Release Day Review: Blood & Ash by Deborah Wilde

Blood & Ash
(The Jezebel Files #1)
Deborah Wilde
Release: January 14, 2020
Goodreads Amazon
ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley

Cold-blooded kidnappers. Long-lost magic. When things get serious, she goes full Sherlock.

Ashira Cohen takes pride in being the only female private investigator in Vancouver. With her skills, her missing persons case should be a piece of cake.

She wasn’t counting on getting bashed in the skull, revealing a hidden tattoo and supernatural powers she shouldn’t possess.

Or the bitter icing on top: a spree of abductions and terrifying ghostly creatures on a deadly bender.

And don’t even get her started on the golems.

Reluctantly partnered with her long-time nemesis Levi, the infuriating leader of the magic community, Ash resolves to keep her focus on the clue trail and off their sexual tension because WTF is up with that?

But with a mastermind organization pulling strings from the shadows and Levi’s arrogance driving her to pick out his body bag, can Ash rescue the captives and uncover the truth or will the next blood spilled be her own?

Review:

When I first started Blood & Ash, it reminded me of  Ilona Andrews Hidden Legacy series. Not that I'm complaining. That's one of my all-time faves. Both feature private investigators with hidden magical powers and a House system that governs magic users. Levi, the head of the House in Vancouver, where Blood & Magic is set, even has the same kind of magic, not to mention attitude, as Augustine, one of the Heads of House in Hidden Legacy.

Where Blood & Ash starts to set itself apart is in the magic system, which is based in Kabbalah. It also has one House per region so there's none of the House warfare. Instead, there are tensions between the mundane majority and the magical community called the Nefesh. Oh, and a conspiracy to hide Ash's magic, and maybe a secret society. I loved all the twists and turns!

I also enjoyed the frenemies vibe between Ash and Levi, which brought to mind Rachel and Trent in The Hollows series. Still not complaining. I love them. I'm looking forward to seeing how Ash and Levi's relationship develops.

Blood & Ash is my first book from Deborah Wilde. I've considered starting her Unlikable Demon Hunter books before, and now I think I'll have to give them a try while I'm waiting for more Jezebel Files. I really enjoyed Blood & Ash and I can't wait for the next book in the series.

Recommended for fans of: The Hollows series by Kim Harrison

    

 4 stars