Imagine a world where magic is real! I know what you're think, Harry Potter, but no it's more intense. Magic once existed, but was taken away. It is now up to 4 individuals to race against time to save a life and restore magic. Of Wicked Blood is filled with suspense, mystery, and a splash of romance. This book left me with a wicked book hangover.

Despite really enjoying this book as a while I felt the plot kind of lacked in places and lost my interest a bit.
I’m not sure what was missing but I wish I loved it a little bit more.

Great build up of characters but I could have done with a little more back story on a few of them.
I loved Slate, his character was my favourite. The change of his whole demeanour throughout the book make my heart whole as his affection towards Cadence was beautifully done. I love an enemies to lovers book!

On a whole it felt a little unfinished. I want to know why the ring just fell off even though they didn’t complete the task at hand!

Would recommend to certain friends but maybe not everyone

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Twig Publishing for providing me with this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I have already written a review for the ebook version of this, so the remainder of this text will be the same as that in terms of plot and writing style and characters. Specifically pertaining to the audiobook, I did greatly enjoy the narrators for this. I think they did a great job in bringing the characters to life, and I enjoyed their performance.

In all seriousness, this book was a rollercoaster. In plot, in writing, and in my love/hate relationship with the characters. I found myself both greatly enjoying reading it and becoming frustrated with certain characters' actions or obliviousness. The writing style felt a little clunky at times and I'm not sure if this was because there were two writers, or because the deliberate word choices were made to sound more sophisticated and just...didn't, considering the two main characters were teenagers and thinking in terms of 4 or 5 syllable SAT words. Also Slate's eyes kept "curving in a smile" and I just kept getting distracted trying to figure out how such a thing was possible.

Slate and Cadence as a couple was another part of the story I had a love/hate relationship with. We'll start with Slate, who very much starts the story as a sleazebag who completely over-sexualizes the (SEVENTEEN YEAR OLD) female main character. I don't think he's too much older than she is, if at all, but it just felt insanely gross. This goes away after they get to know each other better, although it morphs into a kind of he-man overprotectiveness that borders on possessive, and was kind of uncomfortable in its own right. Slate grew up in foster care, which is a huge part of his story and a reason for why he has a chip on his shoulder, and yet mostly what it contributes to his character is an absurd amount of whining and self-victimization in practically any situation. In spite of all of this, I did grow to mostly like him? I think there was character growth by the end of the story, and this will probably continue in the next book?

Now for Cadence. While I enjoyed her immensely more as a character, I think she was supposed to come off as sheltered and naive, but it mostly presented as incredibly obtuse in the face of facts that were practically punching her teeth out. Her feelings towards Slate (and his towards her) were distinctly insta-lovey, considering they barely knew each other. I would normally not be bothered by this, because they're supposed to be teenagers, but they weren't written to seem like teenagers. Honestly I think this story might have flowed better if they'd just been placed in college. Their thoughts and mannerisms definitely felt more like people in their early 20s, versus that of teenagers.

I did enjoy the plot, for the most part, and thats what kept me turning the pages as much as I did. I flew through the last 50% of this book, because once the quests for the Quatrefoil pieces began, this plot became infinitely more interesting. At one point, it gets insanely (and maybe unnecessarily?) dark. So....trigger warnings for child death and talk of suicide, for sure. And finally, the ending. I honestly think I could have bumped up the rating to a 4-star, in spite of everything I discussed above, but I feel like this book took us 90% of the way to the finish line, hinted at a lot of things and betrayals that I kind of saw coming a mile away, and then just....stopped. And now we wait for a book two, when I feel like this story just needed another 50 pages or so and could have been over.

I definitely feel as though there are parts of this story that need improvement, but overall I enjoyed reading it. It was fast-paced and original in terms of plot, although I do doubt the need for an entire second book (or more to a series?). I might continue reading just to see how it's possible to stretch it out further. I definitely would like to know if my guesses as to some of the character's true motivations were right, so I'll most likely still pick up the second book.

Thank you to netgalley.co.uk for giving me a free copy of this audiobook in exchange of a fair and honest review.

