#REVIEW - Realms of Ghosts and Magic by J.S. Malcom #Urban #Fantasy

Series: Fae Witch Chronicles # 1
Format: Kindle, 253 pages
Release Date: October 1st 2017
Publisher: Amazon
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Genre: Urban Fantasy

When the fae beckon, few resist. Even fewer return.

As a veil witch, I’m used to taking out the supernatural trash. Everything from poltergeists to vampires, you name it and I’ve dealt with it. So opening a paranormal cleanup business just seemed to make sense. If I’m already dealing with the pests, why not get paid?

But when I accidentally breach the faerie realm to encounter a girl recently reported missing, start seeing the ghost of a witch whose disappearance has never been solved, and discover a Book of Shadows that opens only for me, I can't just go back to business as usual. Especially when I also gain the interest of a sexy and mysterious mage. Timing is everything, and even as my desire grows, a little voice inside keeps reminding me to step carefully. I know all too well that, in the supernatural world, opening doors means facing consequences. In this case, those consequences might just mean never being heard from again.

Realms of Ghosts and Magic is the first installment in author J.S. Malcom's Fae Witch Chronicles. This is a spin-off from The Realm Watchers series that featured Autumn Winter. 26-year-old Cassie, Autumn's sister, is a veil witch capable of ejecting paranormal trespassers from the realm back to where they came. She recently opened her own business called Supernatural Cleaning Service. As a veil witch, she ages much slower than a normal human. In fact, people believe that she's around 17 which gives people pause when you show up at their homes to rid the home of pesky ghosts, or poltergeists, or basement dwellers who didn't know they were dead. 

Cassie is just getting back on her feet. When she was 11, she was taken by Vamanec P'yrin, aka body snatchers, and spent the next 15 years trying to find a way to her own body. Luckily, Cassie, as a veil witch, can escape their bodies before being locked in a virtual prison. She was able to find and share a body with a woman named Julia who had undiscovered psychic abilities before the two came together. The two are best friends and for good reasons. Cassie lives in a witches only apartment building called the Cauldron. Unfortunately, all the witches seem to do is party all night long. Oh, and there's a mysterious ghost hanging around that might give Cassie a clue to what's ahead.

She also works part time at a place called Grimoire. Here at Grimoire's Cassie learns about a book, Book of Shadows, written by Lauren Flannery, that seems to call to her. On top of that, a curious and mysterious man named Grayson has come out of nowhere and has decided that he wanted to get close to her claiming to work for The Shadow Order. Leads to some funny and heart wrenching experiences that give us deeper understanding of Cassie and what's she been through. The deeper mystery is why Cassie can seem to easily go into a different realm where it appears yet another deeper, and more dangerous mystery awaits. 

I have been told that although its probably not completely necessary to read the Realm Watchers series first it certainly helps - especially when characters are talking about people, places and things that would otherwise have very little meaning to a new reader. This book should be considered to be New Adult/Fantasy. At times, Cassie acts younger than she is, and I think that's because she's missing 15 years from her life that she could have used to come into her own like her sister did. 

Because I am a bit behind on this series, admit it, I am 5 books behind! Leaving me hanging at the end of the book as a ploy to buy the next book to find out what happens is a bummer. The ending implies serious troubles for Cassie and new confrontation on the horizon.

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