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Missing teens. Long-lost magic. And the sexy nemesis who might drive her to murder. An alternative cover edition for this ASIN can be found here. Missing teens. Long-lost magic. And the sexy nemesis who might drive her to murder. Ashira Cohen takes great pride in the detective agency she’s built from scratch. It may be small, but she harbors big dreams of becoming a renowned sleuth. Thing is, a modern-day Sherlock Holmes wouldn’t let her stakeout go sideways. Or find a mysterious tattoo hidden on her scalp. Or discover it’s a now-broken ward that was suppressing dangerous magic she had no idea she possessed. Don’t even get her started on the golem. The only bright spot is that her new unruly powers nearly kill her long-time nemesis, Levi, the irritatingly hot leader of the magic community. No, right… that’s a bad thing. One word from him revealing her forbidden abilities and she’ll be locked up for life, with everything she’s built taken from her by force. Definitely a bad thing. Except… It seems Levi requires her unique set of skills to solve a spree of abductions. This is her shot. Sure, there’s a sinister supernatural organization pulling strings from the shadows, but Ash is positive she can rescue the captives, uncover the truth, and take her career to a new level. Plus, after years of being underestimated by Levi, it’s Ash’s chance at payback. And she’s going to relish bringing him to his knees. If you like headstrong heroines, clever mysteries, and a dash of red-hot romance, you’ll burn through this wickedly funny series. Join the investigation now!
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**I was provided an electronic ARC by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for honest review.**
In Deborah Wilde's Blood & Ash, we follow private investigator Ashira Cohen. Ashira is a Mundane, which means she doesn't have magical abilities. When Ashira gets a concussion on a case, she finds out about a tattoo she didn't know she had along with a bit more than she bargained for. Along with mysterious smudges appearing and causing heart attacks in magic users, Ashira teams up with the head of House Pacifica, Levi Montefiore, to investigate the newest case.
It was refreshing to have an urban fantasy that had strong basis in Jewish mythology and legend, which Wilde incorporated smoothly and well. I definitely am interested in pursuing more books that incorporate lore from various cultures. I also enjoyed that Ashira's friends, Priya and Arkady, were decently developed side characters with representation for women in STEM, POC, and LGBTQ.
I think I didn't really connect with this one, and I'm not entirely sure why. The pacing did come across as a little slow for me, but I could objectively tell that the story was solid and characters were good. My personal enjoyment just was pretty average rather than being great. That being said, I'm pretty sure it was more a me issue than the book itself.
I would recommend this book to people seeking mythological influence on their urban fantasy, and look forward to future works by Wilde.