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Lethal Magic #1
Dark Blood
I'm Natasha. Friends call me Tash. The world calls me loser. No one knows I possess a deadly magic.It was supposed to be a simple surveillance job, just like the zillion others I had run for my tough-guy benefactor, Tobias. An hour into it, I'm sitting with a dead body after barely surviving a warlock's rampage.I thought things couldn't get any worse, but what did I know? Running point for Tobias or being witness to a murder was the least of my worries. Now I've been blackmailed into working with sexy paranormal cop Ian, and I must help him find what the warlock is up to before he destroys whatever is left of our world.Piece of cake, right? Sure, if you ignored the dark magic I was born with. I just might save the world from a warlock's evil plans, but can I save it from the darkness that lies within me?Dark Blood is the first book in the Lethal Magic series, featuring a headstrong but fierce heroine along with non-stop action, surprising plot twists, and compelling characters. If you like fast-paced adventure, thrilling paranormal powers, and dark conspiracies, then you’ll love this page-turning book from author Nikki R. Hayes.Pick up Dark Blood to enjoy this exciting new series today!
436 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 18, 2019
19 people are currently reading
20 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
July 2, 2019
Dark Blood by Nikki Hayes for me was just an average read. I picked this book up expecting to be transported into a world filled with magic, action and awesome characters. Well, I got the magic, some action, but the characters were woefully lacking with regard to development.
There were moments when I felt like giving up on the story, but I held out to the end. It may not have been a wise choice for me as I ended up spending a whole week with this book.
Now on to my thoughts of this story.
World Building
The author introduced a world set in the year 2040 in a town called Ridgeview.
A disease, nicknamed the Scourge, ravaged the country. Since then the population was never the same. Mental instability and strange occurrences were on the rise. The strange occurrences, which had no scientific explanation, led to the formation of the Paranormal Crimes Unit.
Characters
The variety of supernatural beings promised an intense and tale. Mages, mind readers, teleporters, the undead and warlocks. Unfortunately, I did not see much interaction from these beings in terms of the use of their abilities.
The story focuses on a mage, a warlock, a mind reader, a teleporter and a young woman who is just discovering she possesses supernatural powers. Sad to say I had a hard time with these characters as they were two-dimensional, except for the heroine, Natasha, who was static. She annoyed me for most of the story due to her immaturity and indecisiveness.
The villain appeared and left and I am still trying to figure out what his purpose in the story. Yeah, he wanted to take over the world, but why, that was not clear. Information on him lacked depth, so I had no clue what drove his maniacal desires.
The Guild of Mages, which developed after the Scourge and their purpose, was mentioned, but they played no part in the chain of events. It was not until the end when everything was over that they made an appearance.
Supernatural Elements
I enjoyed this aspect of the story, however I had a few issues. First, Natasha is just discovering she has supernatural abilities and that her powers are dark. She has little time to adjust this news before she finds herself plunged into the midst of a magical chaos of good versus evil. Then with little training, she soon became badass wielder of her magical powers. She had several misses has a result but thankfully she mastered her powers when it was most needed.
Story
The story flowed although there were a few parts where I felt lost. Some parts of the needed more explanation. I knew the Scourge wreaked havoc but its origin and the cause was not made clear. It left some persons with abilities and it others sick. It would have been nice to know the reason for this effect. I enjoyed the action scenes, especially the final battle scene.
I did not like the manner in which the story ended, as it left me hanging and not in a good way.
Conclusion/Recommendation
Dark had great potential, but it did not live up to my expectations. If you enjoy reading about magic and supernatural abilities, then you may enjoy Dark Blood.
There were moments when I felt like giving up on the story, but I held out to the end. It may not have been a wise choice for me as I ended up spending a whole week with this book.
Now on to my thoughts of this story.
World Building
The author introduced a world set in the year 2040 in a town called Ridgeview.
A disease, nicknamed the Scourge, ravaged the country. Since then the population was never the same. Mental instability and strange occurrences were on the rise. The strange occurrences, which had no scientific explanation, led to the formation of the Paranormal Crimes Unit.
Characters
The variety of supernatural beings promised an intense and tale. Mages, mind readers, teleporters, the undead and warlocks. Unfortunately, I did not see much interaction from these beings in terms of the use of their abilities.
