Member Reviews
Of Wicked Blood was a great listen for me. It took some time for the story to build its mythology and start picking up speed, but once it did I couldn't hit pause. The story has an interesting mix of modern day (cell phones) technology and old world lore. The characters each had their own unique style and voice, which I really enjoyed, and the secondary characters were actually my favorite parts. It's solidly YA, but the mythology really kept me engaged.
I fell in love with this book after few chapters. It was a blind pick I made from Netgalley. I thought of giving it a try and very much enjoyed the characters, light fantasy for YA. Cadence, Slate, Alma, Bastian, Adrian all fitting perfectly to the story. Fighting against the time to save Slate and put Quatrefoil together just in time before the twilight.
The whole mystery of magic of Brume is just perfect and I enjoyed how the author incorporated the historical facts here. Also the French makes this novel a little different to others. There isn't a boring passage in this novel. Remy is the only really unlikable character of the whole book and all his lies are slowly unfolding. There is cursing and quite some romantic "thoughts" of Cadence and Slate, but I don't mind it here. Fits perfectly for YA genre.
Now I am just left somehow empty and sorry there is no second volume yet. I would love to read it, if it is as good as this one.
This book was phenomenal! I listened to this in one day, in one sitting, I couldn't turn it off. The characters are interesting and the story is engaging. I love that the story is told from two perspectives. That gives it such depth that would be lacking if it was told from only one side. The choice of getting two narrators as well was perfect. They both did a wonderful job keeping the listener engaged. I am already on the edge of my seat waiting for the next book in the series. Fantastic read, highly recommended!
A Urban Fantasy with great characters.
Really enjoyed listening to. Good narrators.
Lots of surprises, mystery,curses,drama and romance.
Ending leaves you wondering.
Voluntarily reviewed.
I really enjoyed both the narrators for Of Wicked Blood. They gave a great performance and kept me engaged through out the entirety of the book. Of Wicked Blood is an urban fantasy set in the village of Brume, that is believed to be the birthplace of all magic. This book gave me major Mystic Falls vibes but add in a treasure hunt for magical items. While this book starts a little slow the plot really picks up as Slate finds himself in a life or death situation after accidentally acquiring a magical artifact. Cadence and Slate come to learn they are both descendants of founding families, which requires them to rally with the other two founding family’s descendants to hunt down magical artifacts, in order to complete an ancient ritual and save Slates life. This book is perfect you want to get lost in an exciting magic filled plot with strong dark academia vibes. Also, the romance plot between Cadence and Slate was well paced and super enjoyable.
I loved this audiobook.. The main female character is pretty accurate as how I had in mind and I can perfectly picture her through this voice. This voice fits perfectly. The tone, the inflection,... she did a great job with Cadence. And with the male voice I had a bit issues in the beginning because Slate in young and this man's voice is a quite adult one. Definitely much older than that character and I didn't get into the character and story but as long as the chapters went on I got used to it and enjoyed it. No matter that he wasn't what I had in mind, he did a great job two. Both narrators did a wonderful job with 'Of Wicked Blood'.
And reagarding this story I have one word: Addictive. This book is absolutely addictive and I loved it to no end. These authors have done an outstanding job here. Just after reading the first chapter I was interested and needed it to keep on reading. It reminded me when I first start reading the Harry Potter books. I just had to know what happened next.
The writing is wonderful and the story follows the right pace. You don’t get bored one single time. Something important is happening almost all the time that keeps you reading more and more chapters non-stop.
The main male character is extremely captivating. I’d describe it as a young adult Harry Potter mixed with Damon Salvatore personality. Besides being hot, he also has a very particular humor. Some of the best remarks I’ve read are from this character. Some scenes are hilarious. He makes the most dangerous and dark situation lighter and attainable. And Cadence is a smart, nice and polite girl that is going to find out that in her hometown magic maybe is real. She’s determined and brave and her connection with Slate more than curious and not so normal.
Slate and Cadence are the main characters but as always occurs with Olivia Wildenstein books, all the secondary characters are attractive and interesting to follow.
The plot is entertaining and makes you want to live in Brume with the characters and be there to help them with their mission.
My favorite ingredients are in this amazing book: magic, love, tension and not only sexual, twists, jealousy, darkness, humor, fights, angst, friendship, hidden secrets,… I just can’t wait for next book!
“I feel like that kid again, the one who looked for light in the darkness, who believed that if he reached high enough, he could pluck the stars from the very sky.”
