Muddy Waters

Otherwhere #1

by Sara O. Thompson

Twenty years ago, the boundary between worlds dropped. It will be a while before the political, social, and religious upheaval settles down but the good news is: now you can book a vacation to Valhalla as easily as you can go to Las Vegas. Your real estate agent might be a Wood Sprite. Your mechanic might be a Minotaur. For better or for worse, Supernormals are part of Earth life.

Five years ago, Tessa Reddick was convicted of killing her entire family: 37 Witches from one of the most powerful covens in history. She's been locked up at Lakeland Psychiatric hospital, still grieving but mad as hell at whoever-or whatever-put her there.

Half an hour ago, a handsome FBI agent showed up to spring Tessa from the joint - but there's a price. A series of murders is picking off Supernormals and the feds need the help of the last known Reddick Witch.

Determined to learn who set her up for the fall, help solve the FBI crimes, and maybe get closer to her mysterious (and seriously hot) Dark Elf partner, Tessa is more than willing to play Witchy Nancy Drew.

But Tessa has few friends left and something is coming for her, too - maybe it's the one who framed her and killed her coven, or perhaps a new foe with a taste for Witch's blood.

Solving crimes, doing magic, drinking bourbon. It's dirty work, but somebody has to do it.

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Fiction, Mystery, Paranormal, Romance, Mystery Thriller

272 pages, Paperback

First published April 4, 2017

About the author

Sara O. Thompson’s first attempt at a book was prepared on a Remington typewriter and bore a suspicious resemblance to a famous novel whose title rhymes with ‘Gourd of the Spies.’

In her spare time, she performs improv comedy, tells stories on stage, and loves ballroom dancing. Sara lives in Louisville, Kentucky, with her family.

Reviews

[All Things Urban Fantasy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy

MUDDY WATERS is set in a world where the boundaries between world have been taken down or thinned and an influx of supernaturals have come creating new rules, prejudices, and realities that humans and "Others" have to live with. A lot is going on in this story as it seems this new reality is pretty new as people are still working out the kinks of how to live with people who have magic powers and which law enforcement agency has jurisdiction over what and who. The focus of the story is on a murder mystery that crosses worlds; ours and faerie or as the book calls it, Otherwhere.

Tessa Reddick is a pretty standard smart, underdog sort of urban fantasy heroine with a compelling backstory, just coming out of jail for a crime she didn't commit. Her partner Qyll is kind of interesting and I'd like to know more about his life as an elf in the Otherwhere. Along with Tessa and Qyll, most of the characters were not really fleshed out enough for me to get a true sense of who they are. Perhaps the fleshing out will occur in later books because I'd really like to get to know them better.

I was confused about the timeline of the story. There seemed to be random time jumps that had me going back pages to see if I missed something. Tessa gets out of jail, sets up her business, and then there is a very unclear idea of just how long she has been out until she starts working with the FBI. Has it been a week for her to get settled? Was she working for a few months on small jobs for the FBI before the central murder mystery starts? I don't know. I had the same issue with following the murders. There is one Tessa is doing on her own and one with the FBI. They sort of relate but it was hard to follow and I kept getting confused who was a part of which murder.

Basically, I enjoyed MUDDY WATERS enough to want to see where it goes in future books, but had issues with timing/pacing and fleshing out the characters.

[Anna lost in stories *A* · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review :) I really enjoyed this book :) it's a really good debut novel, that I would probably gave 4,5 stars, but Tessa was such a great main character that I decided to bump it to full 5 stars :) since this is the first book in what I hope will be a great series, I will do my best to describe to you guys the overall premise of the story, as well as share some characters from it, without actually spoiling you stuff :) and it will not be easy ;) because every time I read one of those paranormal / fantasy or something like that stories, it's always hard to describe certain things without actually giving everything away ;) but I will do my best :) so how about we start from Tessa :)

