A Justica Chama

The Twenty-Sided Sorceress #1

by Annie Bellet

Gamer. Nerd. Feiticeira.Jade Crow vive uma vida tranquila em sua loja de quadrinhos e jogos em Wylde, Idaho. Depois de vinte e cinco anos fugindo de um feiticeiro poderoso que quer comer seu coração e tomar seus poderes. Cercada por amigos ainda menos humanos do que ela, Jade acredita que está finalmente segura. Contanto que ela não use sua magia!Quando os poderes escuros ameaçam a vida de seus amigos, aparece um executor transmorfo sexy. Ele é o juiz, o júri e o carrasco de um mundo pouco mundano e acha que Jade é o culpada. Para limpar seu nome, salvar seus amigos, e parar o vilão, ela terá que usar seu juízo ... e seus poderes de feiticeira."A Justiça Chama" é o primeiro livro da série de fantasia urbana best seller do EUA Today. Os leitores que apreciaram "True Blood" provavelmente vão amar esta série.

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

Paperback

First published July 23, 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
Or if you want sneak peaks, regular updates, and exclusive stories, consider supporting her Patreon. Patreon is here!

Reviews

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

💥 Feb. 17, 2025: FREE today!





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

This Yummy Little Story of the Despicable Average GR Rating (YLSotDAGRR™) survived being reread by me. And managed to retain the 4 well-deserved little stars I gave it 4 bloody shrimping years ago (I feel so ancient right now). What does that tell you? That most GR users read books wrong. Especially this one. But hey, they are entitled to their ever-erroneous opinion, and free to be in the wrong when they consider that The Duke and I of Doom and Destruction deserves a higher average rating than this story.



I say let them read Deathly Deadly, Allergy-Inducing Historical Romance (DDAIHR™) and leave the Slightly Scrumptious UF of the Somewhat Wondrous Native American Gamer Heroine (SSUFofSWNAGH™) to me.

I rest in my case and stuff.

P.S. Insta-lurve? What insta-lurve? I have no idea what you're talking about. Go home, my Little Barnacles, you're quite obviously drunk.



[Original review: April 2015]

Hey, I LOVED a story everyone else seems to think is pretty crappy. So what else is new? That's the beauty of ☍☍twisted Sarah logic☍☍ for you! And you know what?



▧ ▧ Okay. So why did everyone else give this book a low rating you ask? Well, apart from the fact that they obviously just didn't get it, here's why:

► Because they say that the book is too short. Technically, this *is* supposed to be a novella. But you're absolutely right. What a rip-off. This is much too short.
► Because they say that there is no story. Really there isn't. It's not like anything happened. Or like there were murders, people that went missing and an investigation of sorts. None of that to be had. Nuh-huh.
► Because they say that there is no plot development. Again, you're absolutely right. Page 1: Boom. Murder. Page 2: Boom. Resolution. Book finished. Not a hint of plot development.



Okay then, that's settled. Now let's focus on the awesome shall we?

► ► Meet Jade Crow:
✔ Native American. YES!
✔ Kick-ass sorceress on the run. YES!
✔ Gamer. YES!
✔ Nerd. YES!
✔ Has a spirit guardian named Wolf. Think wolf's head + tiger's body + lynx's paws + snow leopard's tail. YES!
✔ Occasionally rips human hearts out. Then proceeds to eat said hearts. YES!
✔ Funny/sarcastic/snarky as fish. YES!

“I wished I’d worn nicer underwear. Or shaved in the last two days. He was a shifter, though, so maybe he preferred his women furry.”

► ► Meet Aleksei Kirov:
✔ Riveting Russian Shapeshifter. KEWL!
✔ Turns into a tiger. Oh no, not the Dali Harimau kind of tiger. Please don't insult me. Rambo here is much cooler than that. KEWL!
✔ Peace keeper for the Council of Nine Calm down ladies, I didn't say The Nine, I said the Council of Nine. Move along, no Barrons to be had here, the shifter version of gods. KEWL!
✔ Is sent dreams/visions by the Council of Nine. KEWL!
✔ Resident sex magnet. KEWL!
✔ Not a complete asshole *GASP*
✔ Blonde *DOUBLE GASP*



▧ ▧ Okay. So now it's time for you to sit down. No, really I insist. You might regret it if you don't. I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself so you might as well hold on to your chair. Tight. Please hold on tight. Ready? Here goes:

