Pack of Lies

The Twenty-Sided Sorceress #3

by Annie Bellet

Let sleeping dogs lie. Wolves, on the other hand…

Recovering from a broken heart and coming to terms with her family history, all sorceress Jade Crow wants is to resume running her comic book store and gaming with her friends. With a town full of strange wolf shifters, a hundred-and-fifty-year-old peace accord hanging in the balance, and the Justice who broke her heart back in her life, Jade’s plans go out the proverbial window.

Wolves are killing wolves, innocent human lives are caught in the crossfire, and not everyone in town is who they appear to be. As the bodies stack up and the doubts build, Jade and her friends race to find the true killer.

And then Jade’s evil ex-lover makes another move…

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Paranormal, Magic, Shapeshifters, Romance, Witches

227 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 13, 2014

About the author

Annie Bellet is a full-time speculative fiction writer. She holds a BA in English and a BA in Medieval Studies and thus can speak a smattering of useful languages such as Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Welsh.

Her books include Avarice (Pyrrh Considerable Crimes Division: Book 1), The Gryphonpike Chronicles series, and the Twenty-Sided Sorceress series.

Her interests besides writing include rock climbing, reading, horse-back riding, video games, comic books, table-top RPGs, and many other nerdy pursuits.


Want to be notified when her next book is released, receive free stories and books, and be notified about sales and other goodies? Sign up for Annie Bellet's mailing list
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Reviews

[✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) · Rating 4 out of 5]

🎲 A Let's Play Dice with the Slightly Awesome Crow Sorceress Buddy Read (LPDwtSACSBR™) with the MacHalos of Mischief and Mayhem (aka M³) 🎲

➽ And the moral of this reread is: Jade Crow, I 💕lurves💕 you more than a pig 💕lurves💕 not being bacon. Because you eat human hearts. Because you're not “soft and squishy” like puny humans. Because your boyfriend is a talking bulk Slightly Super Homicidally Hot and Hotly Homicidal Russian Tiger (SSHHaHHRT™). And because spoiler spoiler spoiler reasons.



Oh yeah, that too. Most bloody shrimping definitely and stuff.



[Original review: January 2016]

☆ Awesome Jade Crow and Counsel Sarah vs. the Silly People who keep reading this series wrong, episode 3 ☆

You've obviously read (and obviously loved) my deeply enlightening review for Murder of Crows, so I don't need to remind you that I just read all the Awesome books in this Awesome series back to back. Wait. I think I just did. Oh well. Anyway, I don't have the time to write full reviews for all the Awesome instalments in this Awesome series so I decided to do the Express Cut-the-Crap Review Thing (ECCRT™). Be glad and rejoice, dear friends, this doesn't happen every day in Sarah-Can't-Shut-Up Land!



Now. I have a problem here. I'm Awesome Jade Crow's counsel and I'm supposed to defend her against all the Silly People (aka the Clueless Bunch who doesn't like this series). But what exactly am I supposed to do when said Clueless Bunch gives books in this series low ratings but doesn't review them? What the hell, Silly People?! How am I supposed to prove you wrong if I don't know what your case against this book is? Damn. You're not making this easy for me, you know? What should I do now? Go on and on and on and on about how Awesome Jade Crow is? And about how OMG-I-Can't-Put-This-Book-Down-Give-Me-The-Next-Instalment-Yesterday this series is? I've already done that in my reviews for books 1 and 2, so I think most of the Not So Silly People get it by now. You, on the other hand, seem to be as Hopeless as you are Clueless, so there's no reason why I should bother. Then again, you know how much I love to rub your nose in it, so I'm pretty sure I could find a few Awesome things to add to the list of Awesome things I mentioned in my previews reviews. Hey, you brought this on yourself, so it's a bit late to start complaining now.



So, let's see. Why was Awesome Jade Crow particularly Awesome in this Awesome instalment?

