Joanna

It had some promise, but the peak of the action was contrived and the last chapter of the book made everything that had come before it pointless. However, it's free on Kindle Unlimited, so I might pick up the second book just to see if the author has improved.

Positive:
The plot was great, and the setting and the characters were interesting. I will definitely be looking for the sequel on Kindle Unlimited.

This is a “new to her own magic” scenario, rather than a “new to the entire world of magic”, so Tat McGee doesn't spend any time disbelieving things or ignoring basic magical advice, which I appreciate.
Tat also starts the book already in a relationship, so there isn't any of the “I hate him, why do I crave him” or “I pine after him but surely he doesn't notice little old me” relationship drama that I avoid like a plague. It was an odd choice, considering that most books in this “cozy urban fantasy” subgenre would spend at least two books on pining and/or lusting before getting to this point in a relationship, but I don't mind.

Negative:
The writing style is a bit... sterile. Dry, and clinical, like the author is telling us about the story rather than actually showing the story as it unfolds. Or like we're seeing the author's detailed notes, and instead of having actual conversations between characters it still just says “the characters talk about this”.

It needs a lot more showing instead of telling to get the reader engaged in the story. Show people doing and feeling things, describe them interacting with each other and the environment, show us what it looks like as they think things through and have feelings about what is happening.

While this might be an editorial overreaction to “you have too much pointless description, you need to pare it down”, I suspect it's more likely to be a freshman author thing. I have high hopes that the next book will be better at pulling me into the story.

I really enjoy this series - I've read from “Stone's Throw” to “Cold as Stone” so far. The worldbuilding is interesting, the plots are great, and I love that even though Astrid is considered to be a blunt instrument in her approach, she always prioritizes non-violent solutions with the client-centered approach of a social worker.

That said, the politics in this are VERY obtrusive, and I'm saying that as a leftist who agrees with those politics. The author is not subtle about issues of consent, privilege, innate bias, the institutional entrenchment of racism, and the way people are convinced to become complicit in their own abuse and oppression. The story often seems like just a vehicle for examining these issues.

On the other hand, if you are sensitive to any of the issues mentioned above, you can feel confident that these books address them thoughtfully and with care. You will probably come out of this series with a much greater understanding of the tactics of an emotional abuser, and techniques for recognizing and healing from an abusive relationship.

These books are on Kindle Unlimited, and I plan to keep reading as soon as the next one is released. If I had to pay it might not be an insta-buy... but I'd probably give in before it went on sale.

Read all the books in the Craft Sequence and the Dead Djinn Universe and want more in the same vein? Read this.

Featuring a female protagonist who works in paranormal law enforcement, set in modern-ish Egypt in a world where all the gods are real but they are no longer in charge. Plus a low-key Sapphic romance, if that's your thing.

I just finished the second book in the series and it's just as good. I borrowed from Kindle Unlimited but honestly they're good+cheap enough that I'll probably go back and buy them for real.

Nearly DNF halfway through

The first half of this book kept coming back to Tyndal as pick-up artist, trying to teach Rondal the rules of The Game. Apparently the author decided that in his world, women really are exactly the way PUAs portray them. It was pretty gross.

Second half was the two of them on campaign in the Penumbra, and it backed off of the “how to get women to sleep with you” stuff enough for me to finish the book.