When Kayla Reese quit the force in the wake of Magicfall, she was hiding something. The return of magic to the world gave her a gift, or maybe a curse, that would only hurt the people she cared about. Better to leave on her own terms, better to walk away, better to abandon her friends than be branded a monster - the enemy - be hunted by her coworkers. When she wanders into a crime scene, she is forced to face her past and embrace her gifts if she has any hope of saving her friends and the city she calls home.

Witchkin Murders was a fun urban fantasy novel with a mystery twist. I spent a lot of time wondering what Kayla's other form was since the reveal comes quite late in the story. The other characters are also well rounded. I look forward to the second book.

I liked this book. The major strengths of the book were the character development and world-building. However, I found the romance part tedious and repetitive. In addition, parts of the story very confusing. Books of a similar ilk but that are much more worthy of a read are “Just One Damned Thing After Another” by Jodi Taylor, and “The Girl Who Could Move Sh*t With Her Mind” by Jackson Ford.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley for review purposes.

The world exploded with wild magic and the supernatural world declared war on humans and Kayla life went straight to hell. She used to be a detective and now she’s witchkin and a scavenger trying to hide her secret. But any chance she had of escaping her past and keeping her secret disappears when she discovers a murder scene that screams whit signs of black magic ritual. She has to work with her old partner who hates her for abandoning the department and if she screws this up, Portland will be wiped out.

This new urban fantasy screams suspense and magic and while most of the story doesn’t have a lot of romance per say, it does hint at the possibility of a romantic feelings between Kayla and old partner Ray. The chemistry burns hot and heavy throughout the story as they clash, sending sparks flying in every direction. The relationship is chock full of emotional upheaval due to secrets that stem from what happened when magic fell. These two strong, bold characters along with strong supportive characters easily draw readers into their story as they struggle to come to terms with working together again and with how they really feel.

Readers can’t stop reading very fast paced and suspenseful story that is full of stunning twists that change everything in this post-apocalyptic world full of wild magic and monsters where the divide between humans and supernaturals is boiling over the top. Unique elements and a wonderfully descriptive futuristic setting makes it easy for readers to imagine so they really can’t help but this energetic and stunning read.

Fast paced but fairly run of the mill urban fantasy. Kayla Reese used to be a cop. After Magicfall, an event that changed part of the population into witchkin and part into shifters, Kayla quit the force and disappeared until witchkin murders caused by a serial killer drew her back in... I liked the protagonist and the basic premise behind the story but couldn’t stand her main love interest (moody, controlling, jealous) and found the mythology / world building a touch under developed. Three stars.

This is set in a Portland (Oregon) beset by magic. The city is recovering from the witch war, but there's still a lot of suspicion and witchkin are not counted as people, even when they turn up murdered. Kayla was a cop and a damned good one, until Magicfall happened and she turned into something else entirely. Ray was her cop partner and he's spent the last four years unable to come to terms with the fact that she walked out on her job, and him. He doesn't know that she's a shapechanger, but then he's never told her what happened to him at Magicfall either. So they're both hiding secrets, and secret feelings. But this isn't one of those books where all problems could be solved if two people simply sat down and levelled with each other. When Kayla finds three witchkin bodies, she figures that the rutial murder might have consequences for the humans in the city, too, and so, after four silent years, she calls Ray. There's something magical and deeply dangerous going on, if only Ray and Kayla can join the dots between ritual murder of witchkind ands the kidnapping of two woimen from an extremely powerful and wealthy family.

I'm not much into police procedurals, so this didn't start well for me, but as the magic threat increased and the personal stakes grew I got drawn in. Is it plain fantasy or is it Urban Fantasy? You'll have to decide for yourself.

I was not sure if I would like this book …………. yes the synopsis was very promising BUT I felt that the description of our heroine was very off putting " her prominent front teeth reminded him of a rabid beaver " is just one example .
How could a man respect/love someone he had such thoughts about .
Also why did Dix have to be portrayed as little better than a whore - willing to do anything to succeed !
I did persevere but almost wished I hadn't as I felt no connection to the main characters ……….. such a sad shame as the storyline in itself was interesting and could have made for an entertaining book .