★ She's still an Awesome Native American sorceress/nerd/gamer/comics fan. Okay, nothing new here. But this Awesome Fact is Awesome in itself, so there.
★ She keeps making morally ambiguous decisions that are hazardous to her health.
★ She says things like "fucktoast on a stick."
★ She has a psychotic, slightly murderous ex-boyfriend.
★ She has the delightful tendency to get soaked in blood.
★ She quotes movies/series and makes nerdy pop culture references. Preferably at the most inappropriate times.
★ She's still got the heart-eating thing going. Okay, nothing new here. But this Awesome Fact is Awesome in itself, so there.
★ She feels insulted when people refuse to admit that Bruce Wayne is the bestest superhero ever.
★ She's got the coolest crew ever: kickass wolf/lynx/tiger/snow leopard guardian spirit? Check. Russian white tiger-shifter/Robocop boyfriend? Check. Friends that include an owl, a fox, a wolverine, a wolf, a coyote and a leprechaun? Check.

I'm sorry. This is impossible to resist. I'm in complete and utter love with Awesome Jade Crow, her Awesome Crew, their Awesome World and this Awesome Series.

➽ Court dismissed!




• Book 1: Justice Calling ★★★★
• Book 2: Murder of Crows ★★★★
• Book 4: Hunting Season ★★★★★
• Book 5: Heartache ★★★★★
• Book 6: Thicker than Blood ★★★★
• Book 7: Magic to the Bone ★★★★
• Book 7.5: Harper's Tale ★★★★
• Book 8: Dungeon Crawl ★★★
· Book 9: River of No Return ★★★★
· Book 10: Balancing the Scales ★★★★

[Choko · Rating 4 out of 5]

*** 4 ***

Well, the third book in this series is even better than the second one, which in itself was an improvement on book one. Still on the short, novella side, but just long enough to have excitement and not get tedious. This time Jade the Sorceress gets some action on home field. The Alpha of Alphas of the Wolf Shifters has died and the rest of the alphas are in town to chose who is going to replace him and keep the negotiations of The Peace valid. However, it seems someone does not want the Peace to continue and is killing humans, while trying to frame the pack. So, Jade finds herself in the middle of more assassination attempts and all out fights, putting herself and her friends in danger...

"...“So much for hoping we were going to wreck some love tryst. Why couldn’t my life be full of sex instead of violence?” ..."

I love how she constantly comes up with little sayings like that:) She is a big fan of TV shows and nerdy YouTube videos:) I am definitely continuing with the series, particularly since she is ramping up her readiness for battle! You go kick some ass, girl!

"...“Chain lightning,” I said. “When you absolutely, positively got to kill every last motherfucker in the room, accept no substitutes.” ..."

I wish you all Happy Reading and many more wonderful books to come!!!

[carol. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the moment where self-control kicked in and I cut myself off for the night. I also caught on to Amazon's devious pricing policy: first on was 99 cents, the second was $1.99, the third was $2.99 and the fourth was $4.99. okay, so maybe my self control was assisted by realization that Amazon was being blatantly exploitative

This one feels like a Scooby-Do episode; the villain doesn't surprise anyone and teamwork saves the day.

:

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best of the three.
My original plan was to walk away after this one but it's good enough that I'll keep going.
But I'm already over the bad guy who is lurking in the background.
She needs to get a wiggle on. I'm not going to read 10 books and still have no progress on that sub-plot.

[Ambrosia · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. These are not full books and are overpriced at $3.99. This one took a little over an hour to read.

If a book is like a movie, these installments are like a TV episode. It has a complete story, but it lacks depth and complexity.

And the heroine is a little too much. Too beautiful. Too instantly loved by the hero. Too powerful. Too unkillable. It gets too predictable and easy for her to prevail. There don't seem to be real consequences.

I bought the first 3 all at once. Or I would have stopped after book 2.

[Charlton · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Alpha in this territory has died.He kept the peace with all the other packs.Now it's time for a new leader among the packs,and with that inherent trouble.
And Jade Crow (Human Sorceress) is right in the middle.How she even gets involved,well it's in the book.

