I did not particularly care for this story, but it was well done and I thought the narrator did a good job with his narration. However, the fact that I did not like it might be due to the fact that I often struggle with audio books in general. I thought I would give this one a try but ultimately I think i would have enjoyed this more if it were a physical/ e-book

I enjoyed this story I thought it was good, my only issue was that I wasn't too keen on duel narration. Both were good narrators and did good performances but I just wasn't as keen on the man's narrators parts as the woman's.

A narrator can make or break an audiobook and for me I preferred one of the narrators over the other. After a
while I did get used to the switch between narrators and different performances. Personally I prefer audiobooks with just one narrator as I can get used to their voice and their performance. When there's more than one it can be a little jarring when it switches.

I thought that this story was really cool and very enjoyable. I liked the characters and I liked the magic, I personally really love historical fantasy so this was right up my alley. Plus there were curses, witchcraft, a heist and a treasure hunt.

I would definitely recommend reading this book. Because it is really fun and a very good historical fantasy, With good, likable character, world building and magic system. I would recommend reading this book if you like A Court of Miracles by Kester Grant.

Typical fantasy love story Slate the guy with a bad reputation meets Cadence and they fall for each other

Will they end up together or not ? Will they complete the challenge to restore magic to the town or will they die in the process ?

To be honest it was OK if not predictable but the ending was weird I have listened to the last few chapters and the epilogue a few times and I still don't know what happened so hence the 2 stars

Your typical young adult supernatural romance book. If that's your genre of interest you'll enjoy this book. Personally, I'm sick of the making 15-17 (or barely 18) year old girl characters who become "acceptably" romantically involved with 20+ year old guys. Sure, yes, lets just keep brainwashing these children they are mature enough to handle adult situations and relationships! Having been that teenager and, luckily, safely away from it, that isn't good to teach to that age group. So, decently written book but please up the girl's age until she's at least 20 and actually realistically going to behave that way for a semi-role model character.

I was not fond of this book. There is a great adventure but it lags in places and I just wanted the story to be done.
I had a bad taste in my mouth very quickly. The two women write male gaze. As if I can't get away from it in male-written books, I have to put up with women doing it. They should know better.
The narration is good. I like that they employed a male and female for chapters for those perspectives. It did confuse me when they did dialogue for the others. But I got used to this.
I didn't like this book even though I wanted to.

Overall, I enjoyed the story. The writing was good with excellent dialog and world building. I docked a star because the prose did drag at times, but I would definitely read more by this author.

I had the pleasure of going on one of the wildest emotional rollercoasters I've ever been on with Of Wicked Blood by Olivia Wildenstein and Katie Hayoz, and my hands were up in the air, eyeballs completely open, and my vocal chords screaming with joy the entire ride! How thrilling this book is, my darling book loves!

You know that moment when the rollercoaster car slowly pulls back into the station after you just went through all the loop-di-loops and terrifying drops, and you're panting really hard, your hair has managed to untangle itself from your hair tie, your mascara runs down your face from laughing (or crying) too hard? That is how I feel sitting here writing this five star review for Of Wicked Blood.

Bravo mesdames! The co-authorship on this book was absolutely fantastic. There are two distinct writing styles from two incredible writers that blended into a beautiful harmony that became this book. I am in love with the characters. Slate Ardoin is a total heart throb and Cadence de Morel--I want to be her when I grow up! She is fierce, smart, gorgeous, and loving. Adrien is stoic, chisled, and just that yummy unattainable professor. Gaelle was a more quiet character but fiercely loyal and protective of her children. Alma was me in high school: that flirty, looking for a good-time sort of gal. And I'm saving Bastian for last because I just adored him..my little cinnamon roll!♡

And the narration took it to a whole other level

So, first, the good. The narration was done really well by Holly Fielding and Thomas Locklear. The storyline really had potential - the synopsis sounded SO good. Now for the not so good. The writing was fine, but not great. But the cursing .... honestly, I just could not get past the cursing. Yes, people curse ... I curse. But it went beyond the norm and just started taking away from the story as a whole.

(NETGALLEY BOOK – I RECEIVED A COMPLIMENTARY ADVANCED READER COPY OF THIS BOOK THROUGH NETGALLEY. OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN THIS REVIEW ARE COMPLETELY MY OWN.)

This quirky, magical book is out of my usual wheelhouse, but it was such a welcome change. This book gave me a break from my usual romance or family drama and took me to a world of fantasy. I understand this is to be the first in a series, and I will eagerly await the next in the series! Thank you to NetGalley and Twig Publishing - Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Audiobooks for a copy of this book for an honest review.