Like I mentioned, Tessa was definitely one of the brightest parts of this story :) I absolutely loved her ;) so what can I say to you guys about her... hmm... Tessa is a witch, what's more important, she's an adult... :) which is awesome for me, cause I am way to old to read books about teenagers... ;) it's not like there's an age when you're not supposed to do that anymore, it's just that much harder for me to identify with very young characters... it's not impossible, but definitely harder... ok, where was I? ;) oh, right... back to Tessa :) she lost her whole family five years ago in a giant fire... a fire that she was accused of setting, and later convicted for... not to mentioned that she was send to a psychiatric facility... we meet her in the present, when she is released from that place under the care of a special unit that takes care of all paranormal events... and let me try to explain what I mean by that :) and it will not be easy, because the world and all sorts of characters in this book are very detailed... so long story short, some time ago, there was a rift, that made the border between our world and otherwhere very thin and... well, certain creatures started passing through those borders... it didn't take long for humans to discover that you can't really stop that from happening... so instead they adjusted their laws, immigration ones and others, and incorporated that in their everyday lives... ;) so this is like an urban fantasy series with some serious paranormal vibes :) it's the best way I can describe it :) I will say a little bit more about all those creatures in a moment, but for now let us go back to Tessa :) I think what I love the most about her, is how resilient she is :) and of course the fact that she's so sarcastic definitely doesn't hurt ;) I love that kind of humor ;) her sassy side is always hilarious to witness... ;) I can't really say much more about her, because her certain character traits are connected to spoilery things that are happening during the book, so how about I'll tell you a bit more about some secondary characters...

And how many there are in this book... ;) there are tons I won't mention by name here, because otherwise we would be here all day... not to mention that in some cases I would spoil you about the importance of certain people before it becomes obvious in the story, and we don't want that, now do we? ;) but I will mention a few... :) and by few I mean two :) first is Qyll, Tessa's partner in that special force unit... they have a name and everything, but to be honest, I forgot what it was and didn't wrote it down... *bad book blogger* ;) he's a dark elf and I am dying to know more about him... he seems very mysterious and thanks to a few teasers here and there, I am now more curious than ever to get to know him... because I'm sure there is a great story there somewhere :) the other creature I want to tell you about is Dorcha, Tessa'a cat... and I do use that term very lightly, because Dorcha is... well, you'll see when you read the book, but it's cool :) the amount of secondary characters was sometimes a little bit overwhelming... not becuase they were boring, far from it :) but because there were so many, there were moments when I had troubles keeping up who's who ;) but throughout the book, once you get a bit more infromations, things become much clearer... :)

The whole book was written from Tessa's perspective, which definitely helped me to bond with her as the main character... but let me tell you... oh, what I would give to be able to get at least a little sneak peek into certain someone's head *coughs* Qyll *coughs* :) I definitely loved the writing style in general :) even though the vast and detailed world filled with so many interesting characters was sometimes hard to follow I adored the interactions between them... those scenes were definitely the best part of the story... the dialogues in particular :) another reason why I love Tessa: her witty side :) I am definitely impressed especially if you remember that this is a debut novel :) I can highly recommend you guys this original story :) I will definitely be looking forward to all future works by this lovely author :)

XOXO

A

[Sem · Rating 3 out of 5]

tl;dr at the end

To put it bluntly: Muddy Waters is this fantasy-drenched murder mystery that's heavy on murder but light on the mystery.
A lot of people have said that the novel takes a unique world and fills it with forgettable one-dimensional characters, which I highly disagree with. Sure, the characters are flat and their motivations are about as deep as a puddle. But where is that "unique world" that got so much praise?
The book is set in a universe where a rift between the magic world of Otherwhere (gah) and the normal Earth has caused a severe shake-up in everyone's lifestyle. Federal agencies now have to govern (and employ!) werewolves, witches and elfs; magic exists and is used regularly; cats and dogs living together, mass hysteria. This is nothing new, just an inspired patchwork of other famous fantasy world. The concept of two wildly different world converging is still appealing, but it's tough to seriously say that it's original or unique.

Now, the characters, the poor little heroes. Tessa is snarky, her Elf partner is sexy (I could also add that he's a prince, but that has no bearing on the plot whatsoever and is just a bizzare similarity to some Disney films where everyone is royalty and animals are magic), the Red Queen is evil, the religious fanatics are religious. This is not an attempt to describe the characters as concise as possible, this is literally all I can say about them. The only one who could get a pass is the Elf agent, because his characterization is reminiscent of the unfortunate female characters in noir novels: mysterious, sexy, dark (literally in his name!), and utterly pointless arm candy. One would think that we are not living in a world where characters like that are still used. One would be wrong.