Probably the most fun book in this series so far because it dealt with werewolves.

[Beige · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining series read with the MacHalos

[Diana Stormblessed · Rating 3 out of 5]

So far my favorite in the series. 3.5 stars. I'm glad they're getting better. Have high expectations for the next one.

[Elena Linville-Abdo · Rating 4 out of 5]

 Stars: 4 out of 5

The next installment in the Twenty-Sided Sorceress series doesn't disappoint! More action, more awesome friendship and found family shenanigans! I love the fact that our protagonist isn't a lone wolf or a woman-hater like some other urban fantasy heroines. Jade has friends, including female friends (shocker, I know) that she genuinely likes and cares about, and who care about her. I love that she calls Harper "furball" and can joke around with her. That she trusts her with all her secrets, even the most heavy ones, like Samir. That she trusts her enough to tell her about killing the assassin and eating his heart. And that Harper is there to support and help her. 

And I love Rosa and all the people in the mishmash family that is the Henhouse. I am a sucker for real, non-dysfunctional family stories, and this one is right up my alley. I love protagonists who have a solid support system and friends.

As far as the story goes, apart from the assassin that Samir sent to kill Jade and carve out her heart, the events have nothing to do with Jade Crow. The Alpha of alphas of the wolf clans has died of old age, so all the other alphas are fathering in Wylde to elect the new Alpha of alphas and reaffirm the Peace. As I said, nothing to do with Jade, who would love to stay out of it, thank you very much. Until a couple horrific killings get her involved into this whole messy affair. And when her found family is threatened as a result of it... well, all bets are off then. Head will roll and hearts will be eaten.

A couple things grated on me, that's why this is a 4 star instead of 5 star read.

The villain in this one was super extra, on the nose, evil. I mean, there wasn't a single redeeming quality to her. When I was reading this, I actually hoped that the author would reverse the stereotypes and make her one of the good guys in the end. One of those gruff and burned out agents who have seen so much bad stuff in their career that they automatically suspect everyone, but who have a strict moral code. I'm sad that it didn't happen. That would have been an interesting character to follow, and another possible ally for Jade's inevitable confrontation with Samir. Instead, we got what we got. 

My other problem is that we still know very little about sorcerers and why they are so feared and despised. Granted, Jade isn't a typical sorcerer, but there is nothing despicable about here. The only other sorcerer we know about is the serial killer that she eliminated in the first book. Was he evil because he was a sorcerer, or was he a serial killer first and sorcery just gave him means to the end? No explanation is given. And because of this lack of background and explanation, the reaction of the people in Wylde when they discover who Jade really is seems a bit over the board. After all, they were perfectly civil to her for the five years she lived there before. 

But despite those few misgivings, I continue to enjoy this series. The books are a fast and fun read through and through. I am definitely picking up the next one to see what else is in store for Jade and her little found family at the Henhouse.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars... Things are starting to heat up in this series... Jade is still reeling from her choices regarding her birth family and the consequences that resulted... In addition, her love life appears to have stalled without explanation, her sociopathic ex continues to hunt her down, and now the werewolves are taking over the town in search of a new alpha... With pack politics taking centerstage, the last thing Jade needs is a mysterious death surrounding humans and all evidence of foul play pointing directly to the wolves... As events unfold, Jade is pulled deeper and deeper into her own power and attempting to keep those she loves safe from inevitable destruction... Tons of action, solid family foundation, and touches of humor to round it all out... I am really enjoying this series and all it has to offer:)

[Elinor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twenty-Sided Sorceress BR with the MacHalos AND the FBR copycats ;p
It may very well be me but I found the pacing strange in this one. However I love Jade and her universe and I loved this book, had a great time reading it :)

[Marguerite (M) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating : 4 stars

- Batman rules.
- Yummy-russian-tiger-give-him-to-me is back.
- The happy-stupid-go-lucky-backup-crew is still awesome.
- I still don't get most of Jade's jokes.
- The wolves are in da place and pretty much useless. Or psychotic killers with automatic guns.
- Jade is turning more ultra badass and she does not even need to breath.
- Did someone say dragon?
- She can't eat cupcakes anymore, I thought I would cry.
- Does she have any clean/unripped clothes anymore?

