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Witchlight
Lustre
A Witchlight Novella
Witching for a living is hard. Witching after your werewolf girlfriend opts for ex is harder. Witching as an escape, now that's impossible. Just ask Nilla Hayes.
It takes a special kind of very bad day to break the one rule that every witch has. Never⸺and I mean never, never⸺work for angels. If breaking up is hard to do, try it while hunting down a dream thief with a mean streak. Add in a very tight deadline courtesy of your unfriendly, neighbourhood supernatural, and even if the job is all expenses paid, it still amounts to a very, very bad day. You can't cash anything from the other side. When you witch in haste...your regrets might make the obituaries.
***
I’m a witch. It does give me a few little tricks up my admittedly very short sleeved summer blouse, but I didn’t know what he was at first sight. That kind of power is beyond most. Anything that can tell what supernatural DNA hides under your seemingly ordinary skin is way up there on the food chain. Yeah, I mean that literally. Sure, I can make a good guess most of the time, but all I saw when the angel approached me was that his aura shimmered and glowed like he’d been rolling around in fairy dust all day.
He was tall, with that slim but masculine type of build that was big in the eighties. His hair was wild and tousled with curls that, in retrospect, framed his head in a golden halo. He was wearing jeans and a bright green t-shirt, looking to all the world like a young man in the early bloom of his twenties. My first concern wasn’t anything supernatural. Looking at him I wondered if he could pay for my services.
His text message hadn’t told me much.
I need some witch work. Interested?
Witching for a living is hard. Witching after your werewolf girlfriend opts for ex is harder. Witching as an escape, now that's impossible. Just ask Nilla Hayes.
It takes a special kind of very bad day to break the one rule that every witch has. Never⸺and I mean never, never⸺work for angels. If breaking up is hard to do, try it while hunting down a dream thief with a mean streak. Add in a very tight deadline courtesy of your unfriendly, neighbourhood supernatural, and even if the job is all expenses paid, it still amounts to a very, very bad day. You can't cash anything from the other side. When you witch in haste...your regrets might make the obituaries.
***
I’m a witch. It does give me a few little tricks up my admittedly very short sleeved summer blouse, but I didn’t know what he was at first sight. That kind of power is beyond most. Anything that can tell what supernatural DNA hides under your seemingly ordinary skin is way up there on the food chain. Yeah, I mean that literally. Sure, I can make a good guess most of the time, but all I saw when the angel approached me was that his aura shimmered and glowed like he’d been rolling around in fairy dust all day.
He was tall, with that slim but masculine type of build that was big in the eighties. His hair was wild and tousled with curls that, in retrospect, framed his head in a golden halo. He was wearing jeans and a bright green t-shirt, looking to all the world like a young man in the early bloom of his twenties. My first concern wasn’t anything supernatural. Looking at him I wondered if he could pay for my services.
His text message hadn’t told me much.
I need some witch work. Interested?
- GenresParanormalMysteryFantasy
196 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 18, 2017
14 people are currently reading
397 people want to read
About the author
Jaime Munn
8 books79 followersJaime Munn lives in a house with too many windows on the outskirts of Manchester, the city of immortal bees. He writes contemporary and urban fantasy stories. His novels blend the real world with his fascination for all things supernatural. By day he is a therapist. By night he is not a vampire.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 10, 2018
I have so much affection for this series. It's just so refreshing and I'm really loving this. And the fact that it's available through Kindle Unlimited is a steal.
In "Lustre" we meet Nilla, a witch, that's just broken up with her werewolf ex and is feeling pretty down trodden. One of her jobs is providing witchery services to other paranormal beings and, in this case, she's given a mysterious assignment from an angel. That assignment leads her to the small town of "Whisper Falls" and the characters that lie within.
Genre-wise the story is part paranormal fantasy, part mystery, and more or less the beginning of a heroes journey. Though Nilla is lesbian this is in no way a romance. There's not even a romantic love interest but we do get to see a budding friendship take off. It's also a series where the lead has ethnic diversity which I appreciate.
I mentioned in my review of "Bump" that though this book is written by a male (and a white male at that), in no way can I tell. He clearly loves his characters and THAT I can definitely tell.
What do I love about the series? It's completely original, the characters are excellent, and the plot lines are unpredictable. Each story I've read in this series has been clever and light, despite any sinister elements, and Nilla is just a fantastic and lovable narrator. The writing is vivid so I always feel I'm actually stepping into the locations the author sets and I can feel and see Nilla's perspective in a tactile way.
If you want to read the series, the books/stories go in this order:
1) Lustre
2) Gloam (free short story on author's site)
3) Bump
Recommend! 4.5 stars
In "Lustre" we meet Nilla, a witch, that's just broken up with her werewolf ex and is feeling pretty down trodden. One of her jobs is providing witchery services to other paranormal beings and, in this case, she's given a mysterious assignment from an angel. That assignment leads her to the small town of "Whisper Falls" and the characters that lie within.
Genre-wise the story is part paranormal fantasy, part mystery, and more or less the beginning of a heroes journey. Though Nilla is lesbian this is in no way a romance. There's not even a romantic love interest but we do get to see a budding friendship take off. It's also a series where the lead has ethnic diversity which I appreciate.
