Published in the anthology HEXED
Book 3.5 of the Stormwalker series.
Genre: urban fantasy
Synopsis:
Four of the bestselling names in romance and fantasy come together in this collection of thrilling novellas featuring powerful women who know how to handle a hex or two...Source: Info in the Synopsis was taken from GoodReads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9633064-hexed on 31/12/2011.
New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrews spins "Magic Dreams." Shapeshifting tigress Dali Harimau finds herself in deep waters when she must challenge a dark being to a battle of wits or risk losing the man for whom she secretly longs.
In "Ice Shards," New York Times bestselling author Yasmine Galenorn returns to the Otherworld as Iris Kuusi, a Finnish house sprite, journeys to the frozen Northlands to confront the crazed shadow of her former lover and break the curse that is keeping her from marrying the man she loves.
National bestselling author Allyson James takes you to Magellan, Arizona, where Stormwalker Janet Begay and her friends are trapped by a powerful curse. It will take every bit of magic simmering beneath her skin for the Stormwalker to survive being "Double Hexed."
From national bestselling author Jeanne C. Stein comes "Blood Debt," in which bounty-hunter-turned-vampire Anna Strong is visited by three witches who ask her to right an old magical wrong. Anna will have to live up to her last name to make it through alive.
Review:
Out of the four stories in this anthology, I will only review Double Hexed by Allyson James.
Even though this is only a novella, it managed to give a well-structured story, surprises in the plot, a central dilemma and an ending with a satisfying resolution. I think Allyson James was in top form when she wrote this! For a short story to manage all that despite the space constraints is a feat indeed worthy of praise!!And maybe because this is a short story, there are no dragging scenes nor moments of dullness which I experienced with Book 1 & Book 2 of this series. So more kudos for that!
Even though this novella is part of the Stormwalker series, it can be read as a stand alone. There is enough info in it to keep a reader in the loop even if the reader is not a follower of the Stormwalker series. However I still recommend that you read this series chronologically, as in start with Book 1, but if you read this novella without doing so, the reader won't get too confused. However I don't think a reader would get the full appreciation of the wonderful world building if you read only this novella as opposed to reading the series from the start. And the world building is quite wonderful that I would give it a 5 out of 5.
I am already a fan of this series so maybe that is why I like Double Hexed so much. Anyway, I enjoyed reading this short story and would give it a 4.5 out of 5.
Story telling quality = 4.5
Character development = 4.5
Story itself = 5
Ending = 5
World building = 5
Cover art = 4
Pace = 4.5
Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 cherries
Books In The Stormwalker Series:
It made me want to read the Stormwalker books and that I did :)
ReplyDeleteOh I do need this series. I love the sounds of it. I now am in need of getting this book at some point because I'm reading Ilona Andrews series. :) Thanks for your thoughts on this one!
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