I didn’t really look into this book before I requested it from netgalley but I’m glad I took the time to listen to it. The narrators of this book were brilliant, I was hooked into the story from the first chapter. I loved the magical aspect of this storyline although it only gets a three star from because the plot line felt like it was dragging slightly in places but nonetheless I would still get the second book in the series.

When you are obsessed with an author's writing, their books and story, you obviously try to read their next book.. Especially their arcs. Thank you to the author for the review copy, and @netgalley for the audiobook !!
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My Rating : [🌟🌟🌟🌟]
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Of Wicked Blood follows our two main characters : Slate, who has had a difficult childhood, amd discovers the world of magic accidentally and hates being in it, and , Cadence, a history enthusiastic thrust into the same magic world because of her history. This book focuses on found family, dealing with rash decisions, betrayals and lots of 'what is happening' moments. It has a lot of swearing guys. So brace yourselves.
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Audiobook : I really liked the narrator for both the Characters. They made the story and my reading experience even more immersive. The extra emotions and the voice modulation for Cadence was my favourite.
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First, OMG Slate was an absolute wreck, swore a lot and just didn't care for anything in general and I loved him for it. Cadence was a really strong character with small quirks that made me smile. Their banter was something I absolutely adored and loved reading about. Alma was another favourite of mine and I can't stop smiling at her outward and spirited personality!
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Second, I really liked the world building and the progression of the story. The concept of a town build and breathing a magic lore which was true, was a really intruiging one. Even though not a lot of explaination was goven as to how the history came to be, I really liked what was shown to us. The friendship between Cadence and Alma was amazing and I wish we had more chapters with Bastian because he was such a sweetheart. The side Characters played a very important in the story as much as the main characters and I think that's why I liked that ending. It was more like a gang coming together to fight for something even when they didn't want to. I have no opinions on Adrian so far and want Cadence to become a badass Character without Slate.
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Coming to the story and character development, I think the story has so much to deliver and develop, so I'm really looking forward to the next book. For the Characters, I think Bastian amd Alma were my favourites. Hands down. I also enjoyed the bonding moments shared within the Characters. I hated Papa De Morel with a vengeance and I have a few theories on what might have happened. Let's see how that turns out. The only thing I hated was the references to a certain book that must not be named and the comparison between characters. I think I lost my patience when Slate kept calling Cadence Bellatrix. I mean get that the authors were trying to prove a character trait with that, but I was extremely uncomfortable and didn't like that inclusion one bit. I really hope they remove them before it gets published. I still am trying to not be biased and rate the story, but it definitely affected my rating now.
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Overall, I think it was a solid start to a series and I'm looking forward to the next installment!
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Kindle/ Audiobook/ Netgalley/ January 2021

This was an absolutely fantastic audiobook and the readers did an amazing job.

What did I like? I was gifted a copy of the ebook and audio so I rotated chapters. I found though that the audiobook was tons better than trying to read it. This book is definitely meant to be savored. The two people reading did such an excellent job that it felt like I was listening as this happened.

Would I recommend or buy? Go audio, this is probably the best audiobook I have ever heard. Almost like listening to a movie. The voice reflection per character was spot on and the only issue I had was clearly with the French words.

I received a complimentary audiobook to listen and voluntarily left a review! Five stars!

I was very intrigued by the blurb and in the mood for urban fantasy, so I gave this a try and was not disappointed. I was invested in the story right from the start and binged it through so fast.

It's an action-packed quest story set in modern day France, in a small superstitious town with prominent local myths about witchcraft that all turn out to be true.
We follow the adventure of two protagonists: A thief, who finds out about his past after having spent all his life as an orphan without information on his parentage and the daughter of an wealthy, influential academic, who has the ambitious goal of restoring the forgotten magic from legends.
Things are set in motion when the thief gets cursed by putting on a stolen ring and they form a party with two others in order to collect 4 magical artefacts, before time runs out and our main character gets killed by the curse.