The story focuses on a mage, a warlock, a mind reader, a teleporter and a young woman who is just discovering she possesses supernatural powers. Sad to say I had a hard time with these characters as they were two-dimensional, except for the heroine, Natasha, who was static. She annoyed me for most of the story due to her immaturity and indecisiveness.
The villain appeared and left and I am still trying to figure out what his purpose in the story. Yeah, he wanted to take over the world, but why, that was not clear. Information on him lacked depth, so I had no clue what drove his maniacal desires.
The Guild of Mages, which developed after the Scourge and their purpose, was mentioned, but they played no part in the chain of events. It was not until the end when everything was over that they made an appearance.
Supernatural Elements
I enjoyed this aspect of the story, however I had a few issues. First, Natasha is just discovering she has supernatural abilities and that her powers are dark. She has little time to adjust this news before she finds herself plunged into the midst of a magical chaos of good versus evil. Then with little training, she soon became badass wielder of her magical powers. She had several misses has a result but thankfully she mastered her powers when it was most needed.
Story
The story flowed although there were a few parts where I felt lost. Some parts of the needed more explanation. I knew the Scourge wreaked havoc but its origin and the cause was not made clear. It left some persons with abilities and it others sick. It would have been nice to know the reason for this effect. I enjoyed the action scenes, especially the final battle scene.
I did not like the manner in which the story ended, as it left me hanging and not in a good way.
Conclusion/Recommendation
Dark had great potential, but it did not live up to my expectations. If you enjoy reading about magic and supernatural abilities, then you may enjoy Dark Blood.
April 29, 2019
Dark Blood (Lethal Magic Book 1) Kindle Edition
by Nikki Hayes
I received a review copy via Booksirens.com and am choosing to leave a fair and honest review.
Dark Blood is an interesting new Urban Fantasy. Interesting and a bit of a mixed bag, with a bit of the good and a bunch of the bad.
Like any good critic, I'll start with the bad.
The biggest and the worst of the bad is the two dimensional villain – at times Kevain Nightwing lacks both dimensions at that. At his first appearance, just a brief how do you do, he held promise but ended up being your less than average, monologue at the worst time, take over the world because I can villain that crawled out a Stereotypes R Us dictionary.
The heroines relentless self-loathing and her odd and at times overwhelming horniness for her new cop partner. Hey, I get it. This is UF so a sexy, smexy love interest is necessary. But as we can see from the Rachel Morgan series (amongst otheres) that can be drawn out. Also, self-loathing turns into self-pity which becomes self-hate.
The way magic – both light and dark – is treated. There is no price for magic's use for a start, and for a finish, the way they discuss it rings like a bad Star Wars prequel. Magic is discussed like the Force. “The magic in you is strong Natasha. Your presence – once you'r fully trained – will make a difference...” Obi-Wan would be jealous.
Dee, a side character, is described as a person of color from what I can tell. She has a habit of referring to our heroine and her sister as Miss Tash or Miss Lara. Um, yeah. Not to mince words, but that borders on slave speak from Gone With the Wind.
The good, now.
The world building is excellent. It is a new version of a dystopian world sprung from the very real threat of what happens after the waters rise due to climate change. I also appreciated the geographical hints and descriptions. It gave an authentency.
The apocalyptic disease, The Scourge, is awesome. Not only did it wipe out a bunch of the population, it left the survivors with 'gifts'. Max, Tash's brother gets the short end of the stick with the gift he receives. He is chronically ill with a blood disease. Tash, on the other hand gets magic, even if comes from the Dark Side (queue Imperial March from Star Wars). I realise that George Lucas didn't start the dark vs light thing, it goes way back to the Zoroastrians and Manicheans, but Ms Hayes writes like a Lucas fan.
The side characters are some times really awesome! I really appreciated the bookstore owner, Simone. She is my favorite thing in this book.
The final knock-down, drag out climax is well-staged with interesting magic.
All in all, not bad. Not over the top awesome but a solid read for UF fans.
3 ½ stars rounded up to 4 stars.
https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Blood-Let...
by Nikki Hayes
I received a review copy via Booksirens.com and am choosing to leave a fair and honest review.