You do remember I gave this story a 4-star rating don't you? Right. Well the thing is, there is some kind of *whispers* insta-love in this story. Sorry what? You didn't hear me? I said there is some kind of insta-love in this story. Again? You cannot be serious. I SAID there is some kind of INSTA-LOVE in this story. You didn't hear that either? You must be joking. What are you, deaf or something??!! Fine. You win: THERE IS INSTA-LOVE IN THIS STORY AND I STILL GAVE IT FOUR STARS. Happy now? Bloody hell, I swear you people are going to be the death of me. You could at least thank me for the warning I gave you. What a bunch of ungrateful vultures.



What? You're still here? Don't you have better things to do? Like put on your masks & capes and go stalk someone else? Or maybe you could just read this supposedly crappy story, end up LOVING it, therefore proving ☍☍twisted Sarah logic☍☍ wrong. Maybe.



· Book 2: Murder of Crows ★★★★
· Book 3: Pack Of Lies ★★★★
· 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 ★★★★

[☘Misericordia☘ ⚡ϟ⚡⛈⚡☁ ❇️❤❣ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Urban paranormal. Kinda fast read.
A sorceress posing as hedge-witch, while in hiding from a crazy sorcerer. Yum.
- 1 star for all the gaming refs. And I've no idea what's that about her 20 sides....

Q:
Life-changing moments are sneaky little bastards. (c)
Q:
There was also the part where my wards hummed for moment, a sound only I could hear. Which meant he wasn’t human, either.(c)
Q:
Guy who owns the pawn shop next to me is a bonafide leprechaun and the woman who runs the bakery on the other side is some kind of witch or maybe a druid. (c)
Q:
I’d always heard the best place to hide a leaf is in a forest.(c)
Q:
I gathered my power inside myself, preparing to send a bolt of pure energy into his chest if needed. (c)
Q:
“Hi handsome,” ... Then she stopped smiling and her eyes got huge, focusing in on the silver feather he wore strung around his neck. “Oh, shit. Justice. Forgive me.” And she bowed her head like she was addressing some kind of royalty. (c)
Q:
I hadn’t killed anyone in my life, though not for lack of trying once. But still. (c)
Q:
I couldn’t tell anyone that I was a sorceress. Because they’d all try to kill me, or at least drive me away. Nobody likes sorcerers. Probably because most of us are assholes who kill and eat the hearts of supernatural beings for their power. (c)
Q:
“I’d really like you to come have that look at my things before I die of old age.”
“For a man who watched Saint Pat drive out the snakes, you’re looking fine to me,” (c)
Q:
“Since I haven’t killed anyone and am not planning to, maybe you can just go Justice somewhere else? I’m closing shop.” (c)
Q:
I wouldn’t touch a gun even if it snuggled and made me waffles. (c)
Q:
I’d used the spells as a sort of channel when I was growing up, a way of learning how to focus and impose my will on the power that flowed naturally within me. (c)
Q:
After all, in a world full of shape shifters, witches, gods, and sorcerers, maybe miracles can happen. (c)
Q:
Going psycho on them might feel good, but it won’t really solve anything. (c)
Q:
With the wound washed off, which let me tell you was a peachy experience I never want to repeat, it didn’t look so bad. Kind of like a steak after you take out your aggression on it with a hammer. And bonus, I now know what my hip bone looks like and I had a nice collection of metal fragments to show the grand kids. (c)
Q:
Magic was everywhere, in everything, but it was like sunlight or carbon molecules. If you don’t have the tools to use it and the ability somehow to even tap in, there’s no way you can make it work just by trying.
To work a ritual, you’d need knowledge, time, a power source you could access, the right ingredients and foci, combined with a strong enough will to bind it all together. (c)
Q:
... he had that smirk I’d seen a million years ago this afternoon, before everything went to hell on the handbasket express. (c)
Q:
“Do they train you to be this annoying at Justice Academy, or does it come naturally?” (c)
Q:
“Gamers in steam tunnels. This always ends well,” (c)
Q:
“How many languages do you speak?” Levi was staring at me again.
“All of them.”
“No, seriously,” he said.
See? Even when I tell the truth, no one believes me. What’s the point? (c)
Q:
“I have power because I was born with it. It’s like this well inside me. A witch or warlock or whatever you call a human magic user has only the ability to use power, not the actual power itself inside them. They have to do special rituals or tap power sources like ley lines, bodies of water, or plots of land, Gods, that kind of thing, to actually work magic. Shifters are different. You guys are one trick ponies. Well, you might not be.” I stopped for a steadying breath and waved my hand at my shimmering walls. “But most shifters just have that one connection to their animal. You guys are magic, instead of using it. And it isn’t a magic that is accessible to anyone else. If I ate your heart, nothing would happen but a bad stomach ache.” (c)
Q:
I’m making educated but pretty crazy guesses with the stuff we already know... (c)
Q:
My cousins dropped me down a mine shaft as a bad joke when I was four. I was hurt and terrified, but then Wolf showed up. She stopped the pain and carried me out. (c)
Q:
“You don’t know what you’ve done. I was so close.”
“I. Don’t. Fucking. Care... Save the Bond villain explanation for whatever god greets you in hell. Unless, of course, you want to live.” (c)
Q:
He went down and stayed down. Guess no one had ever told him not to bring a gun to a mage fight. (c)