After all this negativity it may seem surprising, but I did enjoy this somewhat, mostly when I accepted that this is just a "cozy mystery" novel with a bit more violence and an elf coat of paint. Every single twist is predictable, every plotline climax is anti-climactic, every joke is obvious but still fun. This book is as middle-of-the-road as they get with some good and a lot of bad.

My biggest gripe though is the mystery of "Who killed Tessa's family?". Now, that's a good plot, a serviceable, age-old, time-tested story. It could be an epic chase across several books to see who was behind it. To get revenge, to clear her name etc. Instead, it's anticlimactically revealed at the end of the book and then dealt with in about 20 pages. "Disappointing" doesn't even begin to cover it. This plotline was butchered, by god, it was a bloodbath.

Overall, treat it like a middling "cozy mystery" book and it's okay. Try to read it as a serious fantasy thriller and end up disappointed. The choice is yours.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC

[Rick Gualtieri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a tough one for me. The author has created a world rife with the potential for an untold number of fascinating stories. Unfortunately, the lead in to this series is, much like the title would suggest, a bit "muddy".

The world of Muddy Waters is one that is only slightly removed from our own. It's a world that used to be solely the realm of mankind, with paranormal activity relegated to the shadows. That all changed twenty years ago when "the rift" occurred, an event that thinned the walls between our world and one inhabited by creatures thought to be nothing than legend. In the time since, much has changed - beings from Otherwhere have immigrated to Earth, laws have been passed, and we as a species have had to expand the realm of what is possible.

Enter Tessa Reddick, a witch wrongly convicted of killing her family. Through circumstances we are not made privy to, she's released and recruited into the FBI to help them with cases where her unique perspective could prove useful. Aided by Qyll Toutant, a dark elf FBI agent, she sets out to discover who is behind a series of grisly murders that appear to be linked to Otherwhere.

Unfortunately, whereas the above setup is solid, the story falls short on several levels.

- While I won't claim to be an expert on law enforcement, the use of the FBI in this book just doesn't feel well researched. There's little weight given to protocol, procedure, or their status. More than once the main character flashes her badge, only to be little more than ignored.

- Pacing. A lot happens in this book in very short amounts of space, which unfortunately has the result of occurrences that span weeks being jammed together in the same paragraph. For example: the main character has been jailed for five years when the story opens, most of it in a drug induced stupor. Yet, it bounces forward to her newly won freedom with barely a few words given to the no-doubt traumatic transition that would have occurred.

- Characterization. Tessa is snarky. One assumes she's damaged too by her experiences, but it rarely comes across. Her partner, Qyll, suffers even further ... his characterization essentially being "Hot and doesn't talk much". And these are two of the more fleshed out characters. The rest, a litany of supernatural creatures, suspects, victims, and coworkers, are given little more than a name, a brief description, and some dialogue. There's very little sense that any of these characters are real and as a result it greatly kills any gravitas when one is injured or killed.

- The final fight scene in the book is a bit of a mess with characters teleporting around the battlefield (and not with magic either), appearing in one spot only be somewhere completely different a few lines later. It is the equivalent of literary shaky cam.

All that said, there is a fascinating potential to this world that I would like to see further explored. My hope is that subsequent books slow down the pace a bit and give the characters a bit of time to breathe, grow, and explore their settings.

The scenery that's presented is engrossing. We, the audience, just need to be given a chance to enjoy it.

[Jeannie Zelos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Muddy Waters (Otherwhere 1), Book ONE of the Otherwhere, Sara O. Thompson

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre:  General Fiction (adult), Sci-fi and Fantasy

I was really intrigued by the description, i do like these "crossover world " reads, where our world and the supernatural exist together but in a kind of parallel spacing. And Magic, I love that!
Its kind of a muddled read though :-( some things I liked, but sadly a lot that was just plain confusing and had me backtracking trying to work it out. 
 
When we first meet Tessa she's been incarcerated in a tough prison for five years, much of that doped up and then - wham- the FBI flexes its muscle and she's out. No detox issues given she's gone from one extreme to nothing and no support! 
Somehow given she's still assumed to be guilty of killing her family, and also a very dangerous witch I thought she'd be under more supervision.
I like her and of course we know she didn't do it, but others in the book will still see the conviction and think she's guilty.