I mentioned in my review of "Bump" that though this book is written by a male (and a white male at that), in no way can I tell. He clearly loves his characters and THAT I can definitely tell.
What do I love about the series? It's completely original, the characters are excellent, and the plot lines are unpredictable. Each story I've read in this series has been clever and light, despite any sinister elements, and Nilla is just a fantastic and lovable narrator. The writing is vivid so I always feel I'm actually stepping into the locations the author sets and I can feel and see Nilla's perspective in a tactile way.
If you want to read the series, the books/stories go in this order:
1) Lustre
2) Gloam (free short story on author's site)
3) Bump
Recommend! 4.5 stars
June 22, 2018
Lustre sets the stage for Nilla Hayes and the Witch Light saga.
Reading this novella out of order actually added to my enjoyment. Bump tells an interesting story and Lustre makes a lovely introduction. Nilla Hayes has a strict policy concerning her witchcraft practice. No angels, no how and no way. Angels are apex predators in the supernatural world. Of course, a being infused with power and immortality isn't likely to take "No!" for an answer. Once Nilla is tagged unwillingly, all bets are off and her work leads the way forward.
Chasing an errant dream thief out of the city and into Whisper Falls, Nilla wastes no time since she doesn't have any to spare. In line for coffee, Livia Darrow stakes her claim on Nilla's future friendship. Livia makes plans and follows Nilla as she chases her target to an abandoned lighting shop. The dream thief is checking out the property with a real estate agent. Nilla tries to transfer the Angelic tag, but can't. There are forces at play that no one bothered to explain.
Lustre, like Bump, is filled with intriguing characters and an otherworldly show down. Nilla should be outmatched and ripe for a cosmic asskicking, but she shines in her role as heroine. It was fun to watch the various pieces of the puzzle, so crucial to Bump, come together in Lustre. However, it suffers in comparison to the longer book and obvious shortcuts force the pace too quickly. The writing, setting, characters and plot are poised to bring the reader closer to the unveiled world than the novella can manage. I'd give Lustre 3.5 stars and a recommendation to read it in the proper order.
Reading this novella out of order actually added to my enjoyment. Bump tells an interesting story and Lustre makes a lovely introduction. Nilla Hayes has a strict policy concerning her witchcraft practice. No angels, no how and no way. Angels are apex predators in the supernatural world. Of course, a being infused with power and immortality isn't likely to take "No!" for an answer. Once Nilla is tagged unwillingly, all bets are off and her work leads the way forward.
Chasing an errant dream thief out of the city and into Whisper Falls, Nilla wastes no time since she doesn't have any to spare. In line for coffee, Livia Darrow stakes her claim on Nilla's future friendship. Livia makes plans and follows Nilla as she chases her target to an abandoned lighting shop. The dream thief is checking out the property with a real estate agent. Nilla tries to transfer the Angelic tag, but can't. There are forces at play that no one bothered to explain.
Lustre, like Bump, is filled with intriguing characters and an otherworldly show down. Nilla should be outmatched and ripe for a cosmic asskicking, but she shines in her role as heroine. It was fun to watch the various pieces of the puzzle, so crucial to Bump, come together in Lustre. However, it suffers in comparison to the longer book and obvious shortcuts force the pace too quickly. The writing, setting, characters and plot are poised to bring the reader closer to the unveiled world than the novella can manage. I'd give Lustre 3.5 stars and a recommendation to read it in the proper order.
July 29, 2017
Lustre by Jaime Munn is a novella about Nilla Hayes, a witch fueled by sugar. After a disappointing breakup with her girlfriend, who happened to be a werewolf, she's short on cash and in search of a distraction. A two line text lands her in an unwilling and binding contract with an angel. In Nilla's world angels aren't the good guys we are all used to. While Nate the angel is gorgeous he is also a collector of those with supernatural abilities. The book didn't quite make it clear exactly how the relationship with his collection worked but Nate seemed to gather his subject's powers and use them for himself giving them a normal life. For some its a blessing, for budding witches like Nilla angels are usually avoided. When one of Nate's collection gains powers he wasn't supposed to and suddenly starts killing people Nilla is recruited to find him. Nilla has the normal missteps of any heroine along the way and the book has an unusual twist with a happy ending.
Some of the concepts in this novella were quite new and intriguing. I rather like the idea of a witch converting sugar into magic. It certainly explains where all the raw energy could come from instead of some mysterious force in the universe. An angel as the antihero but not the villain was a great twist as well. Nate wasn't evil per-say but he wasn't someone I would invite for dinner. That he was scary powerful was a given and Nilla kept reminding the reader throughout the book.
There were a few writing issues that could mostly be overlooked; just a sentence or two that had to be re-read to understand what the author was trying to say. I really enjoyed the novella for the most part. It was the ending that killed me and pulled down the rating; it felt very anti-climatic. The author spent alot of time building up the heroine the angel and the villain. He set clear expectations of what they could and could not do. He also made sure you were sufficiently scared of his villain. Nilla and her friends go into the last "battle" ready to die and nothing happens. There is no fight, no argument, and no real magic on Nilla's part. (Spoiler Alert) She laid a trap and it worked. Nate came and took care of everything the end. Granted it was a neat and tidy ending and probably the most logical way for it to end but readers don't like neat and tidy. At least I don't like neat and tidy. Its probably too many years reading epic fantasy. Who knows?