Dark Blood is an interesting new Urban Fantasy. Interesting and a bit of a mixed bag, with a bit of the good and a bunch of the bad.
Like any good critic, I'll start with the bad.
The biggest and the worst of the bad is the two dimensional villain – at times Kevain Nightwing lacks both dimensions at that. At his first appearance, just a brief how do you do, he held promise but ended up being your less than average, monologue at the worst time, take over the world because I can villain that crawled out a Stereotypes R Us dictionary.
The heroines relentless self-loathing and her odd and at times overwhelming horniness for her new cop partner. Hey, I get it. This is UF so a sexy, smexy love interest is necessary. But as we can see from the Rachel Morgan series (amongst otheres) that can be drawn out. Also, self-loathing turns into self-pity which becomes self-hate.
The way magic – both light and dark – is treated. There is no price for magic's use for a start, and for a finish, the way they discuss it rings like a bad Star Wars prequel. Magic is discussed like the Force. “The magic in you is strong Natasha. Your presence – once you'r fully trained – will make a difference...” Obi-Wan would be jealous.
Dee, a side character, is described as a person of color from what I can tell. She has a habit of referring to our heroine and her sister as Miss Tash or Miss Lara. Um, yeah. Not to mince words, but that borders on slave speak from Gone With the Wind.
The good, now.
The world building is excellent. It is a new version of a dystopian world sprung from the very real threat of what happens after the waters rise due to climate change. I also appreciated the geographical hints and descriptions. It gave an authentency.
The apocalyptic disease, The Scourge, is awesome. Not only did it wipe out a bunch of the population, it left the survivors with 'gifts'. Max, Tash's brother gets the short end of the stick with the gift he receives. He is chronically ill with a blood disease. Tash, on the other hand gets magic, even if comes from the Dark Side (queue Imperial March from Star Wars). I realise that George Lucas didn't start the dark vs light thing, it goes way back to the Zoroastrians and Manicheans, but Ms Hayes writes like a Lucas fan.
The side characters are some times really awesome! I really appreciated the bookstore owner, Simone. She is my favorite thing in this book.
The final knock-down, drag out climax is well-staged with interesting magic.
All in all, not bad. Not over the top awesome but a solid read for UF fans.
3 ½ stars rounded up to 4 stars.
https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Blood-Let...
January 7, 2020
As the first book in a series, I see a lot of potential in this story. This is a futuristic, post-apocalyptic book that has a virus called the Scourge that wiped out half the population and messed with the DNA of many others and a magical world is born. What a great concept, but it has its flaws. The world building needed work, it’s not clear about a lot of stuff, and the reader has to piece it together little by little to make a broader view. This is told in Tasha’s point of view, which limits us to seeing through her eyes and she really needs to take better ownership of herself, and quit putting so much pity and blame on herself. That was rife throughout the book, and I really just wanted to choke her at times to make her see herself more clearly. I think if the book hadn’t been in her POV only, it would have given the reader a better clarity and the author really needs to get Tash out of her self-loathing attitude and give the readers a stronger minded heroine.
The action sequences were terrific, and I liked the magic that was presented in them. The evil that they fight, is pure evil, and the author did a good job not backing away from it. I am definitely looking forward to the next outing.
The action sequences were terrific, and I liked the magic that was presented in them. The evil that they fight, is pure evil, and the author did a good job not backing away from it. I am definitely looking forward to the next outing.
May 10, 2019
This story has a lot of action and drama throughout it. It is definitely a fantastic storyline. I love how it draws you in and keeps you glued to it. Yes, there are a few parts that can be developed more and explained a bit more but overall it is extremely good. It has Tasha who at times lets herself fall in self-loathing but at other times she is a kick butt lady. I get where Nikki Hayes is coming from on this point. We all have times of self loathing but it is how we pull ourselves out of it. Our leading lady does just that and it adds to the story very well. Ian is this leading man that has so much potential in his work. He is well developed but at times seems like he could have been developed a little more with strength. I loved the chemistry between Ian and Tasha. The side characters were extremely well developed as well and added that little bit of extra that was needed. It is definitely worth reading and doesn’t disappoint. I received an advanced copy for free and I voluntarily am leaving a review.
