Wednesday 20 May 2020

REVIEW - THE TROUBLE WITH BEASTS - HOWL FOR THE DAMNED BY D. FISCHER

The Trouble with Beasts in the first book in Howl for the Damned, a series based in the world of D. Fischer's Divinus Kingdom. Divinus Kingdom is interconnecting novels that branch one series to the next.

Title: The Trouble With Beasts
Series: Howl For The Damned
Author: D. Fischer
Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal, Shifter
Release Date: 25th January 2020

BLURB from Goodreads
Bitten by secrets. Broken by truths. That's the trouble with beasts.From bestselling and award-winning author D. Fischer, arrives the highly anticipated Howl for the Damned, a series for fans of Mercy Thompson, Bitten, and Alpha and Omega.All Jinx Whitethorn wants is to discover a life outside of a coven she could never fit in with. She's a witch born without magic, and a woman with a handful of problems to keep her company at night.Determined to find some answers, Jinx digs through old family secrets layered with choices of desire and loyalty. What she learns about herself makes her wish she never went looking for answers in the first place.Jacob Trent, the alpha of the local Riva Pack, stumbles into the middle of Jinx's secret while trying to solve several shifter murders in the nearby town his pack protects. She's a threat. Dangerous. An impossibility. While bringing the troubling woman to heel, Jacob discovers Jinx's family history has made her the prey of a hunt she isn't prepared for.  

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REVIEW
I am always on the look out for great shifter series to try so when the cover of this book caught my attention and I read the blurb I decided to give it a go.

At just 15% I was feeling pulled into this world already.... initially, it was reminding me a tiny bit of Karina Espinosa's Mackenzie Grey Origin's Series which is a huuuge compliment as I truly adore that series & the following one. Jinx kind of reminds me of Mackenzie! ....could Jacob be Jinx' very own Bash? I did discover before reading that this book/series is set in the same world as the other series written by D. Fischer but I couldn’t really find any specific information for which books or series to read first so I dove right into this one.

There is a bit of a backstory that is referred to quite often, “The Realms War” where all the supernaturals fought and sustained heavy losses in their packs, covens etc. I don’t think you absolutely have to have read the books about the Realms War first, prior to this book as the incidents referred to in connection with the Realms War are well explained. I will say I do feel I would like to read the both the series set around the Realms War and the Cloven Pack Series too.

My favourite character is Jinx Whitethorn with her independent, kick ass, stubborn attitude. Jinx belonged to the Lotus Coven of witches and grew up within it until she realised she was a witch with no magic, making her an anomaly, the odd one out. Jinx left the Coven’s home which means leaving their protection but at the same time she is leaving behind the judgmental, inquisitive stares of the other witches. Jinx has moved in to the flat that is above the Be Deviled bar that is owned and run by Cinderson Robin’s a shifter who is part of the local Riva Pack. Things have taken a weird turn for Jinx lately as it seems some strange group, or pack is hunting her. At first, Jinx thought it maybe just coincidence but then she noticed all these men/beasts had the same tattoo like mark on them. Even stranger is whilst fighting these assailants Jinx seems to blackout, and cannot remember how the fight progressed or ended.
Jinx best friend from within the coven is Sara, who is the daughter of Jamie, Jinx’ mother’s best friend also. Sara is a good, supportive friend to Jinx and doesn’t care whether Jinx has magic or not. There is a point in the book where Jamie kind of asks/warns Jinx not to involve her daughter in whatever she is mixed up in. I think perhaps there could be further trouble for Jinx in the future with some of the members of the coven. The witches seem to see things in a very black and white way and the fact Jinx has no magic, to them means Jinx is not one of them. Thankfully for Jinx her friend Sara doesn’t think like that at all and is willing to face anything side by side with her best friend. Sara encourages Jinx to speak to her own mother to ask questions about her heritage from her father’s line. Jinx ends up asking her mother about her father as that is clearly where she gets her Native American looks. Eventually her mother, Tabatha reveals that she really loved Adriel, Jinx father but witches are not supposed to fall in love, they are supposed to be lone women bringing up their daughters. Sadly, the day Tabatha revealed to Adriel that she was pregnant he was killed in a mystery car accident. Jinx also learns that her father was also a supernatural, he was a Shaman, so perhaps that is where her gifts lie…..could that be linked to her blacking out?

