"Blood on the Icehouse Wall" has a very interesting premise: two foster siblings getting involved in a world of magic.

I like those kind of stories as I grew up on Charmed and similar shows. And this book has some interesting concepts that Jessica Meats explored.

Overall I enjoyed reading the book. It felt a little bit rough as I got a feeling of "oh that could have been good novellas or shorter novels" after the first "adventure" was finished and we switched to Ben and a more and more aggressive Mandy. Most of the first third is necessary to build up the perspective of Harry's Timeline. But I would have enjoyed a bit more time and twists with the characters to get a feeling for them as I did with Lizzie, Ash and Harry after Mandy's time travel.

Sometimes those first events felt a little bit brushed over so Meats could write what she really wanted: Mandy's travel through time and the possibilities and challenges she faces with this situation.

I liked the ending and how Bookworm said something about a loop unfinished and even Ash's soul not quite gone. It leaves me wanting for the second book!

4.75 stars, the first half of the book was extremely fast paced and I wasn’t the biggest fan of it. Until the plottwist arrived and damn I couldn’t stop reading. I loved it and the characters and would definitely buy it and reread again.

This book blends mystery, magic, and high stakes in a way that’s instantly gripping. The plot kicks off with a chilling discovery and just keeps building—layering supernatural elements with real emotional depth. The world is rich, the danger feels real, and the characters are easy to root for, especially as the twists start hitting. If you’re into fantasy with a dark edge and a pulse-pounding pace, this one’s a solid pick.

This was a strong opening chapter in the Writings on the Well series, it had that feel that I was looking for and thought worked in this universe and the characters. I enjoyed the overall concept and how the supernatural element worked overall in this. The characters were so well done and wrote this overall and thought had that feel that I expected as a start of this series. Jessica Meats has a strong writing style and I enjoyed how good Mandy and Ben were and how the rest of the cast worked in this world.