The character in this book is forced to give up the thing she loved most - her job with the police. It turns out that it's hard to do your job when you're like the monsters your hunting, who knew..... When a couple of witchkin (magical folk) murders ends up pushing the main character together with her ex-partner, it forces them to face and resolve their issues or, quite literally, die without resolving them. While the characters decisions were sometimes questionable, they're growth into the person who they are to become is memorable.

This is my first book by this author. I think I missed the connection this series has with a previous series written by this author.

Overall, it was interesting and kept me reading. I was curious about Kayla and what she was. The entire investigation was just mysterious enough to keep readers interested.

The problem I had was with romance. Or rather, lack of. The entire "justified" anger demonstrated by Ray to bring in the conflict was, in my opinion, not very justified. I actually feel that Kayla had more reason to be angry with Ray than Ray did. Afterall, Kayla just left her job. Ray is the one who actually abondaned her.

To summarise, I think the book could have been better. But it is interesting enough to keep the readers going.

I'm usually not one for dystopian futures, but this book really drew me in from the start. I liked Kayla and found this world super interesting.

This book is about the start of Kayla's journey. She was forced to give up the thing she loved most - her job with the police, when it turned out that the magical d-day made her into what she sees as a monster. Since the police force is tasked with fighting these "monsters," she quits with very little explanation. This leaves her partner justifiably angry. Ray, said partner, also has some secrets of his own, once of which is the candle he's got burning for her.

A couple witchkin (magical folk) murders ends up putting these two together, forcing them to face and resolve their issues or, quite literally, die. While Kayla's decisions were sometimes questionable, her growth in this book had me rooting for her, especially in the end. She's like a whole new person, and I'm eager to see where she ultimately ends up. The big bad in this book is mostly vanquished, though if you ask me to explain who or what it was, I think I might fail. The world building was great, though, and I love all the side characters (Logan in particular). As a starter book for a series, this checks all the boxes and has me ready for more.

My feelings are so up and down about this book. There is some amazing world building but the plot was not very logical. There is fun romance, but it doesn't make sense. The other plot elements are really good, but the characters are so cliched. The magic is cool, but Gods are already involved in the beginning of the series.

Regardless, I enjoyed reading this one.

This could have been a great book if the for characters did not spend so much time stifling what others are saying in order to pursue their own goals. The romance was not particularly great with the two constantly being idiots and protecting themselves from imagined rejection by pushing the other one away first

I volunteered to read this book through netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book is well written and the characters are described well. I enjoyed this book. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone. Definitely a fice star read in my opinion.

Magic, long underground, has exploded from its confines, leaving the world and its human inhabitants transformed by Magicfall and the subsequent Magic Wars. Most of those transformed by magic – “witchkin,” including witches, dryads, and many even more mysterious creatures – are shunned by humans. When Portland, Oregon, police detective Kayla realized she was one such, she abruptly left the force rather than be discovered. But when she stumbles upon the ritualistic mass murder of witchkin, she calls her old partner, Ray, and gets dragged into the investigation. Someone is slaughtering these marginalized people with a bigger, darker, more horrendous goal. It’s up to Kayla and Ray to overcome their personal hurt, open their hearts, reveal their secrets, and work together to solve the mystery.

The mystery and the angst-ridden characters drew me right into the story, and the pacing kept me turning the pages. The book’s major flaw – for me, anyway, as for other readers it might be a feature, not a bug – was the Romance-style pacing of the unfolding relationship. I get impatient when lovers keep secrets to protect the other person, and especially when the estrangement and misunderstandings that should have been cleared up by a single honest conversation drag on for chapter after chapter. This romantic/erotic tension appeals to many readers, but I found it overly long drawn out in comparison to the fascinating world and its tantalizing mysteries.

Combining the authors take on urban-fantasy, murder-mystery and a supernaturally tinged procedural romance, The Withckin Murders is the latest take on a magical-war. Combining some of YA's most popular tropes, the MC offers a likeable and realistic character, whilst leaving enough to the imagination for a meaningful story-line.

Amazing read. I purposely dragged out reading it because I did not want the journey to end. Portland a place of rain, mountains and close to the ocean, is a home of magic and magical creatures. Kayla is a magical monster, her words, that is tied to the water. Ray is a cop, Kayla's former partner whose also a witch. Together with humans and magical folk, witchkin, they face off against force that seek to destroy all. Fantasy and paranormal lovers will race to purchase this book and wait, not patiently for book 2.