*whisper* See how my reviews are getting shorter and shorter?

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was much better than the previous installment. I'm looking forward to reading book four as soon as I can get my hands on it.

[Aarann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well this book's page count was quite a bit longer than the last two, possibly by an additional 100 pages or so. While I'm grateful to the author for not adding filler to the previous ones, the difference was pretty obvious. I still didn't feel a whole lot of chemistry between the characters, but they started to feel like something other than cardboard cutouts. I wish the town Jade lives in had gotten this kind of attention in the first book. As it was, we only met her, her love interest, her closest allies, and the guy everyone realized right away was the bad guy in that book, and I think it would have benefited from a few "slice of life" type of pages.

Once again, in this one you realize pretty quickly who the bad guy is, if not quite their motivation right off the bat. Jade also gets a bit of character growth as she navigates her powers and whether they or her actions make her inherently evil. As for the love interest, even though Alek felt more like a person than a cut-out, I don't think this author is ever going to make me feel the chemistry I want to between Jade and Alek... and maybe that's okay. I think I've realized that these books are plot-based rather than character based and I've stopped feeling like something is missing because the books also aren't focused on the people and they go by quickly.

I do feel like Samir is just a total moustache twirling bad guy at this point. I'm half expecting a future book to find Harper tied to some rail road tracks or to a conveyor belt to a live saw mill or something. There is absolutely no point to his attacks being so indirect if he is as powerful as the books indicate. Speaking of power, Jade abilities are referenced as being super-OP, but then she turns into 80s Jean Grey from X-men, where lifting a pencil with her powers causes her to pass out every time.

So these are far from perfect, but they're fun enough, and they're holding my interest. We'll see.

[Margaret Fisk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally posted on Tales to Tide You Over
This is the third book in The Twenty-Sided Sorceress, and like the previous two, it provides both a self-contained story and progress on the overall series arc. This is something Annie Bellet does very well, making each one I’ve read so far satisfying to read as a standalone urban fantasy while raising interest in the bigger picture as well.

I have my sister to thank for reminding me of the books I’d already purchased (she reviewed a different Annie Bellet novel). These novels are on the short side, but they don’t skimp on story or character development. They’re perfect for when I don’t have a lot of time and want a complete tale. Though, with the way book three ends, I really want to find out what’s going to happen in book four. It’s not a cliffhanger as the story is already complete, but there is a grand teaser in the epilogue.

I like how Jade’s character develops in Pack of Lies, or rather, I like that she develops if not necessarily the path she chooses. It is enough to make me curious about how she’s going to swing the crazy balance of her magic, her friends and family, and what she wants to be. I was sad to see Alek, her Justice boyfriend, missing in the beginning, but that doesn’t last long while he brings enough complications, and on multiple levels, to make the delay worth it.

Avoiding spoilers, I have to say a lot changes in this book, the kinds of changes that shift the whole landscape. This is important because one of the reasons for a long break between each book comes from past experience with series where I binge read and end up losing what I loved about the series as the patterns become obvious. There are some patterns in the first three, but they’re more thematic than repetitive. The new elements introduced in Pack of Lies seem to indicate the series will not fall back on old patterns but rather find different angles each time.

The dynamic of Jade and her band of loyal friends, including her boyfriend, is still going strong. There are humorous, smart alec moments to balance out the, at times graphic, violence, and many cute geek culture references for the reader’s amusement. I especially enjoyed the Tetris reference as it connects to my own experience with using the game’s lessons in real life.

The elements that drew me in are present and accounted for, while the stakes are high in this book, and the list of new and interesting villains continues to grow. I suspect it’ll take me a long time (possibly until Bellet ends the series) to grow tired of these characters and their struggles. It’s well worth the read.

