I was desperately in need of something upbeat and light after several emotionally heavy and draining books. I came across Blood & Ash and decided to give it a shot. I’d previously read Deborah’s Nava Katz series and enjoyed it, so I figured I’d try this one out! I did listen to the audiobook, narrarated by Hollie Jackson.

Overall, 4/5 stars for me! It was a really nice uncomplicated paranormal/magic detective story and I really enjoyed it. It was cool to see the Jewish religious aspects tied into the world building and mythology behind the magic system. It was really interesting and I can’t wait to see how it develops in the next book.

Ashira was fantastic and super funny, although I did find her snark somewhat overly forced at times, especially in her interactions with Levi. I get that her snark with him turned into a kind of defense mechanism, but it occasionally just felt like it was too much for me. I really enjoyed Levi too. He played the strong, stoic male with a hidden tragic backstory very well and I liked reading about him.

Side character wise, Priya is an awesome best friend and is super cool. I love a woman in STEM who knows what she’s talking about (and who loves peanut m&m’s). Arkady was also interesting. I wasn’t sure about him at first, but like Ash, I grew to like him. I hope to see more of him in the next book.

While we did see a few interactions with Talia and some descriptions of Adam, I hope to see more of both of them in the next books. Adam just has so much mystery I need answers! I wanted to like Talia, but I just couldn’t get past her and Ash’s relationship to care for her. Hopefully she’ll redeem herself in the next book.

The narrator was really strong with her voice, and I mostly enjoyed it. However, there were several times she was just a little too much for me.

All in all, I enjoyed this book a lot! It was very easy to read and I ended up reading it in one sitting, because it just felt so light and enjoyable to be reading. Definitely recommend and I will definitely be picking up the next book!

I liked it enough to finish but there was a weird combination of stuff just happening and too much stuff happening. I don’t know how that’s possible. There were hidden doors, puzzles, escape rooms...too much investigating and figuring out to play on the whole Sherlock Holmes thing. A couple surprise investigations were good even awesome, but there were so many I was done with them. And how many times can someone say Holmes, Watson, and Moriarty?? Too many, far too many. Now even though there was all this investigations going on nothing happened!! No questions were answered. Is Ash’s mom responsible? Where is her dad? Which parent is the evil one? Are they both evil? Who are the Jezebel’s (not a spoiler it’s in the title)? Like what is going on!! And people just have magic and we’re guessing the whole time because there is not enough information. I understood by the name of the Van Gogh’s what their power was but jeez, explain it a little more.

It was full of action and fun magical beings. With a little more world building and character information it would be so great. I’m peaked enough to want to know more about Ashira and Levi. Enough to want to pick up book two. This book just needed more structure.

It's interesting, at first, I really liked this book. The narrator was doing a great job, imbuing great personalities into the characters. However, the further I got into the book, the less I liked it. I felt the story line at some point, started to go all over the place. The snark is fun, but not when it's there, all the time. The world building needed to be beefed up a little more. The characters needed a little more development. Then the narrator seemed to get waaaay too excited about the book, and became hard to listen to. I think this book had potential, but it definitely fell short.

*Audio provided by Netgalley for honest review

Ok, I think I've found a new series to binge on. I loved Blood & Ash! Hollie Jackson brought the characters to life. The book is based in Vancouver and we get to learn how magic spread out from the 12 tribes in Israel to across the world. Throw in a 'queen of hearts' and once I hit 'play' I couldn't stop. The main character, Ashira Cohen, is fiesty and snarky. I was afraid it might turn out to be too YA for me but it's not. If you're looking for a little mystery, humor, paranormal activity, a touch of Alice in wonderland and romance then this is for you.

Thanks Netgalley for the opportunity to review this audiobook.

This was my first Deborah Wilde book, and it had a lot of great elements. I LOVE a book with a sassy, edgy, kickass female protagonist, and this book was no exception. The publisher added "A Snarky Urban Fantasy Detective Series" is really the perfect description for this book. It feels like a smart fantasy detective novel with added explicit romance goings-on. I cared about Ash and was very curious about the world of Mundanes (no magic) vs. those with magical gifts who have to register with a kind of tracking system, or "House," to be sure things stay under control. I got interesting Middle Eastern vibes from the secret market and the Queen of Hearts, and many of the naming systems. I really liked it!

The narrator for the audiobook, Hollie Jackson, was perfect for the level of snark required to fully embody Ash. I laughed out loud several times over.

I loved the narrator of this audiobook; she managed to bring an enthusiastic energy that matched the fastpaced storyline and really brought out the snarky personality of Ash to its best advantage.
There are blood and guts, magic and mayhem, several 'big bad' enemies, and the most delicious sexual tension between Ash and Levi that culminates in some mindblowing fireworks.
It's a great start to a series. I loved the way that the crime is resolved, but that there remains the overarching mystery of Ash's tattoo, her new magical powers and the fact that there is a mysterious omnipotent group that may hold the answers that she seeks somewhere out there.