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

I really enjoyed this book with the exception of the constant angst between Kayla and Ray.. The world building was fairly good, but I would have liked more. The constant tug and pull between Kayla and Ray was agonizing, and I had to wonder--they were partners prior--did they not have an attraction to each other beforehand? It seemed to come out of left field. In any case, the plot was interesting and the intertwining of kayla's family was really a stunner. Kayla's grandmother being sacrificed to a sword gave me Kate Daniels flashbacks. I look forward to the other books.

*ARC received from NetGalley in return for an honest review*

I am really disappointed in this book. The synopsis interested me considering not only that the book is set in my home town of Portland, OR, but that it also has to do with a new take on witches. There was one giant complication that instantly stopped me in my tracks. Which includes a quote from the book that I am going to post below from the main male character Ray about his female coworker.

"Sharon Dix wasn't beautiful by any stretch. She had a nice enough body, if a little on the boney side, but her prominent front teeth made him think of a rabid beaver every time he looked at her. Add a weak chin, and she looked as though she couldn't be trusted, which she couldn't. Dix didn't care what she had to do to get ahead. Loyalty meant nothing to her. If she needed or wanted something from someone, she'd suck up to them like a whore on her knees until she got what she wanted."

Personally, I can't get past this view from what I am assuming will be the love interest. Why should I put any care or time into reading about a man that views a woman he works with in such a light? I am also a little confused about why the author decided she needed to compare Sharon's actions to that of a whore? Women can be hardworking and driven to succeed without having their actions degraded in such a harsh way. Thus, I am sad to say I am going to have to DNF this book at only 5%. I don't need to read about a toxic man's view. There is enough of that in the world already.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. What a great book , I really enjoyed it. Highly recommend to everyone.

Awesome story, much different then I usually read. This is a story about Kayla who is not quiet what you see, and Ray her ex- partner who has some of his own secrets. Kayla is an ex-detective who stumbles upon a murder, not your ordinary murder. It leads her on an adventure full of danger and a witch, a god or 2 and and is it love? Well you will have to read the book! Did I mention a dragon?

This book was read as an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review!

Wasn't sure how much I was going to like this book - but wow! Loved it! Loved the plot and the characters. Can't wait to read more - know there will be many at more store interested in this one!

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I liked the majority of the characters and there was a freshness to the way magic was brought into the story in this world. That said, I didn’t love it. It was a good story, but there were a few things that kept it from being a much better story for me.

I was not a fan at all of Ray’s character. He comes across as a volatile, angry, nearly abusive person and I’m never a fan of those types of characters being the love interest in the story. This has a touch of the enemies to lovers trope for those that are interested in that theme, but Ray’s character makes it hard for me to get on board with the romantic aspect of this story.

The way the introduction to magic was presented in this book was really intriguing and I was drawn in by that, but there were certain aspects of it that made it hard to believe. The idea that certain things were difficult to obtain was awesome, but it fizzled a bit in the implementation of that idea because you don’t really see the lack. If a region is cut off with regards to communication and transport of goods, there are going to be much larger issues than what you see in this book. Access to a whole lot of different foods, especially something like coffee, kind of grated on me. Mostly because there was very little explanation as to how things were obtained after transportation channels were cut off. Again, I love the idea, but it didn’t feel completely developed.

Though I wasn’t a fan of those aspects, I was still able to enjoy the story.

