Of Wicked Book was an interesting book and I really enjoyed the narrators.

It was an enjoyable audiobook but I’m not sure that the plot itself would make me hooked that much, if I would be reading it. I wasn’t happy about the swearing in the story, I felt like it wasn’t needed at all.

After all it was an interesting fantasy about magic and as it has lot of potentials I’m looking forward for another part.

I just can’t seem to get into it, perhaps it’s the right book-wrong time. The audio narration wasn’t my favourite, but it was interesting. I will be picking this up again in a different format.

I really enjoyed this book!! It was suspenseful and intriguing! I loved the main characters. They’re chemistry was great!! The banter in this book is what made this book for me. The humour was great!! Will be buying the book to add to my collection. I can’t wait for the next book!

Slate has lived a difficult life, shuffled from one horrible foster home to another, earning a living as a con man an thief. When someone offers him a full scholarship in Brume if he claims his inheritance, he doesn't see the harm in swindling one more person. Until he puts on a ring that won't come off, setting off a series of tasks that will result in his death if he or his crew fails. Cadence has spent her entire life in Brume and knows all the stories, but she's never been sure whether magic is real. Until a mysterious boy shows up with the ring he stole from her mother's grave. If she doesn't help him, magic will be lost forever. Is she willing to take that risk?

Let me start by saying that I really did like this book and am looking forward to the next one. However, it was incredibly difficult to read. It took a long time to get to the heart of the story. While the descriptions are excellent, they are also plentiful and distract from the story. They interrupt dialogue, making it difficult for me to follow the story. There are also many times when things are explained or summarized instead of shown. I would have liked to have seen more dialogue and have things told to me a little less.

I also had a lot of problems with the swearing. I understand that there is a warning in the description, but I still did not feel that the swearing was necessary. While I understand Slate's anger, I found his swearing excessive and offputting. It is one of the many reasons I had trouble reading the book. I noticed that the area where I became more engaged was when he started swearing less.

That said, there were a lot of things I liked about this book. I enjoyed the quest for magic and watching the characters grow. The end of the book left me with many questions, so I will have to read the next book to find my answers.

I really wanted to like this book because the idea of a story about the origins of magic which have to be rescued by completing tasks sounded fascinating. However the first disappointment was the narration. A story set in France but narrated by an unauthentic accent with some very strange pronunciation. Slate’s vocabulary sprinkled with unnecessary bad language as well as all too American terminology. Cadence is a slightly more attractive character but not enough to encourage me to complete this audiobook & certainly not read any further parts. Definitely not for me!

First of all, I want to thank NetGalley and the publishers for the possibility to listen to this audiobook.
I am still halfway through the story, but the only thing that I can say is that it is thrilling.
The story is settled in Brume (french word for mist), a small town in France were the magic origins of the place are emphasised in every way by those who live there. Through the pages you can follow the two main characters, Slate and Cadence who find themselves into an adventure. They discover that all those historical books about magic aren't different from the reality. In fact, they are obliged to deal with a difficult truth that brings them, together with other two people, to face difficult tasks that may lead to a horrible end.
I am loving everything of it, the characters, the adventures and story behind the Blood Stone. The narrators are so passionate while reading the pages that I always feel transported in Brume.


(4 March 2021, update) My opinion about the book hasn't changed, I love all of it and I cannot wait to read the following book. I was ready for everything, I had accepted how bad it could or could have not finished. Definitely a great reading for someone who loves fantasy books and needs to "get away" from our world.

Of Wicked Blood was beautifully written!This was a fantastic book, I listened to this on Audible during a recent road trip and I was completely immersed in this story! I am praying to the book gods that there will be a sequel.
This Story Follows Main character Slate and Candence on this magically cursed adventure to assemble the Quatrefoil before their time runs out.
Cadence thinks Slate is a Monster until she comes face to face with real monsters and then Slate doesn't seem so bad! she cannot deny the attraction brewing between them.
Slate arrived in Broom with one intention, to get revenge on this De Morel guy for knowing about him and leaving him to rot in the system! What he doesn't expect is how horrible his plan backfires and now he's in a race against time to get this cursed Blood stone off his finger..... and in the process he falls for DE Morel's daughter!

I really really need to know what happens next...... cliff hangers!!

3.5 stars

Of Wicked Blood is set in the town Brume, the birthplace of witchcraft in France. Slate spent the majority of his life in and out of foster homes until he receives a letter revealing his true heritage and name. Cadence lives in Brume. The book alternates between Slate and Cadence's point of view. Life changes for both of them when Slate steals the cursed blood ring and puts it on his finger. Little does know how his life will change. The book follows the adventures of the two.