I enjoyed this story, I liked the main characters and side characters.
It is hard sometimes to decide if you like a character because they also have flaws.
The magical history in the story was interesting and I'm hoping we learn more about it in the next book.
The book doesn't end with a cliffhanger but there are unanswered questions.

OF WICKED BLOOD by Olivia Wildenstein and Katie Hayoz
Narrated by Holly Fielding and Thomas Locklear
Publisher: Twig Publishing
Genre: Romance | Sci Fi & Fantasy | Teens & YA
Publication Date: February 2, 2021

Of Wicked Blood by Olivia Wildenstein & Katie Hayoz is the first book in The Quatrefoil Chronicles. I had not previously read any books the by the authors, but I know that will be quickly changing!

This books is filled with magic and romance, suspense and adventure, and such a joy to read!

I really enjoyed the narration by Holly Fielding and Thomas Locklear! They brought the story to life!

The characters are fantastic, the storyline is fascinating, and there's more to come! I found this to be captivating and I didn't want it to end! I look forward to reading the next book, "Of Tainted Heart", which is scheduled to be released in January 2022.

I'm so grateful to Olivia Wildenstein & Katie Hayoz, Twig Publishing, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this ARC audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

I went looking for a new book to read on netgalley, but I didn't know I was looking for this one before I started this.

There are two reasons I didn't finish this book in one sitting.
1. Audiobook so long recordings (But completely worth it)
2. I was too focused on Victorian Era books. So, this being an audiobook was a blessing.

I absolutely enjoyed this book. (Not an exaggeration)
The voice artist was pleasant and downright sexy to hear. The only thing that bothered me a bit was the detour from adult to young adult. It has been a long time since I read books with lead characters this young. So, although the book characters were supposed to be young which showed in many instances they came across as adult and mature in lot of them.

I laughed a lot during this entire books, because it was funny hearing the character say words like growl instead of them actually growling those words. (I wanted to here those words growled). But there are some limitations to audiobooks with certain words that should come through in their voice and not have to be said out aloud. It was often funny, so i didn't mind it a bit but just an observation.
Another example:
Grief has pooled into my eyes and dragged the corner of my mouth down

Some of the things Slate said were on par with the young adult mindset:
For example:
"About having been with different girls but cadence was different more pure."
I get that the lead lady has to be unique in some manner but purity. (Slade did not know she was a virgin though) I overcame that irritation for the duration of this book, because I had to be honest Slate was very sweet with Cadence. And he was only an asshole about cadence's father.
Another example:
When Slate complained about Bastian bawling in the end. (Of course he was going to. I get that it is an offhand comment but he was going to die)

Bastian is great. So are a lot of supporting characters. Alma for one. (Did I get the spelling right?) She perfectly portrayed the coquettish yet loyal friend. I wanted the author to pursue more of Adrian's feelings about Cadence and what could have been.

Also, why is Adrian's father so creepy? With his roving eyes, i feel disgusted here and want to take a bath every time that is mentioned. Then there is Cadence's father. I guess fathers aren't always pleased with guys who are interested in their daughters, but Rainier did Wrong. When he should have made up for it, he offered excuses. And there were never any apologies. Not even a succinct heartfelt one. So, he just didn't give a shit?

At the end on chapter 57th: Slate said, "this better earn me some angel wings", I was looking at angel wings albeit on a book cover of Nalini Singh's: Archangel's Enigma, which has these beautiful amber wings.

Great writing ✓
Credible Plot ✓
Humorous Dialogues ✓

I almost don't want to read the next book in the series. Why spoil a good thing!

At first, I wasn't sure how much I was going to like this book, early on I was thinking to myself it's not bad but probably a 3 star. I'm not going to get drawn into this one. I was wrong, I most definitely got drawn in. The story was fun and quick-paced. There was action, some romance, magical history, small-town lore, and a lot to be enjoyed. If you enjoy enemies to loves from opposite sides of the tracks, history and magical lore or books where the place is just as important as who then give this book a shot.

This book is told from the alternating perspective of our two lead characters Slate and Candence. I like Slate he definitely is book boyfriend material with his tough yet charming exterior and strong conviction that he will never love while also immediately falling in love and doing all he can to protect those he loves.

Cadence, on the other hand, I found a bit annoying and naive, with time she grew on me but I preferred Slate's perspective. I was glad in the end she got her chance to fight her own battle on her own without help from the boys.

