Author: Marigold Deidre Dicer 
Release Date: January 26th, 2015
Genre: Young Adult | Paranormal | Urban Fantasy 
Edition: Kindle (mobi)
Pages: 235 
Publisher: Self Published
Source: Author
Buy it here: Amazon

Blurb

The Black Swan is native to Australia, unrelated to the pure White Swan of Europe. She is found in the strangest of places – from ugly mines to ordered farmland, beautiful bush to battered beach. Yet, she always shies away from humanity. The Black Swan is always beautiful, surprisingly resilient and very, very powerful. Most Black Swans are wise enough not to use that power to challenge the status quo. Most… Anita had the kind of reputation in high school that no one wants to carry into adulthood, especially since she wants to be a doctor like her dad. Now at university, she is determined to be good, but one little end-of-semester celebration can’t hurt, right? Well it can if she ends up having a one-night stand with a werewolf that triggers a dark awakening. Turns out Anita’s over-active libido isn’t just hormonal – it’s magical. The Black Swan is a powerful legacy that brings both temptation and danger. Having now inherited the title and all that comes with it, Anita finds herself beset upon by ancient abominations that won’t take no for an answer. No wonder the Black Swan had been driven to seclusion and banishment in the past. But Anita is determined not to run away – she is here to help, whether the medieval dragon-wolf or the undead cultists want it or not. She will be no one’s pawn. She will rise to the challenge. If she can just manage to deal with her own flaws first. Anxiety, panic-attacks, and bouts of bitchiness does not a diplomat make. ***WARNING*** This New Adult Paranormal Fantasy includes regular coarse language, violence, sexual references and a sex scene. There is also reference to rape. Not in any detail, but there is reference to it. ***

Rating

Review

Plot/Story:

The concept of Black Swan witch is really unique and for me that’s a huge plus point but the direction in which the story proceeded seemed a bit lost to me. Overall it’s a nice story but I have a strong feeling that if the story’s direction would have been defined, it could have been an epic read. I liked the different elements of magic, werewolf and Vampires but sometimes it seemed a bit too much. One minute there’s nothing and the other minute there’s everything. I guess if all the elements would have been introduced slowly then it might have been more entertaining. It felt a bit rushed.

Characters:

I liked the character of Anita. Who is struggling with her life, scarred by her eventful past and her sex-addiction. I felt connected to her 90% of the time, which is good (considering this is debut novel by the author.) I also liked the character Christopher. It was more refined and easily relatable than the lead. The villains were good too, so were the other characters with small roles, like Anita’s dad and step-mom.

Romance/Kills:

This book doesn’t have romance as the main theme but yea, it shows the beginning of the relationship that Anita and Christopher might share in the next parts. There was a possibility of a love triangle and as soon as it started I was kinda hoping that it shouldn’t have been so, but Marigold skilfully eliminates it and turns the book around beautifully. In my opinion, it worked out well for the book.

Writing:

I loved Marigold’s writing! It is easily relatable and surprisingly good. It was witty and clever.  I enjoyed it thoroughly and it kept me glued to the book. Marigold’s writing makes up for all the little misses and hence, four stars for this book. Her writing is one of the best things about the book. I really look forward to read more books by her.

Beginning:

The beginning of the book is good and it pulled me in right from the first sentence (yea, it’s really creative!) I was really intrigued when Anita mentions flying casually and that was the beginning of a roller-coaster ride.

Ending:

The ending seemed a bit of a slog what with Anita visiting her parents and everything. I actually skipped the last part because it all got a bit too much. Other than that, the way it ended, as in, with the werewolves and the Vampires was good and leaves a lot of scope for high expectations from the next part.

Blurb:

The blurb is really good and gives a very precise idea of what one can expect from this book. If I would have seen this book in a book store I’d have definitely picked it up after reading the blurb.

Cover Art:

The cover art of this edition is really good and I prefer this one to the previous one. It depicts the Swan beautifully and the face of the girl under the swan is really pretty.

You can also read this review at Goodreads and Amazon.

Other Stuff

Opening Line: It all began with this majorly trip sex dream.

Highlights: Unique Black-Swan-Witch concept.

Lowlights: The overall feeling of “something’s missing.”

Final Thoughts: I liked the concept and the characters are decently developed but overall I felt that overall plot could have been much better.

***

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