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Holy fuck*ing sh*t, this story was AWESOME (sorry but Slate’s cursing is contagious 😂). Jokes aside, this gave me the Gilded Wolves vibes, but far far better. Not only Slate and Cadence are terribly cute, but the way they come to know each other and respect and love is so sweet and funny. Slate is a thief, he has learned very young that in life no one gives you anything for nothing. He had foster families who treated him badly, but he had just one person he loved more than himself: his adopted brother. And by the way he acts with him we can see he is the cutest cinnamon roll ever! He is so shocked when he finds out he descends from a very rich family who died when he was just a toddler and he reaches the city to claim his heritage, but he finds himself in a quest to restore magic into the world. With his humor he tries to build a wall against the world, because if he keeps everyone out he’ll not feel lost or hurt anymore, but then he meets Cadence, who has had such a privileged life and he should despise her, but she is so smart, so badass and sweet that he ends up loving her. The story is so interesting, with a great world building enriched with lore and and legends. Magic is something that could destroy humans and so it’s not easy to obtain but this crew can definitely do it. Nonetheless I definitely expect a sequel because Cadence’s father does sound like a man with many secrets and a lot to hide! That said if you are ready for a fun quest with incredible characters this is the book for you! Thanks to NetGalley I’ve listened to the audiobook which was really awesome, easy to follow with 2 different narrators for the female and male characters. The female one, in particular, was so amazing doing male voices, definitely recommended.
I was testing the downloading process. I am the author of this book, so naturally, I love it ;) and wouldn't change a thing about it.
This would make a great Disney movie. If they take out the cussing. It's full of magic and fantasy.
Slate who grew up in foster homes, finds out he is the descendent of a well-known magical family from Broom. The last living decedent that has to help the town get its magic back.
This isn't the type of book i like but it will be good for the teens.
Thank you #OFWICKEDBLOOD #NetGalley
Story: 5 ⭐️
Steam: 1 🔥 (YA fantasy with a romance but not focused primarily on the romance)
Audio: 4.5 🎧
This book was a wild adventure! I was hooked from the start and could not stop listening! It’s rare that I find myself genuinely surprised while reading a book but it happens multiple time while reading this one! I loved all the characters and I had such a blast with this story. When it ended I was desperate for book two! I don’t think I can wait!
Audiobook Performance: 4.5 🎧
the narrators did a good job. I think the male narrator sounds slightly too old for the character but he did a great job. The female narrator sounded perfect for the female lead but she sounded a little too high pitched sometimes which made her sound slightly whiney. Overall though the performance was good and I’d listen again.
*Audiobook ARC generously provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*
I'm so happy for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook, thanks for NetGalley and the publisher.
In this fantastic fantasy with the right amount of magic! We follow Slate, a thief that spend most of his young age in bad foster care homes and had a difficult childhood. However, everyone he knew was about to change when Slate receives a letter with information from a man that explains he needs to go back to Brume where he is originated from, where he belongs. Together with the letter, his birth certificate and his real name "Remy", Slate travels to Brume, a village in France known for its magical history.
In this book, you'll find adventure, romance, magic and discover the secrets hidden by the families in Brume.
The book is definitely a worth reading.
Can't wait for the 2nd book!
I picked this up from the "listen now" section on Netgalley because it sounded interesting. Unfortunately I was not a fan of the romance nor the plot of this one.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc.
This one just wasn’t for me. The narration for Candace sounded so auto-tuned/digital. I thought I’d get used to it, but I didn’t. Her guy voices were way better.! Slades narration was good. Unfortunately, I didn’t care for his character. He was so fixated on Candance’s ass and beauty. He would basically tune her out the first 20% of the book. I get why he only cared about himself, but jeez. Candaces character was also annoying. She was so juvenile and would run to her Papa to fix everything. Even though she was in college. So neither character was interesting or relatable to me. I like character driven books, so this just wasn’t for me. Also. It was a good 20% into the book before the characters really got into the magic part of the story. Way too slow of a start. The only reason I’m giving this 2/5 is because the idea is there and interesting. It just wasn’t executed well.
Thank you for the opportunity to download this audiobook. I accessed it while testing a future update to the NetGalley Shelf app. This test was open only to an exclusive portion of NetGalley members, and this review will be hidden from visibility by the NetGalley team. If you would like more information, please contact testsupport@netgalley.com.
Thank you for the opportunity to download this audiobook. I accessed it while testing a future update to the NetGalley Shelf app. This test was open only to an exclusive portion of NetGalley members, and this review will be hidden from visibility by the NetGalley team
Of Wicked Blood, the first of the Quatrefoil Chronicles is YA Urban Fantasy at its best, full of the promise of magic, strong characters and set against the backdrop of a world full of mystery and dark moodiness.
Our two main characters are Cadence and Slate and I loved the attraction of opposites going on with their relationship. Alongside this, the narration, in particular Slates was just spot on. Having never read either of these authors before I was a bit apprehensive but had a real blast reading Of Wicked Blood and can’t wait for the next in the series. Highly recommended.
