Late one night, a teenaged witch witnesses her uncle perform a forbidden ritual to summon a demon. His carelessness results in the demon breaking free and being released into the world. Drawn to the young witch's powers like a shark, the demon is only temporarily thwarted when she manages to escape.
Felix Slade is a wizard living far from the family he grew up with. Recently he's been unable to sleep as night after night a beautiful young witch is stalked by a demon in his dreams. Each night, new details are exposed and Felix is soon convinced that it’s up to him to prevent the woman’s demise. The dreams reach a critical point when Felix’s own family is threatened by the violence he’s sure is yet to come.
With his sister and the woman he loves by his side, Felix rushes to face the greatest challenge he’s encountered yet. There is great darkness inside him and he must choose to embrace or reject it in order to face the demon’s evil.
I think it is the dialogue. There isn't any urgency, even when an actual emergency strikes. There is no passion, no emotion. Words are spoken and emotions are assigned to them, but the words themselves don't convey anything. The visuals are there, but it's a painting that looks like a digital photo.
And, like the first novel, Felix doesn't feel like a man. He's wooden, a puppet that moves his lips and takes actions but has no real gravity.
“Don't pull away from your friends. They are the strength you'll need for what is to come.”
Wicked Folk by Jamie McFarland
4.0/5.0 ~Sequel Notes~ •The Story continues with the same(ish) trend but takes place in a different city. •Relationship drama added for……..some reason? To be fair it isn’t really drama compared to other novels of the same genre, but it just seemed unnecessary. On top of that it does not really go anywhere, just added for angst. •Being able to go to where Felix grew up was a fun trip. The new characters were fun to read and I quickly picked up some new favorites. •Magic was explained a little more here but there are still holes in our understanding. •I can say that I officially missed Clarita this book. •More action here as well. The fight scenes are good, still aren’t the greatest but still well written.
~Final Thoughts~ While the Sequel was not as compelling as the first, Wicked Folk was still a fun ride that took us to a new place with a whole new adventure. Adding new characters, good and bad, made for a fun story as well as lined up our series for the finale.
It would have been grade B- but it did not fully end. It appears it might be serialized with the same undefeatable villain or its cohorts appearing in another book. That's not really acceptable to me.
I like world building. It is one reason I like SciFi. Even in a series, there can be a new world in every book or more frequently. But earth based fantasy with wizards and witches and demons and the like, is not new. It has pretty much all been seen before. The first book in this series had a lot of world building in setting up the locations, people, and situations. This one basically just adds a story with a new villain(s) and a few new characters but in the same settings. I tended to get bored and willingly stopped reading to find something better to do several times. There were no surprises and I even speed read the conclusion.
While I won't read any more of the series, it is very good wizard fantasy and action. So if you like that kind of thing, don't let me put you off. You will probably enjoy the book.
Better than the first, and the MCs angst from book 1 actually makes sense now. Characters remain somewhat flat unfortunately. I enjoyed the occasional pop cultural references that goes over the MCs head, but is usually caught by someone else. Which is good, because at one point I was really really wondering if this was another "Billy and Georgina" naming gaffe.
For those who missed it, Jim Butcher's wife was watching a lot of Ally McBeal when he wrote Fool Moon, which influenced his choice of some of the character's names.
In this second book of the Witch World series, the Wizard Felix has a hair raising (along with the rest of the body) time fighting undead, their necromancers and even a minor demon. His family is more fully explored as well as his personal relationships.
Personally, I really like McFarlane's writing. It flows easily and their character development is very good. He (?) creates complex relationships that seem normal. I will definitely be reading the third book in this series.
This kind of fantasy is not what I usually read or enjoy. However, as I think Jamie McFarlane is a very good SF author (Privateer Tales), I am giving his fantasy a chance. I found this novel to be okay. The story wasn't as engaging as the characters, and I had trouble understanding and keeping straight all of the fantasy elements. I will probably read the next book in the series, not because I care about the story, but because McFarlane is good enough to get my support no matter what he writes.
Wizards, witches shape shifters and demons. What's not to like? Urban fantasy set in contemporary times. Well written and most importantly in this genre, very original in its concept. The coven angle, joining and hedge witch angles, explored in detail, add that extra touch.
Although the book does not transition smoothly with the first book, it is very creative with lots of action. Good character development. Slade has lots of new powers and a cameo appearance of his long lost mother.
I am truly enjoying this series. Strong writing, engaging, realistic characters, and such originality. Can't wait to see where this is going, and certainly hoping there will be more than three books...and that I won't have to wait too long for them.
