There comes a point when I have to just accept that a popular author is just not for me. Truthwitch has been one of the most hyped up books on my book feeds, particularly my twitter feeds since BEA last year. I love the author, I think she's a wonderful person, and I really do admire her social media presence and the time and dedication she has to her fans. She seems like a really lovely person. However, it would appear I just don't get on with her books. This is the second book by the same author that I have found only okay and mediocre at best. Which really sucks when I really want to support the author.

I entered every give away I saw for this title, I've had it on pre order since May 2015. I even considered applying to join the street team on this one. The enthusiasm and hype surrounding Truthwitch has been amazing. Now at the point where I have muted everything Truthwitch related from my twitter feed.

On finally getting to read it, it would appear I am a black sheep. I did not love this book. I didn't like it much at all really. I will certainly say it's very creative in its characters and world-building. However, the world building I found to be lacking in description and confusing as hell. I didn't get much of a sense of place or any sort of background or history. You're pretty much thrown into the setting and away we go. It's certainly vivid and colourful and definitely original. But, I just didn't connect to any of it.

Partly I think because I just could not stand the main character. For most of the novel Safiya drove me up the wall. Didn't like her much. I didn't get invested in the barely there romance much at all. Stepped up quite a bit at the end, but still didn't really work for me much at all. Starting this novel I was under the impression that Safiya's power - she can tell a truth from a lie in anyone - was pretty much the most sort out and desired type of witchery in the novel.

However, her power isn't as awesome as it seems. Very early on she looses all her and her friend's money in a card game. Which had eyebrows arching immediately - if your power is to discern who's telling the truth and not surely you should be able to know who's cheating in a card game? Apparently there are ways Safiya's powers can be fooled. (This point does actually come up at some point towards the end of the novel).

Certainly fast paced and full of action. I liked most of the supporting cast. Particularly the best friend Iseult. Who was pretty awesome. One thing I really did like was the two female protagonists, Iseult was not just regulated to a BFF side character. She had a huge roll to play in the story and the friendship between her and Safiya is one of the best things about the book. The rest of it... still just okay. 

The second half of the novel was a lot easier to follow once they were out of the city and onto a ship. The plot picked up quite a bit and started to make a lot more sense. Some fairly interesting character interaction. But once you get past the ship and onto the next destination, there's another plot twist thrown in involving some sort ancient prophecy and the role Safiya and Iseult are supposed to play. But again - there's no background or anything to explain this! It's tell and nothing to even give much history on this prophecy or anything. It's pretty much from those who know about it we've known about this forever and this is it, it's happening now. Very confusing. I'm assuming this is something to be explored in further books. 

Not entirely convinced it's a series I want to continue, really. 

A great start to a series.

This book has pretty much everything I look for in an Urban Fantasy. Kick ass heroine, great mythology and world building, murder mystery side plot, sex on legs love interest, and sizzling romance. 

Check, check, check and double check on the love interest and romance. 

Janet has a strange superpower from iffy origins...she's a Stormwalker, she can control storms - rain and lightning, etc. The whole thing is steeped in the most wonderful Navajo mythology. On again/Off again boyfriend Mick is sexy and mysterious with a wickedly hot superpower of his own.

Starting off with an action packed punch, Janet is renovating an old hotel not far off from where she grew up. Along with being asked to come and investigate the disappearance of a Police Chief's daughter. Right off there's magical trouble, the reader is dropped right into the book's mythology and world building. Which lands her in hot water with the new local Sheriff. 

I loved the mythology, the way the magic is weaved into the plot and how normal it is in these people' lives. The only character I really did not like was Nash Jones, the new Sheriff in town. The man is an asshole right from the start and doesn't let up. Refuses to believe Janet no matter what, even when magic and superpowers are used right in front of him. It got very frustrating.

Janet and Mick's relationship was well written, intriguing and not without emotional background drama which made the book all the more compelling. Mick has plenty of supernatural secrets and powers of his own. All which come into play as the novel progresses. And there were some deliciously hot sex scenes. 

There were parts towards the end of the book where the magic and world building did get a little ludicrous and made me giggle a lot because it got to be so silly. Still, a solid start to a series with great characters. Definitely a series I will be looking forward to continuing.

Crosses off a Square for Spring 2015 Bookish Bingo - Rain or Storm in title. 

I received a copy from Netgalley.

Not for me. I made it to 24% but I really just don't like it. The concept is an interesting one, but I don't like the characters. The main character is shallow and annoying. She's supposed to be deep and nice but frankly she's irritating. She's also too Mary-Sueish for my tastes. Perfect grades, super fast on the cross country team, and a few other annoying traits. She manages to piss off the most popular girl in her new school (who's a bitch anyway) but everyone else seems to love her or realize she's way cooler. It got irritating very fast how she manages to keep befriending the popular kids and then things go wrong somehow.

There is potential in the plot with the weather acting up and being strange and the concept of dragons. But I'm not invested enough in this book to read anymore about it.

So thank you to Netgalley and Diversion Books for approving my request to view the title, but I just don't like it.

I received a copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand it's a YA paranormal with a fresh and unique idea. I liked seeing a Nebraska setting and the use of tornados. Very original in respect of how the tornado powers worked. Unfortunately I found the execution and the characters to be a little flat.

On the one hand it was very fast paced. But I Didn't really feel much of a connection to the main character Allie. She was okay, faced with a very difficult power and an incomprehensible situation she tries to handle it the best she can. She finds others like her and wants answers and a cure to his power/curse. I don't want to go into too much detail over the plot and the villain and the curse/power as that would be too many big plot spoilers. 

It also seemed, to me at least, that there was also a lot of tell not show. This happened, that happened and on to the next disaster. As each twist happened the were a few times when I found it hard to suspend disbelief as a reader. Allie got whiny and annoying and while I was trying to be sympathetic towards her difficult situations each one got worse and I found myself getting less interested as the plot moved on.

There were hints of a possible love triangle to emerge but I felt no connection between Allie and the boy she meets. And then there's her best friend Tommy who comes along to help. He was a pretty decent guy. 

And there were other times when the plot was quite good and the descriptions reasonably okay and the tension built in were pretty good.

Over all there was something..that didn't really work for me. So thank you Netgalley for the chance to read this title, though I'm not sure this is a series I will be continuing.