The pacing is fast, alternating between the dual POVs of male and female protagonist in pretty short and catching chapters. The plot is enthralling and I loved the writing style. It has nice prose, in a modern and tangible way that doesn't feel contrived. The humour is great, I laughed so much and it helped to quickly endear the characters to me. But despite the humour there was also a good balance between it and the story's touching and heartfelt moments.

I thought the characters were all well-written and believeable, with a good group dynamic. I really liked both of the main characters, even though they are typical YA-archetypes, but they show enough depth and personality to be relateable. Alas, I must admit, I have a soft spot for the "sassy thief with a heart of gold"-trope, as well as tough, intelligent girls.
It surprised me that the book focused on romance so much, because I did not take that from the description at all, but nonetheless I enjoyed the cute enemies-to-lovers relationship building up and it wasn't too juvenile or over the top.

So, in conclusion, although the book is admittedly a bit trope-y at times and it was not the most original story I've ever read, I got what I was looking for and was thoroughly entertained by it. I will definitely buy the book when it comes out and be impatiently waiting for the sequel!

About the audio:
Unlike the story I was not very impressed by the voicing.
I like the idea of the dual narration corresponding to the POVs of the book, but I had a hard time listening to the male narrator. He didn't do a bad job in general, but he has such a slow, monotonous voice I found difficult concentrating on and I couldn't get used to it. It helped to speed his parts up to 1,5x or 1,75x speed. I liked the female narrator's voice, though.
What really put me off was the beyond terrible french pronounciation of both of the very american readers. The book is set in France and has a ton of french words and phrases, so it really seems like an odd choice to not pick somebody more capable of the language. Even the most basic words like "mademoiselle" were incredibly hard to understand within a sentence, because it all sounded like some mumbled american word. Some of the phrases that were uttered are completely unintelligible even on rewinding and relistening, despite being fluent in french.
So, while I definitely would recommend the book, I have my reservations about the audiobook.

4.5 rounded up to a 5

I have a sort of love/hate relationship with young adult fantasy but I thoroughly enjoyed this one. It does contain a few of the usual tropes of the genre but it's excellent writing and great pacing really elevated it for me.

The world building was really great. The town of Brume was brilliantly and vividly brought to life. I loved the nods to Arthurian legend and the lore and history woven throughout out.

I found all the characters interesting and unique. Slate was a great lovable rogue type and Cadence was perhaps a tad bland but was at least brave and self sufficient and their was a really solid female friendship in this as well.

The romance was your pretty standard young adult fare and was the weakest part of the plot for me. There were times that they were thinking of each other when there really was a lot more important things going on.

The best aspects were that this book got pretty dark which I really like and the action scenes were gripping and enjoyable without outstaying their welcome.

I do recommend the audiobook on this one.

Overall I will definitely be picking up the next book, I can't wait to see how this continues.

This story is told from 2 different view points.

Slate, an orphan boy who was previously in the foster system. He finds out that his parents died which is why he was put into the system and gets an invite to a prestigious school by the Dean. To get back at the Dean, who knew of his plight but never contacted him his entire life, he decides to loot Dean’s family crypt.

Cadence, daughter of the Dean, descendant of a sorceress and possibly Merlin himself.

The town where the crypt is, is said to be magical and hold cursed objects. When Slate steals a ring from the body of Cadence’s mother, he unleashes a series of curses that he must defeat, along with Candace and 2 other founding family members, if he wants to live. They must all do their part in stopping the curses and restoring magic.

I usually prefer upper ya to na. And besides the cursing it’s leaning towards lower ya. But it’s good! There is a romance starting to emerge but it’s tame.

Slight spoilers ahead
The book sets up a bad guy and its pretty obvious what’s going on. I hope I’m wrong though because I like surprises. Can’t wait to read the next book to find out!

Great creative story. Very descriptive illuminating. Pulls you into a magical or lack of magic world.... characters are very diverse and individual, one of a kind.

I found this book to bit somewhat erratic and nonsensical. It was also very Americanized, which was just odd, seeing as the book was supposed to be set in Brittany in France. It was a bit all over the place and just generally a bit disappointing.
The audio side of it was equally so, although I feel the narrators was doing the best they could with a low quality text.

