I tried so hard to finish this book. I put it down and tried again few days later. But I just can't finish it. So yes, this is another DNF for me.

Absolutely loves this book and this author! Highly recommend it to all my friends! This series pulls you in and leaves you on the edge of your seat!

I absolutely loved this!

Such a great book with a solid storyline and great characters.

I eagerly look forward to reading more from this author.

The narration was enjoyable and engaging.
A definite recommend!

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for allowing me to listen to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 Stars

This story changes POV between Slate and Cadence and their journey of discovering what the Quatrefoil is, what the purpose of it is, and whether or not they will find all of their pieces in time. Slate was sent away as an infant and had a tough upbringing in the foster care system which lead him to become a criminal. Candace is the wealthy daughter of a professor who is in charge of Slate's inheritance. After being contacted by the professor in order to learn his history and gain access to his inheritance, Slate accidentally activates a curse endangering his life upon his arrival in Brume. The clock is ticking and they find themselves being drawn to each other, as if by magic. Of Wicked Blood has a delightful French dark academia setting and a unique magic system centered around the town of Brume's history

Of Wicked Blood has a weird quality of somehow feeling both slow and fast paced. While I couldn't put it
down, I felt a little let down and not invested in the plot or characters overall despite being drawn in. There were some flaws with this book, such as ableism and unlikable main characters. I didn't hate the narrators, but I also did not enjoy them.

I did buy the kindle edition of this book and do find myself looking for the next book in this series, because I would like to know how the story plays out.

I read this on a whim and while I couldn't put it down, I'm not planning to read the sequel. I love a good treasure hunt and wanted something more coherent and romantic than Master of One. I guess I got it! But I also got a lot of ableism trying hard not be ableism. The (new adult) main characters are Slate, a young man sent away as an infant and raised in the foster care system, and Cadence, the daughter of a professor who just contacted Slate to offer Slate his life history and inheritance. Then Slate activates a curse and can't leave town, plus there are opposites-attract kiss feelings and four magic leaves to find.

I get why people love this book. It sucks you in and it's in France! But it's also heavily reliant on the Evil Disabled Guy Who Wants to Be Fixed trope. So there's that.

Content Warnings: ableism, past death of parents (curse-related, both MCs), child in peril, domestic abuse, near drowning, fire

I received an audio copy of this book for review.

Of Wicked Blood is the first book in the Quatrefoil Chronicles. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to listen to this audiobook for my honest review.

Slate and Cadence have the same history, yet they lead two very different upbringings. Neither of them knew that magic was once real, and neither of them realized their important part in bringing magic back.
This story changes POV between Slate and Cadence and their journey of discovering what the Quatrefoil is, what the purpose is, and whether or not they will find all of their pieces in time. The clock is ticking and they find themselves being drawn to each other, as if my magic.

This was a delightful read that draws you into the story quickly. It is different than other things that I have read because the town of Brume is a historically magical town with hidden secrets that need to be revealed and only one person seems to know about them- Mr. De Morel who was close to the generation that failed to retrieve the Quatrefoil before.

‘NO rest for the wicked…or the cursed’ is a great tagline that drew me to the book in the first place but I love how it captures the story perfectly.

With a heavy dose of culture, it’s a bit jarring. It almost needs to come with a glossary, although I’m sure that says more about me than the book! It great to learn whilst reading fiction which it's safe to say I did.
I love the use of characters from the largely underrepresented ‘foster’ system, it's great to see and also made for an interesting storyline.

Dual narratives often get on my wick, I always end up with a favorite and in this case, it was Slate.
Slate is my preferred protagonist, I loved his sarcastic suave attitude. I would have preferred the majority of the novel to be set in his view.

Fantasy is one of my favorite genres and I highly recommend this suspenseful novel. Although it does read a bit like fanfiction.

The voices used in the audiobook are 9/10 my only query is that while settling the male voice is a tad too old sounding for my personal visualization of the novel and could have been a more fitting speaker here.
I have never read (listened to ahah) a book by Olivia Wildenstein and Katie Hayoz I have to say that I will be on the lookout for their future works!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook.

I am so, so happy to have listened to this story. The voice actors chosen were great and really embodied the feel of the character.