*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Title: The Witchkin Murders
Series: Magicfall Book #1
Stand Alone Title: yes
Author: Diana Pharaoh Francis
Genre: Romance, Sci-fi Fantasy
Blurb: Four years ago, my world—the world—exploded with wild magic. The cherry on top of that crap cake? The supernatural world declared war on humans, and my life went straight to hell.
I used to be a detective, and a damned good one. Then Magicfall happened, and I changed along with the world. I’m witchkin now—something more than human or not quite human, depending on your perspective. To survive, I’ve become a scavenger, searching abandoned houses and stores for the everyday luxuries in short supply—tampons and peanut butter. Oh, how the mighty have fallen, but anything’s better than risking my secret.
Except, old habits die hard. When I discover a murder scene screaming with signs of black magic ritual, I know my days of hiding are over. Any chance I had of escaping my past with my secret intact is gone. Solving the witchkin murders is going to be the hardest case of my life, and not just because every second will torture me with reminders of how much I miss my old life and my partner, who hates my guts for abandoning the department.
But it’s time to suck it up, because if I screw this up, Portland will be wiped out, and I’m not going to let that happen. Hold on to your butts, Portland. Justice is coming, and I don’t take prisoners.
Favorite quote(s)/excerpt(s): “What’s that?”
“Some things to soften up a witch’s heart,” she said. “Stuff they can’t get all that easily. Tampons, for one.”
“I could have lived without knowing that,” Ray said, starting the car and backing out of the driveway.
“Men can be so squeamish.”
“We could talk about ball sweat if you’d like,” he offered.
She snickered. “Maybe not. Drink your coffee and drive.”
Something in Ray’s chest loosened like an overtightened rusty valve. He felt himself smile. This was the way things were supposed to be. He’d fight hard not to lose this again.
Thoughts: I absolutely love Diana Pharaoh Francis – she has the most original storylines and I love the wild ride her stories take you on. I really enjoyed these characters, their amazing connection to each other, and their desire to fight to hold their friendship together. Both are attracted to each other, but they don’t want to lose their partnership and friendship with each other to pursue a romantic relationship. Not to mention, readers are thrown into a whole new world – a world in which magic has changed everything, sort of reminiscent of the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews. Trust me, though the world is completely different in the changes it renders. I loved how the story played out and the glimpses of the real feelings and desires we had from each character, as the POV does switch back and forth between the two. One of my favorite reads this year! I look forward to getting the next installment in this series!
Rating: A

A good start to this new series by Diana Pharaoh Francis. I liked the characters and the world building and will look to read more.

First and foremost, I want to say I ADORED this book. Excellent original premise that isn't overdone, fantastic plot and good pacing - with one issue, which plagues a lot of authors in my opinion.......

For a good part of the book, it feels like the author couldn't decide if she was writing an urban fantasy or romance novel. I'm sorry, but the "OMG we're about to die - and WHY can't I get his rock hard abs out of my head" is ridiculous to me, and took away quite a bit from whats was times of great momentum, broken by inappropriate "lust". Now to be fair, some readers like this, but I'm not one of them. Give me the sexual tension, in appropriate places in the story and for G'd's sake, lets NOT drag it out for chapter after chapter? I like a little more realism in my urban fantasy, particularly in what are going to be the main characters.

I really liked this urban fantasy about an ex-cop who teams ups with her former partner to solve a series of murders in a Portland transformed by a magical apocalypse.

The weakest part of the story is the romance between the two leads, Kayla and Ray. It’s of the “I want him/her, but they can’t possibly want me, so I’ll just keep it a secret” variety. That’s fine as a starting point, but when both characters come back to that thought again and again over the course of the book, it gets to be a bit much for me. Just talk to each other, you idiots! Luckily, they finally do talk, so that particular brand of angst won’t get dragged out any further.

What really makes the novel is the worldbuilding, which is terrific. Basically, the world as we know it has been transformed by wild magic loosed upon it by powerful supernatural beings. Technology only works because some humans became technomages able to integrate magic and tech. Other people died or were altered in strange ways. Now the remaining nonmagical folk live in uneasy peace with the “witchkin”—witches, shifters, and other creatures who aren’t remotely human. The variety of these characters and the weird magical world they live in leaves a lot of room for creative storytelling in future volumes.

Enough plotlines were left open at the end that sequels seem likely, and I’m in! If you like urban fantasy, do yourself a favor and give this book a try.

A copy of this book was provided through NetGalley for review; all opinions expressed are my own.

The Witchkin Murders has everything I could ask for in a book. A strong take no crap heroine; a yummy, flawed hero, interesting world building. Magic, and secrets, and impending doom. Oh my.

I like Diana Pharoah Francis. I loved her Diamond City Magic Series. I dove into this book hoping to find another read like Trace of Magic but didn’t find the same connection.

This book is a spin-off/offshot? Of “The Horngate Witches” and I really wish I’d read that first. The world building is interesting, but there is a lot of it (a huge info dump). The society is messed up because of the events that happened in The Horngate Witches (more info dump). The magic structure requires a fair amount of explanation (multiple info dumps) Basically there is just a crapload of info dumps

The story starts 4 years after the Witch Wars, and I went into it blind. It felt like reading about someone walking away unscathed from a car crash and not knowing what a car is. Very little made sense. Witches are pariah’s except for Techno Wizards for some reason. Magic is bad, except everyone buys charms all the time. They live in a magical society, and except for the technological aspects of magic the cops seem to ignore it.