[carol. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jade Crow is a sorceress in hiding, relying on the supernatural-full village of Wylde to conceal any of her low-level magics. When a totally hot supernatural justice comes to town to investigate a potential crime, she is instantly attracted, but he isn't sure if she is a danger or a savior. Meanwhile, her bestie's mother is in serious trouble. Will she help and give up her anonymity?

"I couldn’t tell anyone that I was a sorceress. Because they’d all try to kill me, or at least drive me away. Nobody likes sorcerers. Probably because most of us are assholes who kill and eat the hearts of supernatural beings for their power."

Good enough to continue on. I found above average writing kept the story flowing and held my interest even though the plot was unsurprising. The characters felt above average as well with more diversity than I expected. I also liked that Jade has darkness in her that provides an interesting potential over other series.

"Harper had asked me what I thought, so I decided that would allow another small lie. It’s almost funny how we destroy things by inches."

More like a novella at only 150 pages, it's easy to keep going on to the next.

Three and a half shifters.

[Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kindle freebie again, June 6, 2017. Recommended for fans of urban fantasy with a side of romance (a small side in this case). Bonus if you like gaming as well.

3.5 stars for this Kindle freebie urban fantasy novella, rounding up because fun times.

Jade Crow is a gamer and a sorcerer with strong magical powers, hiding from the Big Bad, another sorcerer and Jade's ex-boyfriend who's the worst user ever -- during their relationship he helped her enhance her magical powers so that at the end of it he could eat her heart and have her powers for himself. Because that's just what sorcerers in this universe do.

The place where she is hiding is a small town with lots of ley lines and magic, so it attracts lots of shapeshifters, leprechauns and other magical folk. If Jade keeps her head down and doesn't use too much power in her magic, she hopes all this magic will hide her, and she'll be safe (for a while, anyway) and not endanger anyone around her.

But then the shapeshifter mother of her best friend gets turned into a semi-living stuffed animal by someone wielding some serious magical power, and the Shapeshifter's Council of Nine sends a hot Russian tiger-shapeshifter dude named Alek after Jade, because of their visions that she's at the center of some trouble, and maybe Jade can't keep a low profile any longer.

If you love Kate Daniels or Mercy Thompson type of urban fantasies, this is worth a shot, though it's not as well-developed a world. It also does that thing that the first few Kate Daniels books did, where there's a whole lot of important backstory to Jade's life that only gradually gets revealed in later books.

This is the start of the Twenty-Sided Sorceress series (because she always carries a 20-sided gaming cube on her). They're all quite short, around 120-150 pages. I understand that later books in this series have some really awful cliffhangers, but this one's not too bad even if it leaves several threads hanging, and it's a freebie, so there's that.

Be warned that the second and third installments are 99c, but then they start costing $3.99 a pop after that. Also be warned that the last 30 pages or so of this Kindle freebie are the start of the second book, trying to get you hooked in. :)

Content advisory: scattered F-bombs, some violence and some innuendo.

[Lyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

You can be on the best diet: lots of protein, fresh veggies and fruits, steering clear of all kinds of yummy carbs and also exercise, run and do yoga, drink lots of water and get plenty of clean fresh air and sunshine.

But sometimes you just want a cheeseburger and chili fries. And you want to lie on the couch and play computer games and watch trashy movies.