Overall, this book was pretty good but it took me a while to get through it. It seemed a little slow at times however, I did enjoy the story and will probably read the sequel.

Thank you to Oliva Wildenstein and Netgalley for an ALC of this in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I wanted to love this book, but it was just fine/good. The first problem was that the Netgalley shelf app distorted the audio quality so horribly, it was impossible to listen to it at the normal speed I listen (over 1x), and listening for long periods of times exacerbated my headaches due to the static and tinniness. Over 2.5x random words would be skipped leaving the audio incomprehensible. All of this stuff are complaints against Netgalley and their app and not the book itself. While this didn't impact how I rated the book, my enjoyment definitely did suffer.

The whole premise of this story--bring back magic by completing four trials--was really cool and I did like that. But the characters, especially Slate and Cadence's father. Ugh. No thank you. Stay at least 100 feet away at all times. Also, everyone was cishet which is so unrealistic.

Slate really annoyed me at times. He was so annoying and ridiculous, I just could not deal with him. The one thing I did like about him was how much he cares for his foster brother, Bastien. All other times he's a complete asshole. I liked Cadence, but I'm so tired of the bad boy + innocent virgin trope. Virginity is literally the stupidest social construct ever and Cadence's was mentioned at least twice. Why is so much stock put into being a virgin or not being one?

Also, for taking place at a school, there was very little classes and school stuff going on. It was more like the search for the Quatrefoil took over everything else.

Overall, I don't think this was for me.

Sarcophagus, crypts, grave robbing and romance, it is all to be found in this book. The book centres round Cadence and Slate Adroin who is sent on a quest to find the Quatrefoil and awaken all the old magic. Read this is you like stories of magic and witchcraft.

Audio books review:
(5/5) the narration was beautifully done. I loved both narrators. I did have to speed it up a bit, but I think that is a personal preference. I would definitely listen to this again.

Review from book review:
(4/5 stars) Of Wicked Blood, follows two characters, Slate Ardoin and Cadence De Morel as they begin the task of bringing magic back to the world. The chapters alternate between Slate and Cadence perspectives while search for the pieces of the quatrefoil.

I really enjoyed this book. It took me a few chapters to get really into it but after that I couldn't put it down. The ending seemd a little rushed but overall I loved reading this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Twig Publishing for the e-ARC.

“‘I apologize for being crass, Cadence. Never did make it into finishing school.’
‘Don’t apologize for how you talk. Or think. I don’t care what comes out of your mouth as long as it isn’t a lie.’ She presses a kiss to the edge of my jaw. ‘I like you just the way you are. Foul tongue and all.’

Of Wicked Blood by Olivia Wildenstein and Katie Hayoz, is a tale of hidden magic, hidden pasts, curses, and love. Slate was raised in foster care, and not in good homes. As an adult he has made his way mostly through stealing, and the only person he considers to be family is his foster brother Bastian. When he suddenly receives a letter from the town of Brume claiming that he has an inheritance and a chance to attend the university there, he goes and discovers that there is much more to his story than he could have realized including a connection to magic. When he tries to steal a valuable ring, he finds it stuck to his finger, and learns that unless he can help unlock magic, he will be cursed.

The story also fallows Cadence who was raised on the stories of magic and curse in her town, but never believed any of them until Slate shows up with the cursed ring. She then learns that her families ties to the magic, mean she must help unlock the magic. As they work together Slate and Cadence both feel an attraction to each other, but Cadence has been told horrible things about Slate and he doesn’t try to dissuade her of his reputation, at least at first.

The chemistry between Cadence and Slate makes this book. There were times the story dragged a bit, but then a scene would happen between these too, and I would immediately regain my interest. I really loved Slate, and hope we get to learn more about him in future books. Some to the characters were really unlikable for me, but it may have been sort of intentional. Overall this was a really fun book with lots of snark, and an edgy sarcastic lead male who is a delight to read about. I give this book 4 stars and will definitely be reading the next installment.

I was given a copy of this book in audiobook format in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed the audio so much I ended up also downloading the digital book so I could read it in between times of listening to the audio. I really enjoyed the narrators for the audio format, and would highly recommend that format as well.

posted to amazon, barnes and noble, and goodreads.

I tried so hard to finish this book. I put it down and tried again few days later. But I just can't finish it. So yes, this is another DNF for me.

Absolutely loves this book and this author! Highly recommend it to all my friends! This series pulls you in and leaves you on the edge of your seat!

