Jade

Jade

by Rose Montague

3 out of 5

Synopsis
Meet Jade Smith, a magical mutt with a mission. A detective partnered with a shifter named Rolfe, she's on the case to solve a slew of murders: Vamps are killing humans, and nobody knows why. When London Jane, the most powerful vamp in town, is implicated in the murders, Jade knows something isn't right. Together with Jill, the Winter Queen of Faerie, Jade and Jane take their investigation underground. On the run, with nowhere to hide, they uncover a secret that could destroy Faerie, as well as the human realm. Will Jade stop the killer in time? Or will she be the next victim? Magic, mayhem, and mystery abound, and the odds are stacked against them; it's three against three hundred.



Review
Jade lands a job with the leading shifter detective, Rolfe. Together they have to uncover a plot that would destroy supernatural rights.

I've been wanting to read this for a while; I really enjoyed Norma Jean's School of Witchery, and wanted to find out more about the Three J'Amigos.

This story follows Jade, a mysterious Supe (supernatural being) that's just full of surprises.
She joins the police force, just in time for some grizzly mass human murders to put supes in the spotlight.

Jade comes across as both naive and all-knowing (which makes sense in the end!).
I kinda liked her character, but I found it hard to believe that here's a girl that conveniently has the strengths and powers of every supernatural creature, but none of the weaknesses. It was very hard to root for her, as with each danger, or situation, Jade proved that she was unmatched.

The plot is a nice mix of a detective drama, and paranormal fantasy.
I like the world that Montague has created, with humans living alongside supernatural creatures, and being fully aware of them. There's obviously history, and political tension, and those ready to take advantage of any chaos.
I felt that each faction of supernatural entity just jumped into the storyline, with no prior warning or introduction. There's shifters, witches, zombies, vampires, fae (and another creature at the end, which I did a mini cheer for).

I didn't think this book was as well-written as Norma Jean's School of Witchery, which you can kinda expect, as I believe this is Montague's debut.
Jade's story doesn't come across as fun as Jewel's. The narration is full of statements of what they have done, what they thing, what they will do. It all seemed a little dry and perfunctory.

The story wasn't always easy to follow, there's a big cast of characters that Jade meets, and it was hard to keep track, as each species or group had their own sub-plot in what is a relatively short book.
That being said, I thought the story came to a natural conclusion after the big battle, and Jade & Jill's exile. Where the story went after that was another unexpected clash of supernaturals, that didn't quite fit in with the rest of the plot.

Overall, it was an OK paranormal read. I will be reading the rest of the series.

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