The King of Bones and Ashes

I enjoyed the atmosphere of this book (there is something magic about New Orleans). That said, the characters were thin and essentially indistinguishable from each other in terms of voice, personality, etc., and the plot somehow managed to be boring even when talking about magic, voodoo, etc. I also hated the ending, which resolved almost nothing - this is one of those books that apparently must be consumed as part of an entire series.

 
 
This book had all the ingredients to be a 5-Star read for me. Fabulous setting (New Orleans). Mystery. Feuding families. Witches and magic. The Boogeyman (Babau Jean). Voodoo, etc. And I enjoyed it mostly, but unfortunately, it also had a few issues that kept me from giving it a higher rating. It was a LONG (and slow) book with multiple POVs and a HUGE cast of characters. So many that at times it became confusing and hard to follow. That said, I enjoyed it enough I will keep my eyes out for book two (this one ends on a cliffhanger of sorts). Yours truly gives this one a solid thumbs up. 

I never thought that I would find finishing a book set in New Orleans, with a story that includes witches and voodoo traditions and everything such a chore...And yet, it happened. I prompted myself to finish it, I even bribed me with chocolate and ice cream and it was painful. And sad. And it lasted for about two months and a half. And not even watching Clayne Crawford in ‘‘Lethal Weapon'' could make me feel better...

I won't occupy your time with long paragraphs. All the problems I faced with this novel have been described in wonderful reviews. The issues started fairly early and everything went downhill from the sixth, seventh chapter. There was little to no development. The characters were utterly ludicrous with the exception of Alice that was drowned in the sea of indifference. The dialogue was mediocre, at best, and I felt as if I was watching a teen TV series with witches and vampires. Since I don't watch those, the book was not for me. I thought I would love it because I love New Orleans and witches but this novel had very little to give me. Almost nothing apart from a handful of beautiful New Orleans descriptions.

I know many readers enjoyed this one. Many others didn't and it is sad to say that I fall into the second category...

Many thanks to 47North and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.