Review: Getting Wilde by Jenn Stark

Getting Wilde
(Immortal Vegas #1)
Jenn Stark
Release: August 18, 2015
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Using her well-worn Tarot deck, magical-artifacts hunter Sara Wilde can find anything—for a price. And the price had better be right, since she needs to finance her own personal mission to rescue several young psychics recently sold on the paranormal black market.

Enter Sara’s most mysterious client and occasional lover, the wickedly sexy Magician, with a job that could yield the ultimate payday. All she’ll have to do is get behind Vatican walls… and steal the Devil himself.

But play with the Devil and you’re bound to get burned.

Pressure mounts for Sara to join the Magician’s ancient and mysterious Arcana Council, as militant forces unleashed by even darker powers seek to destroy all magic—including the young psychics Sara is desperate to keep safe. The Council may be their only hope. . . but it could also expose Sara’s own dark past.

From the twisting catacombs of Rome to the neon streets of Vegas, Sara confronts ancient enemies, powerful demigods, a roiling magical underworld about to explode… and immortal passions that might require the ultimate sacrifice. But oh, what a way to go.

No matter how the cards play out, things are about to get Wilde.

Review by Rose Red:

Artifact hunting and tarot cards?!? How could I not read this book? Also, the covers for this series are awesome! I requested the book off Netgalley almost solely based on the cover.

I would actually recommend reading the prequel novella, One Wilde Night, first. As of writing this review, it’s available for FREE, which is a great price if you’re on the fence about trying this series. The novella was a great introduction to the world and it held me captivated from page one. It also gives you a great introduction to who the heroine, Sara Wilde, is! She’s kind of an Indiana Jane badass in the fact that she’s an artifact bounty hunter. I loved her snark and how she uses her tarot cards to find things! I seriously was intrigued by her ability the whole time.

I don’t know much about tarot cards, but this prequel did a good job of easing us into this world with a fair bit of worldbuilding and interesting mythology while not being info dumpy at the same time. I was a little confused about who and what exactly the Connected are but I can say that I am definitely hooked. Also, I want to give Jenn Stark a slow clap for setting this in South America! That's not a location that makes it into many books! *slow claps*

Now, let’s talk about Getting Wilde! I loved it! I have added yet another series to my auto-buy list! Sara is quickly becoming one of my favorite heroines. She’s quite well balanced. She’s not perfect and is totally fine with the fact that she has undesirable qualities. Sara has clearly had a traumatic past and there are certain things Sara’s mind has blocked off even from her for her own protection. I think this also means the extent of Sara’s power has yet to be seen, so it will be interesting to watch her grow throughout the rest of the series.

We're also introduced to several intriguing characters that I hope we see more of in the rest of the series. I loved that the characters that make up the Arcana Council are based on major arcana tarot cards! The Council and the Connected live in the shadows of our world.And I will say that The Magician seriously intrigues me! He's powerful and shrouded in mystery. He clearly has plans but his end game is not known at the moment. The Council’s main focus is to keep the balance of all magic regardless of whether it's light and dark magic. Maintaining this balance means that The Magician’s goals will not always mesh with Sara’s and it will be interesting to see how they clash. While Sara has every right to be wary of him, I love that he’s an enigma. He's not the only one though. I’m intrigued to see how the other major arcana cards pop up as characters. Bring on the crazy!

Getting Wilde is a great start to a brand new urban fantasy series! It was unique and fast-paced with a well-developed plot. I did have a couple of problems, the major being that I was a little lost going from the prequel to the first book. I’m kind of confused. A lot has taken place in between the two stories, some of which are referenced in Getting Wilde, but are never fully explained. Maybe will get more of an explanation in the next books, but I wish more had been explained in this one. Things felt disconnected for me because of it and I feel like I missed something important. According to the author’s website, the next books should be released fairly close to one another which makes me insanely happy! Wilde Card, book two, is set to come out on November 17th. I can’t wait to get my hands on it!

Recommended for fans of: 
Owl and the Japanese Circus by Kristi Charish

An eARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley.

    

  4 / 5 Stars!