4.5
*Book source ~ Many thanks to the author for providing a review copy in exchange for an honest review.
Caledonia ‘Callie’ Walking is a mage. Or wizard if you prefer that term. She freelances for clients and consults for the police. When one of her clients ends up dead, drained of his blood, she takes it personally. After all, she was the one to set the protection wards to keep him safe. Now, she needs to get to the bottom of who wanted the wards broken and why. Unfortunately, strange things are preventing her from finding the who, but when she eventually figures out that it’s Aristos ‘Risto’ Ionios, the why will be the least of her concerns. Surviving her confrontation with Risto takes top place on her To Do List.
Ah, this is a new favorite series for me. I sincerely hope I will be seeing much more of Callie. I really like her no nonsense attitude and the world in which she lives is intriguing. And I like Risto. He’s fascinating and yet, oh so dangerous. I kinda get his game, but he’s so old and powerful he could change the rules in a heartbeat and it would be Game Over. I really can’t wait to read more about him.
This story would easily be a 5-biter for me except for two things. I want some more world building. Granted, this is a short story and it did well for the space, but more would be nice. Also, the writing is a bit choppy, or maybe abrupt would be a better word. It is consistent throughout the story so I’m going to say this is the author’s style. It’s not bad, but it did take getting used to. All-in-all I finished this story wanting more, more, more. Bring on some new cases for Callie!