November 26, 2019
Dark Blood by Nikki Hayes is Book 1 of the Lethal Magic Series which falls under the Dystopian, Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance genres.
This was an interesting read with an plenty of potential, however I don’t feel it lives up to the author’s promise. The storyline itself was different and what caught my attention. The magic and the action was lacking, as well as my connectivity to the characters. I wasn’t engaged and pulled in by them, and quite honestly, I didn’t much care what happened to Tash as I didn’t feel she pulled her weight as a main character. Here Tash is supposed to be a kickass female and yet she’s not. Let’s get a bit more depth and growth for Tash, more background on The Scourge and a bit more cleanup of the story so the reader isn’t feeling so lost at different points of the story.
Overall, this was a middle of the road read for me. I’m interested enough to see how Book 2 pans out before giving this series a no-go for me.
An ARC was generously provided in exchange for an honest review of which this is both honest and completely voluntary.
This was an interesting read with an plenty of potential, however I don’t feel it lives up to the author’s promise. The storyline itself was different and what caught my attention. The magic and the action was lacking, as well as my connectivity to the characters. I wasn’t engaged and pulled in by them, and quite honestly, I didn’t much care what happened to Tash as I didn’t feel she pulled her weight as a main character. Here Tash is supposed to be a kickass female and yet she’s not. Let’s get a bit more depth and growth for Tash, more background on The Scourge and a bit more cleanup of the story so the reader isn’t feeling so lost at different points of the story.
Overall, this was a middle of the road read for me. I’m interested enough to see how Book 2 pans out before giving this series a no-go for me.
An ARC was generously provided in exchange for an honest review of which this is both honest and completely voluntary.
March 20, 2019
This was a great read, I could relate to the main character and how she was feeling. She is not perfect, but her sense of right and wrong is definitely strong. There were a few confusing moments about the whole backstory about how their world came to be like this, but the majority of my questions were answered throughout the book!
Characters:
Natasha does surveillance and other odd jobs for her boss Tobias. She believes herself to be extremely normal and loves her sister and brother with everything inside of her. As stated above, she is not perfect at all, but has a strong moral code. She is kind of a bad@ss!
Ian is a detective that is WAY more than he seems. He also has a strong moral compass and wants to help protect the people in his city. Just one more thing with that though, he has magic and is extremely powerful.
Plot:
This was a bit tricky, in terms of how everything played out, I thought the plot was pretty spot on and moved at a satisfying pace. There are quite a few characters introduced in this book and that was also a bit confusing because it seemed as if their were a lot of side stories, but I was still satisfied by the end of the book.
All in All:
This book was a bit of a conundrum, I was expecting more of a dark romantic suspense, but there is very little romance and just a bit of lusty stares, but I can be all about the slow burn! I enjoyed reading this book and will definitely read the second one to see how everything plays out.
4.5 stars from me!
I received this book for free, but am voluntarily reviewing it!
Characters:
Natasha does surveillance and other odd jobs for her boss Tobias. She believes herself to be extremely normal and loves her sister and brother with everything inside of her. As stated above, she is not perfect at all, but has a strong moral code. She is kind of a bad@ss!
Ian is a detective that is WAY more than he seems. He also has a strong moral compass and wants to help protect the people in his city. Just one more thing with that though, he has magic and is extremely powerful.
Plot:
This was a bit tricky, in terms of how everything played out, I thought the plot was pretty spot on and moved at a satisfying pace. There are quite a few characters introduced in this book and that was also a bit confusing because it seemed as if their were a lot of side stories, but I was still satisfied by the end of the book.
All in All:
This book was a bit of a conundrum, I was expecting more of a dark romantic suspense, but there is very little romance and just a bit of lusty stares, but I can be all about the slow burn! I enjoyed reading this book and will definitely read the second one to see how everything plays out.
4.5 stars from me!
I received this book for free, but am voluntarily reviewing it!
September 16, 2019
This book follows Natasha, who is mostly known as "Tash". She does surveillance jobs for her "boss" Tobias.
She lives in a town named Ridgeview. Usually the jobs are pretty easy and straight forward, but not always. The latest job she gets sent on is a doozy, though it wasn't supposed to be, it should have been easy.