The whole FBI thing seems like a device used to get her - and other characters at different times - in a certain place in the story. There's little that connects to real policing, no training, no office meetings and direction, no reports to make. She's more or less left alone to run her shop, except for this one thing they need her for right now. 
 
Her FBI partner Qyll is a Dark Elf. Other than being told he's hot, and picking up that he's a man who uses few words, and has a sort of old fashioned speech style we don't really know much about him.
They don't really spend a great deal of time together, don't act as partners, and I found that hard to believe in. Tessa is just a short while away from maximum imprisonment, regarded as dangerous to a deadly extent, drugged up to a comatose state for much of that, and now she's let loose on the world to track down a murderer, or murderers, without any real guidance, training, directions or input from the FBI and Qyll.
He was a potentially great opportunity that seems wasted. His character has the potential to be so much more. Maybe, hopefully, as the series continues.... 

Of course the murders stack up, everyone except Qyll seems to have a down on Tessa, and despite having no real experience she's more or less left alone to track down the perpetrator(s).
There's lots of action and drama, but it got very confusing at times, and I found one of my pet hates being used too much, where the lead character gets new/unexplained powers just when they're needed most, and when the reader thinks there's no way out for them.
I needed to know more about Tessa, more about what she could do, before I could believe she escaped almost injury free from the multiple conflicts she gets caught up in. 
There's so many characters too that I had to keep backtracking to find out who they were, how they connected, and where they belonged in the story. 
The timing is sometimes a bit strange. There'll be an action packed, drama filled few hours, and then next paragraph we're days or weeks later, without any indication of what had happened in the interval.
Its sounds as if all I have are criticisms and that's not true, these are real issues for me, but the potential for things to work out into a great series is there IMO.
It just needs tidying a bit, better pacing and use of characters and constructs ( the FBI for example).
Set secondary characters in plots that fix them in the readers minds, instead of leaving them wondering "who was that again? Where do they fit it?" when they suddenly crop up.

Its not only a debut story, but a first in series and that's always tough to get right.
I do feel though that there's some unique ideas in this story, a series with a good future here.
I like Tessa's spells, the way they're explained, the way she uses ones developed in childhood - that kind of things works well for me, and I feel then that as they are so ingrained its believable when she pulls them out just when she needs them without barely thinking about them. Kind of how they've become second nature.
More of that kind of thinking for other events would help IMO. 

 Its not billed as Romance, but I get the impression that possibly in the future Qyll and Tessa will get closer to that. and a s a romance lover of course that appeals to me too!   

Stars:Three, a story that for me has a great future but which I feel needs some series tidying and attention to get there. 

ARC supplied for review purposes by Netgalley and Publishers

[Anne Szlachcic · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise of this book was very promising ............ unfortunately the story follows the title 'Muddy Waters'.
The world the story is set in is very different from the one twenty years earlier - a 'rift 'occurred which allowed creatures from the Otherworld to cross over into the realm of mankind and visa versa.

The story starts with our heroine , Tessa Reddick , being released from a high security mental institution by the FBI .
She had been sent there for the murder of her family and coven five years earlier and kept heavily sedated , a crime for which she is innocent .
WHY has she been been released ? we are not told !
A series of murders have taken place - 'para-normals' are being killed in gruesome ways - how can the FBI use Tessa to catch those responsible ?
Tessa is paired with a FBI dark elf, Qyll, to look into the murders using her unique 'witch' talents , whilst at the same time trying to find who killed her family .

The problem however is that the book jumps from place to place and timeline to timeline .
The characters are less believable because no real reason is ever given as to why Tessa was released and how she manages to go from a sedated mental patient to running her own business and running hither and thither into the Otherworld and back .

The potential for a series is good if the author can flesh out the characters, to allow them to grow and build a more believable 'World'.
I was given an Arc of this book by the Publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review .

[Marjolein (UrlPhantomhive) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com

Sara O Thompson’s novel Muddy Waters, the first in the new Otherwhere series, gives us a world that has changed. Boundaries dropped and now the humans and the Others, which is basically everything else, have to find a new way of dealing with this knowledge. The nicest thing of this novel is that these things haven’t settled completely yet. Since the change is so recent, people are still trying to figure out how to do things in this new world.