Thanks to Netgalley for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Slate is a thief and a con artist and a liar. These things are all true but when he meets Cadence his world is thrown for a loop. Slate receives a letter, a letter telling him that he isn't who he thought he was and he needs to come to a small French town where they believe in witchcraft to find out more about his birth parents. He is upset, rightfully so, because he has been forced to live in foster homes and on the streets for most of his life, scraping to get by. When he gets to town, he seeks the De Morel crypt and he steals the Bloodstone, but what he doesn't realize is it will set of a chain of events no one was ready for.
The first time Cadence spots Slate in the cemetery she is drawn to him. She knows this outsider is somehow connected to her. When he put the Bloodstone on his finger, it immediately fuses with his skin and becomes one with him and it jumpstarts curse that they now have to solve or it will take his life. This curse brings 4 people in to work together to find 4 leaves to make up the Quatrefoil.
I really enjoyed the trials these characters had to go through and learning about the magic that has lived for many years in this small town. The audio was great and the narrators made me feel like I was part of the story. These opinions are my own and I recived this book in exhange for this review. Thank you to Twig Publishing, Netgalley Olivia Wildenstein and Katie Hayoz for an early audio copy.
One day I was looking for a new audiobook and I came across this one in NetGalley. While I haven’t read anything by either of the authors, I have quite a few of Olivia Wildenstein’s books on my tbr. After reading the summary, I knew this was my new audiobook. I am so happy with my decision!
This book has super creepy vibes. It’s set in a small gothic town in France (they all have French accents, so I’m pretty sure it’s France!) and weird, unexplainable things have started to happen. What the main characters find out stunned me. The story is an extreme roller coaster with tragedy, lots of suspense, magic, and, of course, bits of romance. The ending wrapped up most of the storylines for me, so I’m curious where book 2 will be going.
The characters are really the driving force behind this book, specifically the two main characters, Cadence and Slate. Cadence is an innocent bean that needs to be protected, while Slate is... whew. Slate is Slate. He’s my favorite character. Out of everyone in the book, he is the one that develops the most.
If you are a fan of urban fantasy - think along the lines of Shadowhunters - definitely try this book!
This was such a hard book to put down. I listened to the audiobook ARC and loved the alternating POVs.
A fictional French town setting (resembling Mont-Saint-Michel) with dark academia, a quest to retrieve ancient artefacts, an old legend and a great romance that doesn't steal the spotlight of the story but is a nice wholesome addition. Also, a great set of interesting characters including a bad boy who's been through a lot and a good daddy's girl.
I thoroughly recommend it'
Thank you to Twig Publishing and Netgalley for providing me with audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
Guilty as charged, i couldn't resist trying out and relive for the second time this adventure as i fell in love with it head over toes!
Strange how the same story feels different when you read it and when you are experiencing it via audiobook....at least for me it's like i experience a different book and is so thrilling.
I was so excited to find out there were two different narrators for Cadence and Slate, ulike the most narrated by a single narrator for all POV's.
Loved the male narrator and all the accents ,he gave a little more sophisticated tint to Slate that was intriguing.
As to the female narrator...i loved her voice and the ease with which she delivered Cadence's side of the story,but from time to time it felt she exaggerated and gave it a slight petulant tint that rubbed me the wrong way.
Thank you for the opportunity to relive again this amazing story!
I am pasting my ebook review below too:
Full five stars and then some!!!
If anyone was watching me while reading this book, im sure would've taking me for a nutjob😄😄😄
So many times i laughed out loud on the splendid humor that was absolutely my type plus the absurd,comical, but at the same time dangerous situations that Slate put himself, made me completely forgot my surroundings.
I loved the world building ,wich was told in the perfect way - not like the most that you feel like ticking marks of a list that has to be done, but instead, got sucked right in and you realize how rich it is and how much you learned about it when you caught yourself like living in it and swinging your emotions every step of the way!
Every character had depth and history that couldn't leave you impartial.
I have to admit i was having extra fun with Slate's character, given that his humor,the swearing and his cynicism was so like me that cracked me up every single time😄
For a strange reason i got the Lucifer Tv show vibe and could purely see in my head Slate saying with his charm "But detective" 😄😄😄
And can relate the other characters too
Cadence as Chloe
Adrien as detective Duche
Bastian as Amenadiel
and Alma as sweet Ella😄😄😄
The Quaterfoil crew was absolutely spot on and the combination of all the characters gave an amazing and so colorful adventure that make you laugh and cry in a matter of few pages.
So happy i got the opportunity to read this and it takes a top plase in my favorites!
After the final i have a lot of questions, that i cant wait to tackle and see what mess they got themselves into in the next book!