This book world is being in he future in the year 2040.
A disease, nicknamed the Scourge, ravaged the country. The population has not yet recovered from those losses. Mentality, instability, and weird occurrences come into the light. These happenings are what made a Paranormal Crimes Unit to be formed.
I will say there are some parts of this story that are in dire need to have more details in them to explain what was going on and why.
I did enjoy reading this book over all though, but because of so much that was lost within the story where scenes should have been extended and not rushed as they were, there are quite a few blanks that I dislike.
She lives in a town named Ridgeview. Usually the jobs are pretty easy and straight forward, but not always. The latest job she gets sent on is a doozy, though it wasn't supposed to be, it should have been easy.
This book world is being in he future in the year 2040.
A disease, nicknamed the Scourge, ravaged the country. The population has not yet recovered from those losses. Mentality, instability, and weird occurrences come into the light. These happenings are what made a Paranormal Crimes Unit to be formed.
I will say there are some parts of this story that are in dire need to have more details in them to explain what was going on and why.
I did enjoy reading this book over all though, but because of so much that was lost within the story where scenes should have been extended and not rushed as they were, there are quite a few blanks that I dislike.
October 31, 2019
I received an advance copy from Book Sirens and am leaving my honest review.
This post apocalyptic book takes place in 2040, after an illness called The Scourge has decimated the population. The remaining people either get sick or some sort of magical ability .
The protagonist, Natasha, lives in a town in Virginia. She does off jobs for an underworld boss called Tobias.
All that is left of her family is a slightly older sister and a younger brother who is sick
from The Scourge.
While on a job for Tobias, a series of events lead to Natasha's discovery that she has magical powers.
This was my first time reading this author. I wish I could leave more laudatory commentary. However I found this a chore to plow through. I was not enamored of the characters. Natasha and the villain were not fully fleshed out. I had difficulty relating to Natasha.
The plot was fine but not especially engrossing.
To be fair, I would give the next book by Nikki Hayes a read.
This post apocalyptic book takes place in 2040, after an illness called The Scourge has decimated the population. The remaining people either get sick or some sort of magical ability .
The protagonist, Natasha, lives in a town in Virginia. She does off jobs for an underworld boss called Tobias.
All that is left of her family is a slightly older sister and a younger brother who is sick
from The Scourge.
While on a job for Tobias, a series of events lead to Natasha's discovery that she has magical powers.
This was my first time reading this author. I wish I could leave more laudatory commentary. However I found this a chore to plow through. I was not enamored of the characters. Natasha and the villain were not fully fleshed out. I had difficulty relating to Natasha.
The plot was fine but not especially engrossing.
To be fair, I would give the next book by Nikki Hayes a read.
December 5, 2019
Rcvd an advanced reader copy from the author for giving my two cents. I did not see this one coming. Drama, death, magic and a whole lot of bad. We meet Tash, on surveillance for her boss of a judge when she sees someone breaking n entering in his house. After the guard was shot, Tash runs after th4 bad guy but when she sees something unexplainable and she stops the force from reaching her...its a whole new ball game. She plays good samaritan and tells the cops what happened but what she didn't realize is that the one cop knew she was lying. There are forces out there bigger than Tash thought and all she wants to do is support her sick brother and help her sister. When the detective asks for her help, tash doesn't hesitate bc hopefully she will find out more about who she is. When faced with the scary, tash does her best not to run. With the help of the Detective and his mentor, Tash sets out to stop the impossible.
May 16, 2019
Dark Blood is a fast-paced adventure novel taking place in the not-too-distant future after a world-altering event called the Scourge. Told from the perspective of the main character- a young, independent woman named Tash- the story spans several days as she discovers things about herself and her world she never knew existed. Tash is a solid character, capable of invoking the reader's empathy as the events unfold. Ms. Hayes writes her dark future to life deftly, using all five senses. I get the feeling that we will come to know the other characters better in the successive books, as this is clearly Tash's introduction. I really enjoyed reading Dark Blood, it was a page-turner from the outset, and I look forward to the next in the series!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
June 14, 2019
First let me state that I received an Advance Reader Copy, (ARC), but this in no way influences my review. I always leave an honest review. Also note that this is my first time reading this author, and I hope it won't be my last.
