Quarter to the Witching Hour (Paranormal Personnel Saga #4)
During one cold evening Julia arrives to Kate’s home to set things straight with her after their uncomfortable argument from weeks ago. Unfortunately she steps straight into the middle of a deadly ritual, finding Kate unconscious and without a soul. Things go from bad to worse, when a few days later, her own father falls victim of the same curse while investigating a new case on the streets of London. In order to keep Kate and her father alive, Julia needs to find a white witch. A paranormal healer who can mend any living soul and heal any diseases. White witches are hiding away from civilization because of their desired gifts and it’s almost impossible to track them down. The police aren’t doing anything to help and time is running out, Julia takes matters into her own hands. Putting her love life aside, and with Jasper’s help, she reaches out for the most dangerous criminal in London, Gordon Lancaster, a half troll half vampire, who forces her to use her magic to hurt others for information that she desperately needs. But this is only the beginning ….
Joanna Mazurkiewicz was born in Poland. She moved to United Kingdom when she was only nineteen and just finished high school. She had aspired to be a writer upon completion of the Harry Potter series but also enjoyed reading books like ‘Gone with the Wind’, ’Animal Farm’ and ‘The doll’. She graduated from Swansea University with a bachelor degree in American Studies. While studying in the UK she made a decision to start writing fiction in English. The “Whispers of the Sprite” is her first debut novel and she is currently working on other projects. Joanna lives in Cowbridge, a small town in South Wales near Cardiff with her boyfriend Bruce. She enjoys cycling around Welsh countryside some of which has become the settings in her first series.
I always have mixed feelings about this series. I like the concepts and I like the plot, the problem for me is the overbearing dumb, dumb and dumber aspects of the lead character.
The main character is not particularly likable, and absolutely infuriating in the choices she makes, the assumptions that completely lack any kind of logic, and her inability to take any and all advice from people in the know. She also doesn't keep her word.
I don't believe a person could knowingly leap into a scenario that very probably is going to result in GBH/rape/violence. How can this possibly lead to any kind of solution? It's obviously not going to assist anyone? That is if you manage to escape, put aside come out of it sane. It quite obviously doesn't help anyone.
This is added to the reader incredibility that she is head over heels in love that is returned. They have an on/off again relationship,a in between dating others. How abusive to those 'others'. Do you think it's possible to be in a loving relationship and date others? And watch each other with alternative dates? I don't.
This sort of behaviour goes on for 300 pages. So I skipped about 53% of the second half, to the end of the novel. What can I say, except I've managed to still carry on to book 4...
Oh my Gods that was awesome! This series just keeps getting better and better. The books are so well-written and thought out. As well as dam near impossible to put down. This is Julia's continuing story. This time she is single and decided she and Nathanael need to just be friends. Then when her friend Kate and her dad are at deaths door she has no choice but to find a whit witch. And she asks jasper for help. Big mistake on her part as he is still a psycho. But she does not know it but someone is helping her find a cure. And when she finds the witch you will be in for a big shock. Let’s say not all is as it seems. But the last paragraph is my favorite. Not saying you will have to read the book to find out. Now before I ruin this for you I will leave off here. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did. If you do like this book, please consider leaving a review. The Authors really like it when you do; they value your opinions too.
I received a complimentary copy of this book for voluntary review consideration
This is a new author and series for me so I went in with a very open mind.
I am a little on the fence about this book , it was actually a 3.5 read but not a four for me.
The story was good,and I get that it is fantasy (otherwise I would be reading non fiction) but I just wasn't able to completely connect with the characters. Something was lacking for me.
I did enjoy the story for the most part and I do intend to move on to the next in the series. It seems from other reviews that the series in a whole is quite good, and as I have learned from past experience:
Authors grow as they write , sometimes the first book is a 2 or 3 and the rest of the series is a 4 or 5
The only reason I've read the 4th book in this series is because it was free in the Kindle store and I wanted to know if Julia would get back together with Nathaniel.
The idea behind the series isn't bad, but I just can't relate to the main character. She's supposed to be the heroine, but all I could think was that she is anything but. I just don't believe her. She's always saying that she doesn't have a choice, that she has to sacrifice herself and I keep thinking "blablablablabla". I actually find her weak, she keeps making these stupid decisions, trusting the wrong and not trusting the right people.
There are series where the heroine also gets herself mixed in the most difficult situations and where I totally believe how she got there. But this isn't one of those.
Normally I’m a sucker for the non-stop drama-fest kind of stories. For me, it’s like the book equivalent of reality TV. This story managed to stretch even my love of the drama. I have been invested in seeing Julia and Nathaniel as a happily committed couple since book one, but this book made me question if she’s really the right person for him. The speed at which Julia jumps to incorrect conclusions, her willingness to trust people who are completely untrustworthy, her need to do everything herself – against the advice of people whose jobs are to do those things, it all made me long for a different heroine. On the bright side, we get to see how Julia’s powers are growing and we get to watch the super sexy way Nathaniel looks after her. I received a complimentary copy of this book.