Life is complicated like that.

So we come to Anne Bellet’s entertaining and none too heavy 2014 gamer urban fantasy Justice Calling. Comparing food to writing, this is a tasty bag of Krystals with some cheesy fries. You’ll get fat and depressed eating like this too often, but every once and a while, its fun to have a cheat day.

Bellet’s world building and magic rules explanations are geared towards a fantasy and gamer audience and this was chock full of game culture references and Bellet, knowing where her bread is buttered, kept the action high and the thought provocation low: this was fun escapism.

Jade Crow lives, and hides, in Wylde Idaho, a haven for all kinds of magic folk living amongst us humans, especially a sizeable crowd of shifters: were-folk. There are fox people, coyote people, etc etc. A Justice rolls into town, a tall handsome Russian dude who shifts into a white tiger. The Justice’s are judge, jury, and executioners for the Shifter world, keeping the peace and dealing out … justice when needed. Seems someone is harming or may harm the Shifter community.

Crow is a Sorcerer and we are led on a fun excursion into Bellet’s diverting imagination. For the gamer / urban fantasy crowd – and for those who feel we deserve a cheat day.

[Sabrina · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author can write, but she's not really making an actual effort here.
This book is way shorter than an average novella (87 pages on my ADE reader, beginning on page 4 and ending on page 70: that's very, very lame, if you ask me).
A simplistic plot, no mystery, no turns, a predictable budding romance, and generally nothing much to write home about (nerdy bits notwithstanding).

But I'm sure that this could become something worth reading, if only the author decided to work on it more seriously: there's talent here, and some originality. It's a pity they're going to waste like this.

[Mara · Rating 1 out of 5]

First: title on the cover notwithstanding, this isn't a book. It's a shortish novella, slightly more than a 100 pages. With no real story compared to what the blurb makes you expect. [Maybe the 0.99 price mark should have told me something, but as it's often the case with Amazon everything seems discounted, so I didn't notice. I thought it was a good price to discover someone new. Eh, call me stupid...I'll let you.]

As it often happens (quite unfortunately), it's too short to have any meaningful depth. Characters, plot, world-building: all is glossed over.

The story is oily: it flows away too easily, there's no grip, no really interesting moment to hook you. There are potentially devastating choices and no real tragedy to show them. Bland doesn't even cover it. Character-wise everyone and her sister are paper thin, heroine included. The "hero" was so transparent and fake to be eye-bogging.
Pity, it seemed quite an interesting and gripping story (heart-eating sorcerers...lovers turned to enemies... :( ... )

[Marguerite (M) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating : 3.75 stars

WARNING : I have read the first three books in a row and while I will try not to give away any spoilers, some little fuckers could find their way into this review thingie.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Meet Jade. Comics bookstore owner, gamer & on-the-run sorceress.
To everybody, she's just Jade the hedge witch, guardian of the Magic cards and defender of Batman. Who would believe she actually has a huge amount of power and many spells learn from Dungeons & Dragons? Nobody, till the stuck-up-very-yummy-asshole-tiger enters her shop and everything starts going down.

And you know what? This book was fun.

✓ Jade is fucking powerful. She could just think about you not existing anymore and you would be gone *poof*.
✓ Okay, I lied. Jade is not fucking powerful but she could be.
✓ But she has the most bestest power ever : she knows every fucking language. Like Wonder Woman, without the skirt.
✓ The book focuses on the plot and that's it. You don't go meet useless characters or get off the main road wandering around for some side stories.
✓ Sorcerers are magic, that is so badass.
✓ The romance is somewhat inexistant, so refreshing when your still puking your last insta-love book.
✓ The very-yummy tiger is definitely an asshole. But an asshole with a gorgeous viking appearance and a russian accent. Combo much?
✓ The book speaks nerd. Do not even try to understand if you don't have basic knowledge of gaming vocabulary.
✓ Jade makes tons of games & movies references through the books and I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND SHIT. I'm joining the stuck-up-very-yummy-asshole-viking-tiger-with-a-russian-accent in the clueless room next time.
✓ Stuffed animals might be shifters' family members.
✓ Every character in this book is prone to being idiot/suicidal/hotheaded and doing stupid stuff.
✓ Don't go out with a psycho sorcerer 'cause he's literaly going to want to steal your heart.
✓ The author does not sugarcoat shit, hallelujah.
✓ THIS. WAS. FUN.
✓ Life can really sucks even if you're a badass sorceress.