I also adored Cinderson’s character, so “happy go lucky”, such an easy going, kind of guy but at the same time hiding his own heartbreak and heartache at the loss of his sister Allie in the Realms War. Also still upset at the loss of Allie, is Jacob, the Alpha of the Riva Pack. Jacob is involved with Evo, Alpha of the Cloven pack who also lives in the area. They have to keep an eye on rogue werewolves and encourage them to learn to live within a pack, if they cannot do this they need to “take care of them”. It’s whilst looking into some shifter deaths that Jacob and Evo realise the dead shifters are part of the Bane pack. Wice Bane is not a well liked, shifter in either of his forms. In fact, the Bane Pack are known to work as mercenaries for whoever has the money to pay for their services.

It turns out that Jinx has what could be described as her very own brand of magic that she has through her father’s bloodline. Jacob decides to take Jinx under the protection of his pack until they can work out why the Bane pack is after Jinx and until Jinx can control her new found powers. Unfortunately for Jacob he decides that kidnapping Jinx is a good way to get to talk to her, and to say this irritates Jinx is an understatement. Jinx is used to being independent and makes her opinions and views well known which causes friction within the Riva Pack and Jinx. Jinx does prove how tough she is and the fact she can take care of herself and soon integrates with the majority of the pack members. There are also some great descriptive sparring scenes between Jinx and the Riva pack. Towards the latter part of the book when Jinx is once again in danger because of the Bane Pack there are some great fight scenes too.

I loved the description of the Lotus Coven garden that is only accessible in its true and wonderful form for witches. Witches can gain access to this garden because they have given a drop or as it is described in the book a bead of their blood to it. There is a small clearing separating the vegetation and a pentagram that is outlined in brick with a circle surrounding it. Each triangle of the pentagram has a different shade of flowers, white for the earth realm, red for the demon realm, purple for the dream realm, yellow for the guardian realm and blue for the death realm. The description is so good you can almost visualise how this would look.

My immediate thoughts upon finishing reading this book were Oh wow what a great start to another potentially fantastic paranormal, shifter series!
Certainly eager to read more about Jinx, Jacob, Cinder, Sara, the rest of the Riva pack.....multiple shifter packs, plus covens, and Native American shaman as well as vampires being hunted at.

To sum up on one hand I could honestly go on and on about this book but on the other hand it’s difficult to talk about without revealing too much about the book as I certainly do not want to spoil the reading experience. I truly loved the beautiful necklace that Jinx has that belonged to her father, though it turns into a bit of a mixed gift. A connection to her father, yet something the Bane Pack desperately want and don’t care how they get it. I am seriously looking forward to hopefully learning much more about Jinx heritage and what her gifts and powers will be, as well as where her potential relationship with Jacob will go. In amongst all the pack hierarchy, the witch laws and fighting there are hints at things that may be coming in the future. I am hoping for more things happening around the Be Deviled and I’m already pairing off another witch and wolf couple. So. after all my rambling and rattling on I would say this series and author are going on my “must read” lists. Other series as well as the Mackenzie Grey series’ by Karina Espinosa I would compare this book to, are Jessica McClain series by Amanda Carlson, the Shifter's series by Rachel Vincent and the Women Of The Otherworld series by Kelley Armstrong. I have also seen this series compared to Alpha & Omega and the Mercy Thompson series’ but having only read Cry Wolf I haven’t added it to my, “to compare to list”.


ALSO DID YOU KNOW BK 2 IS
OUT NOW!
Title: The Liar Among Creatures
Series: Howl For The Damned
Author: D. Fischer
Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal, Shifter
Release Date: 16th May 2020

BLURB from Goodreads
Uncertainty is measured in lies.

From bestselling and award-winning author D. Fischer, arrives the highly anticipated Howl for the Damned, a series for fans of Mercy Thompson, Bitten, and Alpha and Omega.

Balancing loyalties and desires isn’t easy, but Jinx Whitethorn is determined to try. She finally understands what she is and the secrets that bind her fate, but she still has questions. Jinx turns to the only living relative she has left on her father’s side. It goes against every tribe fable Kaya Whitethorn had been told as a child, but she agrees to help her skinwalker niece.

Possessing both a combination of shaman and witch magic, Jinx needs to learn how to control her power to defend the people she loves, and her father’s pendant. A pendant that harnesses the wolf souls of the cursed Bane Pack shifters.

Meanwhile, Jacob looks into a mole inside the pack. Someone’s feeding the Bane information, and he’s determined to find the traitor among them. He’ll protect the woman he loves, no matter the cost.


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