This series gets better and better with every book. It also keeps taking turns that I wasn't expecting, which is rare for someone who reads as much as I do. I enjoy watching Julia grow and develop with each book. Her magic, what she is capable of, her relationships with those around her, all of these things keep changing. It's also nice that the books take place over years instead of weeks. It makes it feel like her life isn't just one big crazy ride. In between all the mess, she has some time to calm and rest. This is one series that I won't ever get tired of reading.
The series is not bad, but I can't popper warm up to Julia, good God stubbornness like no tomorrow, all the time she getting into big trouble, because she can take of herself umm, definitely not. I find it a bit extreme that she always thinks that Nate pushed her away, when it is always her, to end the relationship. And she constantly complaining about him, she is not any better. And I can't believe that she trust Jasper more than Nathaniel, very weak thinking. I still like the idea of this storyline and there is a, lot more action going on.
Typos!!! Gah!!!! I don’t normally complain about typos but when they make me reread something because it doesn’t make sense or I feel like I missed something then it’s an issue. The jumping timeline annoyed me. I can’t follow how much time has passed with each book. Julia needs some better self preservation because she doesn’t think and is constantly putting herself it bad situations that could be avoided if she just opened her mouth to someone close.
I don't really know why I keep reading these books. They're like a bad paranormal soap opera. I have to read through a bunch of uninteresting melodrama to get to the answers I'm looking for, but only get more questions. I'm sure that's the point, but I guess I'm not interested enough to want to read ten books of this stuff
Oh let me finish this so I can read the next one. The story line is still getting better. I'm a bit worried though. I think the next one is the last one. No, say it isn't so.
Oh Jullia....... Twist and turns....turns and twist...! Love, obsession, magic,friendships tested! What a page turner! The ex's... forever apart of her life in some way. Enjoying Read... !!!
Someone bewitched Kate and Julia's dad. What will happen to Them? I usually Dont mind super fast plot and twists but here sometomes I felt so confused... Yet im still interested in how this story Would end.
Wow!!!!!!!!!,I never expected anything like what happened in this book.I really thought Julia was going to never find the white witch.Now it looks like she still has to worry about Jasper.Can't wait to read the next book.
Book four in the Witching hour series and the continuation of the on again off again relationship. Sometimes I wish I could reach through the book and just slap Julia for how she is acting on things.
Ok so I’m guess this is the final installment for this series? Well I have to say that I really enjoyed the series, but this was not my favorite installment. Because I fill that everything was rushed. For example the ending, I would have liked to see how Julia and La Caz got back together. She always wanted that question from Nathanial and when he finally asks her, we got the answer and that was the end.
I just have so many questions, like what happened to Jasper? Did he see Julia again, did her father arrest him? Also what ever happened to Quentin? It’s like we heard from him after the second installment but never heard from him again. It just seemed like a lot of pieces are missing from the story. It’s almost like we need an extra chapter, to talk about ever character in the book what ended up happening.
I just wished we could have gotten a little more action and more story before the installment ended. Nevertheless over all it was a great series.
Julia can't seem to keep herself out of dangerous situations. This time she's learned to master her magic...for the most part (unless Nathaniel La Caz is anywhere in the vicinity. In this book, a new dark witch coven comes to town and curses two people close to Julia. Everyone's given up hope. It's up to Julia to find the cure. With help of nefarious super naturals and friends she's set on another course. Will she find the cure in time to save those closest to her? Read and find out!! Oh...and did I mention the ending??? I wanted to do a happy dance in the middle of the night!!!! (The ending has nothing to do with the main plot. No spoilers. Ha! :) ) I'm already reading Book 5... This series is a must-read!
I loved this book. Going into it I wasn't sure if I would like it. I hadn't read a book like this in a while. The characters were great and it kept you guessing. i am definitely going to have to read the other books in this series. if you like suspense and things paranormal it is a must read.
I was totally frustrated with Julia's choices. Nathaniel was an arrogant sneering idiot who had Julia wrapped around her finger. And why did she keep contacting Jasper? SMH
What prompted the 4 rating was Julia's magical growth and perseverance!
Although the back and forth between the main characters is still tedious, this story turned out to be pretty good. The series definitely seems to be taking a little bit more of a darker turn and the change has me interested enough to continue to the next book.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I usually like paranormal books features vampires, witches, fae, ect, but I had a hard time getting past the first three chapters of this book. It was really hard to keep up with all the characters.
I enjoyed reading it. It was fun, exciting, mysterious and suspenseful. It is something I don't usually read but am glad I did. I don't usually read series books as they tend to be cliffhangers. I was given a review copy and voluntarily review it.