names!), and it’s a pleasure to discover them all and learn more about each. I thought that I knew some things about Finn and Malik (Well, I confess a lot less about Malik), but I realized it wasn’t the case at all, we keep being surprise all along the story, learning some new information, making us more and more curious about the characters. And with these new info we ask ourselves a lot of questions (yes because it wouldn’t be fun otherwise, doesn’t it?). When I think that Genevieve is lucky enough to have these two men in her life that would do anything for her, who wouldn’t be to be in her place? (Me? Jealous?). Plus, her relationship with them progress a lot in this book but it’s still a draft regarding what it could really be. I have to say it’s quite frustrating!
Genny, in this third novel, has to investigate about some young fealings murders, and we don’t understand a lot about them. To this, we can add of course, the curse, because yes, the faes haven’t given up the idea to pregnant our heroine, who hasn’t changed her mind either about it. Finn is more than determined to make progress their relationship, but he isn’t the only one…
It was a real pleasure to learn more about the Finn’s life, the Genny’s or even the Malik’s life. I confess I’m more and more intrigued about the Autarch and I’m curious to know when we will finally meet him, despite I’m sure it won’t be a pleasant meet. We learn all along the story some surprising information and I didn’t expect that at all. Well, it allows us to better understand some aspects of the story. And, I hope it will be the same in the fourth volume.
Like always, the writing style is fluid and the story complex, we therefore can’t see the true before we read it. The Suzanne McLeod’s world progresses more and more with the books. It allows us to discover new species, some new aspects about this universe we didn’t know about yet.
I think if you enjoyed the first and the second novel, you’ll love the third. The series progresses little by little and of course it always gets more complicated. I would love to understand this whole story with Tavish and a lot of other things. But finally we stay in the dark like Genny, trying little by little to understand what’s going on and to discover the true that nobody wants to revel. She is always confronted to this curse and we wonder how she will end all of this.
Spellcrackers.com is a series I really enjoy and I could only recommend it. You will discover a tough heroine who is determined to do what she wants. A heroine we can only like.
My English Review
Once the second volume finished, I only wanted to read the third one to know more. I had to wait a little for his release in December, but I can say that I’m more than happy. Of course, like in the last one, all the characters are here, and when I say all, it’s really all of them! We can discover some new too (well, yes, be careful to not be lost with all the names!), and it’s a pleasure to discover them all and learn more about each. I thought that I knew some things about Finn and Malik (Well, I confess a lot less about Malik), but I realized it wasn’t the case at all, we keep being surprise all along the story, learning some new information, making us more and more curious about the characters. And with these new info we ask ourselves a lot of questions (yes because it wouldn’t be fun otherwise, doesn’t it?). When I think that Genevieve is lucky enough to have these two men in her life that would do anything for her, who wouldn’t be to be in her place? (Me? Jealous?). Plus, her relationship with them progress a lot in this book but it’s still a draft regarding what it could really be. I have to say it’s quite frustrating!
Genny, in this third novel, has to investigate about some young fealings murders, and we don’t understand a lot about them. To this, we can add of course, the curse, because yes, the faes haven’t given up the idea to pregnant our heroine, who hasn’t changed her mind either about it. Finn is more than determined to make progress their relationship, but he isn’t the only one…
It was a real pleasure to learn more about the Finn’s life, the Genny’s or even the Malik’s life. I confess I’m more and more intrigued about the Autarch and I’m curious to know when we will finally meet him, despite I’m sure it won’t be a pleasant meet. We learn all along the story some surprising information and I didn’t expect that at all. Well, it allows us to better understand some aspects of the story. And, I hope it will be the same in the fourth volume.
Like always, the writing style is fluid and the story complex, we therefore can’t see the true before we read it. The Suzanne McLeod’s world progresses more and more with the books. It allows us to discover new species, some new aspects about this universe we didn’t know about yet.
I think if you enjoyed the first and the second novel, you’ll love the third. The series progresses little by little and of course it always gets more complicated. I would love to understand this whole story with Tavish and a lot of other things. But finally we stay in the dark like Genny, trying little by little to understand what’s going on and to discover the true that nobody wants to revel. She is always confronted to this curse and we wonder how she will end all of this.
Spellcrackers.com is a series I really enjoy and I could only recommend it. You will discover a tough heroine who is determined to do what she wants. A heroine we can only like.
September 7, 2012
The Bitter Seed of Magic is the third book in Suzanne McLeod’s Spellcrackers series and therefore this review will contain spoilers for the previous books.
Faelings are turning up dead on the streets on London, their identities hidden by a glamour spell. The police bring sidhe fae Genny in to help peel back the spells but there’s no indication of cause of death. With the fertility curse still in place, Genny is convinced it is connected and is determined to help the faelings in every way but one; breaking the curse with a baby. Not that she doesn’t have a long line of suitors ready to court her… or worse, but she would like some choice in her life. So she sets out to find another way to break the curse.
Once again, I loved the world and the varied cast of fae Suzanne McLeod has created. As always, London plays a huge part too, with the ravens of the Tower of London coming into play. I always knew there was something funny about them! There was a bit more back story for both Genny and Finn which is always nice to have. Helen is still obstructing justice where Genny is concerned but I like that neither Genny or Hugh are blindly ignorant of what’s going on. They seem to have their heads screwed on well!
