Magia de llamas y sombras

The Witches of Moonfell #1

by Kim Richardson

Hace veinte años, me escapé de mi pueblo natal, Moonfell, un punto paranormal en los suburbios de Nueva York, oculto ante los ojos humanos.

Un lugar al que juré no volver jamás.

Pero el espantoso asesinato de un hombre lobo adolescente me ha traído de vuelta. Y estoy aquí para resolverlo.
A medida que profundizo en el caso, me doy cuenta de que este no es cualquier asesinato. Alguien o algo tiene como objetivo a la comunidad sobrenatural.

Luchando por controlar mis poderes, me veo enredada en el drama de mis desde un grupo de brujas misteriosas hasta el sexy y peligrosamente seductor Blake, hasta un felino aparentemente común y corriente que resulta ser algo totalmente inesperado.

Debo navegar por las peligrosas aguas de Moonfell mientras mantengo ocultos mis propios secretos.

Verás, no soy una bruja cualquiera. Demonios, no soy como ninguna bruja. Mi magia es diferente. Es salvaje e impredecible. Y un día, me llevará a la muerte.

Pero mientras aumentan los problemas y los cuerpos se apilan, me doy cuenta de que esto va más allá de una simple investigación de asesinato. Es una batalla por la supervivencia.

Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, Witches, Magic, Mystery, Vampires

280 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 21, 2024

About the author

Kim Richardson is the award-winning author of the bestselling SOUL GUARDIANS series. She lives in the eastern part of Canada with her husband, two dogs and a very old cat. She is the author of the SOUL GUARDIANS series, the MYSTICS series, and the DIVIDED REALMS series. Kim's books are available in print editions, and translations are available in over 7 languages.

Reviews

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magic of Flame and Shadows
By Kim Richardson
I don't think Richardson could write a bad novel if she tried. 😊 This is exciting, fun, full of great characters, amazing plot, and magic. All sorts of creatures, along with witches, fae, demons, mages, and shifters. Great start to a new series.

[Aguslovesbucky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Qué delicia de historia. Desde la primera página me sentí atrapada por ese mundo lleno de magia, oscuridad, fuego y emociones intensas.

Lo que más me gustó fue el equilibrio entre acción y sentimientos. Además de ser una historia mágica, es también una historia de decisiones difíciles, de heridas abiertas, de amor que arde sin permiso y de coraje cuando todo se tambalea. La protagonista me fascinó: fuerte, decidida, pero también vulnerable.

Y ellos… ellos fueron fuego puro (Dash y Blake). De esos personajes que son sombra y llama al mismo tiempo 🔥🖤. Las escenas entre ellos con la protagonista se sintieron intensas, cargadas de tensión, de deseo contenido y también de cariño silencioso, por más que haya sido un pequeño y leve triángulo amoroso.

[Reece · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a good enough read. The plot was interesting. The writing, however, was occasionally enraging.

Allow me to nitpick:
"The soft skin of his belly was torn open, marked by runes, symbols, and letters carved into his chest."
The chest is not the belly. The belly is not the chest.

"The runes and letters were carved into the victim in what I recognized as Latin."
Latin runes?

"I gave it one hour before all twelve hundred inhabitants in Moonfell would know."
We also hear how Moonfell has a hardware store, grocery stores, pubs, magic shops, autobody shop, diner, beer & wine store, police department complete with several teams, etc. 1200 people...

More than once the FMC is bitched out about how gross smoking is when she pops nicotine gum. Why?

On the note of the gum. Please kindly fuck right off with "a gum."
"tore out a gum," "broke a gum free from the pack and stuffed it in my mouth," "open my bag, grabbed two gums, and stuffed them in my mouth."

I have a personal issue with weirdly positioned descriptors:

"A basketball standing post was positioned at the front of the garage."

"The matching mini white skirt"

"The V-neck gray T-shirt"

"Marble black dresser"

And finally, "The warm afternoon breeze ruffled my hair, bringing forth the sweet smell of daisies."
Daisies smell like ass. Like hot pissy ass.