I absolutely loved this!

Such a great book with a solid storyline and great characters.

I eagerly look forward to reading more from this author.

The narration was enjoyable and engaging.
A definite recommend!

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for allowing me to listen to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 Stars

This story changes POV between Slate and Cadence and their journey of discovering what the Quatrefoil is, what the purpose of it is, and whether or not they will find all of their pieces in time. Slate was sent away as an infant and had a tough upbringing in the foster care system which lead him to become a criminal. Candace is the wealthy daughter of a professor who is in charge of Slate's inheritance. After being contacted by the professor in order to learn his history and gain access to his inheritance, Slate accidentally activates a curse endangering his life upon his arrival in Brume. The clock is ticking and they find themselves being drawn to each other, as if by magic. Of Wicked Blood has a delightful French dark academia setting and a unique magic system centered around the town of Brume's history

Of Wicked Blood has a weird quality of somehow feeling both slow and fast paced. While I couldn't put it
down, I felt a little let down and not invested in the plot or characters overall despite being drawn in. There were some flaws with this book, such as ableism and unlikable main characters. I didn't hate the narrators, but I also did not enjoy them.

I did buy the kindle edition of this book and do find myself looking for the next book in this series, because I would like to know how the story plays out.

I read this on a whim and while I couldn't put it down, I'm not planning to read the sequel. I love a good treasure hunt and wanted something more coherent and romantic than Master of One. I guess I got it! But I also got a lot of ableism trying hard not be ableism. The (new adult) main characters are Slate, a young man sent away as an infant and raised in the foster care system, and Cadence, the daughter of a professor who just contacted Slate to offer Slate his life history and inheritance. Then Slate activates a curse and can't leave town, plus there are opposites-attract kiss feelings and four magic leaves to find.

I get why people love this book. It sucks you in and it's in France! But it's also heavily reliant on the Evil Disabled Guy Who Wants to Be Fixed trope. So there's that.

Content Warnings: ableism, past death of parents (curse-related, both MCs), child in peril, domestic abuse, near drowning, fire

I received an audio copy of this book for review.

Of Wicked Blood is the first book in the Quatrefoil Chronicles. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to listen to this audiobook for my honest review.

Slate and Cadence have the same history, yet they lead two very different upbringings. Neither of them knew that magic was once real, and neither of them realized their important part in bringing magic back.
This story changes POV between Slate and Cadence and their journey of discovering what the Quatrefoil is, what the purpose is, and whether or not they will find all of their pieces in time. The clock is ticking and they find themselves being drawn to each other, as if my magic.

This was a delightful read that draws you into the story quickly. It is different than other things that I have read because the town of Brume is a historically magical town with hidden secrets that need to be revealed and only one person seems to know about them- Mr. De Morel who was close to the generation that failed to retrieve the Quatrefoil before.

‘NO rest for the wicked…or the cursed’ is a great tagline that drew me to the book in the first place but I love how it captures the story perfectly.

With a heavy dose of culture, it’s a bit jarring. It almost needs to come with a glossary, although I’m sure that says more about me than the book! It great to learn whilst reading fiction which it's safe to say I did.
I love the use of characters from the largely underrepresented ‘foster’ system, it's great to see and also made for an interesting storyline.

Dual narratives often get on my wick, I always end up with a favorite and in this case, it was Slate.
Slate is my preferred protagonist, I loved his sarcastic suave attitude. I would have preferred the majority of the novel to be set in his view.

Fantasy is one of my favorite genres and I highly recommend this suspenseful novel. Although it does read a bit like fanfiction.

The voices used in the audiobook are 9/10 my only query is that while settling the male voice is a tad too old sounding for my personal visualization of the novel and could have been a more fitting speaker here.
I have never read (listened to ahah) a book by Olivia Wildenstein and Katie Hayoz I have to say that I will be on the lookout for their future works!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook.

I am so, so happy to have listened to this story. The voice actors chosen were great and really embodied the feel of the character.

Now to the story: I'll be honest, the first 30 minutes, I hated Slate and was indifferent to Cadence, but by the end of the story, I loved them. This was an action packed book with magic sprinkled in that kept moving forward. It didn't drown you in back story or world building. It was a broad explanation of the situation, enough for you to know what the character was finding out as it is set in the present and can understand how each person feels. It's a story that contains a little bit of family love, romance, and friendship wrapped in serious moments but still not taking itself too serious. It is predictable, but how they get there is worth the journey of reading.

I can't wait for the next book, I've pre-ordered this one and I am looking forward to Slate's interesting choice of words.