My thanks go to the publishers and NetGalley for a copy of the audiobook in return for an honest review.

3.5 hearts

Blood and Ash is the first book in The Jezebel Files and as such it sets the tone and direction for the entire series. This seems to be off to a good start though using some lore from Judaism that doesn’t seem to get a lot of attention or representation in literature. So far the series has a few things going for it.

Interesting Heroine - check

Ashira thought she was just a human until the hidden tattoo on the back of her head was discovered and destroyed, releasing her supernatural powers that is. Her snarky attitude and ability to cause no end of chaos made her fun. I also liked that she has a limp from an injury in her past, it made her more human.

Family Dynamics Drama -check

With a father who went mysteriously MIA and a mother who seems to manipulate and control most of the human world around her, Ashira has some interesting mommy and daddy issues to deal with.

The Hot Guy the Heroine is Playing Hard to Get With - check

They might have gone to Jewish kid camp together over the summers for a long time but that doesn’t mean that Levi and Ashira run in the same circles. She wants nothing to do with the leader of the magical community; he doesn’t think she is a picnic either. But could most of their time fighting and arguing just be a front for the sexual chemistry…?

Girl Power Friendship - checkity-check-check

I love it when girls have a female best friend and they stick together through think and thin. Priya is the absolute best friend a girl could have and the banter between her and Ash is hilarious. It is quick-witted and made me laugh out loud more than once.

Interesting World-building - check

I really liked reading about something where I didn’t already have a lot of knowledge. The main characters are Jewish and the mythology used for much of the plot was from Judaism. Since I don’t have much experience with this, it was new and interesting.

There are a few downsides though.

I wanted more world-building and explanations of the various magical houses and conflicts between the magical and human community. Much of the story is Ash running headlong from one situation into another without much time between. That does make the story fly by but I like a little more depth. The romance is supposed to be enemies to lovers, sort of. It needs a little more fleshing out since Levi and Ash were so tight as kids that I didn’t really believe they ever fell out to the extent they did. Still the banter between them was always a lot of fun.

Overall:

Solid first story to a series. There is a lot of room to grow and build on everything that has been shown so far. I really liked Ash and all her snarky ways, she reminded me a little of Charlie Davidson’s level of snark. I’ll continue with the series to see where all the craziness goes.

Narration:

Holllie Jackson is a seasoned narrator and it shows. She did a phenomenal job of bringing all the characters to life.

This is the first book in The Jezebel Files series and was narrated by Hollie Jackson.
This book is the Story of Ashira Cohen who is a female private investigator in Vancouver. She thought she was non-magical or mundane, but it turned out that someone marked her with a tattoo that suppressed her powers. She was asked to investigate the disappearances of people with supernatural powers and as she is investigating this she also needs to learn how to control her powers. She is a smart and sassy heroine that will appeal to readers.
There is a lot happening in this book that keeps the sequence flowing. She is forced to work with her longtime nemesis Levi and there is some romantic stuff that happens, but what they are actually doing is always up in the air. There is a wide cast of characters and excellent dialogue which make this a very enjoyable read or listen. I love how the characters in this book interact.
Hollie Jackson does a wonderful job narrating the story. Her voice flows well and at no point did she make the characters sound odd or goofy. I found this book very well done and hated when I had to stop listening to accomplish other things. I would highly recommend it!
I was provided a copy of this audiobook by Netgalley in exchange for an honest opinion.

I liked the story and the world building.
Had to get used to Ash, but she grew on me.
3.5 stars

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

A fun and entertaining audiobook!

I liked Ashira as heroine very much. Compared to Nava from The Unlikeable Demon Hunter, Ashira felt more mature. Even without supernatural powers, she is sure of her skills and how good she is at her job as a detective. So, when she comes into her powers, it's a bonus for her that she starts to use as a tool to continue her detective work and to pick up magical cases. The story is fast-paced with the promised snark and witty banter.

As always, I loved the narration by Hollie Jackson who really brings this story to life. She has a very engaging way of narrating with a fantastic range of different voices (her man-voices are hot!).

What a fun book! Snarky, humorous, fast paced with a lot of characters to enjoy.


I loved the narrator, her voice is so great with this and lots of infliction, that keeps you entertained and engrossed!

I admittedly went right out and picked up book 2 to start immediately.

This books was surprisingly funny. I swear I was laughing out loud at the fact that she tried to fight him with a dildo. I just could not get enough of this story.

Ash is a mundane private detective struggling to make ends meet in Vancouver. While working a case involving a missing teen, Ash discovers a tattoo on her neck that she never got. She also discovers that she has a magic that shouldn't exist: blood magic. Someone is stealing magic from young people and selling it on the black market and Ash needs to find out the who and why while also learning to control her magic.