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

The plot was stupid and 2 dimensional. The sheriff was an entitled rage baby, more a bully than an actual professional, but then again neither was the FL.

[Susan Carpenter · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book but didn't get there. The protagonist was all over the place; I found myself wanting to slap her at more than one point. The drama level was much too high relative to the book's plot progression.

[Jeaven · Rating 2 out of 5]

This would’ve been 3 stars but that final fight scene was the most frustrating fight I’ve read in a long while it took me two days to read

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started off great..

I was so excited to read this book! I was really loving it until we got halfway through. All of a sudden, the conversations became weird. Our FL seems very standoffish and secretive for half the book, then she just isn't. For some reason, she also just shares the details of the case she's working on with literally anyone who asks about it. The mayor, strangers, literally whoever, just giving information out willy nilly. The old man shared way too much without putting up a fight. Then some of the conversations would circle around and around. The character would say she was going to leave or walk away, then just stand there, continuing to listen to whatever the other person was saying. I didn't get it. She has legs, she could just turn around and walk away like she says.

The romance factor was also weird. First we have Blake, the sheriff. He seems like he would be the love interest. Then Dash shows up, and a flirty vampire. I believe this is being set up to be some kind of love triangle or square. Hate those.

Over all, the first 50% I would give 5 stars, then the rest of the book was a wash for me.

[Valérie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cette nouvelle série de Kim Richardson s’annonce différente, beaucoup plus sombre que les précédentes.

Déjà, notre héroïne Kat est beaucoup plus âgée, approchant de la quarantaine, de plus sans être véritablement sans pouvoir, elle est plus humaine que sorcière. Son retour dans sa ville d’origine après une très longue absence va non seulement réveiller d’anciens traumatismes mais la plonger dans une enquête complexe.

Une galerie de personnages secondaires entourent notre héroïne, à commencer par sa tante, un sacré personnage . Le shérif, Blake - un loup-garou alpha - avec lequel Kat va souvent se battre et puis surtout Dash, le mystérieux et ce n’est pas la fin du livre qui va nous aider à savoir ce qu’il est.

[Lucy Strong · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this author, I've read a few of her books now. There's a lot of same same across them, strong independent woman, hot angry annoying male lead, some fluff and good drama. Nice easy short reads.

[Lita · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first book in a new series by this author. Set in Moonfell, NY, a supernatural town of roughly 1200 where everyone knows everyone else. Kat was born there but left 20 years before after being outcast from her home for having no powers as a witch and seeing the body of a girl killed in a ritualistic murder. She hadn't been back since. Now there's been another murder and it has all the same ear marks, indicating it's happening again. So Kat is back to investigate and fix up her deceased aunts house which was left to her. She meets Blake, an alpha wolf shifter and the town's sheriff. They mix as well as oil and water. She also meets three women who are witches who live across the street and come over to introduce themselves and to invite Kat into their little group. Over the course of the story much is revealed about the murders and what's coming next. Friends are made, someone is kidnapped, and there's a big battle at the end. The story is left somewhat open ended leaving for lot's more to come. The next book is due the end of March.

[Steph · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, well, huh. That was just weird. I was liking it okay initially. Kat's secretive about her power/not power, standoffish, then - diarrhea of the mouth. As someone who suffers from that cursed affliction, I can relate, but damn, it was quite a character shift. But, she remains tightlipped around the one guy who truly appears to wanna help and have the ability to do so? *shakes head* I really wanted to like this, but I'm just left a bit dumbfounded and yet, oddly, pulled to read the next book. Why? Yeah, I wonder that, too, but I think I'm drawn to it more to learn what's what with Dash more so than anything to do with Kat. Since it's on KU, I'm more likely to give book 2 a go than not, but we'll see. Might shake myself outta this what-the-hell-was-that funk and realize there are better things to occupy myself with than more Kat-can't-decide-who-she-wants-to-be stories.

[Sophie]

DNF l’histoire ne pas intéresser plus que ça

[Lily · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

This review contains spoilers of the end of the book.

I liked this book fine (it wasn't really anything special) until the end. The final 'battle' infuriated me. Let me tell you why.

