Beckoning Darkness (The Damned and The Pure #1) by J.D. Stonebridge

Beckoning Darkness by J.D. Stonebridge

My Rating: ★★★★

After committing a terrible sin against heaven, Ariel spent centuries serving her heavenly prison sentence. She has finally been released and has had her memory swiped so that she will not be tempted to repeat the mistakes of her past. Freshly released, Ariel is selected for a special assignment on Earth, giving her the second chance she needs. However, mankind is not what it once was, which challenges her mission. A demon throws a wrench in her assignment, pushing her to her limits. However, all is not what it seems and she finds herself unwillingly teaming up with the odd demon that messed with her assignment so they can both find answers to their questions.

J.D. Stonebridge has taken the world we live in and added a supernatural and divine spin to it. Rather than following the perspective of a prophet, we follow an angel and a demon. Heaven and Hell meet in the human realm, and we see how these characters view our world. I love that Ariel is kept in the dark. She doesn't remember her sin, nor does she remember her punishment. She believes what the angels have told her, but she has questions that she is urged to keep to herself. It opens the door for more questions, which kept me on the lookout because I knew that all is not what it seems. There has to be more to Ariel's story, as well as her mission.

The story is a balancing act between Ariel and Caelum. Ariel is a devout angel determined to redeem herself, and Caelum is an odd demon who has no memories of anything other than his life as a demon. He is drawn to her because he's never seen an angel before, and she also reminds him of the women in the dreams he believes are his human memories. As the story continues, we see that there seems to be something bigger working against the pair. It ultimately cements the pair together in a seemingly temporary partnership that is interesting to watch. Ariel is so straight and narrow compared to Caelum, who is a fun spirited demon. I enjoyed watching the pair's interactions as well as their interactions with other characters as I was drawn deeper into the story. I knew that I was in for the whole series by the end of the book because it's such a compelling story that kept me glued to its pages.

A Toxic Trousseau (A Witchcraft Mystery #8)

A Toxic Trousseau by Juliet Blackwell

My Rating: ★★★★★

When Lily is served papers detailing a lawsuit involving a certain rogue familiar, she decides to pay Autumn a visit in an attempt to come to a peaceful agreement. Sadly, she stumbles upon Autumn in some of her final moments, leaving her with a new mystery on her hands. Meanwhile, Aidan leaves Lily in charge when he leaves town, allowing her to finally see what his daily job entails.

Blackwell has brought yet another delightful installment into our lives. I like that A Toxic Trousseau takes a different path than previous installments. We see more into Lily and Sailor's day to day relationship with one another, which allows us to become more invested in the pair. We're also given a glimpse of what is to come as Lily tries to figure out Aidan's motive behind leaving her in charge. If anything, learning some of his more popular duties piqued my interest because it allowed Lily to become acquainted with a different side of the magical folk in her city. We now see who Lily and company will be going up against even if we do not know the specifics of what is in store. It was interesting to see the light and dark sides of some of these new characters, so I'm looking forward to seeing them again.

This installment takes a bit of a different path than previous installments. The mystery itself seems to be a bit in the air while being connected to multiple parts of the story even if we do not see it at first. We have the cursed trousseau, a mystery house, and mysterious death that weigh heavily on Lily's mind. We also continue to see Lily grow as she tries to get to the bottom of these different aspects that are plaguing her. Rather than jumping into these mysteries alone, she asks for help and takes her friends along with her. She has made a family for herself that she trusts and relies on, and I love seeing her realize that she can count on these people as much as they count on her. The story is captivating from beginning to end. I also I found myself wanting to attend any party with Bronwyn and company. The final chapter had me yelling in excitement. I am now eagerly awaiting the ninth book!

The Mime Order (The Bone Season #2)

The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon

My Rating: ★★★★

The Mime Order picks up right where The Bone Season left off. Like the series opener, this installment is a slow burn. However, the slow pace is worth it because the world building continues as we follow Paige's struggles. She sees the world that she fought so hard to return to differently now that her eyes are open. It's a dark and oppressed world full of lies, hidden agendas, and two-faced people sitting out in the open. One wrong move can end in death, especially for Paige since she's now on the most wanted list. It really allowed us the time to fully understand what Paige is facing at every turn.

It was interesting to get more detail about some of the characters we know from the previous novel, such as Jax and the various big players of the syndicate. Learning the history of The Rephiam as Warden knows it is fascinating, and I'm sure it will play a big part as the series continues. Learning the politics of the syndicate was also interesting, especially as we begin to see how deep the corruption has seeped. The slow pace might be something that won't pull everyone in, but it allows us to see what Paige and company will be facing as they become immersed in the war. The story becomes fast paced toward the end, and we see how Paige's decisions come back to bite her. I enjoyed getting to know all of the characters, new and old, every step of the way. I can't wait for the third installment!