3 to 3.5 stars, still pretty good, if you liked the first book you should like this one. I am going to shave 1/2 a star off because I did think the first book was better but all in all it was a enjoyable read.
Felix Slade is a wizard. He's having dreams where bad things are happening in his step-mothers hometown where he grew up. He heads back home because he knows it's up to him to confront the young woman and help save his hometown from the evil that lurks nearby.
Second books in a series are often disappointing, this is NOT the case with this series at all. Definitely anxious for the next book can't wait to see what happens next with Felix
Wicked Folk is a four star Paranormal Fantasy that will keep you up all night- in a good way.
I was hooked from the first few paragraphs of this delightful tale of witchcraft and finding one's self. Felix Slade is a warlock who is drawn into a mission to save a dear friend after dreams foretell her death. His love interest, Gabriella, is by his side as he faces his own past and some pretty nasty characters.
The second installment of the Witchy World series is a true stand alone. I have yet to read the first, yet I was engrossed for hours. I read this book in one evening, even though I was scared I was going to hate it.
The witch aspect always has me intrigued about a book, and McFarlane weaves fantsy magic with real life magick so beautifully that I am highly impressed. As a multi-year student of the modern day magickal arts, his use of things a modern day witch would do with fansasy magic is a joy to read. My only point of upset is the use of wizard which is a personal pet peeve, as I believe that all witches are called witches no matter the gender.
The characters are great. I grew to love some and hate others. To me, this is a sign of great story telling. I also found the story to be well paced. It moved well enough to keep me interested to the point that food and basic bodily functions were annoyances that made me have to leave this beautiful story. It was not so face paced as to make me tired, either. McFarlane did a good job of walking that fine line of a well paced story.
Over all, I have few complaints about this book, other than it ended. There are a few grammatical errors, but no more than I'd expect to find in a traditionally published author's work. I found no errors that were bad enough to pull me out of the story, which is rare for me no matter who the author or how they were published.
If you enjoy paranormal, urban fantasy, or stories of magic, you will be well pleased with Wicked Folk!
Great Read, as good as the first Book! Fun, adventure, and she good Plot! Mystery of family, danger, good characters who are well developed. Read the first book first, it will be more fun that way.
Decent writing and story. Not the best ever, but good enough I want to read the next book in the story. I did read the second book in this series without reading the first, so that might have brought it down from great book to decent book in all fairness.
This is a good book and so far a good series. First off, what I didnt like. At some points I was confused due to grammer, as if I am to talk, but it didnt take away from the story at all. I just know that some readers are very critical about this but its not so bad when compared to other writers of late. Like I said confusing but easily to sort out without losing site of the story. What I liked. I love the first person narrative. For me it rocks just like a dresden novel; and btw I am NOT comparing this author to butcher in ANY way. The characters are really good and a good villain is what makes for a good story. The reason I didnt give it a five star was due to the confusion because of grammar but a solid four stars is really good I think. I would recommend this for people who like urban fantasy without all the stupid storyline of a woman who wants to date the werewolf but is dying to date the vamp. You wont get that here and frankly I hate those stories which is why I dont lread much urban fantasy.
Felix Slade feels that all those closest to him, friends and relatives, are his family and that he must protect them even at the cost of his life. He loves Gabriel to the point take his desire not to harm her has a dilatory effect on their relationship. He finds that his guilt in harming his first girlfriend mistakenly has caused an interfering mental block. I like the main characters and their chemistry as well as the story. I like his efforts to help Lace the witch in his dreams as well as the magically ensnared Petaluma and other children. Will Felix be able to control the dark side of his power as it increases? I look forward to the next book.
This was a great continuation of the story to Witchy World and a nice setup for the next one. Another well done series in a similar plot you may enjoy is Elliott Kay and E William Brown. Cheers.
Loved book one in this new series and #2 is even better. Constant action, keeps you from wanting to put it aside. Read it in one day. Bummer...now I have to wait for the next one.
Really enjoying the series, interesting central character and varied and three dimensional support characters. I like that its a male protagonist but still has strong female characters.
Much darker than the first book, but demons and necromancy will do that... . I like the characters that McFarlane creates (even the bad ones). There isn't a huge amount of development, but the interactions of the different characters seems to make up for it. A fun story doesn't hurt either.
McFarlane has made an interesting world and filled it with characters I'd like to get to know better. The conclusion was predictable, but even that couldn't stop it from being good fun.