And the time to conclude is finally here.
Conclusion.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The blurb reminded me strongly of the Iron Druid Chronicles. Hiding away, comic and gaming shop owner, stranger showing up and things start going sideways. Fast-paced, slightly juvenile vocabulary, nothing too serious. There was‘t a lot of character development and the world building was pretty basic, too. For a little over 100 pages it was decent enough. The shifter set-up is different to what I have come across before. And the powers of our heroine have potential and a certain interesting ickiness. Probably more fun for gaming and role-playing nerds. There is the required Instalust, but it‘s at a bearable level. Apparently he is sticking around, so sex is on the horizon. All boxes checked.

Better than expected. I can see myself picking this series up again at some point.

[Denisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm, not bad.

Ok, I expected a lot more from this book after I read the blurb and saw the cover. But I guess people were right in their reviews, it's not the best PNR out there.


Still, it had its fun parts, some good moments. The characters were likeable(ish) and the good part is that it was fast paced and short. So not a bad read, just a pretty typical one.

[Jacob Proffitt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe it helped that I went into it with low expectations, but I ended up at least mildly entertained, so that's a win. It is awful short and that means there wasn't much in the way of character development. It tried for character development, including what should have been a pivotal, even life-changing, moment, but it didn't really pull it off.

And I have to admit that at least some of my favorable reaction is that these are my people as the heroine is the proprietor of a gaming store and her friends are all of that same tribe. So I felt immediately comfortable there, as the author gets that feel just about right.

Still, there's no denying it's a touch shallow and the short length doesn't help that at all. I wish she had put this into a bigger story and not so much the one-off it comes across as...

[Marsha · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first saw the description for "Justice Calling" I truly didn't know what to expect. Then, after reading a couple of reviews I almost returned the book unread. However, the comments on the two negative review I read had nothing to do with the writing, plot or characters but about the length of the book and the fact the book is paranormal. Neither of those things bother me; so, I decided to give the book a chance. I am so glad I did. "Justice Calling" has a unique plot, plenty of action and a cast of characters I truly enjoyed. I especially enjoyed the main character of Jade. She was fearless yet self doubting and vulnerable.

Jade is a sorceress living in small town of Wlyde on a leyline. Most of the town is paranormal and there are plenty of shifters. Jade operates a shop specializing in comics and supplies for gamer yet nobody knows what she is. You see sorceress and sorcerers are not well thought of and pretty much despised. Jade doesn't use her magic much for fear that her ex will track her down for the sole purpose of eating her heart to steal her power.

Then, one day Alek, one of the nine Justices comes to town claiming to have seen a vision foretelling carnage and death surrounding Jade. However, before she can convince him otherwise an evil begins attacking her friends and she is forced to make the decision whether or not to use her magic and risk revealing what she is thus signaling her location to her ex.

I really enjoyed this short novella and look forward to the next book in this series. If I had a concern it would be that I found the writing awkward at times but not enough to disrupt my enjoyment of the read. For .99 you have nothing to lose and just might find a new series and author worthy of your time. Definitely give this one a chance.

[H (trying to keep up with GR friends) Balikov · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting fantasy set in present-day Idaho and involving magic, shapeshifters and other creatures that exist side-by-side with mostly unaware humans. Jade Crow is our narrator and a sorcerer who runs a gamer and comic book shop. "I’d been raised by a bunch of professors and gone to a similar school. Once upon a time I had thought I could be happy in academia for the rest of my life. Before Samir and my wild years as a sorceress-in-training, plotting to make the world my bitch….Only last night I’d been bleeding in my bathtub. Two nights ago I’d been plotting how to sucker my players into their latest adventure and rolling up stats on a Lich Lord."

"“I’m here in Wylde (Idaho) because I thought the ley lines and the abundance of shifters and other magic users would hide me. But it was only going to work as long as I didn’t use my own magic. All those horror stories you hear about sorcerers? They aren’t really about the rest of us, few as we are. They are about one man and he’s probably on his way here right now to destroy me and anyone I care about.” “Then I will fight him with you, in exchange for your help on this current matter.”"
The “I” is a powerful shapeshifter named Justice and the plot involves how Jade’s friends are disappearing.

