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A review by bookandcoffeeaddict
Dirty Magic by Jaye Wells
5.0
Dirty Magic is the first book of the Prospero’s War series, where magic is the drug of choice and wizard covens who cook the addictive dirty magic potions are the ones running the streets of Babylon city’s magical slum, the Cauldron.
Officer Kate Prospero has worked hard to distance herself from a less than pristine background in the Cauldron and now works as a patrol cop in the neighborhood, fighting to clean the streets of a seemingly hopeless stream of magic-addicted junkies and the potion peddlers that keep them supplied. She shoots a perp one night on patrol, learning afterwards the guy was an informant for the Magical Enforcement Agency (MEA), who are in the Cauldron setting up a task force to investigate a dangerous new dirty magic potion that’s been hitting the streets. Kate knows more than most the devastating effect magic can have on people and she’s determined to get on that task force. Of course, once she gets involved in the investigation, she realizes she may have bitten off more than she can chew, and bet more than she’s willing to lose.
I had a hard time reading this book in the beginning – it kept making me so angry, I found myself having to put it down and take a step back to calm down before picking it up. It wasn’t that it’s badly written, quite the opposite actually, I was so drawn to tough-as-nails Kate and her story that I found myself getting pissed off as she was discriminated against by her fellow officers and found her hand slapped away every time she dared to reach out for something – the woman couldn’t get a break and I really felt her anger over it. But Kate persevered and so did I.
Dirty Magic is equal parts Urban Fantasy and police procedural with an edgy kind of realness to it. The investigation parts were very detailed and well-written, I wasn’t at all surprised to read that the author’s mother worked in the police force or that the author herself attended a weeks long police academy – it really shows in the writing, this author knows what she’s talking about.
I really got pulled into this book. Dirty Magic was gritty and gripping, with a strong female lead who refused to back down when the odds were stacked against her. I absolutely recommend this book and can’t wait to get my hands on the other books in the series.
*I received a copy of this book to review. You can find this review and others like it at BookAndCoffeeAddict.com, along with recommendations for a fantastic cup of coffee.
Officer Kate Prospero has worked hard to distance herself from a less than pristine background in the Cauldron and now works as a patrol cop in the neighborhood, fighting to clean the streets of a seemingly hopeless stream of magic-addicted junkies and the potion peddlers that keep them supplied. She shoots a perp one night on patrol, learning afterwards the guy was an informant for the Magical Enforcement Agency (MEA), who are in the Cauldron setting up a task force to investigate a dangerous new dirty magic potion that’s been hitting the streets. Kate knows more than most the devastating effect magic can have on people and she’s determined to get on that task force. Of course, once she gets involved in the investigation, she realizes she may have bitten off more than she can chew, and bet more than she’s willing to lose.
I had a hard time reading this book in the beginning – it kept making me so angry, I found myself having to put it down and take a step back to calm down before picking it up. It wasn’t that it’s badly written, quite the opposite actually, I was so drawn to tough-as-nails Kate and her story that I found myself getting pissed off as she was discriminated against by her fellow officers and found her hand slapped away every time she dared to reach out for something – the woman couldn’t get a break and I really felt her anger over it. But Kate persevered and so did I.
Dirty Magic is equal parts Urban Fantasy and police procedural with an edgy kind of realness to it. The investigation parts were very detailed and well-written, I wasn’t at all surprised to read that the author’s mother worked in the police force or that the author herself attended a weeks long police academy – it really shows in the writing, this author knows what she’s talking about.
I really got pulled into this book. Dirty Magic was gritty and gripping, with a strong female lead who refused to back down when the odds were stacked against her. I absolutely recommend this book and can’t wait to get my hands on the other books in the series.
*I received a copy of this book to review. You can find this review and others like it at BookAndCoffeeAddict.com, along with recommendations for a fantastic cup of coffee.