This series is slowly starting to get better, but it's still barely averaging out as what I would consider a 3 star story. I appreciate how much bigger the world the author created is becoming but it still feels like something is missing somehow.

Mina still has the personality of a wall. Things seem to bounce off her because of how dense she is. Until she has an ah-ha moment and goes after/does whatever it is she intends to do. Though I will say that her conversations/disagreements with Dorian were the closest she ever come to having an interesting personality.

The love triangle seems to be over but I feel like I need to call BS or something. It was resolved WAY too easily and with no apparent consequences. The guy who "lost" almost seemed to have the ability to read minds or see the future. He was calm in an icky way (if that makes sense) and it's still making me apprehensive.

Eli was great as always! I like how he can joke around with Mina and still be serious and command authority when needed. Thebet they have is also very adorable and

I was SO glad to see almost nothing of Alec in this story. I despise the kid. Even more so now with the revelation of what his uncle did/does(?). He does nothing for this story or Mina. There doesn't seem to be all this chemistry Mina keeps talking about between them. It almost feels like wishful thinking of both their parts.

The mystery Mina and Eli have been trying to solve gets a few revelations in this novel. It's not much but it's a start. I think their plan going forward is ludicrous. Though I'm still invested in this series, it feels more like a trainwreck that I can't look away from at this point.

Overall this series and its characters are getting easier to read about because I'm somewhat invested in the mystery that's been presented. 

The Audio Book:

This series as a whole continues to be on the list of the handful (as of now) books that I can only listen to sped up to 1.25x. The narrator just isn't for me. She doesn't have a good range of male and female voices. She also loves long pauses in between words that I can't stand for more than a few minutes at a time. Her voice sped up sounds completely normal, if that doesn't speak volumes I don't know what does. [spoiler][/spoiler]

Jennifer Snyder’s OF BREATH AND SOUL is an amazing addition to the Ward Witches Series.  This story takes place where book one, OF WITCH'S BLOOD, left off.  Piper Ward and her brother Jasper agreed to help Tristan Jarek and his dragon tribe get back their magic after being cursed by the Vodun witches.  Piper and crew head to New Orleans for their task.  This young adult contemporary urban fantasy is exciting from start to finish.

I love Piper.  She is brave and honorable.  She lost her parents at a young age after they were murdered by the Vodun.  Her life is at risk, but she is determined to help the dragons.  Jasper is a good big brother.  He loves his sister and is extremely protective of her and those he cares about.  He will do anything for the few he loves.  That becomes very apparent in his relationship with Anna in this story. 

I love that Randal Vincent and Kenna Black from the Succubus Kiss Series make an appearance in OF BREATH AND SOUL.  There was an interesting turn of events that happened that required Randal’s help. 

The Vodun are menacing adversaries.  They are a scary coven that practices black magic.  They will stop at nothing to keep their curse intact. 

Jennifer Snyder is a talented and creative author.  She is excellent at character and plot development.  If you have not read book one, OF WITCH'S BLOOD, I would highly suggest reading it prior to this story.  Both books are fast reads and you will not be disappointed.  I cannot wait for book three, to see what happens next.

Complimentary copy provided by author in exchange for an honest review.

Scorned was an exciting little novelette! I was easily able to follow along with the story, despite the fact that I have not read any other books in the series. After reading this story I definitely want to start at the beginning now though!

One thing I really loved about Scorned was that it was told from the “villain’s” point of view. I find these types of stories especially interesting as I think that the villain typically has quite a tale to tell. It’s fun to get the grittier side to the story. I mean most villains don’t usually consider themselves to be the villain, right? I think most of them, as was the case with this main character Shelby, consider themselves to be the wronged party, and embark on a path to set things right, even if they blur the lines of right and wrong, or completely obliterate them in their means to justify their desired ends. Shelby definitely fell in this category. After all, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. And with a mother like Shelby’s, it’s no wonder she made the devious plays that she did in this book. I didn’t necessarily sympathize with Shelby, but it didn’t deter me from enjoying the story at all. I was pretty much glued to the pages to see what brand of viciousness Shelby intended on doling out on her unsuspecting victims next!

The ending was pretty explosive and I am curious to see what the future has in store for Shelby! Will the consequences of her actions eventually catch up with her? What are her next moves? Will this be a turning point for her as a character? I’d really like to see how things play out from here.

I received an ARC of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

After reading Jennifer Snyder’s Marked Duology, I thought that Shelby Killin was evil.  That was just confirmed after reading Scorned.  The girl is nuts.  Grant it, after getting to know her mom more it’s no wonder. No mother of the year awards for that woman. 

Scorned begins at the same time as the Binding Ceremony at the end of Changed.  I found it fascinating hearing the story from Shelby’s point of view.  Part of me wanted to feel sorry for her, but I really couldn’t.  She is angry and scorned.  She is very power hungry.  The way her mind worked was fascinating.

I felt kind of bad for Gavin.  If Shelby was smart, she would give him a chance.  Although since I like Gavin, I want him to stay away from her.

At sixty pages, this story was a fast read that was impossible to put down.  I’m dying to know what happens next.  Great job Jennifer Snyder!

Complimentary copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.