Bellet’s magic is a bit more personally described than is thought necessary by many authors: "Magic was everywhere, in everything, but it was like sunlight or carbon molecules. If you don’t have the tools to use it and the ability somehow to even tap in, there’s no way you can make it work just by trying. To work a ritual, you’d need knowledge, time, a power source you could access, the right ingredients and foci, combined with a strong enough will to bind it all together….Magic for a sorcerer is like a muscle; if you don’t use it much, you won’t completely lose it, but it will atrophy and not work the same later. I did exercise my power on weekends sometimes, lifting small rocks and holding them up in various patterns."

Will Jade be able to help her friends? Will she be able to evade Samur? Is there any way that she can remain in her small town hideaway? This is a fast-paced novella that promises a lot more action for “The Twenty-Sided Sorceress.”

Solid 3* quick read

[Alex ☣ Deranged KittyCat ☣ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why is there no sex in this story? We have insta-love, we have adults, so where's the hot sex? This is my biggest complaint with Justice Calling.

My second complaint is its length.

I like Jade Crow (gorgeous Native American and sorceress extraordinaire), I like Aleksei Kirov (even if he is a stereotype), and I would have liked for their story to develop a little slower so it feels less fake/forced.

There's not really much that I can say about this book. I'll have to read the second one to understand things better.

P.S. Jade is every man's wet-dream: a hot gamer.

Second P.S. There's a Game of Thrones scene in which Jade pulls out the heart from a living, breathing man and eats it.

[Gergana]

Read in February 4-5, 2016
WOW! That was pretty good! The audiobook is less than 3 hours, yet, it felt like I've read a whole novel. If I had to rate this book, I would give it around 4 stars - I liked it far more than most female-lead urban fantasies I've read in the past and I don't know why XD

[Beanbag Love · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I waited to rate and review it until I finished the second one because I felt this one was a little more straight-forward and lacking in complexity than I'm used to in UF. After reading the second book in the series, I can say this is a good beginning.

The lack of a multi-pronged and complicated arc actually helps to introduce the paranormal elements in a way that sets the series up nicely.

After busting through the second book, I'm now already halfway through the third. With each book, the layers build and the relationships become more intriguing.

I do love a good UF with a good female lead. :)

[Paige Bookdragon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not really my type.

The book didn't capture my interest and maybe (just a tiny weeny maybe) I've been hoping this would be as good as Kate Daniels series. You know, with the slow burning romance, alpha hero who is not much of a jerk and funny scenes where the characters endear their selves to you.

Sorry, that didn't happen.

[Jeanny · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was extremely short & not particularly creative. The mystery wasn't overly complicated & the evil doer was quickly disposed of. Imo it was all a bit too easily resolved.
I did like the cover art.

[Dominique · Rating 4 out of 5]

Free on Kindle and Kobo, Sept. 6, 2021.

[Marta Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

To everyone living in Wylde, Jade Crow is just a Native American nerd running her shop that caters to the geeks living in the area. What they don’t know is that Jade is a lot older than she appears, on the run from her murderous ex , oh yes and a much reviled sorcerer who can steal your powers by literally eating your heart ! So it’s understandable that Jade prefers a low profile and tries not to get too involved with anyone. Well that all changes when a fellow shop keeper buys a stuffed fox that is anything but ordinary.
I will admit this is quite short and the author doesn’t really expand her world except to make it obvious that Wylde, is a town where supernaturals seem to congregate. Yet I found myself drawn towards Jade who admittedly is a bit rusty when it comes to magic but still has enough juice to save the day. Unfortunately the danger element turns pretty much into a damp squib with a really pathetic villain who if honest isn’t a match for Jade but it’s the potential here that I found so interesting. Yes Jade has snark which I found funny but she’s kind of in transition as this ends. I enjoyed meeting her ‘posse’ , thought the inclusion of a spirit guide was very different, oh and lest I forget there’s a certain tiger shifter who obviously has romantic possibilities. Have other authors written heroines who are Native American with magical abilities ? Yes but I didn’t feel this tried to copy ideas and actually felt different so I’d happily read more and find out exactly what Jade gets up to next.

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

4.5 Stars

This was fantastic!

Review on the way!

P.s: Yes I'm aware the reviews to be written are pilling up
(-_-")

[Diana Stormblessed · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute. A little cliche. Nothing special. We'll see how book 2 goes.