First, the MC is like so ready to just give up at any moment. The girl gets kidnapped and instead of doing really anything, the MC just kind of stands there being like "oh no, there's nothing I can do to find her" like girl you have shadow magic. Send your shadows out to find her or something (the way she uses her powers infuriates me too - as in she uses them in the most boring uninspiring ways). Then when she's 'fighting' against the evil wizard, every time the wizard does anything she thinks that she's about to die and there's nothing she can do to stop it. Are you the main character or what? Get your ass up and be proactive instead of mopey.

Then there was the battle. I have so many problems with this.
First the mum screams out for her daughter and ruins their element of surprise. Like sure you want to go save your daughter but that was just so stupid.
Then the MC is running towards the main evil wizard because she "has to stop the ritual" and she has no time to help her friends with any of the evil minions ... but instead of running towards the evil wizard she, like, stops and just watches her friends fighting people. For example, she just stands and watches the shifter love interest fight evil minions and then the narration will say there's no time and she starts running toward the evil wizard who is holding a knife over the kidnapped girl, but then she stops and watches the mum try and fight the evil wizard and she watches the whole fight while thinking "i have no time to help her coz i have to get to the wizard and stop him" so she starts running again and then stops to watch someone else. Honestly, the evil wizard must be moving in slow motion coz by the time she reaches him he's been standing over the kidnapped girl holding the knife for like half an hour. It's ridiculous.
Also, the evil minions trap the shifter love interest in chains and are obviously moving in to kill him, and the MC says she cant help him coz shes got no time and has to stop the evil wizard. But at the end of the battle they untie him and he was fine?? So i guess the evil minions got distracted and never bothered to try and kill the people trying to stop their ritual? It's so dumb.

[Spinneretta · Rating 4 out of 5]

good

Kat Lawless is a witch, who’s magic doesn’t conform to the standard magics out there, a fact which lead to her being bullied and abused as a child.
When a ritualistic murder occurs in her old hometown, she heads back to the place she never thought she would return to, so she can investigate the case.
With the aid of an annoying sheriff, and the only family she feels she can trust, Kat throws herself into the investigation in the hope that she might be able to save a life…

This PWF mystery, pits a forty-something woman, against the memories of her past. Kat is a strong woman, but she’s been through a lot, and now this case brings up some bad memories.
She meets some interesting people, and revisits a few from her past, while trying to solve a mystery.
It’s a good story, and I enjoyed it a lot. There’s a bit of a twist to it near the end, and I say don’t start trying to figure out the slow-burn romance yet, because it is only in the hint stages! The mystery is more thriller than cosy, but still entertaining, and though the story does resolve the murder, there are some intriguing threads still hanging.
A great choice for the PWF fan who loves a good mystery.

[Chu · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m having a hard time finding a good UF series these days. This was sadly not it. The MC was an incompetent looser and her magic rarely worked. If she made up for it with cleverness it would have been fine, but she didn’t. In fact all the characters kept doing stupid things that didn’t make sense. At one point the MC is helping a guy with amnesia by taking him to his house and she asks him “Do you usually keep your door unlocked?”. He has amnesia stupid! At another time, after a child has been kidnapped and she is talking to the sheriff, the MC suggests that they track the child’s phone. As if they hadn’t done that if they could. She is so incompetent and yet we are told that she is an experienced investigator. And don’t get me started on Blake or the aunt.

Also there is a scene where the MC gets humiliated by her family and it just seems like rage bait. It made no sense for the MC to even visit her abusive family. I also hate when a character is just about to say something important only to get interrupted. It’s an annoying way to delay revelations. The dialogue is also very simple and unnatural. Like bad actors in a B-movie.

I couldn’t even finish it. It was that bad.

[Noone · Rating 1 out of 5]

I spend 1 hour with this and it was non-stop exaggerated stereotypes and clichées.
It mostly reads like a third-rate police procedual with terrible actors but the MC spends half her time admonishing herself for her extreme lusting after the extremely hunky uber-giga-hot sherrif.
She has basically mentally married the guy already while we are still supposed to believe she deeply cares about the murder she investigates in her home-town.