I enjoyed this book, but it’s not what I expected from the blurb. There was very little about Kayla’s scavenging, or really the effects of The Witch War on the world. The main threat of the book (the destruction of Portland) also remains vague for the majority of the book, leaving the mystery aspect of the plot to drive tension. It does that successfully (there are actually two mysteries being investigated, but one of them effects the plot very little), but if you’re expecting a classic race-against-the-clock style book, you may be disappointed.
The Witchkin Murders was almost nostalgic in the way that it focussed in on one character doing their best, with the world seemingly stacked against them. I enjoyed the gathering of allies that typically occurs in book one of a series, and I look forward to seeing Kayla’s relationship with Logan, Raven and her other allies grow. Which neatly leads me to my least favourite part of the book—Kayla’s relationship with Ray. I did not like him. The way his character is set up is promising, and I can definitely see him becoming a fit match for Kayla, but I don’t think it should have happened in this book. He has anger management problems that he’s aware of but does very little to change, and even with the pressure he’s under, the way he treats Kayla (and even Dix, despite the way you’re clearly supposed to dislike her) is not okay. I think Kayla’s attraction to him is never adequately explained or integrated, and reads a lot like insta-lust, which cheapens the overall character development done for Kayla (which I liked a lot! I want more of Kayla’s family drama!).
Logan/Zach was a standout character in this novel, and I wish Kayla and he had been ‘allowed’ to have a relationship before she (inevitably, I suppose) ended up with Ray. Raven was a little under-developed as a character, and I think the police chief could also stand to be fleshed out to avoid being somewhat of a stereotype.
I think the magic in this book was interesting, and while it was very reminiscent of Ilona Andrews’ Kate Daniels novels, it wasn’t similar to the extent that it genuinely seemed like an imitation. I was actually reminded a fair bit of old-school urban fantasy; The Witchkin Murders reads similarly to the earlier Walker Papers novels by CE Murphy; Lisa Shearin’s Raine Benares books and even the pre-erotica Anita Blake books by Laurell K Hamilton. This isn’t to say that the book seems dated, Devon Monk’s Ordinary Magic series also has a similar tone, and was published more recently.
The plot of this novel was a little jumbled at times, and there almost seem to be two ‘inciting incidents’ as though the book could have been split into more than one entry into the series. While this makes for a fast-paced book, it does mean some important plot threads get abandoned for quite a while, though everything important gets addressed (if not entirely resolved) by the end of the book.
I was glad that there was no unnecessary ‘drawing out’ of important revelations in this novel, and I appreciated the lack of angst. I look forward to future novels, because (as is usual for first entries in a series) there are several aspects of the world and magic system that could stand to be developed further. I’d also like if the scarcity of some goods that allows for scavenging to be profitable; the new risks of a magical world; the integration of magic into technology and everyday life; and the tensions remaining from the Witch War could be featured more in future novels, allowing the world (instead of just the characters/plot) to truly read as urban fantasy.
What this is all boils down to is a solid book, that begins a promising series, great for any fans of urban fantasy, and those who enjoyed any of the series I listed earlier (the Walker Papers series by CE Murphy; Lisa Shearin’s Raine Benares books; the earlier Anita Blake books by Laurell K Hamilton and Devon Monk’s Ordinary Magic series).

An interesting read with good plot pace and world building. What let the story down for me was the interpersonal relationship between the two main characters. They seemed to be at odds with the jobs of detective in that their inability to deduce by intelligent problem solving.

Romance Rehab: book recs, author services, general badassery: https://www.romancerehab.com/

I’ve had bad luck lately with paranormal romance and urban fantasy, but all in all, this one wasn’t terrible. (That’s where the bar has been set lately, it would seem.)

Plot overview: Four years before the story starts, magic exploded all over the world. There was a war between supernatural beings and humans. Chaos ensued. After it was all over and this story picks up, someone is murdering supernatural beings, and it’s up to 2 cops (both with a few supernatural secrets of their own) to solve the case. ​
If the plot sounds similar, it kind of is. There’s a very Kate Daniels feel to the way magic ended up ruining the world as humans knew it. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. I mean, I love Ilona Andrews/Kate Daniels. But the been-there-done-that feel of it did leave me a tiny bit underwhelmed overall.

Kayla is the heroine. When she...transformed, shall we say, when magic hit, she had trouble adjusting and left her job as a detective, and her partner, Ray. Ray was pretty bitter about the whole thing. He was fairly mean to her in the beginning of the book, which got old quick for me. The whole I-care-about-you-but-I’m-too-alpha-to-tell-you-so-and-now-I’m-going-to-be-a-dick-to-you-because-of-it thing has never been my cuppa. I wanted Kayla to nut-punch Ray at a few points in the story and tell him to get the hell over himself.

Kayla’s self-loathing about her magical abilities bugged me a little, too. Why, in paranormal romance, can’t more heroines embrace their otherness and be happy about it? Why all the negativity?

