ARC Review: Banishing the Dark by Jenn Bennett

Banishing the Dark by Jenn Bennett
Previous review: Binding the Shadows
Series: Arcadia Bell #4
Release Date: May 27th, 2014
Publisher: Pocket
Source: Net Galley
Pre-Order: Amazon | Book Depository

Goodreads Summary

Complicated does not begin to describe Arcadia Bell's life right now: unnatural magical power, another brush with death, and a murderous mother who's not only overbearing but determined to take permanent possession of Cady's body. Forced to delve deep into the mystery surrounding her own birth, Cady must uncover which evil spell her parents cast during her conception…and how to reverse it. Fast. As she and her lover Lon embark on a dangerous journey through her magical past, Lon's teenage son Jupe sneaks off for his own investigation. Each family secret they uncover is darker than the last, and Cady, who has worn many identities—Moonchild, mage, fugitive—is about to add one more to the list.

Note: This review may or may not be incoherent. Do not blame me. Blame the fact that I just finished one of my favorite series.

It is kind of hard to believe that one of my favorite urban fantasy series has finally come to an end. I was late to the party but for the past year I’ve loved and re-read this series and become a huge fan of the author and it’s so sad to let a series you loved finally go.

This series is perfect, you have great characters, a great supporting cast, great romance and entertaining plots. This book was no different, however this time around we were also introduced to Jupe’s POV.

Cady and Lon never fail to amaze me. They are such strong and wonderful characters. You just cannot help but like them. They both have their moments but at the same time they are just so lovable. They both have insecurities but it’s been so much fun watching them grow over the course of 4 books. From being too scared to say those 3 words to finally admitting them. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to express how much I love the two.

Their romance is still as wonderful as ever. There was a twist at the beginning that initially brought things down for me. I wasn’t completely sure it would work out well and I was too scared that I would end up raging instead of enjoying the romance between one of my favorite couples but I shouldn’t have worried. Jenn has it covered. She pulled it off and I loved their romance this time around as well. Lon is a little withdrawn in this book but he has his reasons and I kind of love how he is giving her room.  He gives her the space she needs but at the same time he is so supportive. Not that that’s a new thing. There are things he doesn’t agree with, wishes there was another way but he doesn’t stop Cady because he respects her as a person even though all his instincts are screaming at him to shove her inside a closet and protect her to the best of his ability.

One of the drawbacks of this novel for me was Jupe’s POV. I know many people have been looking forward to this and I am pretty sure it’s me and not his POV that makes it difficult for me to enjoy reading those bits. For the past three books I’ve observed Jupe from an ‘adult’ point of view so I think of him as the ‘cute little kid’ (and he is indeed adorable) but the change to his POV kind of just makes it hard for me to see him as a kid and forces me to see him as a teenager. Which just makes things a little awkward for my brain. With that said, I still adored Jupe in this novel.

Priya; however, not so much. I felt like Priya took advantage of Jupe’s need to be an adult to manipulate him into doing something that could cause him harm and so I wasn’t Priya’s biggest fan in this book.

The plot was strong in this one. Jenn did not disappoint with the finale. I was on the edge of my seat eagerly awaiting the final showdown. Emotions ran high. There was action and there were also amazing paranormal bits.

The epilogue, predictably, did not work for me. Epilogues are not my thing and I can only think of one off the top of my head that I actually loved to death. I always find them to be too HEA and it just reinforces the fact that the series has come to an end and these characters that you’ve come to love will no longer have amazing adventures.

Writing this review is one of the hardest things I’ve had to do this week (and believe me, my week has been hellish). It’s so impossibly hard to say good bye and you know what, I’ll do it with a smile on my face knowing that I wasn’t let down and that Jenn didn’t disappoint me.

This is a series I will recommend to everyone until well the end of time because Cady and Lon are full of win and everyone should get to appreciate their brilliance. 

ARC Review: Bitter Spirits by Jenn Bennett

Bitter Spirits by Jenn Bennett
Series: Roaring Twenties #1
Release Date: January 7th, 2013
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Pre-Order: Amazon | Book Depository

Goodreads Summary

First in a new romance series: It’s the roaring twenties, and San Francisco is a hotbed of illegal boozing, raw lust, and black magic. The fog-covered Bay Area can be an intoxicating scene, particularly when you specialize in spirits…

Aida Palmer performs a spirit medium show onstage at Chinatown’s illustrious Gris-Gris speakeasy. However, her ability to summon (and expel) the dead is more than just an act.

Winter Magnusson is a notorious bootlegger who’s more comfortable with guns than ghosts—unfortunately for him, he’s the recent target of a malevolent hex that renders him a magnet for hauntings. After Aida’s supernatural assistance is enlisted to banish the ghosts, her spirit-chilled aura heats up as the charming bootlegger casts a different sort of spell on her...

On the hunt for the curseworker responsible for the hex, Aida and Winter become drunk on passion. And the closer they become, the more they realize they have ghosts of their own to exorcise…

Jenn may have made me give up my first born child but this book was worth it. Anything Jenn writes is worth it. This woman knows what she is doing. She has yet to disappoint me (TOUCH WOOD). When I started this book, I knew without a doubt I would love it and love it I did.

When I heard that Jenn was writing a series that took place in the 20s I was ecstatic. The 20’s are one of my favorite time periods and to know that one of my favorite authors was writing a book that took place during that time…I think you know where I am going with this.

