Trinkets, Treasures, and Other Bloody Magic (The Dowser #2) By: Meghan Ciana Doidge

Plot:

Three months ago, I lost my foster sister, Sienna, to the darkness. As in blood magic and chaos and general mayhem. No one saw it until it was too late, but I should have. Now, I have a wounded heart and soul that I can’t even reveal to anyone around me, because I’m supposed to hate Sienna with the fiery passion of the justified. And I do. I just wish I didn’t feel so lost without her, so unsure of the path I thought I had carved for myself, and so outclassed by the powerful Adepts constantly by my side these days. I’m not even sure if they’re with me for my own protection or because my shiny new powers are rare and valuable. Assuming I ever figure out who or what I am, and how my magic actually works.
Even chocolate can’t save the day every time … just most of the time. At least I’ve got that going for me.

Review:

I’m not sure why I thought the first book was supposed to be a cozy mystery because this series is very clearly an urban fantasy now. Maybe it was the book cover? Not sure.

Anyway, there was a lot of world building in this book, and some of it seemed to really be channeling Ilona Andrews Kate Daniels series. Jade now sort of has a thing for the “beast lord” even though I don’t remember that in the first book. I thought she was afraid of him. Jade is nothing like Kate, though, so that’s pretty much where the similarities end.

Jade is still more willing to let others tell her what to do and not as eager to learn about her new world as I would like her, but she does seem to be giving it some sort of attempt. Her mother played a larger part in this book and I really enjoyed that relationship a lot. It wasn’t toxic and Jade started to really understand why her mother let her grandmother raise her.

The ending was great and leaves a lot up in the air. You finally find out what the other half of Jade’s heritage is and it opens up a whole new world in this universe. I’m excited to read the next installment.

4/5