Smoke and Mirrors (Blackhollow Academy #1) by Jess Haines
- Elizabeth Slaughter
- Jun 4, 2016
- 2 min read
Smoke and Mirrors (Blackhollow Academy #1)
by Jess Haines
Introduction
Smoke and Mirrors was gifted to me by the author in exchange for an honest and fair review. This review was done for Reader's Hollow.
Genre /Intended audience
Urban fantasy / adults
Narration
Third person past tense with shifting POVs
Characters
Kimberly Wells - a sorcerer, student at Blackhollow Academy for mages
Heather Wells - human, Kimberly’s mom
Professor Eleanor Reed - a professor at Blackhollow Academy
Cormac Hunter - a powerful “Other” recommended to Kimberly by Professor Reed; owner of the Wild Hunt, an eclectic rare items store
Don - human, Kimberly’s boss, owner of Allegretto’s Café
Xander - a mage student, friend of Kimberly
Rieva - fae owner of the Black Star Café
Viper - a wyvern who takes an interest in Kimberly
Setting
Present day alternate version of our world, where paranormal Others recently revealed themselves
Theme
Trust
Plot
Twenty-one year old Kimberly Wells is nearing graduation from the prestigious Blackhollow Academy, but to graduate she must find a familiar. Unable to conjure one like the other students, Kimberly must find an earthbound supernatural creature who’ll agree to be bound to her. Her professor suggests a dragon. Kimberly sets out to do just that, though she thinks it’s crazy. Enter Cormac Hunter. Sexy and mysterious, he keeps his nature hidden from Kimberly even as he promises to help her find what she needs.
About the Author
Jess Haines is the author of the H & W Investigation series . Smoke and Mirrors is the first in a new series set in the same world. Find out more about the author on Goodreads or the author’s website.
My Opinion
My reviewer is posted here.
Conclusion
Despite those flaws, there are some very interesting elements to Smoke and Mirrors. Romance fans, especially, will probably enjoy it and urban fantasy fans might find it an interesting set up for an on-going series. I give it a solid three stars (3.5 X 5 on the Reader’s Hollow scale).
Comments