Holy shiznet!!! This story is awesome. From the moment I picked it up I was totally wrapped up in it. Tash is a strong, sassy character and I fell in love with her right away. Her world is a future earth that doesn’t seem very good. Ian is a cop with the paranormal unit, and through him she learns of light & dark magic. The storyline has an evil warlock trying to end\takeover the world. I can't wait to read the next story to see if her Ian book up or not, to see what's up with her sister, if her brother gets better, to see where Tash’s life is headed, & what happens to Dee. I recommend this read. 5Thumbs up.
Holy shiznet!!! This story is awesome. From the moment I picked it up I was totally wrapped up in it. Tash is a strong, sassy character and I fell in love with her right away. Her world is a future earth that doesn’t seem very good. Ian is a cop with the paranormal unit, and through him she learns of light & dark magic. The storyline has an evil warlock trying to end\takeover the world. I can't wait to read the next story to see if her Ian book up or not, to see what's up with her sister, if her brother gets better, to see where Tash’s life is headed, & what happens to Dee. I recommend this read. 5Thumbs up.
December 26, 2019
I received this book free as an ARC reader for review.
This book is a little ambiguous. The plot doesn’t flow smoothly and the characters could use a little more definition.
Natasha is the middle of three children. Her parents are gone and she, an artist, is trying to find her way in a world where Art has no real purpose or value. Her little brother is dying. Her older sister is doing all she can to hold the family together. Natasha is searching for anyway to help them.
After a plague killed a large majority of the human race, and those left are dealing with rapidly rising oceans, a strange occurrence has began to surface in the survivors… Magic. Natasha has never been one to standby and just let things happen. Can she tap into the dark power boiling inside of her to do some good in the world?
This book is a little ambiguous. The plot doesn’t flow smoothly and the characters could use a little more definition.
Natasha is the middle of three children. Her parents are gone and she, an artist, is trying to find her way in a world where Art has no real purpose or value. Her little brother is dying. Her older sister is doing all she can to hold the family together. Natasha is searching for anyway to help them.
After a plague killed a large majority of the human race, and those left are dealing with rapidly rising oceans, a strange occurrence has began to surface in the survivors… Magic. Natasha has never been one to standby and just let things happen. Can she tap into the dark power boiling inside of her to do some good in the world?
December 31, 2019
I received this as an advanced reading copy.
This book was a bit frustrating to me because the writing is actually pretty good. The story is interesting. The characters have some depth for the most part. In fact,the characters are interesting. It is just a struggle to get through when the character that is the main character annoys you or you just find unlikable. I found the main character unlikable. My second problem with the book is that the world reminds me just a little too much of Kim Harrison's The Hollows books. The backstory on how the world come to be the way it is just seems to similar even if it isn't exactly identical. I suppose the cover art didn't help. It seems clear the attempt it to capture the same audience. If you liked Harrison's books and style and if you don't dislike the main character the way I did, you will likely love this book.
This book was a bit frustrating to me because the writing is actually pretty good. The story is interesting. The characters have some depth for the most part. In fact,the characters are interesting. It is just a struggle to get through when the character that is the main character annoys you or you just find unlikable. I found the main character unlikable. My second problem with the book is that the world reminds me just a little too much of Kim Harrison's The Hollows books. The backstory on how the world come to be the way it is just seems to similar even if it isn't exactly identical. I suppose the cover art didn't help. It seems clear the attempt it to capture the same audience. If you liked Harrison's books and style and if you don't dislike the main character the way I did, you will likely love this book.
March 14, 2019
Dark Blood is a magical and fantastical journey of self discovery. Natasha runs from everything in her life and does the bare minimal to help. One job. One night. Changes everything.
Natasha is a strong character. She's a master at martial arts, and she discovers her body holds secrets. When she meets the ever adorable Detective Ian, those secrets start unraveling.
Now I enjoyed the magical aspects of this book, but I'm also confused on a lot of things. Some things weren't explained very well, and left me confused to this new world and these magical people. I'm still not 100% sure about what caused or what is the Scourge and the virus. I feel like I may be missing a prologue or a book one. Other than that I did enjoy Natasha and her self discovery of everything.