The only other female character with a decent amount of page time is pretty awful. I’m not a fan of that, either. I prefer reads where women support each other instead of trying to tear each other down.

All the world-building info-dump material is right up front, too, which makes it hard to really get into this story.

BUT…
​
Once you’ve overlooked all that, this really isn’t a bad read. The pacing (after the slow beginning) is good, the characters are flawed and fairly interesting, and the action scenes are sufficiently...action-y. Kayla’s a good heroine. Once Ray stops being a dick to Kayla, he’s a pretty decent hero, too.

All-in-all, it’s decent, which is more than I can say for most of the paranormal romance and urban fantasy I’ve read from new-to-me authors lately. If you’re a fan of the genre, this one is probably worth your time.

Full disclosure: I received an ARC from Netgalley, free of charge.

A magic apocalypse book - where a sudden overload of magic kills all modern tech, and causes society to revert to an almost hunter-gatherer lifestyle until they get their act together. There's some Native American and Egyptian mythology, cops, secrets, and some good characters.

Overall, I wasn't too enthused with this book. The setting wasn't to my taste. I prefer my urban fantasy without the appocalyptical dystopian stuff. There were some good parts, but it wasn't enough to overpower the rest for me.

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.

THE WITCHKIN MURDERS by Diana Pharaoh Francis is the first book in her Magicfall series. To me, this was a combination of urban fantasy, murder mystery and supernatural police procedural, with a little paranormal romance.

Four years ago, Magicfall, an explosion of wild magic, occurred and the world was forever changed. While this story takes place in Portland, Oregon, the rest of the world is in similar or worse shape. There was a war between some supernaturals and those that were human and many died on both sides. Lives changed overnight. Some humans became something else and are known as Witchkin.

The main protagonist, Kayla Reese, was changed into something else and left her job as a police detective to become a scavenger. One day on her way home, she senses something is wrong and finds three individuals murdered as part of a black magic ceremony. She calls her old detective partner, Ray Garza. With this scenario, the story is off and running.

The book hooked me immediately. It combines some of my favorite genres into one enjoyable, entertaining read. The characters are three-dimensional, compelling and have their own flaws and virtues. Their motivations are believable and well-drawn. The relationships between Kayla and Ray as well as with the other characters are a little predictable, but I did not mind that in this case. The tension throughout the book made it a page turner. The author did a great job of world building with vivid descriptions that gave a clear sense of time and place.

This is the only book that I have read by this author but I am looking forward to the next book in the series. I believe those readers that enjoy combining police procedurals with supernatural suspense in an urban fantasy environment will enjoy this book.

Many thanks to BelleBooks – Bell Bridge Books and Diana Pharaoh Francis for a digital ARC of this novel via Net Galley and the opportunity to provide an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.

True to life tale of "what if", in this case what if magic is suddenly a force that must be taken into account everyday. The author shows us the true shortages that will happen- forcing the protagonist to survive without things as vital as toilet paper and such. Loved it!

This takes place on earth after a magic fall where some receive magic and those that had it all along have, for the most part, come out of the closet.

Kayle was a detective prior to the magic fall. However, when the magic hits she becomes a shapeshifter. Fearful of her partner's reaction, she quits her job.

The story takes place 4 years later. Kayla and her former partner, Ray, meet at the,
site of a murder. They join forces to find the killer

I am a fan of the author. For the most part I enjoyed the book. I found the relationship between Kayla and Ray predictable. The plot dragged in spots. However I would give a sequel a try.



https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07S97RNV7?ref=cm_sw_em_r_rw_mw_7t9op5viazgyq

I received a copy of The Witchkin Murders by Diana Pharaoh Francis from the publisher through NetGalley for free for a fair and honest review.

I have been seeing Diana Pharaoh Francis books in the stacks and genres I read and had been wanting to pick up a book by her. I was thrilled to get this book. Sadly, I think the story is not meant for me.

I like urban fantasy, and I'm passing familiar with Portland, so I thought this would be great. I've enjoyed a lot of urban fantasy set in Portland. This book is a mystery/cop story set in urban fantasy. I'm not a fan of mysteries nor cop stories. I'm a little put-off by how many urban fantasy stories require police. In the current political climate, the use of police in stories needs to be done carefully and not with loads of privilege where the issues that surround police in many cities, including Portland, are wholly ignored. This book does not pass that test. I also wondered if police partners being "closer than spouses" contributes to why there's fewer women on police forces. That could end a lot of marriages. Given the large chips on the shoulders of both main protagonists, I had a hard time believing they were ever good partners the way the story says they were.

