Got to love a good romance with magic and suspense

Didn't know what I was getting in to with this book but glad I read it as it was so good the slow burn romance was healthy and right and the characters are well thought out

I thoroughly enjoyed Of Wicked Blood. The world building was so elegant and gentle. Being only just above 400 pages, and a series, it builds the world and the characters through careful word usage that feels organic.

My main piece of feedback would be that the switch between voice in the different chapters, between Cadence and Slate, was a bit jarring at first. I would have liked to have a preface that set the stage - perhaps a piece of the quatrefoil scroll to help bridge between Cadence and Slate in the beginning.

I look forward to the next book in the series

Of Wicked Blood: The Quatrefoil Chronicles by Olivia Wildenstein and Katie Hayoz

418 Pages
Publisher: Twig Publishing
Release Date: February 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-1948463300


Fiction, Romance, Sci Fi & Fantasy, Teen & YA, , Paranormal and Urban Fantasy, Magic

Slate is a thief. He has had a rough life living in and out of foster homes almost his entire life. He gets a letter inviting him to Brume to attend the university. Curious by the offer, he travels to Brume and meets the dean of the school. He finds he is the remaining member of a founding village family. In order to receive his inheritance, he must remain in the village for two weeks.

Cadence is also a descendant of a founding family. She is the dean’s daughter and runs into Slate in the cemetery. She is unaware that Slate has robbed her family’s vault and set events in motion that may cost all of them their lives.

The book is written in first person shifting between Slate and Cadence. The story takes place within a two-week period and moves at a quick pace. The characters are well developed. There is a lot of action and even more of the “f” word. The ending was abrupt and gives the impression that there will be another book. I look forward to see what happens next.

Fans of urban fantasy will devour this. It's very Shadowhunters by way of The Gilded Wolves.

While I am not really an urban fantasy person myself, I can see how this story will appeal to most fans of the genre - it has a French dark academia setting, an array of interesting characters, and a unique magic system.

However, I feel a bit let down by the plot and progression of the story. I don't think it was the writing that lost my interest (even though it has a weird quality of feeling both slow and fast paced at the same time). I just don't think I was ever invested in the purpose of the characters and what they had to do. There are many other books who do the 'gang of kids on a mission' trope so much better, so I unfortunately compared a lot throughout.

Overall, not the best or worst book I've ever read, but I do think a lot of people will find this story to be their exact cup of tea.

An amazing start to a new dark thrilling series!!! I could not put the book down! Of Wicked Blood was not at all what I expected but I’m glad I got the chance to read it. I cannot wait to see what the sequel has to offer. 5 stars!!

AMAZING!! I'm not at all shocked that I'm suckered in with this new series. When it comes to these two authors, expect nothing but amazing storytelling. This book is fantastic and I just love Slate!! I adore all of them, each character bringing that sweet completeness that I live for when I read a story. It has mystery, magic, tragedy, love, friendship and HUMOR! Can't beat that! I can't wait for the next installment, so looking forward to the next step in their adventure!

HOLY MOLY! I went into this book with almost expectations. I have never read either author, so I wasn’t sure how it would go at all. I was drawn in by the Secret Circle vs A Discovery of Witches description, and while I can agree with those, I also felt a little Goblet of Fire and The Mortal Instruments...maybe? I can’t put my finger on it exactly, but I honestly couldn’t put this book down.

We start out with Slate, a teen who grew up in foster care his whole life and stole to make a living, finding out his birth parents were rich...and a founding family in a magical town called Brume. From there we get the - boy travels to Brume, boy robs a crypt and steals a ring, boy’s ring is cursed and he is now stuck in Brume until he and 3 others can restore magic or he will die - storyline.


I found all of the characters fantastic. Cadence goes through so many different feelings and emotions during her journey, it was great seeing inside her head to work through those. I would probably read a spin-off on Bastien and Alma. Any scene with either of them in it was automatically more fun. Things got quite interesting with Adrien towards the end and I’m anxious to see where his story line goes in the future.

I don’t want to dive into the story too much but I do want you to READ THIS BOOK. It’s one of my top reads of 2020 and it’s not one to sleep on.

