#Review - Spring's Calling by Sarah Biglow #Urban #Fantasy

Series: Seasons of Magic #1
Format: Kindle, 370 pages
Release Date: November 12, 2018
Publisher: Sarah Biglow
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Genre: Urban Fantasy

Ezri would give up her magic to solve her mother’s murder.

But forces beyond her control—both magical and mundane—have other plans.

From childhood, she was told she, and only she, was the prophetic Savior of the magical community that exists in secret since the Salem Witch Trials. Despite turning her back on that community the day her mother died, she’s spent the last decade honing her magical skills. She’s risen in the police ranks and is ready to use her new detective’s shield to finally get some answers about her mother.

When a series of brutal murders lands in her lap, Ezri sets out to prove to herself and her mundane partner she can handle the investigation. The deeper she digs; the more evidence mounts that dark magic is behind the killings. Ezri knows traditional police work won’t be enough to stop the spree, but she can’t risk revealing the magical world.

As the clock ticks ever closer to the Vernal Equinox and the prophecy that’s plagued her since childhood, Ezri has no choice but to greet her destiny head on. Will she solve the murders and uncover the truth about her mother’s death, or will she lose the life she’s built for herself in the process?

"When the world is balanced anew and fire rains down as midday turns to night, the last daughter of Harrow’s blood shall rise to stand against the Old Guard’s return."

Spring's Calling is the first installment in author Sarah Biglow's Seasons of Magic series. This story is told over the course of 7 days; March 11-18, 2017. Boston Detective Ezri Trenton has been told that she's supposed to face off against a great evil when a solar eclipse and meteor shower falls on the vernal equinox. The equinox is allegedly when the world comes back into balance between light and dark magic while the Winter solstice ebbs between good and evil. 10 years ago, Ezri's mother was murdered and covered up by everyone involved in the case. Ezri hasn't forgotten.

Ezri and her senior partner of 2 years, Jacqueline DeWitt, work for the Major Crimes Division of the Boston PD. Ezri's rise to detective has involved keeping the fact that she has magic to herself. Even though she's basically turned her back on the Authority, she still seeks to follow the rules and ethics of the Authority, and that means, sometimes, often times, not telling the whole truth about how she gets things done. Including her partner who knows there's something going on with Ezri, but can only look on as her partner flails at trying to keep her secret while solving murders.

She can't tell Jacquie that she's pretty sure magic is involved in the murders they are investigation. She can't tell her that the specific locations are places where dark practitioners were hanged. She can't explain why without revealing entirely too much about how she's been able to do what's she does. Jacquie is trying to be a responsible partner and mentor for Ezri, but Ezri really isn't making it easy. Especially when she gets a burr up her ass which makes her run off chasing a suspect without waiting for backup. 

To put a cherry on the cake, Ezri is the descendant of witches who died in the Salem Witch Trials. She is, in fact, the last daughter of Harrow's blood and thus the prophecy has landed on her shoulders, rather than her cousin Desmond's who she's been avoiding. As Ezri uncovers that something sinister is happening in the world, her bosses grow concerned that she's not ready to handle her responsibilities. How can Ezri tell anyone that magic exists and what is happening to her, when global pandemonium is just days away? 

On top of everything else, Ezri isn't exactly on speaking terms with the Authority or her father who did nothing when her mother was murdered. Ezri's only choice may be walking back into the den of the Authority and asking for assistance. But, can she really trust them after everything that's happened? If that weren't enough stress for one person to handle, Ezri learns that the nemesis of the Authority, the Order of Samael, is making a comeback. The Order will do almost anything they can to stop the savior for breaking up their nefarious plans of bringing their magic back to the world.

Sarah Biglow is a new to me author thanks to Kindle Unlimited. This is an action packed story that focuses on the City of Boston and one woman's mission of stopping the Order. There are some minor errors which should have been caught, but overall, nothing major that will stop me from reading more in this series. 

   

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