Meet Tessa Reddick, a Witch currently incarcerated for killing all of her coven and female family members. As she’s offered a job at the FBI investigating crimes involving Others, she gets a new chance at life, but she will also have to deal with her past, which everyone else hasn’t forgotten.

What I really liked, as I stated before, is the world. A lot is going on, especially in the background, and I have a feeling that this will become more important in the rest of the series. I’m already looking forward to it. Tessa is a nice main character, but to me she still misses something to make her really memorable. If there is anything the urban fantasy genre is rich in, it would be strong female characters. The story focuses on a murder mystery that crosses worlds, quite literally, but in the end is not the strongest point of the book.

Very enjoying read, but missed the little something extra to make it really special. Looking forward however to the rest of the series as the world is very interesting!

Thanks to the publisher for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

[Kriselda Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Note: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for free in exchange for an honest review.

I was really impressed with this book. When I started reading it, initially I was struck by several similarities between this book and the "Black Dog/Gemini/Lorimar Pack" books by Haley Edwards in that - like them - it too deals with a rip between our world and another where creatures of fantasy exist, and stars a half-human/half-other law enforcement officer dealing with cases that affect both realms. As I got further in two the story, however, I found similarity was only superficial, and that "Muddy Waters" is quite original in plot and in the structure of the universe in which the story takes place.

I really enjoyed the characters in the story, and Thompson has created an interesting and likable team to center the plot on. I also very much appreciated the balance she maintained between the mystery that forms the meat of the book's plot and the overarching mystery that – presumably – will be further explored in the next book or books in this series.

The central mystery of this story is full of twists and turns and yet the pieces make sense when the puzzle is put together. As for the overarching mystery that will connect all the books in the series, rather than just offering a few cryptic dribs and drabs here and there, Thompson digs into the meat of this larger plot and brings it to an initial resolution while still ensuring there is enough left to keep you interested in and curious about what's going to happen next. I just hope it won't be too long before we get to find out.

[Robb Hoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Otherwhere is otherweirdly mesemerizing!

When the going gets weird, Tessa Reddick gets going…that is, once she is conscripted into the Supernormal Investigations unit of the FBI upon release from her wrongful psychiatric confinement for killing her entire family of witches.
From the outset of Muddy Waters (Otherwhere), author Sara O. Thompson conjures supernatural thrills that range from grisly and trippy to deranged and dazzling. Her witchy heroine hurtles herself through a first-person narration that is steeped in the otherworldliness of the Otherwhere realm where all manner of ‘supernormal’ entities dwell.
Scenes shift back through “The Rift” between worlds to the landscape of a contemporary Louisville, Kentucky that teeters at the cusp of hellish dystopia infused with black magic.
The novel stages a backdrop of political and religious intrigue that enriches the quest of Special Agent Reddick both to learn the truth about how her family was murdered and solve increasingly bizarre murders before it’s too late for all of humanity.
Despite the often violent and graphic story, Thompson also weaves humor and hilarity throughout this grimoire memoir in which the pages almost seem to turn themselves!

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tessa is the protagonist of this story. As the synopsis indicates she is a Witch and in jail. The story begins with her being hired by the FBI and getting a "out of jail" card. They help her set up the shop she had before and she is expected to work her first case right away. At the same time she works her own case she picked up.

As characters the most I connected to and liked were Tessa, her familiar Dorcha (the panther), Qyll (the elf) her FBI sidekick and the Red Queen demon although she is one of the villains.

Omg golems! This was fun!

I am definitely continuing the series.

[Kenneth Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Witches, Elves, Vampires and Werewolves combine in a story woven around Earth and a mystical space called "Otherwhere". The author has done a fine job of worldbuilding with places, events, myth, history, and more. The tale is standard, yet different. Girl in wrong place wrong time gets blamed for destruction. Flash forward and she still is trying to find out exactly what happened. Throw in the always present antagonist; coworker; mean boss; and others, and you have a great story stemming from a different tack.

[Kristi · Rating 2 out of 5]

The potential was there, but it just didn't quite make it.

