BONUS REVIEW: Wishful Thinking by Helen Harper

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Harperfire in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary


The full title of this book is Wishful Thinking (How to Be the Best Da** Faery Godmother in the World – or Die Trying).

Saffron Sawyer is a “dope fairy, ” one of the fairies responsible for the hallucinations seen by people who are on drugs. On a good day, those hallucinations can help people muster the courage to face the difficulties they are fleeing with drugs. They have even convinced some people to go into rehab. But now Saffron is headed to “the show” – she’s gotten an interview to join the fairy godmothers!

While Saffron gets the job, it’s nothing like she expects. The other fairy godpersons can be petty and abrasive. No one seems to want to help her settle into her new role. Maybe it’s the audit going on in the department. The Devil’s Advocate is onsite, and everyone seems skittish.

Then Saffron discovers the agency’s big secret. Five fairy godpersons have gone missing. Suddenly it’s all clear – Saffron isn’t there to fill an open position. She’s there as expendable bait for a kidnapper. But Saffron didn’t snooze through her years as a dope fairy. She’s scrappy and determined to solve the mystery and secure her spot as a fairy godmother for good!

Review


A fun addition to the urban fantasy genre. I loved Saffron – she’s smart, sassy and scrappy. She puts up with a lot of flack in this book, but she dishes plenty back as well.

I enjoyed the world building for this. The different fairy types were interesting. The “dope fairy” piece was jarring when I first started the book, but in the larger context it worked. And the Devil’s Advocate was a fascinating character.

The mystery with the kidnappings is solid. And the over-arching story with the villains doesn’t end with the end of this book. There will be more to work through in the rest of the series.

This felt a little like the Enchanted, Inc. series, which I love, thanks to the different fantasy characters, the world building, and the fight between good and evil. I will be watching for book 2, Wish List, which might be out later this year. (Language)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: A Spoonful of Magic by Irene Radford

Summary


Daphne “Daffy” Deschants celebrates her 13th wedding anniversary by calling out her husband, “G”(Gabriel), for sleeping around. She has pictures to prove it! And they came from G’s own work email. She’s starting to notice a new side of G. He only seems to care about their kids – and Daffy being around to care for them while his work takes him all around the world. And she thinks he’s used magic on her, too.

Daffy and her family live in Eugene, Oregon, home of a fairy festival and plenty of shops selling mystical and magical items. But Daffy hadn’t realized the extent of real magic in town, in her own house… and maybe even in herself.

Evil magic exists and G, as Sheriff of the Guild of Master Wizards, is hunting for one of the worst. But the evil seems to be circling ever closer to G’s family. How can he protect them when Daffy’s kicked him out of the house and doesn’t trust him?

Review


I have mixed feelings about this one. I generally love fantasy and magic stories like this one. And there were parts of this I really enjoyed. I liked Daffy and her kids. The pieces about the kids growing into their place in this magical world were great. At the same time, I did not like G at all. He was far too cavalier about his marriage and family to be likable in my opinion.

I also wanted a lot more world building. I felt like things were abruptly revealed, but also incompletely. Maybe that was because Daffy is the point of view character, and she is only just learning about this world herself. Point of view was interesting in this, too, as Daffy told her part of the story in first person while the other parts of the story that took place outside of her involvement were told in third person.

As urban fantasy goes, this was good (except for some of the world building as I mentioned). Personally, some of the magic pieces were dark for me, and I didn’t enjoy them. I also didn’t care for G’s ethics when it came to his marriage. Other readers might not be bothered by these things and may enjoy this story more than I did.

Thanks to Netgalley and DAW for an electronic review copy of this book offered in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: ♥♥♥