When I started reading Of Wicked Blood, I immediately thought it had vibes similar to Six of Crows by Leigh Burdago. Of Wicked Blood starts with a thief, Slate Ardoin, who receives information that his birth parents have left him a trust fund and he has to travel to a small town that is reported to be the birthplace of French witchcraft. When he arrives there and is cursed by a ring, he finds out quickly that magic is real and he and three others have to go on a magical treasure hunt so they can restore magic.
I really loved this book. It definitely moves along quickly and by the time it ended I thought it was going to be quite heartbreaking but instead I was left scratching my head with so many questions. I definitely can’t wait for the next book to see what happens next.
If you want to be taken on a magical ride you need to check this book out.

Thank you Netgalley for the audiobook arc of this amazing book! This is my honest review.

This was such a pleasant surprise. I have to admit I requested this on a bit of a whim as it just seemed like an interesting concept a Con-artist/thief gets pulled into a magical treasure hunt. I really enjoyed it. It is a fun and quick read with sassy characters, a little adventure that didn't pull its punches. I definitely think fan's of Gilded Wolves will like this one.

We had an interested set up for the magic, a little bit of Authrian, a little bit of a mixture of other mythical beasts and gods from a number of different pantheons and a good dash of astrology. There was also a ancient library which we know I love. I really loved the writing style there was lots of hints and undercurrents of the towns business and its rumours bubbling under the surface that really brought it to life as a place.

I only have two little gripes. Firstly, it was obvious the authors were American. Though the book is set in Brittany in France and the Characters themselves are natives to the the town, there are a lot of Americanisms in the book. One character at a New years party references not having seen anyone since Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is a North American (US and Canada) holiday not celebrated in Europe. They also comment about the university returning right after new year being strange. This is very common in Europe, we don't have the J-mester system, we go back to university on the first Monday/Tuesday after the new year. Little throwaway comments and conversations like this were dotted through out and sort of pulled me out of what was a fun and interesting setting. I hadn't read a book set in Brittany before, and the slight Dark Academia vibes were fun. The incorporation of hits at Arthurian legend were also really interesting but the town lost the French feeling when the characters became Americanised.

The ending was also sort of non-existent. The big drama of the book just sort of fizzes and ends with no build up or hint at there being a second book other than the series name on the cover and it just feels like we lost a little of the payoff we had been building up too. It seemed a bit rushed and then stuck on to give this book some form of end but it definitely wasn't a conclusion. Which is SOOOOO disappointing as I was really enjoying this book right up until those last couple of pages.

I read this over a couple of evenings, it was just a really nice escape. I liked how belligerent Slate was, I liked Cadences touch of naiveite. I also liked how they didn't fall into the obvious tropes along the way, they were skirted, subverted or used in really nice ways to just make this an entertaining read. If you are looking for a quick escape with a fun setting this is a good read.

Also I got access to the Audiobook also on Netgalley and I have to say the narration is great. It is worth checking out the audio as the two narrators work really well adding to the drama and the angst of the romance.

Name: Of Wicked Blood
Author: Olivia Wildenstein, Katie Hayoz
Genre: Teens and YA, Fantasy, Magic, Mystery, Romance, Drama
Rating: 3.7/5
Review:
Of Wicked Blood is a story of surviving and finding one's balance and discovering their origin.
Slate Ardoin has spent his childhood changing foster homes and parents, learning to survive on streets before anything else. Only three things are important to him, his foster brother, Damien, his cactus and his bank account. He never knew his origin, until a letter arrives which claims to know him, his family and his origin.
Cadence De Morel has lived her whole life in a small town, Broom, full of folklores and witchcraft history. But she never knew that these stories were true, there folklores were true, and the curses as well. A stranger, Slate waltzes into her life, and everything falls apart.
Slate wanted nothing but revenge, from the man who knew his parents, who knew who Slate was, and who knew how painful his childhood was. This man, De Morel knew everything, but he did nothing to protect him. Out of anger, Slate robs De Morel family's crypt and a ring from a corpse. Unbeknownst, he starts a curse, that would not only kill him but will harm all the people in the town.
I first started listening to this book because I liked the cover, and ended up liking alot about this book. The narrators were perfect, they expressed the character's feelings, personality and beliefs with their voice. I liked their voice, and enjoyed listening to the book.
Slate is not a good guy, but he's not a bad guy either, He just did what he had to do to survive, which makes his character much more realistic.
I enjoyed listening to this book. The characters are well developed, the plot is intriguing and there are some good plot twists.