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is just asking me to compare it with The Voodoo Killings by Kristi Charish. Both books have a magic user who pay a pain price whenever she uses magic. Both books have someone evil using an ancient magic for their own nefarious schemes. There are lay lines and rivers of power in both. A protector of sorts in both. Both books are littered with pop culture references and in both books the pop culture "insider" jokes don't really work.

The main difference is The Voodoo Killings is quite audacious. The author is aiming for great. She falls a little short of that but credit for trying. Justice Calling on the other hand isn't trying to be anything except entertaining. It succeeds but I'm not sure if that deserves praise. Annie Bellet is obviously a talented author and this is her not trying.

[Athena (OneReadingNurse) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I shamelessly pictured Jason Momoa as Aleksei

Even though Aleksei is russian and blonde. Whatever.

Justice Calling popped up as a Kindle Freebie a few weeka ago, so why not?

It is a fast paced novella, modern paranormal fantasy with...well, I was expecting some sexy time but didn't get it. Some murder, dark magic, shifters, a little mystery, and a legit Irish speaking leprechaun of all things😂

It hit a lot of my checks - a strong female, murders, quick pace with no lulls, and it is only my second Shifter read ever but I am unashamed to say I don't hate the premise.

Not the most advanced language, the main characters are HUGE nerds and use ALL the nerd slang.

If you like quick paranormal reads, go for it! A quick reader will fly through it in an hour or so

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very short read (under 200 pages) which is both a pro and a con. It clicks along at a rapid pace but I didn't feel like I was reading a full novel.
Mostly it reminded me of Kate Daniels. (Except instead of the looming threat of biological father, we have the looming threat of an ex-boyfriend.)
It is fun to have a gamer-girl as a heroine but I would have liked to see her use her twenty-sided dice more. Right now it feels like a traditional urban fantasy story with a gamer overlay, rather than gaming as an integral part of the plot.
The love interest is pretty much a non-entity at this point.
I'm curious enough to pick up the next book, but not sure I'd go out of my way to recommend this series yet.

[Rhonda Stees-marcial · Rating 2 out of 5]

Short

No real mystery. Just an introduction to the characters. The author can write well so I don't understand why there is little development of the story.

[Sean Lookielook Sandulak · Rating 4 out of 5]

I suppose it's not the worst complaint to say that a book as too short. Normally when I hear that, I assume it's someone putting their own expectations on what a book should be instead of enjoying it for what it is. In this case, however, I think the book suffers somewhat for it. This could have been a much better introduction to the series, but instead it brushes past the MC's backstory, it leaves many of the characters underdeveloped and flat, and awkwardly tacks on a love-at-first-sight romance.

The writing itself was good, and the plot, while not expansive, moved along without a hitch. A solid 3.5 stars, rounded up for giving us a much better representation of nerd culture than other books I've read.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun little short story and it was a free download from B&N.

The female lead and her friends were interesting but I would have liked more depth/development in the male lead. It was hard to get a sense of anything but stone-face killer. The plot is straightforward, but it really intertwined well with developing Jade Crow's character and I liked the mix. The whole thing read a lot like a prequel to the world/characters so I'm looking forward to everything being expanded upon later.

I see lots of people rating it down just because it's short which is ridiculous. It's a short story, not a novel, and the plot/character depth coincide with that fact. Drives me crazy when people give low ratings for reasons not related to the writing. It's fine if you wish it was longer because you liked it, but don't start reading an 87 page story and think it's going to be some deep complex masterpiece. Not that short stories can't be deep and complex (in before I get links to them) so maybe I just had low expectations for this and they were easily met. =) Plus if you think it has potential then move onto the next one? /endrant

I think the next couple are pretty cheap as ebooks as well so I'll probably pick them up and see where the story goes from here.

[Soo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mini-Review:

Yay for knocking a freebie off the TBR! Let's not count how many are left on there, shall we? ;)

A quick & bare bones PNR story. It has quirky characters and a plot. It was okay. Nothing spectacular but entertaining. I like that Jade Crow is not in her 20's. The irony is that she sounds, thinks and acts like someone in her 20's.

[Marianne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not terribly original. I probably wouldn't even have bothered to list this novel, had it not been for its one redeeming quality:The title starts with that hard to find letter J, which is why this book now officially has become part of my 2016 A - Z book reading challenge.