[Beth Tabler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let's hear it for independent publishers and let's hear it for writers who get better and not worse from book to book. Specifically, Pack of Lies by Annie Bellet. I thought the first book in this series was serviceable. Decent. Fun, but obviously Anne Bellett was snuggling in, and getting comfy with these characters.

Book three, Pack of Lies is an entirely different and better offering than the first two books in the series. She is happy with the personalities she has created and they just keep getting better and better. The love angle is also a whole lot more enjoyable to read and more believable. He is not some cardboard cutout but is evolving into a more fleshed-out person.  Less of a go-to hot guy and more of a person with feelings and personality.

As far as the story goes, I think Anne Bellett excels at both pushing the main story forward inches at a time while having a contained separate story arc for each book. This is no exception.

"Recovering from a broken heart and coming to terms with her family history, all sorceress Jade Crow wants is to resume running her comic book store and gaming with her friends. With a town full of strange wolf shifters, a hundred-and-fifty-year-old peace accord hanging in the balance, and the Justice who broke her heart back in her life, Jade’s plans go out the proverbial window.

Wolves are killing wolves, innocent human lives are caught in the crossfire, and not everyone in town is who they appear to be. As the bodies stack up and the doubts build, Jade and her friend's race to find the true killer. "

Talk about exciting action. Wolves, 150-year-old peace accord, and a weird baddy to deal with; this story really had it all. I totally dug it.  Plus it was short and mighty. Perfect for winding a couple of hours in the afternoon away. Check out Pack of Lies.

[JoEllen]

Okay, these books are short, but they're mighty. The characters are interesting, the twists are intriguing, the storytelling is smooth, and the writing is not annoying. The next in the series is due out December 9, 2014. That's a little more than three weeks away. I am looking forward to what trouble Jade and her friends will find next.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was great to get back to this series, I really enjoy how fun it is with all the gaming/pop culture references as well as all the urban fantasy action plus a long arc that is really revving up to boot. So very many things that I enjoy! Can't wait to get to book 4.

[Maraya21 (The Reading Dragon) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

You know the drill: RTC!

*sigh*

[Riotkittin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why are they so short?! Please Annie, write longer books!

[Anthea · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stories are developing really well, and I'm quite into it now.

[OhWell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was lukewarm towards the first book, saw improvement in the second, and now that I finished the third one, I can definitely say the series has grown on me.

[Derek · Rating 4 out of 5]

See my review of the  omnibus: The Twenty-Sided Sorceress Series, Books 1-3

[Leather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good entertainment. With a fairly solid universe and good characters, it's quality Urban Fantasy, fast-paced and action-packed. The humor is present but not too heavy.
This third episode is necessarily longer than the previous one, which was itself longer than the first. But for once, the length is not synonymous with boredom and endless introspections.
I'll read the next one.

[Patrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Though the difference isn't as drastic as it is from book 1 to 2, this book is a big improvement from the previous installments in the series. The mystery plot actually sounds like an intriguing hook with a murder that has several unexplained oddities to it and a personal tie to Jade and Alek. The prose is much improved from the previous books as well. The jokes still aren't too funny, but at least it's not quite as annoying with overbearing contrived nerdy references. The romance element is more emphasized, which is odd bcuz as Jade herself notes, we still don't even know much of anything about Alek and he's just as boring a character as that might imply. Some of the side characters are almost offensive in how stereotypical they are. This is most painful with the Japanese man who is of course a ninja assassin. Also in that sequence, Jade continually tries to mention things about Japanese language and culture to come off cultured and learned, but the facts she mentions are so basic, it makes you wonder if the author's research ended at the top screen of the wikipedia
page for "Japan." The climactic action sequence wasn't all that great in this book and is the only aspect that got a bit worse since the previous books. This in part is due to the fact that Jade is near-invincible, as she regularly reminds the reader, which takes away a lot of the tension.
I read this book because I got the first three books of the series in a bundle and they were quick enough reads that it wasn't all that hard to get through them. It's genuinely impressive how much better the author has gotten from book to book. But ultimately, this book still feels pretty mediocre. I have some hope that the next books (of which there are quite a few) might improve further to eventually make for a decent book. Assuming they're similarly cheap and short, I may give them a try, but I can't say I'm in any hurry to get to it.

