*Book Review* Deadly Spells by Jaye Wells (UF)

Series: Prospero's War # 3
Publisher: Orbit
Released: February 10, 2015
Source: Library
Format: Paperback, 400 pages
Genre: Urban Fantasy

After the grisly murder of a dirty magic coven leader, Kate Prospero and The Magical Enforcement Agency team up with the local police to find the killer. But as the infighting between covens turns ugly, an all-out war brews in the slums of Babylon.

When a tenacious reporter sticks her nose in both the investigation and Prospero's past in the covens, old ghosts resurface. The team will have to use all the weapons in their arsenal to stop the coven war and find the killer before the case brings down all their careers - and their lives.

Deadly Spells is the third novel in the Prospero's War series that started with Dirty Magic and Cursed Moon!

Deadly Spells is the third installment in the Prospero's War series. Spells picks up 5 months after the end of Cursed Moon. Babylon PD Detective Kate Prospero and the team from Magical Enforcement Agency (MEA), must once again enter the world of coven politics when a member of Kate's former coven is brutally murdered, and all indications are that Kate's ex-boyfriend and Babylon's newly appointed mayor, John Volos, is involved up to his ears.

"You don’t like the game, change the rules."

With a wizard from a notorious Brazilian cartel coming to Babylon with one goal in mind: to cause disruptions within the covens, MEA Special Agent Miranda Gardner past with said cartel also comes to light and this time, she may have a hard time not being part of the body count unless Kate, Morales, Shadi, and Ren find a way to stop the villain and save Miranda's life. I must say that however I might like or dislike this series, I do wish that Wells would shake Kate's tree loose a bit and force her into using more magic. The lack of using magic is kind of a letdown. I don't mind the mystery, or investigations, but more magic would be a major positive.

One of the main focus points of this series has been Kate's belief that she was responsible for her own mother's death. It led her to abandoning the Votary coven, going clean from using dirty magic, and becoming the only Adept (magic user) police officer in Babylon. From the very beginning, there has been nothing but secrets shrouded in mystery about Kate's mom. Was Uncle Abe responsible? What part did John Volos play in what happened?

So much so, that Kate has driven herself a bit mad while putting everyone, including her uncle Abe, in the rear view mirror. When a reporter comes snooping around Kate asking questions, the truth about Margaret Prospero's death may finally be within Kate's reach for the first time. Whether or not the actual truth puts Kate's mind at easy, or drives her towards payback, will obviously need resolution.

The tricky romance or non-romance angles that exist between Kate and Morales, Kate and John Volos, and perhaps Kate and yet another character, headline the events of Deadly Spells. After Kate and Morales were forced to reveal some very personal moments in their lives in Cursed Moon, their relationship has been a bit pensive. Volos refuses to go away. He refuses to accept that his moments with Kate are in the past, and that he needs to stop interfering in her every day life, including her brother Danny's. He is also a main cog in almost every single event that happens in this story, and Kate's desire to see him crash and burn, are right at the top of her to do list.

Perhaps the most heartbreaking storyline with a positive outcome is Danny's. Danny has been through almost as much crap as Kate has since she put the coven's behind her. He is one of the only scholarship kids at his school. He joined DUDE (Don't Use Dirty Elixirs), and found a friendship with someone he could connect to. Then the social status of the characters once again raise their ugly heads. The haves vs the have not's. Those with money and status, vs those that are just trying to survive day to day. Good thing for Danny that Wells has written him to be a wonderfully adorable and positive character who good things will one day come to.

It comes as a surprise to learn that there's no information about whether or not this series will continue to a fourth book or end with Deadly Spells. Publishers clearly aren't looking forward to a long term commitments with authors of Urban Fantasy series. We shall see if Wells and Hachette/Orbit are able to connect to continue this series. It would be a shame if things were to end with THAT ending! The good news is that according to RT Book Reviews, Universal Cable Productions has optioned Jaye Wells’s Dirty Magic and Cursed Moon for television.

*Book Review* Cursed Moon by Jaye Wells (Speculative Fiction)

Series: Prospero's War # 2
Published by: Orbit
Released: August 12, 2014
Source: Library
Format: Paperback, 370 pages
Genre: Speculative Fantasy

When a rare Blue Moon upsets the magical balance in the city, Detective Kate Prospero and her Magical Enforcement colleagues pitch in to help Babylon PD keep the peace. Between potions going haywire and everyone's emotions running high, every cop in the city is on edge. But the moon's impact is especially strong for Kate who's wrestling with guilt over falling off the magic wagon.

After a rogue wizard steals dangerous potions from the local covens, Kate worries their suspect is building a dirty magic bomb. Her team must find the anarchist rogue before the covens catch him, and make sure they defuse the bomb before the Blue Moon deadline. Failure is never an option, but success will require Kate to come clean about her secrets. 

Featuring protagonist Kate Prospero, Cursed Moon is the second installment in Prospero's War series by Jaye Wells. Kate is a former coven member who walked away from magic 10 years ago after her mother died. She's come a long way since. 5 years as one of the only Adept (magic) cops; was deeply involved in events of Dirty Magic in stopping Ramses Bane; received a promotion to the rank of detective in the Babylon PD. She's now part of the task force known as the Magical Enforcement Agency which has taken up home in Babylon.

Cursed Moon introduces readers to Aphrodite, the Hierophant and leader of the Sacred O Coven which specializes in sex magic. Aphrodite is a character who has both sexes which are present at all time. S/he was also friends with Kate's mother Margaret. S/he also has a deadly revenge garden where every single plant can kill you instantly. Thanks to the nasty villains theft of a very potent potion that causes the person sexual lust and the desire to rape another person, all hands are on deck to return the potion before it's too late.

Cursed Moon is a story that is ripe with interesting characters from Baba the elderly witch who chases eligible bachelors around, to the Lake Erie Monster, to bizarre events surrounding Dionysus and the Blue Moon. It follows a heroine who continues to deeply regret her use of dirty magic in order to save her 16 year old brother Danny. She's tried to walk a path to the straight and narrow by rallying against the use of bad magic, but when Dionysus targets Babylon with something explosive and deadly, Kate will need to use everything in her disposal in order to stop him.

I do like this series but there are lots of head scratching moments. I like it because nobody is perfect. Not even the members of MEA. Everyone has crosses to bear with, and the line between black and white is blurred to the point of being grey. However, I do understand the struggles that Kate has to deal with. Not only with Danny not getting into dirty magic, but also her uncle Abe who she walked away from when she could have been leading the Votary coven. She also walked away from John Volos, her former boyfriend, but he refuses to stay out of her life.

The negative about Kate is that she keeps secrets from her best friend Pen, and has picked up drinking heavily which in turn leads to hurting the only real people who only want the best for her with her ugly outbursts. I don't want to undercut the sincerity of Kate's own crosses she continues to bear. Imagine thinking that you were responsible for killing your own mother? Imagine that there are those around you who know the truth about what really happened, but keep their mouths closed instead?

I also have a huge complaint over the use of a particularly vile scene which included a massive rape/orgy with women raping men en mass. Yeah, no thanks. Moving on. The other eye rolling moments are with Volos and Kate. Kate has no desire to be around him, he refuses to let her go, he continues to put his nose in her business, she becomes punchy..literally. Of course, how can we ever forget about Kate and Morales dancing around each other? Morales also has his own deep secrets that are exposed. Will this change anything between the partners? Wait and see!

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