Now to the story: I'll be honest, the first 30 minutes, I hated Slate and was indifferent to Cadence, but by the end of the story, I loved them. This was an action packed book with magic sprinkled in that kept moving forward. It didn't drown you in back story or world building. It was a broad explanation of the situation, enough for you to know what the character was finding out as it is set in the present and can understand how each person feels. It's a story that contains a little bit of family love, romance, and friendship wrapped in serious moments but still not taking itself too serious. It is predictable, but how they get there is worth the journey of reading.

I can't wait for the next book, I've pre-ordered this one and I am looking forward to Slate's interesting choice of words.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an opportunity to review this audiobook.

I thought this a fantastic listen. I really liked the narrators.

Everything Slade thought about his life is about to unravel when he receives a letter informing him of who he really is.

He travels to a magical town and meets Cadence where quite the adventure ensues to find some magical artifacts before something happens to Slade.

I liked the slow burn romance between Cadence and Slade.

The book was very fast paced and kept my interest from beginning to end.

This would have been four stars as the plot was really interesting and I loved the narration but the ending was a big let down. I’m sure it’s being tied up in the next book but there are things I feel should have been explained in this one or it should have ended earlier and left all that for the next one. It felt like it really let down the rest of it.

3.5

This book was enjoyable and I'm interested in the next book in the series. The story has a interesting magic system and I'm excited to see how it plays out with the town and characters that it will directly affect. A Flaw I had was the 2 main characters were not likeable for me it wasn't until closer to the end I was starting to come around to them. The story also had a pacing issue for me. It seems like nothing happens then a few chapters later it all happens at once. Then everything goes back to slow nothing happening.

I also listened to this book during the month of February where my reading hasn't been very productid. I've read some other reviews where its compared to Shadow hunters and that type of book. I agree with that it reminds me of that style of book. But those books cast of characters seemed more well rounded and likeable. I think the character I disliked the most was Cadence papa. But thats the point. and I cant wait to see how that plays out. Thats the main story line I'm dying to know what happens

Over all a 3.5 star Almost a 4 I think if either I liked the main characters a little more or the pacing was different it would of been a 4 Star for me. But I'm super excited to see where the story goes and how the events at the end of the story gets played out!

Thank you NetGalley and Twig Publishing for letting me Listen to the Audio of this Story and receiving a Arc to review this book.

Cant wait for book 2

Of Wicked Blood is a fresh new take on modern magic fantasy.

Scenic and atmospheric, the story is wonderfully brought to life - characters all feel unique and consistent, and the little French town in which the events unfold is so quaintly described you can see it clearly in your mind's eye.

The romance is strong, though I did have to check the "age of consent" in France (15), as the heroine (17, almost 18) is drawn to, and sexualized by, two older men (20 and 23), one of whom is her teacher. Not a huge age gap, but she is also referred to as jailbait in one scene.

Where the story loses a star for me is the plot. Tasked with finding four objects, the second half of the story becomes almost procedural, events happening to the characters instead of character decisions affecting the course of events.

Consequences and info-dumps are also kind of glazed over. A death is simply "handled" and dismissed - the death only serving to give the main characters new emotions instead of really affecting the trajectory of the plot. And revelations are just dropped onto characters who then do nothing to act on them. I assume that this is to set up events in later books, but currently makes the plot feel fuzzy and unfinished.

Okay, this was intriguing enough that I'll be picking up the sequel! There are some mysteries that have been left unsolved and my curiosity is getting the best of me.
The characters and world building were interesting but definitely have potential for more growth. I'm not sure I'll ever like Slate though... he was crass and rude and I really didn't appreciate being stuck in his head every other chapter.
I'm interested to see how the magic system develops!
Oh and P.S. I listened to the audiobook and even as a native French speaker I couldn't understand some of the French words the narrators were trying to pronounce. I don't blame them for not being able to pronounce some words since some French sounds are hard for anglophones, but if you're looking to work on your own French pronunciation this isn't the place to learn fam.

Actual rating 3.5 Stars

This book confirmed my thoughts that old French men are skeezy and not to be trusted Just kidding... kinda

Of Wicked Blood is the first in The Quatrefoil Series. We follow the dual POV of MCs Cadence, the well-mannered, well off, 17 year old daughter of a university head in Brume, France. And Slate, an orphaned, thief who has been summoned to the university with the promise of knowledge about his parents and his past, and a scholarship to the university. However, thieves gon' thieve, and Slate's latest acquisition finds him cursed and in a world of hurt that will kill him by the new moon if he can't find a way to assemble the quatrefoil.