Brume was a fun and interesting place and a good setting, I enjoyed the frozen small school town vibe the bits of delicious food mixed in, and would be intrigued to visit a place such as this.

My biggest issue with the book came down to the narration. Overall I enjoyed both narrators when they narrated characters of the same sex as them but when either of them did the voice for the character of the opposing sex I hated it, in particular the male narrator's version of Cadence. But I loved his Slate voice. With time or during longer listening sessions I would get used to it but it did irritate me throughout and I am curious to get a physical copy to read and see how it changes the experience.

All said and done I enjoyed listening to this book and will definitely check out the next one in the series.

I wasn't especially engaged with this book at first but as it progressed I found myself invested in the characters. While the sexual tension was overblown, the curse and the role that the pursuit of magic plays in the village were compelling. I found myself speculating about figures who might be working against the interests of the characters, who might be seeking magic for dark purposes. The ending is abrupt but will certainly lead to anticipation of the next volume.

Thank you NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this, I would highly recommend for people who enjoy light fantasy.

The characters were dynamic and the plot was interesting and well paced.

Of Wicked Blood Review

Of Wicked Blood is an urban fantasy following the descendants of the founders of Brume, a small French village that is rumored to have a magical history. After receiving a letter that invites Slate to Brume to claim his family inheritance, he mistakenly puts on the Bloodstone after breaking into a grave. The ring ties his life to a quest to find the four pieces of the Quatrefoil, and return magic to Brume by working with the other three descendants of Brume’s founders. Candece, who has lived in Brume her whole life, is thrown into this magical quest when Slate shows up with the ring stolen from her mother’s grave. Candece, Slate, and the other descendants must work together to find all four pieces of the Quatrefoil before magic is lost forever.
I was really struck by the concept of this book. It took the question of “what if magic was real” and took it in a really interesting way! The setting of Brume also gives the story a really unique world to play with, and I think the attention to detail that was put into the world building can really be seen in this book.
But as I started to get into the book, I really found myself struggling to continue. Though the story takes place over a span of two weeks, the pacing of the book felt much longer. At the same time, I felt like any challenge the characters faced was too easily overcome and I didn’t feel the stakes of each problem they had to face.
Additionally, I had a difficult time with Slate and Candece’s development in the story. I felt like there was too big of a jump from Slate and Candece hating each other, to being madly in love, and it just didn’t seem logical to how their characters were established at the beginning of the story. I had a huge problem with Slate in particular, in the beginning of the story he’s rude, and on several occasions completely sexualizes Candece for no reason (I think he calls her a piece of ass multiple times throughout the book). Generally, his character is a dick to pretty much everyone he encounters to the point where I truly dislike him as a character, and I didn’t think that was ever the type of guy Candece would go for.
Finally, I understand that this book is part of a series, but the book left too much to be desired. So many questions were left unanswered, but not in a cliffhanger way. I thought this was a standalone book until I saw it was The Quatrefoil Chronicles. Still, I was left unfulfilled but I’m not sure if it’s enough interest to read book two when it comes out.

Story rating: 4/5 stars
Audiobook rating: 3/5 stars

POV: Slate & Cadence
Pacing: quick
Narration: Male and female narrators
Tropes: YA urban fantasy, friends to lovers, magical challenges and treasure hunt

<u>Audiobook</u>
The audiobook was done really well and I loved how there were both male and female narrators for Slate and Cadence's POV. The narrators kept the story flowing and made this audiobook an easy, fast listen with all the adventure and romance. I did have an issue with the sound though. The volume tended to vary from chapter to chapter and even had a tendency to jump during sentences. Hopefully it was fixed by the time of release though since this was an audiobook arc!

<u>Overall Story</u>
I really enjoyed the start to this fun YA series with plenty of magic, adventure and some romance. I loved the world building that set this story and the magical challenges in a quiet mysterious French town. The magical history surrounding the town and it's occupants was immersive and I loved it. The cursed magical artifacts and the challenges each character faced in order to locate the treasure were entertaining and kept you reading! As far as the romance, the chemistry between Slate and Cadence was a good slow burn that took time to develop from friends to lovers. Overall, I recommend it for anyone looking for a magical adventure set with challenges and romance. I'm excited to see where this series goes next!

*Thank you so much to Twig Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this thriller but the narration was just okay,

I would like to thank the publisher and netgalley for providing me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely love everything Olivia writes and Of Wicked Blood hit the mark as expected. I can't wait for book 2 and to see what else this incredible author comes up with.

This one is not for me.

I thought that there were too many unnecessary details and then the HP reference... nope, not for me.