Format: E-Galley, 294 pages
Release Date: February 7, 2017
Publisher: 47North
Source: NetGalley
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Scarlett Bernard is used to cleaning up messes. As a human who cancels out any magic around her, Scarlett’s job is to keep the supernatural world hidden—at any cost.On the eve of the Vampire Trials, a two-day tribunal that allows the otherworldly community to air their grievances, Scarlett receives a blood-soaked message from Molly, her estranged former roommate. Molly, a vampire, had been living with twelve human college students…and in one terrible night, she slaughtered them all.
Scarlett believes Molly’s been set up, but no one else in the Old World agrees with her. And the true perpetrator is determined to make sure Molly goes on trial for the massacre—the penalty for which is death.With less than two days to prove her friend’s innocence, Scarlett calls on former LAPD detective Jesse Cruz to help her dig into Molly’s past. But no one—Molly included—wants Scarlett and Jesse to bring the terrible truth to light.
Midnight Curse is the first installment in author Melissa F. Olson's Disrupted Magic series. However, it is also book # 4 in the Scarlett Bernard series, and book # 10 in what's being called the Old World Chronicles. Other books in this series features Allison "Lex" Luther's Boundary Magic trilogy. I mentioned Lex, because she makes a brief but all important stop during this story. More later. Recently, thanks to Amazon, I purchased the first (3) books in Scarlett's series and will attempt to go back to the beginning and see how it all began.
Olson, who has quickly become a favorite author of mine, does a fantastic job of summarizing previous important parts of the Scarlett's series. Like the fact that she is a part time janitor, part time protector of the Old World. Like the fact that part of her job is to ensure the Old Word doesn't bleed into the human world. Like the fact that she answers to Vampire Cardinal Dashiell and has made great strides in the past 3 years to become relevant. Like the fact that she has the ugliest dog in the world who she calls Shadow. Shadow was spelled by some really evil witches, and loves to hunt down & kill werewolves.
As a Null, she negates supernatural powers and abilities within the area around her. In her 3 years as part of the Old World, she has managed to become partner and has been accepted by more than those who hate her. This is an important return to Scarlett's series. Scarlett will find herself tested in ways that she hasn't been in along time. She will find her relationship with her werewolf boyfriend Eli tested. She will have to push herself to the limits in order to save another one of her former's. Her former roommate & vampire Molly who has been accused of killing a dozen of her human roommates.
This is a bad time for Molly's situation to rise up. It is the Vampire Trial's which hasn't been seen in LA in 6 years. It is a 2 night event where the Old World gets together to air out grievances against other Old World members. Besides Dashiell, the others that make up the council are Kirsten, leader of the witches, and Will, Alpha of the Werewolves. This story also marks the return of Scarlett's former partner & former LA Detective Jesse Cruz who had his eyes opened wide in Dead Spots. Jesse is the right person, at the right time for Scarlett to understand that what she does is important, and she's really good at it.
I've only briefly met Jesse Cruz, and that was when Lex came to LA in search for the person who was responsible for killing her sister. Something that Scarlett knows all too well about what really happened. In fact, Scarlett's relationship with Lex isn't one of hugs and feelings. It is one of bitter resentment and understanding that Scarlett didn't really have a choice in what she did. I am happy on one issue. That the bitterness between the two characters has been pushed aside for the sake of finding out who is out to destroy Molly. I look forward to seeing more of Lex either in this series, or in her own series. Make it so Ms Olson!
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