Booke of the Hidden by Jeri Westerson Pages: 330
Published by Diversion Publishing on October 31, 2017
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Urban Fantasy, supernatural
Source: Paperback ARC from Publisher
After a relationship gone bad in California, Kylie Strange moves to rural Maine for a fresh start. But she gets more than she bargained for when she finds a supernatural book bricked into the wall of her new tea shop, Strange Herbs and Teas. As soon as she opens the Booke of the Hidden, the quiet town of Moody Bog suddenly becomes a lot more interesting.
First the mysterious and handsome Erasmus Dark shows up unannounced, claiming to be a demon and warning Kylie of untold destruction. She waves him off, until a museum proprietor turns up dead, and the sheriff targets Kylie as a suspect. With the help of Erasmus and a ragtag group of local Wiccans, Kylie unravels the Booke's secrets, and they begin to believe the culprit is someone--or something--much more sinister than a run-of-the mill human murderer.
Award-winning author Jeri Westerson crafts a tale of magic, murder, and romance, drawing us into the mystical world that surrounds Strange Herbs and Teas.
The Booke of the Hidden is the first book in a new series by the same name, by Jeri Westerson. I really, really enjoyed this supernatural/urban fantasy read. It follows our main character Kylie, as she moves across the country to a town in Maine, where she opens up her own Herb & Tea shop. There she finds a book hidden in the wall, called the Booke of the Hidden. From there, she is swept up in a crazy whirlwind demon hunting adventure that reminded me of part Buffy the Vampire Slayer and part Supernatural. I cannot wait to read more about this series.
Kylie is a feisty main heroine. She has no problem standing up for herself, which I loved about her. Even when she first meets the mysterious Mr. Dark, she doesn’t mind putting him in his place. I loved that Kylie was immediately embraced into this quirky small town. It is already a spiritual town. Kind of like in Buffy, where the town seemed to be the epicenter of supernatural activity. Except in this case, it is not because of a hell mouth, but rather because of the Booke. The Booke is really rather fascinating, so I am going to put a spoiler in place right here, which is really not much of a spoiler since it’s descirbed within the first 50 pages of the story, but click on if you want to see how the Booke works. View Spoiler »
There is a light budding romance in The Booke of the Dead. I really liked the romance, but I wanted more of it. If I am being honest with myself, the light romance is the reason I couldn’t commit to 5 stars for this otherwise excellent story. I am really hoping that the romance will develop into something more in the next book, because I love the dynamic between the two of them. Bring on more romance! (even if it is a love triangle, I will take it)
Bottom line: If you are a fan of demon hunting adventures, set in a cool atmosphereic small town, with plenty of supernatural baddies, then The Booke of the Hidden is a great book for you. It is the start of what is sure to be an exciting series. I can’t wait for the second book. I love the spunky main character and I am really interested to see the whole cast of secondary characters developed more. Plus, I totally want more romance! I really enjoyed The Booke of the Hidden.
.@BookBriefs thinks fans of Buffy & #Supernatural will love he Booke of the Hidden by @JeriWesterson @DiversionBooks Click To Tweet
About Jeri Westerson
Los Angeles native JERI WESTERSON is the author of ten Crispin Guest Medieval Noir novels, a series nominated for 12 national awards from the Agatha to the Shamus. Her first in the series, Veil of Lies was named Editor’s Choice by the Historical Novel Society Review, her third The Demon’s Parchment received a coveted starred review by Library Journal, and her sixth, Shadow of the Alchemist, was named Best of 2013 by Suspense Magazine. Also in 2013, her fifth novel Blood Lance was named one of the Ten Hot Crime Novels for Colder Days by Kirkus Reviews. For her debut urban fantasy series, Booke of the Hidden, releasing this Halloween, Jeri was invited as a paneled author to the upcoming Dragon Con. Jeri was featured on two local NPR shows, ‘My Awesome Empire” and KVCR-Arts. She has served as president of the Southern California Chapter of Mystery Writers of America, as vice president for the Los Angeles Chapter of Sisters in Crime, and twice president of the Orange County Chapter of Sisters in Crime. She frequently guest lectures on medieval history at local colleges and museums, and lives in southern California with her home-brewing husband, a complacent desert tortoise, and 40,000 bees. See more about Jeri at JeriWesterson.com or visit BOOKEoftheHIDDEN.com for exclusive content about her new series and a fabulous “booke” trailer.
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