When I stopped trying to understand the foundation I started to enjoy the story. Kayla used to be a cop. A damn good one. Then magic walloped Portland and she couldn’t be a cop anymore. Now she’s a woman with a secret. Well if you want to get technical, she has two…no, three secrets. A big one. A monster sized one. And a “What did you just say?” one.

She just stepped into a murder scene She’s not a cop anymore. But some instincts can’t be stifled. So, she’s going to reach out to Ray; the partner she walked away from without a backward glance. A man carrying his own secrets.

There isn't time to find a new balance. They have to hit the ground running. Stuff is about to hit the fan. Cops may ignore magic unless it smacks them upside the head, but magic is coming that they can’t ignore. And they are woefully unprepared for it.

I like Kayla, she is small and scrappy and does not take injustice laying down. I like Ray, he’s a strong character with heart, and enough sense to beat down his inner Neanderthal when Kayla sticks her neck out further than he’d like.

Ordinarily I don't like a shifting perspective. But it works beautifully here. It gave me just enough relationship drama without making me want to throw up my hands and yell "oh my God, just talk to each other already!" The supporting characters keep the story lively. And once it gets going, (it takes its sweet time getting up to speed, but it does get there) the story is highly entertaining.

I'm giving this a 3.5 on the It's not you, it's me premise for a couple reasons.

1- Not understanding the backstory kept me from fully appreciating the story

2- The problem has been since been fixed but when I read it, poorly executed HTML turned this book into a big italicized mess.. .

I received a copy from Netgalley for review. These are my honest thoughts.
#the witchkinmurders#netgalley

3.5 Stars

THE WITCHKIN MURDERS has some really good world-building going on; with lots of mystery to keep the reader turning pages. Kayla is one tough cookie and can really take care of herself but at times she truly walked around blinkered. Ray simply confused me. The Ray we meet knows that he's desperate to be with Kayla but the Ray he was when he worked with her wasn't really interested as he had a lover. So his constant thoughts about what I will politely describe as his honeymoon tackle just felt forced.
There’s not too much to say about the plotline, however. At best it’s a bit simplistic and perhaps slower initially than I wanted but then we get information about Kayla’s family, which frankly I wanted more of. Bad things keep happening though; and Kayla and Ray are in the thick of it which means Ray discovers the secret that Kayla has struggled to kept hidden . The twist is that they both have not been honest and in this biased society it's high time for change.

A little uneven, but I liked it well enough to keep reading the series.

I received a free copy for an honest review from Netgalley.

This is not the first book by this author I’ve read. I liked the voice and attitudes of the characters in the previous two series’ i’ve read, and this definitely does not disappoint. Like her other books, this is an alternate history- magic came and literally exploded out; changing the landscape and fabric of humanity.
Before, Kayla was a decorated detective, partnered with Ray, and disappeared from the force after Magicfall. According to the history in the book, there was war and species tensions after.
The plot for this is twofold- there’s personal mysteries to sort out, and a kidnapping to solve. There’s too much tied up to go much farther than that, but the plot moves along well, and there’s intelligent introspection the these characters- there are no unrealistic personal issues or rampant senseless stupidity to make a situation or part of the story work. These are just good solid real characters that make you want to read, and root for them.
This was a good mash up of religions and mythologies, and brought some new ones that haven’t really been used yet in fantasy yet. I’m really excited for this series, and hope to read many more in the future.

If you liked the Kate Daniels, Mercy Thompson or Hidden Legacy series I think you’d like this as well.

When Magicfall occurred many humans were changed. When two cops, partners, friends were both changed and neither told the other, feelings were devastated and left to fester for several years. When Kayla discovers and reports a witchkin murder, Ray responds. They work together to solve the crimes and find help along the way. Prejudice and fear, from themselves and others, cloud Kayla and Ray’s actions and must be faced. I enjoyed this fantasy book a lot and look forward to the next in the series. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.