I don't know what else to say other than bad.
Everything is exaggerated to such extremes it almost seems like its a parody. But its not quite bad enough to cross from painful to funny.

Nothing about the introduction is bad on paper. You can start a story this way, but the execution is just bad. If you have watched any generic police procedual that was broadcast since the early 2000s you already know almost everything from the first 10% of the book by heart.

Even that wouldn't necessarily be terrible of course. But there just isn't anything else. Most stories start with trope-based characters. But there is nothing but tropes here. I couldn't find a single line that wasn't a tired trope or stereotype. None.

[Ivy · Rating 2 out of 5]

What I expected - a fun, quick-paced, urban fantasy.

What I got - a half-baked mess.

So this had potential to be what I wanted. The world had potential, the characters had potential (except the aunt), but everything was half-baked, sloppy, and shallow. The characters were nothing more than cutouts of caricatures - seriously with Blake? Talk about over the top and ridiculous. Her family too was just childish in the way it was excecuted.

The plot again had potential. It was a straightforward book one plot, but it could have been fun with a good bit of tension. Like everything else it was rushed. The scenes and chapters hopped from one to the next without fleshing anything out. So much more time needed to be spent just letting everything breathe and bothering to flesh things out so we can see and feel them.

Also seriously the aunt was ridiculous, obnoxious, and the worst thing about this book.

[Sabine Vaude · Rating 5 out of 5]

on plonge directement dans l'intrigue où l'on va enquêter parmi un village où tout le floklore du fantastique navigue. Partout on soupçonne tout le monde et plus on avance plus les secrets s'ammoncèlent.
On découvre les différentes sorcières (dont la tante qui m'a fait beaucoup rire avec son franc parlé !), mais aussi Blake, le loup-garou !
Le mystère s'épaissit ay fur et à mesure des pages qui défilent vite tant j'ai été tenue en haleine. En même temps que l'histoire se dévoile, le passé de l'héroïne ressurgit par bribes et j'ai adoré !
Et certains plots j'ai ouvert grand la bouche tant je ne m'y attendais pas ! En tout cas, ça pousse carrément à lire la suite !
Malgré tout, il m'a manqué un quelque chose pour que ce soit un coup de coeur. Ca reste une très bonne lecture, mais je sais pas j'ai eu du mal à m'attacher aux personnages (peut-être trop lisses ?)

[Starr Perry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outcast comes home

Kat struggled for acceptance in her magical family her entire life and left home as a teen, to survive on her own. She is an outcast who returns home in order to help others,no intention of staying, but her plans change.

She returns years later to assist in solving a magical murder investigation. Nothing is as it seems, except her family is still as horrible as they were when she left.


Very much like the heroine that takes no back talk from the family who has done nothing but harass her, abuse her and murderous attempts to end her - all because she didn’t fit their expectations…sometimes we make our families of choice and choose a new path,like Luke Skywalker - the Hero’s call to adventure, which is painful, yet powerful. Kat found hers, which makes a powerful destiny - and the beginning novel of witches of Moonfell an absolutely worthwhile read

[April Mollenkopf · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fantastic start to a new series with witches and Merlins. Love the new cast of characters with a sheriff (who gives off sexy vibes when he’s not being a jerk), a fun group of women who become friends with Kat, and the cat that isn’t really a cat.

Lots of stuff going on in this book. Kat is home to try to solve a murder that looks exactly like something she saw when she was younger. Being in the town she grew up in is not somewhere Kat wants to be. And with a family like hers, I don’t blame her.

I ended up reading this in one shot. I just couldn’t put it down. There are a couple of twists that left you with a few unanswered questions and I am definitely looking forward to book two.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some decent places in the book and there are some really WTH places. I couldn't get a handle on the main character, Kat. She would play secrets about a laundry list of things and then out of the blue share them with people. No real run down of what her powers are, just a couple examples and then bam, she's jumping through shadows left and right. Her constant comments when Sykes, her brother and her father were degrading her made absolutely no sense. Slinking away from the party? Just so many hot/cold situations and promises made and I quit vs I'm going to win - it became really difficult to follow. I'd like to know what's going to come out about Dash, but not so certain I want to head into book 2 - maybe.