[Megan Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this on Audiobook so Wulf vs Wolf was confusing to me. Considering Wulf had just died, there were a few alarming moments involved. Also, a wolf shifter named Wulf is a bit on the nose.

Maybe I'm just not into the local color, but it seems like this book was a major backslide from the last one. Also I'm not so into the hot and cold relationship between the protagonist and her lover, Alek.

We're on book 3 and I still don't feel like I know Harper well enough to really care what happens to her, which is unfortunate because I really love the idea of her.

Anyway, I can't think of anything particular about the references that's done poorly. They are well timed, done in relative moderation, and say something about the caracter, but I guess I'm just not into the idea of references in general. Not the kind of reader that enjoys them.


I also feel like the fact that the protagonist can't die unless you take her heart makes her a little overpowered and kind of hamstrings the tension of these books. It feels like at least once per novel there's a moment where the protagonist has to go out of her way to go "I know I can't die but I don't want to be hurt this badly because _".

The fact that she can explicitely probably regrow limbs undercuts it farther. They were immortal in Highlander, sure, but a removed hand stayed off so there was always at least a little tension.


Basically, these books aren't bad but I'm not sure they're for me so it's kind of up in the air whether or not I'll be continuing at some point but I'm certainly not going to be right now.

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book should definitely be read in order. It starts a few months after the second book ended. The alpha wolf of alpha wolves has died and a shifter has gone missing. Jade is asked to help find her and it turns out a lot more is going on than a gathering of alpha wolves. At the same time, Jade comes under personal attack and this puts her friends in danger. She feels guilty about that and yet her friends won't let her avoid them for their safety. It turns out this is just as well as they are all needed to deal with the trouble that has some to the wolf shifters.

Jade learns a bit more about herself and her power, though it is more a suggestion than anything. She has to face her fear of her power in this book, but she's only making an initial stab at that. In addition, Jade's situation in town changes and that will have repercussions in future books. I appreciated that despite the fact that these are short (novellas), that the story is developing and Jade is having to learn, grow, and make changes.

I listened to the audio of all three of the first books in this series and really enjoyed the narrator. I'm hoping that the rest of the books will be recorded using the same narrator some time soon.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I guess the problem with falling for a guy who metes out justice for a living is that you never know if he's disappeared because he was called away on a job or because of something you did. In Jade's case, she was blaming herself for what happened up on the reservation and she pulled away from everyone for a while after. While Harper and her other friends have managed to pull her back into the world of the living, Alek hasn't been seen or heard from in a month.

Until he walks through Jade's door and asks for help.

Jade being Jade, she jumps in with both feet. There's a little blood, a little death, and a lot of avoidance going on. Plus, Jade doesn't trust herself after being lured in by Samir's trickery last time.

Figuring out who the killer is is only the start of things. (PS. I'm digging Alek. I always thought Iw as more of a wolf-girl, but that tiger works for me.)

-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal

[Shera (Book Whispers) · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's this huge thing that annoys me in Urban Fantasy books, especially PNR. What is it? When the lead and the love interest have more relationship happening off the pages. Such as Mercy and Adam from the Mercy Thompson series. They had ten years to know each other prior to the start of the series, so for me it meant I wasn't involved in their romance. Briggs had to bring it now, during the current timeline. Not just saying they had all this history. Well The Twenty-Sided Sorceress series is doing this. There's some time between books, while not a huge amount, it's still enough that we're missing parts of Jade and Alek's relationship. In the case of Murder of Crows and Pack of Lies I think we missed some key things. Especially since Alek leaves and the two kind of seem to be broken up.

So when the big heart on the sleeve moments happened, I was all “Ahhhhhhhh, so sweet.” But my heart wasn't in it. I'll need more time for them to become a real couple.

