Review: Nevermore by J.C. McKenzie

Nevermore
(Raven Crawford #2)
J.C. McKenzie
Release: November 25, 2019
Goodreads Amazon
ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley

Rundown waitress, part-time private investigator, and half-fae shifter, Raven Crawford, always gets the opposite of what she wants most. She works two jobs but can’t pay the bills. Her confrontation with Queen Lloth has unexpected and unfortunate consequences, and her love life is a hot mess.

With failure and disappointment honed to painful perfection, Raven’s life is riddled with complications, including her troublesome attraction to the lethal Lord of Shadows. When her latest case leads to a group hell-bent on destruction, she must decide who to trust. Will she choose wisely, or will she fail once again and become the next casualty in a war between the Mortal Realm and the Underworld?

Review:

I'm liking the Raven Crawford series so far, but I really wish I could love it. The supernatural PI is an Urban Fantasy staple, but it's also one of my Favorite Things. And Raven seems to spend more time on PI work in this book than she did in the first one. She's working two different cases, though both involve regular humans. Parts of those cases even feel ripped from the headlines as we learn more about the anti-supernatural hate groups in Raven's city.

On the Supernatural front, Raven is now Queen of the Underworld having killed the previous queen. But she's not doing any ruling, just slowly learning to use her new powers while her boyfriend Cole covers for her. I like the fact that their relationship is growing but I'm not 100% comfortable with the power imbalance. It makes Raven feel too child-like. I'm hoping that as the series continues, their relationship will become more equal.

I'm also curious about how Raven might reconcile her mostly human past with her supernatural future. I'm looking forward to learning more about the underworld and the rest of the mythology as the series progresses. And I'd like to see more of Raven's twin brother Bear. I enjoy the supporting characters in the series and the mythology is an interesting blend of Norse and Fae. Overall, I feel like the series has great potential, it's just not quite living up to it yet.

    

3  stars

My reviews of other books in this series:
Conspiracy of Ravens