It won't keep me from reading another Witchlight Novella but another ending like that would. For the most part its a good quick read with some interesting ideas. A side story on Nate might be an interesting read as well Jaime.
Some of the concepts in this novella were quite new and intriguing. I rather like the idea of a witch converting sugar into magic. It certainly explains where all the raw energy could come from instead of some mysterious force in the universe. An angel as the antihero but not the villain was a great twist as well. Nate wasn't evil per-say but he wasn't someone I would invite for dinner. That he was scary powerful was a given and Nilla kept reminding the reader throughout the book.
There were a few writing issues that could mostly be overlooked; just a sentence or two that had to be re-read to understand what the author was trying to say. I really enjoyed the novella for the most part. It was the ending that killed me and pulled down the rating; it felt very anti-climatic. The author spent alot of time building up the heroine the angel and the villain. He set clear expectations of what they could and could not do. He also made sure you were sufficiently scared of his villain. Nilla and her friends go into the last "battle" ready to die and nothing happens. There is no fight, no argument, and no real magic on Nilla's part. (Spoiler Alert) She laid a trap and it worked. Nate came and took care of everything the end. Granted it was a neat and tidy ending and probably the most logical way for it to end but readers don't like neat and tidy. At least I don't like neat and tidy. Its probably too many years reading epic fantasy. Who knows?
It won't keep me from reading another Witchlight Novella but another ending like that would. For the most part its a good quick read with some interesting ideas. A side story on Nate might be an interesting read as well Jaime.
September 26, 2017
Lustre by Jaimie Munn is a different book about a different witch who goes on a different sort of quest/wild goose chase. A two-line text puts Nilla Hayes, a witch who is fueled by sugar, in a binding contract with an angel—who is not what you normally think angels are. This hunky angel, Nate, collects those with supernatural abilities. Nilla is contracted to find one of Nate’s collection who suddenly starts killing after finding powers he was not supposed to. Nilla delves into the search, encountering many of well-known missteps, to a somewhat surprising ending.
A witch converting sugar into magic was an interesting concept put forth in the book, as was the role of an angel as not-quite a villain, both of which I found fascinating. The book is a short one that can be read in one sitting (or quickly, if not in one sitting). The author has done a pretty good job of bringing to life both well-developed and described characters and settings. I recommend this for anyone who enjoys a different sort of book about witches or the supernatural, or for anyone who is looking for something a bit different, with some interesting, unusual ideas. I received this from Library Thing to read and review.
A witch converting sugar into magic was an interesting concept put forth in the book, as was the role of an angel as not-quite a villain, both of which I found fascinating. The book is a short one that can be read in one sitting (or quickly, if not in one sitting). The author has done a pretty good job of bringing to life both well-developed and described characters and settings. I recommend this for anyone who enjoys a different sort of book about witches or the supernatural, or for anyone who is looking for something a bit different, with some interesting, unusual ideas. I received this from Library Thing to read and review.
October 25, 2022
Lustre is a short novella in the Witchlight series following a new character called Nilla as she departs to a new town to undertake a new assignment. This paranormal fantasy is a perfect companion piece to the book Bump by the same author, and the dark undertones were very prevalent throughout.
Like in Bump, the author knows how to write characters and their relationships, and those we meet here are just as strong as the first book. Nilla feels like an organic protagonist and is strong willed and determined, easily someone I can get behind. The plot too has a number of twists and surprises, particularly in the second half, but it was weaved together really well towards the end. I loved some of the little dark touches to this book and the use of feeling was really prevalent throughout.
I really enjoy this series and this author. There is a lot of love in these pages and it really shows.
Like in Bump, the author knows how to write characters and their relationships, and those we meet here are just as strong as the first book. Nilla feels like an organic protagonist and is strong willed and determined, easily someone I can get behind. The plot too has a number of twists and surprises, particularly in the second half, but it was weaved together really well towards the end. I loved some of the little dark touches to this book and the use of feeling was really prevalent throughout.
I really enjoy this series and this author. There is a lot of love in these pages and it really shows.
August 20, 2017
This is the perfect afternoon read if you want to read about a jaded witch who just broke up with her girlfriend and gets sent on a bit of a wild goose chase. The plot was predictable but in that comfortable way you can just sit down and enjoy.
June 29, 2018
Entertaining read
I will be looking for more books to read from Jaime Munn. This story was a quick read to give you a taste. I want more so I am going to see what others are out there by Jaime Munn.
I will be looking for more books to read from Jaime Munn. This story was a quick read to give you a taste. I want more so I am going to see what others are out there by Jaime Munn.
December 1, 2017
I really enjoyed this. It's a cross between urban fantasy and chick-lit - two genres I enjoy. It's fast paced and a quick read, with some fun worldbuilding and easy-to-like characters.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews