Cover Love - The Hidden Rune Of Iron

Have you seen the cover of the final Spellcrackers book?

Isn't it awesome!?

I will so get my trotters on this book, but first I must find the time to catch up on this cool series.


The Hidden Rune Of Iron (Spellcrackers.com #5)
by Suzanne McLeod

The fifth novel in the Spellcrackers series, and the final book featuring sidhe Genevieve (Genny) Taylor as the main character, is a brilliant and action-filled adventure. Packed with humour, magic, romance and even a few revelations, THE HIDDEN RUNE OF IRON is a cracking end to Genny's fantastic story.

The Cold Kiss of Death - Book Review

The Cold Kiss of Death (Spellcrackers.com #2)
by Suzanne McLeod

What is it about:
Being haunted by a ghost is the least of Genny’s problems: she’s also trying to deal with the witch neighbour who wants her evicted. Finn, her sort-of-Ex – and now her new boss – can’t quite decide whether he wants their relationship to be business or pleasure. And then there’s the queue of vamps inviting her to paint the town red; how long before they stop taking no for an answer?

Just when it seems things can’t get any worse a human friend is murdered using sidhe magic. Determined to hunt down the killer and needing help, she turns to one of London’s most capricious wylde fae and the seductive vampire Malik al-Khan.

But all too soon she realises she doesn’t know who she can trust – and now Genny’s the one being hunted, not just by the police, but by some of London’s most powerful and dangerous supernaturals.

What did I think of it:
I read the first book in this series a couple of years ago. Even though I really liked it, I just didn't get to buying book 2 until recently. In fact it was so long ago I read book 1, I decided to do a reread before picking up book 2 and discovered I liked it even better than the first time I read it. So with the events of The Sweet Scent of Blood fresh in my mind I dived into The Cold Kiss of Death.

And this is a really cool story.

Genny is trying to deal with the aftermath of the events from book 1 when she stumbles in on a crime scene and becomes suspect number one. From there on she has to run to stay alive and free. And being a murder suspect isn't even the worst of her problems I can tell you.

I loved how the fae community gets more depth in this book. McLeod uses existing mythology, but gives it her own (very interesting) spin. Some new fae were introduced and I especially liked Tavish, Genny's old flame.

But there was one character who overshadowed all others in my opinion: Malik al-Khan. I love Malik! He's mysterious, enigmatic and dangerous. Even if the story wasn't as good as it is, I would have kept reading to learn more about Malik.

Fortunately the story is very good. It's full of action, mystery and sneaky dealings. At one point in the story I didn't trust anyone anymore. Everyone seemed to have their own dark motives. I kept rooting for Genny to discover who she could trust and for her to stay alive.

All in all this is a great story and I will most definitely get my trotters on the other books in this series.

Why should you read it:
it's a cool and dark Urban Fantasy read.

The Sweet Scent of Blood - Book Review

The Sweet Scent of Blood by Suzanne McLeod

What is it about:
'My name is Genny Taylor. I work for Spellcrackers.com. It’s a great job, pays the rent, lets me do the thing I’m good at – finding magic and cracking it – and the bonus is it’s run by witches, which stops the vamps from taking a bite out of me. Not that vampires are the big bad any more, not since they launched a slick PR campaign – ­ oh, and they brought the goblins on board. Now the vamps are sought-after celebrities, and Getting Fanged and taking the Gift are the new height of all things cool.

But only if you’re human.
And I’m not.
I’m Sidhe fae.
And I know firsthand just how deadly a vampire can be.’

When Mr October, a sexy calendar pin-up vamp, is accused of murdering his girlfriend, an old debt is called in and Genny is forced to help prove his innocence, risking her job and the protection it offers – and threatening to expose her own dark secrets. Searching for the killer plunges Genny deep into the hidden heart of vampire society. It’s not long before she realises that she and Mr October are both unwitting pawns in a centuries-old power struggle between London’s non-human communities . . . and it’s not just her own neck that’s at stake, but the lives of all London’s supernaturals.

What did I think about it:
Quite a decent story. I liked the world building and the characters. I did feel though that McLeod tried to add too much different characters and factions to the story, which made the story feel 'crowded' from time to time and I couldn't help feeling the story could have flowed better if she had dropped some of the characters. And then there was a character that I had wanted to know more about, but who was carelessly abandoned along the way. But those things aside the story and the setting are very intriguing and I will surely pick up the next book in this series to see how McLeod developes this series further.

Why should you read it:
If you like vampires, magic and intrigue I think you'll enjoy this story.