Natasha is a strong character. She's a master at martial arts, and she discovers her body holds secrets. When she meets the ever adorable Detective Ian, those secrets start unraveling.
Now I enjoyed the magical aspects of this book, but I'm also confused on a lot of things. Some things weren't explained very well, and left me confused to this new world and these magical people. I'm still not 100% sure about what caused or what is the Scourge and the virus. I feel like I may be missing a prologue or a book one. Other than that I did enjoy Natasha and her self discovery of everything.
April 9, 2019
This was such an intriguing and captivating story. The main character, Natasha, is flawed (but then aren't we all) but in a way that I could relate to. She is loyal but with a mouth that gets her into trouble sometimes. Ian is grounded and has patience (most of the time) to deal with her. Plus he's the one that is willing to help her with her new powers. The other characters just add to the layers that make Tasha who she is. I was really impressed with this book and look forward to the next one. I want to find out more about Dee, Max and if Lara has a power also. Besides, Ian and Tasha would be great together. I requested an advanced reader copy and am under no obligation to leave this review.
March 10, 2020
This book was good, even if it moved a bot slowly at times. I liked the main character Tash, and enjoyed seeing her work through some of her issues. There were a few odd things that didn't get answered, but I am assuming they will come out in the next book. I wasn't a fan of the ending, however it did leave me wanting to read the rest of the series, which I am guessing was the whole point. I wish more had been explained about the world of magic, the structure and rules and what not, but I appreciated the information that was given since we are learning it all with Tash as she is exposed to it all for the first time. Overall, a fun read that I would recommend.
June 15, 2019
Ms. Hayes is a new author to me and she happens to write in one of my favorite genres; dystopian/paranormal fiction. The blurb for the book pulled me in leaving me wanting more. Boy, did the author deliver. The characters are fleshed out and well done, the plot moves at a steady pace and the build up to the ending was great.
If you are looking for a book that will suck you in and keep you on your toes, this is it!
*** I received a copy of this book free of charge and am voluntarily leaving a review.
If you are looking for a book that will suck you in and keep you on your toes, this is it!
*** I received a copy of this book free of charge and am voluntarily leaving a review.
November 5, 2019
Was given this advance reader copy in return for an honest review, so here goes.
Dark Blood was a good book. I can't say great, but it was a solid read. A few surprises, well written and plotted, and easy to read. No huge plot holes that I could find.
The characters were likable, the pacing excellent, and the writing style easy to comprehend.
I'm not quite sure why I didn't love this book, but I liked it enough that I will buy the next in series.
Dark Blood was a good book. I can't say great, but it was a solid read. A few surprises, well written and plotted, and easy to read. No huge plot holes that I could find.
The characters were likable, the pacing excellent, and the writing style easy to comprehend.
I'm not quite sure why I didn't love this book, but I liked it enough that I will buy the next in series.
June 1, 2019
1.5
The idea of this story was good but the main character, Natasha, was not. She avoids those who need her, is immature and irresponsible. She showed very little growth as the story progressed; it was a constant back and forth of her saying 'let's do this' followed immediately by 'why bother? It's hopeless.'
The idea of this story was good but the main character, Natasha, was not. She avoids those who need her, is immature and irresponsible. She showed very little growth as the story progressed; it was a constant back and forth of her saying 'let's do this' followed immediately by 'why bother? It's hopeless.'
June 9, 2019
Dark Blood (Lethal Magic Book 1)by Nikki Hayes is an amazing story that I loved reading very much. This is book number one in this amazing series and I can not wait to read book number two. If you love reading about dark magic and paranormal then this story is definately for you to read.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
February 8, 2020
This is a great start of UF series. I really liked the world building - it was descriptive and original. The characters are likeable and there are alot of side characters that I play bigger parts in later books. Overall this is a fantastic beginning of series and I look forward to more in this series and from this author
December 6, 2019
Very intense. A lot going on so there is excitement, danger and trying to find a killer. It is not what I expected. The story is a lot better. I enjoyed it very much. I received a complimentary review copy of the book and I am voluntarily leaving a honest review.
May 29, 2019
DNF @ 30%.
July 4, 2019
This grabbed my attention and kept it throufhout. Characters are well developed and the storyline flowed smoothly.
received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
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