Jenn really did manage to capture the essence of that time though. It was believable; it didn’t seem to be just facts. Jenn really brought the time period to life and I was a goner. I have to say though; this series is COMPLETELY different from Arcadia Bell. They may both share a paranormal aspect but the world building and the focus on romance makes the two different from one another.

There is magic involved but it is so different from the kind of magic in Arcadia Bell. It’s more down to Earth and less magical if that makes any sense.

I ABSOLUTELY ADORED how Jenn played with Prohibition, she throws us right in the middle of it and makes our male lead a bootlegger. *claps hands* The woman is brilliant I tell you. Winter’s life changed two years ago because of a car accident. It left him disfigured and low on self-esteem (he wouldn’t admit that last part to you though). He picked himself up though and he carried on. He further built his father’s business and became a better boss than his father ever was. When someone tries to poison him with GU and ghosts start attacking him as a result, he enlists the help of the famous medium Aida. Winter is, I cannot help comparing, completely different from Lon (from the Arcadia Bell series). He is a lot more intense and can sometimes be a little dense when it comes to Aida. But he is also passionate and loving and will do anything for the ones he loves.  He also wears suspenders (although I suspect all men did in that time period but no one probably pulled them off as well as he did) so he is a winner.

Aida was a strong female, although honestly I thought she might be a flapper before I read the book. I am so glad she wasn’t even if I am sad flappers weren't mentioned. Aida was perfect just the way she was. She was a proud woman who isn’t ashamed of what she does. She earns a living by travelling around and performing ‘shows’ where she calls back people’s loved ones from the dead for one last chat. She is unapologetic and sassy but she is also a survivor, which makes me like her even more.

The best thing about the romance was how it did NOT overshadow the plot. There was quite a bit of focus on it and it didn't just linger in the background but the plot didn’t fade into the background because of the intensity of the romance. In fact Jenn managed to make both the plot and the romance shine. The romance did give off insta-attraction vibes but I decided to give it a chance to develop further before forming an opinion and boy was it worth it. The setting makes it even more interesting. There is this sensuality in the romance that makes it so magical. The going to the hotels, the raids, the old fashioned cars/cabs, the calling each other on the old fashioned phones where you would have to get through an operator to connect to the person you are trying to call, it was all wonderful.

The plot, as I mentioned, was well developed. I LOVED the Chinese dark magic, I cannot recall the correct term so don’t mind me. I loved the spying. I loved how the mystery unravelled and I loved how I had not thought that that person would be the culprit.

Jenn really did it again with this book. I am a little sad that the series will not continue on with these two characters I have come to love and am not sure how I feel about reading the sequels which will feature other characters but the fact that Astrid and Bo’s story, which Jenn told me, is set in the great depression makes me (not so) slightly curious.

I would recommend this to fans of the 20’s (like me) and fans of historical romances who would enjoy reading a good romance that doesn't become the life of a book.

Binding the Shadows by Jenn Bennett

Title: Binding the Shadows

Author: Jenn Bennett

Series: Arcadia Bell #3

Publisher: Pocket Books

Release Date: 28th May, 2013

Buy: Amazon

Goodreads Summary

Renegade mage and bartender Arcadia Bell has had a rough year, but now the door to her already unstable world is unhinging. When a citywide crime wave erupts, Cady's demon-friendly tiki bar is robbed by Earthbounds wielding surreal demonic abilities that just flat-out shouldn't exist. With the help of her devilishly delicious boyfriend, Lon Butler, Cady sets out to find the people who wronged her—but her targets aren't the only ones experiencing unnatural metamorphoses. Can Cady track down the monsters responsible before the monster inside herdestroys everything—and everyone—she loves? If she survives this adventure, one thing is certain: it's last call for life as she knows it.

I only found the Arcadia Bell series this year so I didn’t have a particularly long wait to this one but it seemed like a painfully long wait to me anyway.

I spent a good deal of time this year exploring the Urban Fantasy genre, and its suffice to say that while there are some good books, a lot of them are so similar it’s like reading the same story again and again. This, however, wasn’t the case with the Arcadia Bell series which is now one of my favorites.

I think the strong point of this series isn’t the unique concept but the strong relationships between the characters and strong characters in general. They just make the book so much more fun to read but this book was a lot more serious than it was fun.

The book starts with Jupe’s grandmother and aunt coming into town and them not liking her but things get worse when Lon’s ex-wife comes to town. On top of that there is a drug going around that amplifies knacks, and Lon and Cady are put on the case.

Cady is a lot more sensitive in this one (we find out why later) and she is slightly insecure as well. It didn’t bother me as much as it would have had it been anyone else, but Cady is a strong character and everyone is allowed to have insecurities as long as they don’t become setbacks.

I’ll admit to thinking there wasn’t enough Jupe in this one. He was there, but the reason I love him is because he always lightens things up but there just weren’t a lot of funny/light things going on in this one.

I think out of the three books this one has the most interesting plot because this time around things are getting a lot more dangerous as more secrets about Cady are revealed.

The only thing I didn’t like (besides there not being enough Jupe), that I am sure everyone who has read the book will agree on, was that cliffhanger. At first I didn’t even know that that was all. I was sitting there trying to make sense of what had just happened and kept on re-reading the ending for some sort of clue. It just broke my heart once I wrapped my head around it.

Right now all I can think of is how I’ll survive the wait to the next book. It’s going to take a year to come out and with that cliffhanger… it’s not going to be easy. At all.