I listened to the audio of this book and found it just as, if not more enjoyable than I would've had I read it.

The premise of this book is what drew me in as both authors are new to me. A cursed bloodstone ring that brings together an unlikely group of people (well just Slate really) to find artifacts to break the curse. YES!

The world-building is beautiful. The old architecture, the never ending fog set the scene for old magic and lore nicely. I really enjoyed the way each POV from the MCs was different and fit with their personalities. It was believable and added to the continuity of the characters and their traits.

The characters themselves were realistic. Cadence was kind and mild but had a strong core and I love a nice girl that isn't afraid to swear but doesn't do so just for the sake of it. Slate was very much an anti hero in this story and to be honest, a bit of an arrogant prick and yet... You couldn't help cheering for him. He is so protective of his younger brother I couldn't help but see past his unlikeable traits and cheer him on. The good girl vs Bad boy/ enemies to lovers trope evident. There were a couple of moments that I was annoyed at Cadences jealousy but it didn't detract from the plot.

By far the best parts of the book were the Quatrefoil scenes. They were full of action and the pacing was perfect. I couldn't stop reading/ listening needing to know how it went down immediately. Everything from the writing to the short chapters and changes in POV fit well and had the pacing on point

The only thing I didn't really like was the ending. It was a bit anti-climatic for me. I was left with more questions than answers. I kept thinking I had missed something and had to go back. As this is a series I'm hoping it all is explained. I would've preferred a cliffhanger ending in this one which is something I haven't said EVER.

I really enjoyed this urban fantasy and have no idea where it is going next. I'm not dying to read the next one but I will be reading it. <spoiler>Cadence's Dad is suss AF and I want to know what his deal is</spoiler>

I received a copy of this for review from the publisher via NetGalley (thank you so much!) All opinions are my own.

Loved this book! Rediscover magic or face the curse!! A tangled love story- evil villain's, an ending that only leads to more questions (hopefully more books!). Good character development and a cast of characters! Enjoy this escape!

OF WICKED BLOOD
by Olivia Wildenstein and Katie Hayoz
Narrated by Holly Fielding and Thomas Locklear
I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this book.
This is for the audio book.
I had a hard time getting into this book. I started and restarted it about four times because it wasn't holding my interest. Once it got past a few bumpy parts it got better, some. I liked the supernatural aspects and the overall plot theme. The development of the characters not so much. The main guy and girl characters were annoying and I found myself hoping they didn't make it. There is a fantasy theme with a soft romance thrown in. Teenage angst (annoying), and a know it all attitude covers the main characters.

The male narration was fairly good but the female narration was annoying as the character.
This kind of book is usually right down my alley but it ended up being an okay book. I really wanted to like it.

I love fantasy, so this was right in my wheelhouse. Some of the concepts were a little out there (the reason magic exists for example) but I like the story, most of the characters and look forward to continuing the story.

I received an audiobook arc of this from netgalley for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was interested in reading this because the cover was amazing and the synopsis was amazing! A curse that causes the two main characters together! What's not to love!

Sadly, it took me forever to get into this. I read the first three chapters thrice before I was able to continue.  Not that it was complex or hard to read, I just couldn't connect with the characters and thought I had missed something important.

However the minute I got past those first few chapters, I devoured this. I finished it in a day. I really enjoyed the plot, the trials and the supernatural creatures. The relationships between the characters was interesting. I liked Cadence and Slates relationship, it was instant attraction but thankful not insta love, their relationship progressed nicely.

A very good story and an excellent narrator. Though the book is addressed for a young reader I found the narrative very engaging ang thoroughly enjoyable.
The characters and the world they live in are built very well! Definitely recommended for young adults.

This fantasy reading was interesting, I like that it was on a contemporary time making it an urban fantasy, involving ancient rites. The world-building was good, the characters Slate and Cadence are fantastic, there are more that I like but the main ones are my favorite. I love magic-related stories and this one has it in a refreshing way. The love story felt short for my tasting, I expected it a bit more but there is romance, just not more if you know what I mean. The plotline kept me reading and kept my interest, sometimes it dragged, and sometimes it felt a bit rushed but definitely one you should read if you like this trope of stories. Holly Fielding and Thomas Locklear did a very good job narrating and portraying their characters, the editing was good and overall would recommend more than the book.