However, I did feel there were maybe a few too many characters being thrown into the mix. There are so many family connections being unearthed and it started to get a bit convoluted at one point. I’m still not entirely sure who is related to whom but I enjoyed the overall plot and mystery aspect.
I also like that there’s a practical reason for all the fae in London wanting to get into Genny’s knickers. It’s not that she’s just so hot they can’t resist, it’s because they want to reproduce when she’s the only option. Which is a bit creepy, but at least the main characters seem to acknowledge this. Perhaps that is also why I’m on team Malik; Finn is nice enough but he has ulterior motives and ex issues to boot. Don’t worry, despite the fertility curse, Genny doesn’t start having sex all over the place (unlike another urban fantasy series that shall remain un-named).
Faelings are turning up dead on the streets on London, their identities hidden by a glamour spell. The police bring sidhe fae Genny in to help peel back the spells but there’s no indication of cause of death. With the fertility curse still in place, Genny is convinced it is connected and is determined to help the faelings in every way but one; breaking the curse with a baby. Not that she doesn’t have a long line of suitors ready to court her… or worse, but she would like some choice in her life. So she sets out to find another way to break the curse.
Once again, I loved the world and the varied cast of fae Suzanne McLeod has created. As always, London plays a huge part too, with the ravens of the Tower of London coming into play. I always knew there was something funny about them! There was a bit more back story for both Genny and Finn which is always nice to have. Helen is still obstructing justice where Genny is concerned but I like that neither Genny or Hugh are blindly ignorant of what’s going on. They seem to have their heads screwed on well!
However, I did feel there were maybe a few too many characters being thrown into the mix. There are so many family connections being unearthed and it started to get a bit convoluted at one point. I’m still not entirely sure who is related to whom but I enjoyed the overall plot and mystery aspect.
I also like that there’s a practical reason for all the fae in London wanting to get into Genny’s knickers. It’s not that she’s just so hot they can’t resist, it’s because they want to reproduce when she’s the only option. Which is a bit creepy, but at least the main characters seem to acknowledge this. Perhaps that is also why I’m on team Malik; Finn is nice enough but he has ulterior motives and ex issues to boot. Don’t worry, despite the fertility curse, Genny doesn’t start having sex all over the place (unlike another urban fantasy series that shall remain un-named).
January 28, 2012
This is a difficult book to review, if only because of the conflicting emotions it engenders. On one hand, it is wonderfully complex, with rich mythology and magical theory wrapped around an engaging mystery. On the other hand, THE BITTER SEED OF MAGIC can also be frustratingly complex, to the point where even an"after the action" recap, complete with family trees and a play by play explanation, wasn't quite enough to untangle the snarl of crisscrossing motives and lies at the end.
I'd like to think that some of that confusion would be smoothed out by reading prior books, but as McLeod did such a good job bringing me up to speed on so many other aspects of this intricate world, I don't think it's entirely accurate to assume that the plot itself wasn’t expected to stand without the support of the rest of the series. I did some flipping back and re-reading, which detracted a bit from the ending, but still enjoyed the bulk of the book. Though the fertility curse complicates Genny's relationship with the men in her life, the end of this book's central mystery by no means makes Genny's troubles over.
Much like the October Daye series, reading THE BITTER SEED OF MAGIC managed to engage me in the present book while piquing my interest in the backstory that brought Genny and all of her delicious, dangerous men to the present day stand-off. I'm willing to risk a little plot frustration to enjoy more of this world building. Be warned, however, that though not graphic, some of McLeod's older Fae and vampires have a distinctly "Greek mythology" morality, particularly as it relates to consent and incest. For immortal races it made sense, but there were still a few “record scratch” moments when the ages and inter-relationships of certain pairings became clear. That was ultimately what lowered this review from Four Bats to Three, because though I thought McLeod entirely pulled it off, the subject may be a deal-breaker for some.
Sexual Content: Kissing, references to sex, rape, and incest.
I'd like to think that some of that confusion would be smoothed out by reading prior books, but as McLeod did such a good job bringing me up to speed on so many other aspects of this intricate world, I don't think it's entirely accurate to assume that the plot itself wasn’t expected to stand without the support of the rest of the series. I did some flipping back and re-reading, which detracted a bit from the ending, but still enjoyed the bulk of the book. Though the fertility curse complicates Genny's relationship with the men in her life, the end of this book's central mystery by no means makes Genny's troubles over.
Much like the October Daye series, reading THE BITTER SEED OF MAGIC managed to engage me in the present book while piquing my interest in the backstory that brought Genny and all of her delicious, dangerous men to the present day stand-off. I'm willing to risk a little plot frustration to enjoy more of this world building. Be warned, however, that though not graphic, some of McLeod's older Fae and vampires have a distinctly "Greek mythology" morality, particularly as it relates to consent and incest. For immortal races it made sense, but there were still a few “record scratch” moments when the ages and inter-relationships of certain pairings became clear. That was ultimately what lowered this review from Four Bats to Three, because though I thought McLeod entirely pulled it off, the subject may be a deal-breaker for some.
Sexual Content: Kissing, references to sex, rape, and incest.
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