Holy Goodness!!
I LOVE when a book makes you feel like you’re inside it and actually living everything that takes place! This book does that right from the beginning, the world building is awesome.
The action and the quest the characters go on is so well written that it reminds me of Harry Potter and Throne of Glass. It was impossible for me to get anything else done because I HAD to know what would happen next. I ended up starting and finishing this book within 24 hours, but it was so worth giving up my precious sleep.
The characters are so easy to fall in love with, and can I just ask where I can get me a Slate? Definitely adding him to my book boyfriends list. Who doesn’t love a funny, sarcastic, hot, bad boy?!?!

I listened to the audio of this book and the narrators were awesome!!
I am looking forward to the next book in this series!!!

A special thanks to Olivia Wildenstein and NetGalley for allowing me to listen to this amazing book!!


https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3547090713

My review is based on the audiobook. I really like that this story is told from 2 different viewpoints. Slate & Cadence are fantastic leads. Their relationship is natural and not forced. Their journey is exciting, suspense filled & magical. The narrators do a wonderful job bringing the story and characters to life. I look forward to more in this series and by this author.

It did take me a while to get into this and warm to the characters. The character of Slate I did not like at the beginning. He’s definitely vulgar and crude at times! He was definitely a character that had a penchant for swearing ..! I got used to him though and then actually started to like him! I think him being an ass at the beginning was of importance to the story and he really gradually grew on me. The dialogue was hilarious and there was plenty of laugh out loud moments. Some of the quips and funny things Slate came out with, I have to admit, did really amuse me. Cadence’s character too was one I really warmed to.

I loved the premise of the story and anything with hints of Arthurian legend is a win for me. It was a clever plot and I rapidly became invested. I also liked the split chapters between Cadence and Slate and reading each chapter from their perspectives. Slate, a character I struggled to like rapidly became a favourite and his chapters were ones I almost looked forward to the most. His straight to the point, funny narrative were brilliant!

The narrators are great too and make for very easily listening. This book started as a 3 for me, then I was completely hooked, upped it up to a 4 and then it rapidly because a 5 in quick succession and I couldn’t wait to listen to it again whenever I was pulled away from my audiobook! I loved the adventure feel and the quest to find the 4 quatrefoil pieces, it was filled with action and drama. And ahhh, that ending! I so can’t wait for the next book. I’m so glad there’s more! So so good.

This was incredibly difficult to get through.

I was interested in reading this book because a) I liked the cover, and b) I like books about magic and curses and stuff.

Unfortunately, it was so overwritten it bordered on being purple prose, and every character was just SO unlikable and ridiculous and completely over the top. The plot was still interesting, but listening to the writing was like listening to a telenovela.

All the character tropes were there:
- A douchebag male character (a thief, obvs, and a SeXy one at that) who is immediately possessive and shady and constantly rants about how "things are hard and I don't just mean the situation WINK WINK" and who is at one point literally about to DIE and wants to "lick the sound [of his name] from [the female character]'s lips. It was utterly cringey and I yelled "EW" a lot.
- A young but wise-beyond-her-years female character who ~is not like other girls~ but is so sophisticated and also insecure, cloying, and most importantly, completely unaware of her own RAVISHING beauty (especially her naturally very red lips).
- A flawed father figure who is just a dick.
- A ~slutty~ best friend.

It was terrible.