Ash is a strong, pain in the ass woman. She's interesting and sometimes stupid, which makes her relatable. The cast of characters surrounding her are well fleshed out. The plot is a bit two-fold with one part concentrating on kidnapped mages whose magic is being stolen and the second bit concentrates on where Ash's magic came from and why. It's a fast, fun read.

I listened to this book rather than reading. At first, I REALLY struggled with the narrator. I didn't care for her at all. After about half the book, I got used to the narration and could enjoy the tale she was reading.

Overall, if this is your genre (urban fantasy with romance), then you will enjoy this book, or at the very least not feel your time was wasted. It's a fun read, not an intense one.

This was a fast, entertaining read. The narrator had a very smooth voice and did a good of handling different voices for the characters. This was quite important as the the book has a lot of verbal sparring.
We meet Ashira, a mundane who is restricted from working any cases involving Nefesh, who are the magic users. During a case she receives a head injury, which lands her in the hospital where she learns that at some point she has been tattooed with a star of David. When it is damaged by the injury, a magical ability she never knew about emerges. This begins a journey to find out why and once it is damaged what her own magic entails.
I found the book laugh out loud funny at times and enjoyed the banter between Ashira, her friends and her nemesis turned love interest Levi. It was also interesting to find a magical world rooted in Jewish lore which I knew little about. There was also a diverse set of characters who seemed to be three dimensional. Especially enjoyable was the strong friendship between Ashira and Priya, her best friend and roommate.
The heroine did feel like a mix of Toby Daye and Kate Daniels but there were enough differences that it seems to be more of a homage than a copy.
I definitely plan on reading the next in the series. It was a solid 3.5 for me, an interesting start to the series. A small word of warning, give this one a pass if you do not like profanity or a snarky, sarcastic sense of humor.

I received this audiobook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I enjoyed listening to the audiobook version of this story.

The story features Ash, a PI in a new world where some people have magical powers, the local magic council is run by a man called Levi who Ash knows.

The story is good and the characters refreshing, Ash is strong, stubborn and caring along with being funny and has some great lines. It's more of an urban fantasy than a romance, but there is definitely a romantic edge to Levi and Ash's relationship.

The narrator did a great job telling the story.

I'll be looking to read more in the series.

Blood & Ash (The Jezebel Files #1)
A Snarky Urban Fantasy Detective Series
by Deborah Wilde
Narrated by Hollie Jackson
This book is one I requested from NetGalley and the review is voluntary. I tried over 20 times to download it from the NetGalley Shelf App but it is a very poor app and I find it works poorly for audible books most of the time. I was able to listen to it from another site.
The story has magic users and stresses the division between those that have magic and those without. Good characters and plot too. A bit of romance,(steamy style), and fun snarky dialogue.
The narrator was ok. Some of the main characters needed more development. Overall a good read/listen.

I’m am so excited for book 2. I thought the idea behind the book was super unique. I also thought the similarities between the adversary that is happening right now for a lot of cultures and what happens to the nefish in the book was really neat. I also loved that ash and Levi did not just live happily ever after at the end. I cannot wait to find out what happens

This book was a lot of fun! Ash is a mundane private investigator forbidden to work on cases that involve people with magic. When she discovers something that changes everything about who she thought she was, she searches for answers, getting involved in a dangerous magical case where she uncovers more truth than she counted on. The characters were fun and relatable and there was a fast movement to the story. I am looking forward to reading more of this series.

I initially read Blood and Ash as a part of Kindle Unlimited, and I was later able to listen to it in audiobook format from NetGalley. Narration could be better, but there weren't any issues with random background noises or things like that. Its a good book, however there is some character development left to be desired. The mood in the book is nice, but there needs to be more development of the world the book is set in (additional development of the world and the characters does happen in subsequent books, as a note). Word of warning, listeners/readers should also be prepared for explicit scenes and language in the story. Overall, its a good book but it leaves some development to be desired.

Thanks to NetGalley for this audiobook.
This urban fantasy was entertaining enough to listen straight through in one day. It was refreshing to have a female main character in a genre that is frequently male-centric. Snark was promised and delivered. The best friend was funny and cute and a genius coder/hacker. The male main character was a bit overbearing but still appealing. The sex scenes were not overly cringe-worthy.
The narrator is not familiar to me although I listen to a lot of audiobooks. However, I did see that she has done several hundred narrations. At first I thought her reading was a bit annoying but either I got used to it or it became less so.
The absolute worst thing is that the ending is a cliff-hanger and words cannot express how much I hate that. If the book is good, the author should not have to force readers to buy the next to one find out the end of the story.
There are already two more books published in this series this year.