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A review by nemerith
Death & Desire by Deborah Wilde
4.0
When the Queen of Hearts suggests you as a PI to solve a murder case, you may wonder what the hell you've just gotten yourself into. Spoiler alert: it ain't anything good, especially when it involves a magical artefact that makes everyone a little crazier than usual!
Trying to solve a murder so Ash can get the vials with smudges back while trying to find more intel on Chariot, on the Jezebel team and on the Queen of Hearts herself isn't really going all that well for her. Add to that the very complicated thing she has with Levi (don't dare call it a relationship of any kind), yeah... really not going well.
Worldbuilding was great! I think what I liked the most was discovering all the different places/aspects of Hedon. I hope we get to see even more of it in the following instalments. As always, scenes and environments were clear and detailed enough to just go ahead and enjoy the story and not worry where the hell Ash is now.
Character development was superb! There were a lot of fears, doubts, cravings etc going on and it all felt real. Ash has to deal with the lure from all the magic around her, just waiting to be sucked up like a milkshake. I really like that she manages to make the decisions (even if they are a lot harder) so that she can still face herself in the mirror afterwards. I mean, she does some crazy stuff, but she has a great inner guidance system going on.
As we learn more about the characters, we see more and more of who they really are, what they want in life and what they are willing to do to get there.
They all feel real and believable.
Pacing and flow were good. It slowed down a tad just after the start but before I started panicking, it picked it back up again and it was smooth sailing till the end.
The book itself was well written with no (noticeable) errors and yes, there is sex described (if that is important to you).
I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy of this book and I loved it! All the twists and turns (and there are many) keeps you on your toes and then there is Levi... *sigh* :D
Snarky humor, a heroine that is as flawed as all of us and deals with it her own way, action à volonté and a dash of romance. The perfect mixture for success!
Trying to solve a murder so Ash can get the vials with smudges back while trying to find more intel on Chariot, on the Jezebel team and on the Queen of Hearts herself isn't really going all that well for her. Add to that the very complicated thing she has with Levi (don't dare call it a relationship of any kind), yeah... really not going well.
Worldbuilding was great! I think what I liked the most was discovering all the different places/aspects of Hedon. I hope we get to see even more of it in the following instalments. As always, scenes and environments were clear and detailed enough to just go ahead and enjoy the story and not worry where the hell Ash is now.
Character development was superb! There were a lot of fears, doubts, cravings etc going on and it all felt real. Ash has to deal with the lure from all the magic around her, just waiting to be sucked up like a milkshake. I really like that she manages to make the decisions (even if they are a lot harder) so that she can still face herself in the mirror afterwards. I mean, she does some crazy stuff, but she has a great inner guidance system going on.
As we learn more about the characters, we see more and more of who they really are, what they want in life and what they are willing to do to get there.
They all feel real and believable.
Pacing and flow were good. It slowed down a tad just after the start but before I started panicking, it picked it back up again and it was smooth sailing till the end.
The book itself was well written with no (noticeable) errors and yes, there is sex described (if that is important to you).
I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy of this book and I loved it! All the twists and turns (and there are many) keeps you on your toes and then there is Levi... *sigh* :D
Snarky humor, a heroine that is as flawed as all of us and deals with it her own way, action à volonté and a dash of romance. The perfect mixture for success!