Now, my last true gripe. Editing. Editing. Editing. It's really clean for the most part. However, there is some awkward wording. No it was not slang. The biggest oopsie was a wrong word moment, that was kind of awkward. Ha-ha. I wish I would have highlighted it because it totally made my day. Yes, I know my reviews and posts have errors. Heck, I have a better time spotting errors on someone else's work all the time. Still, I think just beta readers would have been able to catch those. Overall though Annie Bellet has some of the cleanest self pub books for editing quality. So thank you.

Gripes done.

“He said that the Punisher would kick Batman's ass in a fight”

. . .

“Then put you hand here and repeat after me,” I said indicating the slipcase. “I solemnly swear that Bruce Wayne is the bestest superhero ever and I will never profane his name or legacy by suggesting anyone could kick his ass. Because they can't. Because he is the fucking BATMAN.”

Ah, I do love the humor and whit behind these books. As I've said some of the nerd goes over my head, but a lot of it I get and I just love it!!! Ha-ha, the Spider-Man joke about a certain famous quote just tickles me. Everyone always talks about how quotable Ilona Andrews' works are. Well I'd say this series is just as much so.

“Yep. Definitely worth risking life, limb, and heart for.” - Jade

Even though my heart wasn't in the romance, Alek and Jade are a very cute couple and they balance each other out well. Not to mention that I love how they openly talk with each other and concede when they're wrong. So there is that.

“So much for hoping we were going to wreck some love tryst. Why couldn't my life be full of sex instead of violence?”

Pack of Lies was a great mystery! While it's kind of clear from the introduction who dunnit, it was an interesting concept and a better look into Justices. Maybe we'll get to meet a new one each book? That would be bad ass.

“You don't feel good because you are good.”

Pack of Lies was a great way to find out about Jade's moral ground and where she stood. After Murder of Crows a few things where up in the air for me at least.

“Magic for sorcerers is something we are, not just something we do. Unlike a witch or warlock or other human spell-user, we own the raw power—we are the raw power. Which meant if I could conceive of it and channel enough power into it, whatever it was, I could make it happen.

The mental game was the issue.”

Now, I've been iffy about a sorcerer's powers. Because of that whole “conceive” it part, then they can do it. But it doesn't seem like her power works that way. Because she can't just heal. No. In fact, she has to pull from the memories of the hearts she's ate to do the spells she wants. Her tracking spell and other things fine. So I'm thinking it's more of a short cut thing? She still has to use the bases to make spells, but can skip a few steps. Because if you conceive it and make it happen, why do you have to even do rituals or anything? Shouldn't you be able to draw a random symbol and believe that it will repel something? Or is it more that Jade can't do the mind over matter bit?

So I like that it's confirmed that Jade has some inner power which she's been instinctually afraid of. Though that's kind of annoying. It feels like almost every main character has some special thing locked away that they're not ready for. They suddenly awaken it and then “Got back to sleep” and we're teased for a while. Though I think whatever is up with Jade is going to be very cool. It would just be nice if Jade was a powerful sorceress who needed to grow with experience.

Overall another great entry into a super fun series! The characters, humor, and fun of each book just keeps getting better. Especially as we learn more about everyone. I love the introduction of the new characters and the end, and I'm very curious as to Tess's role in the whole thing! Samir feels like an epic build up of a villain, kind of like the Marvel Universes' ones. Let's just hope he doesn't pitter out, or get defeated, like those ones do.

Content Warning: Mild sex scene and sexual humor. Some murder and mayhem. Nothing super graphic though. (Oh, I guess I should mention that there are some homosexual characters, I like how realistic they are.)

3/5- Adored it, just a few minor details held it back.

Originally reviewed at Book Whispers.

[Koffe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome really loved it action packed story driven and character build all in one book. I was very surprised with how good this book was compared to the previous one. It had everything I hadn't expected and sort of blew my mind a little. Since I had extremely low expectations on this series I was very happy about the turn around.