[Raz]

DNF at 50%

[Adriana Arrington · Rating 5 out of 5]

A rollicking fun read! Thompson has created an intriguing world where magic, humans, and paranormal entities all co-exist on Earth and also on "Otherwhere" - an alternate dimension from which all supernatural powers originate.

Main character Tessa Riddick (a witch wrongly accused of killing her entire family) teams up with Dark Elf Qyll Toutant of the FBI's Supernormal Investigations Department to solve a string of murders targeting "supernormals." Romantic tension crackles between the two. During their investigation, they run into plenty of obstacles - not the least of whom is the Holly King (basically a super-sexy Santa figure brimming with magical powers. HELLO, Santa!).

Thompson's cast of characters is unique and fascinating, and I'm happy to know that I'll learn more about them in the sequel. Muddy Waters has a very satisfying ending but is also a great introduction to a series. Looking forward to the next Otherwhere novel!

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Yara · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun urban fantasy! The protagonist Tess is released by the FBI from a mental institution after being there for five years for being accused of murdering her entire family. But she was framed. So she works supernatural cases for the FBI while trying to find who killer her family and framed her. There were a few things I didn't understand, like how religion works after the Rift (or that the author poked fun at certain religious groups), but otherwise it was an enjoyable read. I especially liked the Otherwhere scenes. And of course, the dark elf Qull. Would've loved to see more of him. I can't wait to see what happens next.

[MayBook · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 stars

In general I liked the story, but the biggest problem I had with was that it was confusing. There were so many jumps in the story, and the main character was in my opinion "stupidly smart". She knew a lot about witchcraft (as she was raised in a coven) and Supernormals, but was stupid because most of the time she just jumped right into a situation without thinking just reacting. She would go for one problem into another (the definition of a "jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire") and she had talent for getting more and more enemies (although for most you don't know why). She was FBI but nobody (least of her) cared about that, and the other characters in the story were one-dimensional and kinda boring.

But the world that the author created was interesting and I can see how the world and it's characters could develop and grow into something that could be great (with some tweaking).

[Shh I am Reading Leticia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this eBook from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a wonderful story. It was a great mash up of the modern world and the fantasy world.

This story involves rift between our world and the fantasy world. Where the boundaries between the two have become thinner. And fantasy creatures then come over the boundaries to our world. Some to escape their lives, and some to cause hell. Either way, all kinds of creatures end up mixing with humans and try to blend in.

Tessa is accused of murdering her family and her coven. She is put in a psych-ward and heavily medicated until the FBI springs her. She is then sent on a crash course to becoming an agent to help find out who is murdering the supernatural’s in the human world.

I absolutely enjoyed Tessa. She was full of life and snarky. She told it like it is too. No word was really minced with her. But I guess after being accused of murdering your coven and locked up, knowing you’re innocent, you’d have to keep some sort of honesty about you. I enjoyed that she was a full blooded female who had the hots for her partner, Qyll the Dark Elf. No shame there, ha ha.
Qyll, on the other hand, needed a little more complexity. He seemed to be only there for Tessa to hit on. A little more character building with that character would have made the story even better.

I did have one issue with consistency though. If you’re going to break your main character out of a psychiatric ward where she spent time being heavily medicated and basically ignored, one would need some serious recovery time. Anti-psychotic's are not easy to come off of at all. Detox time would have been needed. The other issue would be that she wouldn’t have a crash course in the FBI either. She would have been brought in as a consultant, because training isn’t a week long thing. I know it’s a story, but a little more consistency and world building would have been nice in that aspect.

I definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a new fantasy read. Especially if you like shows like True Blood, Grimm and Lost Girl.

[Charity · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're into supernatural lore and creatures, then you will be as excited as I am about the first book in this new series, Otherwhere. Witches, golums, vampires, elves, crazy zealots, monsters...they're all here, and Thompson has clearly done her research on all subjects to get it right. There is a great wry sense of humor throughout (particularly from the main protagonist, Tessa) and the plot has plenty of twists and turns. It is a page-turner, fast and fun to read. When dealing with the macabre, as many in the genre do, I felt like Thompson was careful never to go too dark. Tessa may have seen some hard times and messed up stuff, but she typically meets her enemies with with grit or humor, which makes her far more interesting and fun to follow. There's action basically constant throughout. Some of the scenes are really atmospheric and the images Thompson paints really stick with you. Looking forward to the rest of the series!!