[Patty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nonstop Mystery

This new series is full of mystery and horror. Witches, mages and other paranormal creatures have been created in a unique and powerful manner. There are many triggers from kidnapping, mental and physical abuse and ritualistic killings. The book has secrets around every corner. With an ending that leaves you wanting more.

Overall this book has an amazing character lineup, and a wonderful backstory. Kim Richardson has created a cool and unusual world, full of magic and mischief. I kind of wonder how this is all going to turn out. Patiently waiting for the next book.

[Paquita Gabarró · Rating 5 out of 5]

He llegit aquest llibre de manera super ràpida, és que m'ha enganxat des del primer moment i no el podia deixar. He estat fins molt tard a la nit... bé diguem clarejar ja gairebé perquè començo a llegir a la deu de la nit més o menys i és clar es fa de dia que ni m'adono si el llibre m'interessa molt com és el cas. Dit això he de dir que està força mal traduït i amb faltes d'ortografia, de vegades hi ha frases sense sentit perquè tot està al revés de com ha de ser. He vist en algun lloc que m'ho havia de llegir dues vegades per veure el significat ja que no tenia res a veure amb el que es deia al tram anterior. També hi ha frases sense acabar de traduir, no sé si en l'idioma original està així, però suposo que es perden coses en traduir però crec que s'haurien de posar les piles els que corregeixen o els traductors perquè fa vergonya aliena ia més molesta molt. De totes maneres ho he llegit en dos dies perquè l'argument m'ha enganxat i m'ha agradat tant, he hagut d'agafar el següent i continuar...

[Maghon Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

oh boy!

I seriously think I’ve found a new series to add to my favorites list! I really like Kat. I am over the moon with Luna. Dash is fully of mystery. I so wanna love Blake but he’s so ridiculous. I wasn’t expecting to like the trio- Annette, Christina and Tilly but I actually really like them. Especially Annette and her family! I loved the mystery part of the plot. I despise Kat’s family! I know that most of the big plot was wrapped up but we aren’t even close to done. I’m hooked!!

[Larry · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well-written story combining a murder mystery and the paranormal. The author had a way to make the story relatable, and to make me care about the characters. And there was one that I liked in the beginning, but really don’t like now. Going back to her hometown after twenty years, for Kat, was a bad idea. She had a terrible childhood, and all those memories resurfaced. She was hired by a magical enforcement league to look into a murder in her hometown of Moonfall. But the situation is so much more than one murder. I highly recommend this book.

[Lynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magic of Flame and Shadow (The Witches of Moonfell Book 1)

This book refused to let me go, I stayed from the beginning until the UK end, totally absorbed into it's world and story. This is a story of witches, shifters,demons and blooood sacrifice. Familial ties and trauma that only family can and do bestow. I highly recommend it and I look forward to the next book with this paranormal,female version of a Philip Marlow, investigator extraordinaire.

[Chris Fracisco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!

A flash bang of a start of a new series. I love the world created in all the different series can be connected at some point but each witch in each series is an irregularity, almost shunned by members of the magical community when in fact they are more powerful than those around them because of what they are. I can't wait to see where this goes!

[Jenette · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a very average book with very average characters and a very average plot. The writing style was alright but nothing about it stood out and the characters themselves were cliched and irritating for it. It was the kind of book that kills a lazy afternoon but nothing about it jumps to be recommended.

[KayCeeReads]

54%
I'm working too hard to finish this book. However I'm not quite ready to give in, so I'll pause at this point and may try again.
I don't think I like Kat. She was ok at the beginning but now she is just too cold? We're told about her background making her seem really tough but I'm not sure I believe it.

[Neha · Rating 2 out of 5]

The characters who were adults and suppose to be experienced felt extremely childish.
From dialogues to their behaviour all came through as something teenagers in novels would do.
There are some parts of story that I am curious about but, sadly this story failed to leave any other kind of emotional impact.