Jaye Wells

Half-vampire, half-mage Sabina Kane is an assain for the Dominae, the three women who rule over vampires. The result of a forbidden love affair, Sabina always tries to impress her grandmother Lavinia, the Alpha of the Dominae, who constantly reminds her of the circumstances of her birth. When the Dominae set Sabina the assignment of infiltrating into a cult trying to reunite all the dark races - vampires, mages, and fae - spy on the leader, and eventually kill them, Sabina gets a lot more show more than she bargained for. She's stalked by a mage, ends up with a demon for a room mate, and finds out some family secrets. The more involved she gets, the more dangerous things get, and she has to decide just who's side she's on.

This book is absolutely amazing! I loved every second of it. The inner struggle Sabina goes through to try and impress her grandmother, yet meeting disapproval at every turn for something she has no control over is difficult to read. It's awful that someone would be on the end of such prejudice from a member of their own family, and I kept willing Sabina to stand up to her grandmother, but as Alpha of the Dominae, she treats her with the respect that comes with her position.

The story has twists and turns you don't expect, and various love interests, unsure of who she should trust and go for. You're kept guessing about the "cult" right until the last minute, trying to work out whether it's legit or not. The characters are just fantastic. Sabina is strong and vulnerable all at the same time, and her interaction with the other characters are so entertaining. You've got to love Vinca, the nymph, with her overly friendly and enthusiastic little girl nature, and Adam, the mysterious mage who always turns up, challenging all Sabina knows. And then there's Giguhl, the demon sent to kill her, who ends up being an unwanted pet. He is just hilarious! Seriously, he might just be my favourite character throughout the whole book! And I just have to share some of the funny moments with you:

Page 42

"Is that all you bought?"
His eyes shot to the left. "Um."
I clenched my teeth. "What else?"
"A Super Mega Juicer, he said quickly. "But, Sabina, seriously that juicer is a miracle machine."
"I'm a vampire, Giguhl. The only liquids I drink are blood or alcohol. I don't do juice."
"You might want to consider a little roughage in your diet. According to the commercial, an increase in fiber will help you be more regular."

Red-Headed Stepchild is really an awesome book, and I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to the next book, The Mage in Black. show less

Review from Tenacious Reader: http://www.tenaciousreader.com/2015/02/23/review-dirty-magic-by-jaye-wells/

Be aware that if you tend to get offended or bothered by swearing or crude language, you might want to pass on this book as it has more than its fair share. That said, I this book was just a ton of fun.

The world is vivid, it’s an urban fantasy where magic comes in two forms: clean and dirty. Clean magic is good, wholesome magic. People can use it in the open, you can purchase clean show more magic potions and items readily.Clean magic can be used to make lives easier, treat symptoms and a whole world of things.

Dirty magic on the other hand, that is something much more nefarious. Dirty magic items are sold underground, handled in the same ways as one would expect illegal drug trade. And with this dirty magic, also comes addiction and crime.

Kate Prospero grew up cooking dirty magic. She was being groomed to lead her coven, but something tragic happens to make her open her eyes and shun not just dirty magic, but all magic. She then takes it a step further to become a cop, working to bust dirty magic users and practitioners. There is definitely a crime/investigative edge to this book as Kate works to solve where a new and dangerous dirty magic potion has come from. Her investigation introduces us to some interesting characters (to say the least).

What I really find interesting in this book is Kate’s attitude of complete abstention from magic. I felt like clean magic was very comparable to technology in our world. And her refusal of all types of magic reminded me of the Amish, but even they will selectively use technology. She won’t even do that, no clean magic for any reason. I think there are some good themes in there about being aware of the impact of magic (or technology), and that there could be very rational reasons to abstain or cut back. Pretty much, it is something that should be used responsibly with an oversight on what potential impacts the magic (technology) may have beyond just immediate effects.

Lastly, there are definitely some romantic undertones in her relationship with not just one, but two guys in the book. However, these stay as undertones, they just add an interesting element to her relationships with them and it never steals focus from the main plot.

Dirty Magic also made a great audiobook, the narration was done very well and the story was easy to follow. As soon as I finished listening to this one, I downloaded the next in the series, so I think that says I liked it!

What I really find interesting in this book is Kate’s attitude of complete abstention from magic. I felt like clean magic was very comparable to technology in our world. And her refusal of all types of magic reminded me of the Amish, but even they will selectively use technology. She won’t even do that, no clean magic for any reason. I think there are some good themes in there about being aware of the impact of magic (or technology), and that there could be very rational reasons to abstain or cut back. Pretty much, it is something that should be used responsibly with an oversight on what potential impacts the magic (technology) may have beyond just immediate effects.

Lastly, there are definitely some romantic undertones in her relationship with not just one, but two guys in the book. However, these stay as undertones, they just add an interesting element to her relationships with them and it never steals focus from the main plot.

Dirty Magic also made a great audiobook, the narration was done very well and the story was easy to follow. As soon as I finished listening to this one, I downloaded the next in the series, so I think that says I liked it! show less

Oh me, oh my I have found a new author that I will most definitely be following! Red-Headed Stepchild was an awesome debut and I'm happy to say the beginning of a trilogy (I believe). Sabina is half vampire and half mage which means she is an outcast amongst the vampires who are her family. She chooses the only occupation offered to her by her Grandmother, one of the head vampires, and becomes an assasin. Trouble begins brewing when Sabina is asked to infiltrate a rival group and assasinate show more the leader by her Grandmother. Because it seems as if her Grandmother hasn't told her everything including details that deal with Sabina's mage side of her heritage.

I'm going to gush about this book just so you have a heads up. I was completely captivated with this story and couldn't put it down. Sabina was a strong main character that wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty. The reader was able to see her vulnerable side though as she began to question the truths that she had been told about her parents and her mage heritage which was a nice contrast to her tough side. The story itself was fresh and original and kept me turning the pages as fast as I could. This story just pulled me in and wouldn't let go. I just plain loved this book. The ending was tied up enough that I was satisfied while leaving it open for the next part in the trilogy. And I still wanted more! I would highly recommend this one to anyone that enjoys a good urban fantasy as the world Wells' creates is captivating and one that I want to read more of. Awesome read :) show less

It looks like someone is trying to start a war between the Covens in Babylon. The first victim is Charm. Kate has known him since she was a child because he was one of her Uncle Abe's enforcers. After the usual in-fighting between the local police and the Magical Enforcement Agency task force, Kate and the rest of the team begin working the case. The next victim is from a rival Coven. He survives but isn't going to help Kate figure out what is going on.

They soon learn that a killer from a show more Brazilian Coven has come hunting. They also soon learn the new mayor and childhood friend of Kate's - John Volos - is neck deep in the whole thing. Kate doesn't like the man Volos has grown up to be but he isn't so willing to move on. He keeps trying to tangle Kate up in his life. Meanwhile, Kate is also having relationship issues with her partner Drew Morales who is giving every indication that he would like a more intimate relationship with her.

To add to the complications, Danny is having troubles at the exclusive prep school that he is attending. His friend Luna, who happens to be one of the other Adept scholarship students there, has been raped and won't give up the name of her rapist. Danny comes home on day with a black eye and not much later Kate is called to the school because he used a magical potion on a kid who was bullying Luna. It just so happens that the kid is the son of one of Volos' fiercest political rivals.

This was an entertaining story. I liked the Kate needs to come to terms with what she really wants out of life in this story. Fans of urban fantasy will enjoy this series. show less