A magical thriller that keeps you guessing right til the end. A Foster kid in France with no history receives a mysterious letter with his real name and an invitation to find out who he really is. This leads him to a quaint town said to be the centre of magic in the world. He goes for information and revenge but is it a trap? Can magic really be restored to the world by the quartrefoil Council? Will the price be worth paying? Personally I can't wait for the next instalment of the quartrefoil chronicles

I loved this book! I'm a big fan of all of Olivia Wildenstein's books, but this one was fun and fresh. It was almost like a grown up paranormal Jumanji. I loved the characters and the french setting. I figured out a few of the plot twists, namely, which characters could and could not be trusted. I love a female lead who is thinking and adaptable and doesn't fall into the usual cliches. I really liked nerdy Bastion also!! I am really looking forward to the next book in the series. There is sooo much to explore. My only teensy tiny complaint is that the ending feels rushed. It's hard to explain without spoilers, but we're all waiting for something to happen, then it doesn't and that's it. I guess it was part of the cliffhanger but so many more questions!

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. 
4.5 out of 5

I read FEATHER by Olivia a while ago and loved it. So, when I saw that she had a new book releasing, I was eager to read it. I wasn't disappointed.

OF WICKED BLOOD is the first book in the Quatrefoil Chronicles. This story had a unique take on elemental magic and a fascinating back-story, where the source of magic--existing in the elements Air, Water, Earth, and Fire--is traced to a golden Quatrefoil found in the forest of Brocéliande. In 1350, after humanity misuses magic, it is removed from the world and the leaves of the Quatrefoil are broken apart and hidden. Only the descendants of the original four guardian families can bring magic back by locating and reuniting the pieces. Descendants must face dangerous, possibly fatal, challenges brought forth by each elemental piece.

I liked that the story is told from the POV of the two main characters, Slate and Cadence. Slate's character drew me in and cracked me up... I have a weakness for Han Solo-type characters—handsome, brash, confident, sarcastic. Plus, Slate throws around “Princess” just like my favorite “stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy-looking…nerfherder."

He unexpectedly finds himself at the center of the quest to reunite the Quatrefoil after a rash act of revenge sets the challenges in motion and his life on the line.
Enemies to lovers, slow-burn romance, possible love triangle, tons of sarcastic banter, magic and curses... What's not to love?

This was such a quick and fun read... I was halfway through within a few hours, reading into the wee hours of the morning and having to force myself to close the book and go to sleep. Too soon, I found myself at the end and facing a cliff-hanger ending. I'll be waiting [not so] patiently for the next book.

Goodness gracious, where do I begin? First off, Ah-May-Zing!! For real, I absolutely adored this book! I went into reading it excited, but I did not expect to like it nearly as much as I did, let alone LOVE it! This is my first book by Olivia Wildenstein and after reading it I realized that I have her book Feather on my TBR list. And guess what just got bumped up to the top? I have just added some of Katie Hayoz's books to my TBR now as well.

The world building was great and the magical element was fun. But the characters! I loved the characters. I found myself smiling and laughing to myself so much while reading this book. And Slate? He has been added to the book boyfriend list. Cadence was great too and I usually do not like lead females in the books I read. The two of them and their snark and attitude, perfect. The side characters were just as great and I am so excited to see where they all end up.

Further, this book kept me guessing with the bit of mystery interwoven within its framework. Even still I have questions and suspicions that I am desperately needing answers to! Not only will I most definitely be reading the next book in the series, but I will be buying the physical copy of this when it becomes available, that is how much I enjoyed this book. It will definitely stay on my mind for a while to come. Would 100% recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the authors for allowing me to review this book.

Sometimes I think I'm getting too old for YA... but I love this author and will read just about anything they write! The one thing I really appreciated about this book is how the character Slate evolved. Desecrating tombs is disgusting, but so it abuse in the foster system.

I was sucked into this book right from the get go. I really love the character of Slate, a morally grey thief, who has managed to work his way up from poverty to provide for his brother and himself. Soon after arriving in a new town he unknowingly steals the bloodstone, a very special magical item, which sets off a chain reaction that means life or death for those who have to help him defeat the curses he has just set into motion.
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Slate is full of witty humor and even though he outwardly portrays a bad boy persona it is all to easy to fall in love with him. The story switches back and forth between Slate and Cadence's perspectives as we are taken on a journey to defeat the curses. I adore Cadence's character and loved watching her grow as we see her stuggle with learning her father has kept some huge secrets from her her whole life and deciding if she can trust Slate or not. I love how Slate and Cadence's relationship evolves over the course of the book and I can't wait to see where things go in the next one.
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The quatrefoil quest itself was engaging and I really enjoyed each of the challenges the characters faced. My only problem was the ending felt a bit rushed, I was a little confused and wished there had been a bit more time taken to explain what happened. Although this just makes me even more interested in seeing what happens next.
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This is an amazing book full of secrets, lies, mystery, action, and romance.
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Thank you to Netgalley and Twig Publishing for providing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

ARC from NetGalley

4.5 stars

A most excellent read. It took me a while to get into the first person delivery of Slate, but it happened. This book is rife with magic and mystery, romance, double crossing, and a healthy peppering of curse words. All of these things please me. There were a few patchy bits that brought down my rating a bit, places where things didn't quite make sense. Like why would Slate's spidey senses suddenly shut off? It was never explained, and that had me wondering. Like, one second you're cringing in pain and wanting to vomit, but then you aren't... why? I would have preferred the romance to be a bit more romantical, but I anticipate that will come with the next book. Whenever a book has liberal use of swears, I always hope for dirty bits, but what can you do. No dirty bits.