I also could have done without the toxic masculinity that dripped off every page of this book. There would be no story without it. If it's that necessary to the plot and characters, then it isn't a book I want to read.

There is a lot of predictability in the story, which is good and bad. I mostly kept reading to see if my predictions were accurate. Some of the things that happen come out of left field and completely blind-side the reader because the world building never indicates such things exist until they do and are necessary.

I liked the writing. I think the premise of magic having existed in the world and major magic users causing a large influx of visible magic, followed by a war between magic users and non-magic users is very interesting. It's just the story that was told was only okay and the characters weren't well-depicted.

Overall, I would recommend this book to people who like urban fantasy and cop stories.

The Witchkin Murders (Magicfall #1) by Diana Pharaoh Francis is a cool urban fantasy series opener. I especially loved getting to know the new rules of our world since the event called Magicfall when the supernatural world declared war on humans and rained down magic on them changing everything up in a massive way. Kayla used to be a great detective, but now she is a scavenger and a witchkin who's no longer quite human. The magic system that the author has created is very cool and I liked seeing how it blended into the human world, especially when it comes to the technomages. Overall, I couldn't get enough of this addictive series opener. It's my first book from Francis and it certainly won't be my last.

A truly amazing novel. It includes mystery, character, magic, a little romance, and a lot of intrigue.

There are multiple layers to this story, and there is a feeling of a fully formed world one in which a lot more could hopefully be explored. The richness of this story led me to read straight through and I think it'll do the same for anyone else.

I received this copy from netgalley in exchange for a frank review and it is my opinion that this is well worth the purchase and well worth the time to read.

The only downside ia the main male character acts like a sexist and misogynistic guy playing alpha male for most of the book. It starts out not so bad but gets worse as time goes on. He acts like his opinion and his alone are right and worthy of respect and he shows a clear lack of respect toward a woman who was once his partner .

BOOK BLURB


Four years ago, my world—the world—exploded with wild magic. The cherry on top of that crap cake? The supernatural world declared war on humans, and my life went straight to hell.

I used to be a detective, and a damned good one. Then Magicfall happened, and I changed along with the world. I’m witchkin now—something more than human or not quite human, depending on your perspective. To survive, I’ve become a scavenger, searching abandoned houses and stores for the everyday luxuries in short supply—tampons and peanut butter. Oh, how the mighty have fallen, but anything’s better than risking my secret.

Except, old habits die hard. When I discover a murder scene screaming with signs of black magic ritual, I know my days of hiding are over. Any chance I had of escaping my past with my secret intact is gone. Solving the witchkin murders is going to be the hardest case of my life, and not just because every second will torture me with reminders of how much I miss my old life and my partner, who hates my guts for abandoning the department.

But it’s time to suck it up, because if I screw this up, Portland will be wiped out, and I’m not going to let that happen. Hold on to your butts, Portland. Justice is coming, and I don’t take prisoners.

About the Author: Diana Pharaoh Francis is the acclaimed author of a dozen novels of fantasy and urban fantasy. Her books have been nominated for the Mary Roberts Rinehart Award and RT’s Best Urban Fantasy. The Witchkin Murders is the first book in her exciting new urban fantasy series—Magicfall.

Visit her at dianapfrancis.com, and find her on Facebook.

My Thoughts


Featuring main female character who is now a scavenger who used to be a highly effective police detective.

However the world changed four years ago when supernatural world declared war on humans, changing somewhat more significantly for Kayla Reese then she was ever prepared for or expected.

Now Portland, Oregon is the scene of some horrifically staged murders showing signs of black magic rituals.

For our heroine main character solving the witchkin murders become her obsessive focus, not only because she herself is now one of the members of this race designation but also because the Human Police Force are not going to care at that point of her discovery.

Reuniting with her former and now estranged partner, Ray Garza is both a blessing and a curse for Kayla.

This first book of course set up the characters, events and world those events shaped for it's myriad human and non-human inhabitants and was for the most part even-keeled and easy to follow.

It did have a few glitches for me as felt like some of the conflicting emotions from the female/male leads was drawn out a tad too long, along with a few other inconsistencies that disrupted the flow here and there but overall did not detract much for me in the end resulting product.

Only had the pleasure prior to this first foray into newest offering of reading the Horngate Witches series, which is in a different league for me.

The Witchkin Murders and Magicfall event consequences are neither lessor nor better, just more heavy Fantasy oriented than expected as billed as more Urban Fantasy genre.

Having read for last four days am now done and would not mind in the least continuing with the series when other books become available from authors publisher as this first one ended at a very provocative point in the ending.

[EArc from Netgalley]

On every book read as soon as it is done and written up for review it is posted on Goodreads and Netgalley, once released then posted on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles as well.