The narration was 50% okay, and the only 50% that was okay was the part done by Holly Fielding. She was fine. Tom Locklear, however, well. You know at the end of Grease, when sexy Sandy says "tell me about it, stud" to varsity Danny? That is how EVERY SINGLE FEMALE CHARACTER WAS VOICED by Tom Locklear. All seductive, whispery gasping and it was disgusting. Actually made my skin crawl. For some reason, 90% of the characters spoke with an American accent despite all of them being native to France, and that made the (terrible) French inserts sound even more ridiculous. "Maman" and "mon dieu" and "de Morel" are each given HEAVY accents that do not sound natural coming from either narrator and it was a very curious decision.

The romance was schlocky and thankfully chaste (I cannot imagine reading a sex scene written by these authors). It was sort of enemies-to-lovers but I think they're saving the ~big reveal~ for the next book in the series. The way that the men in this book talk about the women (even in their heads) is so gross and objectifying and it's meant to come across as appealing and romantic but like, Slate Ardoin (WHAT IS THAT NAME) could be a cannibal and nothing about how he's written would have to change to make him creepier.

The ending, well there isn't one. The book just stops.

Instead of reading or listening to this, go watch The Covenant instead to get some legacy urban fantasy with actually attractive dudes.

I received a copy of this audiobook for free from NetGalley and Twig Publishing in exchange for an honest, voluntary review.

New author, and a genre I really don’t read (or listen to) nearly enough. Magic, daemons, sirens, and curses. It’s all happening in the town of Brume, and it all started when Slate stole the Bloodstone from the dead body of Cadence DeMorel’s mother. The countdown begins and if all four quatrefoils aren’t retrieved in the timescale, Slate will be looking forward to a slow painful death. I loved Slate’s sense of humour, and I loved his potty mouth (it’s good that swearing doesn’t offend me, because well, yes, there’s a lot of it). Slate is arrogant, sexy, and he’s been a thorn in Cadence’s side since he first came to town, but she has to tolerate him in order to bring back magic to Brume. However, the more time she spends around him, the more she starts to trust him. Does that make her foolish? Time will tell. Nothing though, is quite as it seems. So many lies, so many secrets, and only a short amount of time to get the answers. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and Holly Fielding and Thomas Locklear really brought the characters to life. Thomas Locklear may be a new favourite for me, the sarcastic side of Slate really shone through. I received a copy of this thanks to NetGalley. This is my honest review.

Thank you for Netgalley and Twig Publishing for gifting me the audiobook in exchange of an honest review.

Whew, I have to say, this was a shot in the dark but it paid off big time! Olivia Wildenstein's name is not completely unknown to me, although I only realised that after starting the book. I have tried to read Pack of Blood and Lines in the past by her but really didn't mesh well with the story, so I DNF-d it. I'm happy to say, that Of Wicked Blood hit very differently for me and I flew through it. It's a magical treasure hunt with some romance, tied up in family mysteries with a pretty bow.

Things I Liked:
- the magical treasure hunt. Have you heard me mention that? Yes? Because it's SO COOL!
- the pacing was superb: every time things would settle down, something new comes along and off we go again on some wild goose chase
- Slate, Bastien and their relationship
- the pining. There was so much pining. I'm totally here for it.
- Cadence's father. He seemed like one of the most multidimensional, layered characters and I loved to hate him. I sincerely hope they don't turn him into a cartoonish villain in the sequel because this back and forth with how much of a rotten human being he is fascinates me

Things I wasn't a fan of:
- this story is set in Europe, France which is great, but it still felt too American for me. Aside from the excessive use of French phrases and wine drinking, this could have been set in any small town in the US. I might be overly sensitive to this, since I'm European, if not French, though.
- Cadence's dynamic with her bff. It's the typical bookish heroine with the partygirl friend, with a side of "not like other girls" and I feel like we should be over this by now
- the ending. It felt rushed and left us hanging in more ways than one. I'm cool with the occasional cliffhanger but this just felt... unfinished. Like the last 50 pages are missing. I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS!

Overall, even with some misgivings, I thorougly enjoyed this YA fantasy. The narrators also did a great job with the voice acting which is always a bonus. The story was sweeping and fast-paced, with interesting magical trials and fun characters. I will definitely be picking up book 2 when it releases!