Even though this book includes many popular tropes, it spins them a bit and feels like something new, which is so refreshing these days. Do recommend.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for a review. I loved this book. It was like a puzzle was being put together before your eyes. The romance was great and I hope in the next book Cadence and Slate’s relationship gets more involved. I highly recommend this book!

this book was action packed with memorable characters and great pacing. Definitely recommend picking this one up!

4.5⭐️

Loooved this book so much!! I’m sucked in the Quatrefoil crew! It’s been so long since I read a book with a man’s POV and I love it, and him! Loved Slates sassy character.

I couldn’t put it down! It was confusing at the start with all the names and the different relationships. But after a couple of chapters I couldn’t stop reading it. Something happened in every chapter and it had me gripping the edge of my seat. It has a fast pace and it’s full of mystery, secrets, surprises, action and suspence.

I loved Slate’s and Cadence’s chemistry and dynamic. I hope we get more of them in the sequeland I would love more explicit scenes - just saying. There are so many things and people I don’t trust and don’t believe😏 I really want to find out what’s trully going on!!😩

Can’t wait to read the sequel!!😍

I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book!

A standing ovation!!! Applause – applause – applause.
My life will never be the same again…

Oh what a ride, what an adventure.

Honestly, when Netgalley gave me an ARC and a chance to read the book, I didn’t know what to expect. I was hooked by the cover (I know, I know, never judge a book by the cover, but I can’t help it.) and the title: Of Wicked Blood.

Also, the joint writers… !

Now what was it about?
Well, it all happens in Brume, a magical town where magic apparently isn’t real anymore.
We get to know a lot of characters at the beginning of the book – and the depth of them is more clear once you keep reading.
Slate – a good guy with a rough edge – is asked to join a man in Brume (France) where he can get more information about his youth and his family. Mind you, he was raised in foster homes and has a foster-brother Bastian which he loves more than anything in this world.
Once Slate gets to Brume, he kinda gets into trouble by putting on a ring on his finger, which he can’t get off anymore. The ring activates a magical quest, the quatrefoil quest, which will blow your mind!
Along the way we get to know Cadence (her father is responsible for getting Slate to Brume.) who is a lovely character and her best friend Alma, Adrien – the professor and Gaël – a good friend.
All of them go along in this adventure, which gives some clues that are solved in the end of the book and some that stay untold.
The end is very unexpected, and I loved it! I can’t wait for the next one, what a cliffhanger!

The book reads like an adventure story. It is a bliss in times like these, it has amazing scenes which I would love to see in a movie.
I caught myself thinking about the book when I was at work, wondering how the story would continue.
The romance between Slate and Cadence is great, the sarcasm even better ;)
I loved the fact that each chapter is told by Slate and the next one by Cadence, it gives a fresh feel.
I never got bored in this book and loved every single chapter!
It was an amazing book, and I hate the fact that I have to wait for the next one … but oh boy will I be happy when I can read it.

I must say: thank you Olivia Wildenstein and Katie Hayoz for writing this book!!!

Thanks to NetGalley and Twig Publishing for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

Very fun read told in two POVs. Slate is a young man brought up in the foster care system with no knowledge of his family. He is brought to a small university town in France where he discovers his family history. Four main characters must solve some quests to bring magic back to the world. Good characters, solid story line, great town details makes this a fun first book in a trilogy. Can’t wait to read more in the series and by the two authors.

I really, really loved this book. Even from the moment I read the French dictionary (fucking dragons) I knew it would be enjoyable and it didn’t disappoint. Loved the descriptions of the town and the beautiful settings - not to mention the library.

Of course now I’m absolutely desperate to read the second instalment, as there was a lot left to be wrapped up.

My only slight criticism is that I found Cadence’s chapters a little stilted, but I thought Slate was brilliant.

All of the creatures / obstacles were fanastic, and I loved the idea of the quatrefoil. Really intrigued to find out what happens next and am hoping for a speedy sequel.