[Geoff Strayer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ah, the supernatural.

That could be the whole of the review. Really. This isn't a bad book, I actually enjoyed it. What this is is a lost book. There is a lot happening here, and it seems like the author is trying to cover all the ground possible, without quite landing on one spot.

Which can work - and almost does here. But this somehow just misses the mark. I think it is less the book, and more the plethora of similar themes currently in the market. Some newer, some older, but all just close enough to cloud this book.

So, in Muddy Waters, the world has been suddenly opened to magic and other dimensions of reality. In that suddenly magical world, there is a powerful family of witches that are mostly under the radar, but just powerful enough to attract the wrong sort of attention. They are all killed, and the last survivor, Tessa Reddick, pinned with their murder, sentenced to prison and monitoring by the federal magical watchdog division of the FBI. Not by that name, but still...

Once the murders seem to be starting back up, they pull her from prison, and put her to work solving the crimes. Of course, she is also trying to solve her family's murder, and of course there is a connection. And a cute elf.

Ok, that was a bit of unfairness. All accurate, but not fair. Tessa is traumatized by the murders and time served, and that comes through fairly well. The elf is alien enough to work, with some of the obvious scenes about human/elf attraction tossed in, almost as much because the author wants to as because the audience expects it.

Over the course of this book, I was entertained, but never engrossed. There were too many aspects that I couldn't get into, and too much that I think could have been better developed. By no means is this a bad book - should I review one of those, you'll know. But this just wasn't able to keep me 'in' the book.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved Tessa as a main character, interesting, fun and completely relatable. Plot was really interesting, subplots cropping up and loved the final twist because I was not expecting that at all after what had happened. The world-building was something I really enjoyed, although it could turn into an info-dump at times (Tessa and Qyll at the very start of the novel where Tessa explains about the rift to Qyll was a pretty obvious example). Qyll was also a fairly bland character, who was delayed to crucial plot points in order to give Tessa time to shine. I never really got a sense of him as a character at all.
Did enjoy the book and would be interested in a sequel, mostly for the interesting world-building.

*book received from NetGalley in exchange for honest review*

[Katherine Paschal · Rating 4 out of 5]

The world is a little differnt since the Rift, an event where the human realm and the otherworld realms joined, and magic runs freely, but so do the things that go bump in the night...
Tessa has spent the last five years locked away in a mental asylum for the murder of her family, a crime she claims she never committed. When a man comes to visit her and offers her a chance to go back to her regular life but with the stipulation she has to use her magical gifts to work with the ​supernatural branch of the FBI, Tessa is hesitant of this surprising bit of luck. Add in the fact someone wants her dead, like ASAP, and she has no choice to accept his offer. Since she hasn't practiced magic in years, and she has never investigated anything, she is in way over her head.

​I am always on the lookout for new urban fantasy series to read, so I was really excited to stumble across this book. I really enjoyed the world the author created, blending the supernatural into the mainstream world and throwing some random bits of history in that can now be explained with an otherworldly flair. This was a great start to what I hope will be a many book series because I enjoyed this adventure and I really want to see what will come next in the mess that is Tessa's life. I mean really, even when the girl tries to keep her nose out of other people's business, they show up in the middle of her store (in another realm, but whatever). And her cat...yeah...let's just call it a cat, was one of the many really cool random detail I enjoyed that added depth to the story.

The beginnings of each chapter​ had snippets form real history, fake history, appropriate movie quotes, and newspaper articles pertaining to Tessa's life. I loved reading the random page long whatever the author threw in, giving the book a well rounded and legitimized (you know, for a fictional story) claim to the supernatural. The book was a nice blend of mystery, police procedural (that I have missed in my supernatural, reminiscent of the early days on the Anita Blake book series), complicated twisty supernatural creatures and worlds, as well as the fact the story line and the mystery kept me on my toes and I had no idea what was going to happen next or who was guilty. This was my first book by this author and I will definitely pick up more.

I received this title in return for my honest review. For more reviews visit my blog at http://smadasbooksmack.blogspot.com/