The Fourth Year Spell

by Amanda Jeffery

The Fourth Year Spell follows Duncan, an apprentice trying to complete his end-of-the-year final spell so he can progress to the next year when he runs into a band of thieves trying to rob the same home he is. Soon all their fates are tied together and Duncan must complete a totally different spell to save them all.

There's magic, suspense, violence, loyalty, and attraction all wrapped up in one short novella. I thought it was well developed for such a short story and though you want to know what happens for our characters next, I didn't feel confused or lost without a complete backstory. Enough detail was given that you could easily picture the world they lived in. The main reason I gave it four stars instead of five was that I'm not sure it's really a world that I want to learn more about as it seems kind of depressing.

Freeze (Midnight Ice #2)

by Kaitlyn Davis

Pandora is in a supernatural jail, waiting for death but still having no idea why all her captors want her dead. Sam, the mysterious guy in the shadows who follows her around and claims to have loved her for a thousand years, teaches her how to expand her powers and helps her escape, along with another prisoner who is a medium. The medium is Pandora's key to finally learning who and what she is but the answers might not be the ones she was hoping for.

I got hooked on this series after the first book, but I admit I was much more satisfied with the way this one ended versus the first one. True, the story is definitely not over but at least we aren't left with a bunch of annoyingly unanswered questions. I like that Pandora is finally facing things instead of running, sort of growing up instead of acting like a scared teenager, and with the two love interests I'm curious to see which one she finally ends up with. Both kind of seem like jerks so maybe it'll be neither. I guess I'll have to keep reading to find out!

Frost (Midnight Ice, #1)

by Kaitlyn Davis

This was a very good book but I was super disappointed by the ending. I would have been okay with the cliffhanger but I was hoping for more answers to the question alluded to the entire book: what is Evalle?

Evalle starts life as a titan but one with unique powers that allows her to become one with the shadows and makes her invisible. This makes her an outcast with the other titans so she runs away at 15 and becomes a vampire, eventually building a life for herself as a master thief. When her old boyfriend, Jax, shows up, she is now running from the past and present dangers, as well as trying hard not to fall in love with Jax again.

It's an interesting world built by the author and Evalle is a well written character. Though I find her desire to forget everything a little frustrating, by the end you understand why she is that way and you're rooting for her to find the answers. We get a small taste of those answers, but it really would have been better to get at least that one most important question answered instead of just a teaser so you have to buy the next book. I probably will though because I did really like the story.