Cursed by Fire by Danielle Annett

March 19th, 2015 Kimberly Review 54 Comments

19th Mar
Cursed by Fire by Danielle Annett
Cursed by Fire
by Danielle Annett
Series: Blood & Magic #1
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Source: Author
Purchase*: Amazon *affiliate
Goodreads
Rating: One StarOne StarOne StarHalf a Star

It has been six years since the Awakening and peace in Spokane, Washington is still tenuous at best. The vampires and shifters are all vying for control of the city and the humans seem to be the ones suffering the consequences, or so it seems. Aria Naveed has spent the last two years of her life fighting to make the many wrongs of the world right, but soon finds out that the humans aren’t as weak as they appear and may be a more terrifying foe than any of the other races combined. When a stranger rolls into town with trouble on his heels, Aria finds herself trapped in the middle of a battle that could cost her more than she has bargained for as a fight for justice turns into an unexpected fight for her life.

Cursed by Fire by Danielle Annett is the first book in the Blood & Magic series. It’s an adult urban fantasy that takes place in Spokane, Washington featuring a mercenary named Aria Naveed. She is also a Psyker (human born with psychokinetic powers) who has trouble controlling her abilities. This was a short novel and a solid start to the series.

Caffeinated Breakdown of Cursed by Fire

The world: In the Blood & Magic world vampires and shifters, along with other supernatural creatures revealed themselves to humans in what is referred to as the Awakening. The world itself is similar to ours and parties are vying for control. Aside from pharmaceutical companies, it looks like the world is still functioning normally much like the world of Mercy Thompson. The vampires have taken up residence in town and the shifters have a compound in the woods outside of town.

Key Characters: Aria works at Sanborn Place (mercenary/detective group with no political ties). She was orphaned after the Awakening and spent time on the streets before joining Sanborn Place. She is confident, opinionated and holds firm to her beliefs. She feels like a bit of a misfit due to her abilities and lack of control. James, is one of a handful of people Aria would consider friend/family. He is also the local shifters, hunter. Mike runs Sanborn Place and to Aria he is father figure. Mel is a harpie who lives next door and she is hilarious. Rebecka, an ice-cold vampire loves to hold court and remind everyone she is Queen. She leads the local Coven. The shifters are led by alpha Declan Valkenaar who runs the packs like a corporate business. Both are strong characters who would like Aria in their pocket. A stranger who befriends Aria unlocks secrets and reveals dangers for all parties.

The plot: Aria takes on a missing person case involving Daniel Blackmore, a seven year old who goes missing just a few doors from his home. When she finds him dead it looks like a vampire was involved, but the case takes a strange twist when it is discovered he was a shifter. James is brought in by the pack and he and Aria begin investigating. As bodies pile up, Aria learns more about Psykers and a new human movement.  Things begin to get complicated and Aria soon finds herself in the middle of it all.

Caffeinated conclusion: Cursed by Fire kept me engaged and I had fun reading it. Fan of Kate Daniels and the Mercy Thompson series will find Curse of Fire to be a nice cross between the two. It reminded me of both worlds, but Annett put her own stamp on things. It is light and action packed without the darkness of KD and Aria is more levelheaded then Mercy. I am curious to see how the story develops.

* Disclosure: I was hired to assist in finding stops for a virtual tour through Caffeinated Virtual Assistant. I accepted book for review before beginning work and this in no way influenced this review.

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About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram

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54 Responses to “Cursed by Fire by Danielle Annett”

  1. Hattie

    I was looking for new books to read and I think I just might add this one to my list…. Thanks!

  3. Bookworm Brandee

    I’m glad you liked this one, Kim. I like your comparisons to KD and MT series since I like both. I’ve read pretty good reviews of Cursed by Fire and I will get to it…hopefully sooner that later. 🙂

    • kimbacaffeinate

      Enjoy when you do, it is a quick read and I am excited to see what happens next.

  4. Molly

    Sounds like another good one, especially when you’re looking for a quick, but good, read.

    • kimbacaffeinate

      I read this is a single afternoon..it was a fun escape

  6. Kristin

    This sounds like a great story. I’m a fan of the MT books so I’m sure I’d really enjoy this one.

  7. Danielle

    Thank you so much for taking the time to read my book and post your review! It means the world to me!

  8. Sarah

    I’ve been in an urban fantasy mood here lately and Cursed BY Fire sounds like a good addition to the genre. Haven’t read this author yet, but I am looking forward to hearing more about her!

    • kimbacaffeinate

      I have totally been on one Sarah. This was a fun one and I am anxious to see what develops

    • kimbacaffeinate

      Anytime Lauren..one day I will tempt you into trying this genre

  12. Ramona

    The hilarious harpy grabbed me already!!! Amazing concept 😀 You’ve written the perfect review (again) – just enough to whet my appetite, but not giving too much away. Wonderful job, Kimba.

    • kimbacaffeinate

      I love secondary characters like that who are memorable and make you laugh aloud.

  13. Heidi

    I am always on the hunt for a good UF series. I like that this isn’t as dark as Kate Daniels. I will have to try and check this out.

    • kimbacaffeinate

      Yes..this isn’t as dark or complicated with creatures so I think you would enjoy this Heidi. It is one you can easily read in an afternoon

  14. braine

    Sucks I wasn’t able to review this in time for our interview. I do like the concepts and as shes a blogger and a fan of the UF/PNR genre, it looks like she wrote the story in a way that it’ll check a lot of my boxes.

  15. Nick

    That cover is badass! I’m curious about the Psykers and the new human movement. Kim, you gotta stop reviewing all these books that I NEED to read!!

    • kimbacaffeinate

      Ha…I try to throw some out there that aren’t you thing Nick…lol

  17. Katherine

    This sounds interesting and Kate Daniels has been on my TBR since you introduced that series to me. It sounds like there’s a lot of really fantastic Urban Fantasy that I need to get to reading!

    • kimbacaffeinate

      This was a great start Katherine and light..so it might be one to try first…dip your toes since it is short.

  18. Jenny

    I need to read more UF Kim! I always get distracted by YA or paranormal/historical romance, but every time I remember and pick one up I fall in love. Glad this was a solid read for you, I don’t think you can really go wrong with something along the lines of Mercy or Kate Daniels!

    • kimbacaffeinate

      I love them too and have been craving them like chocolate lately.

  21. kindlemom1

    This is new to me but it sounds like it has a pretty solid start to what promises to be a fun series. Since I love both Kate and Mercy, I think I need to try this!

    • kimbacaffeinate

      It was and I liked that at least for now it is lighter.

  22. Red Iza

    It looks like a good read, thanks for telling us about it 🙂

    • kimbacaffeinate

      I hope you enjoy it Felicia. I am looking forward to seeing how the series progresses.

  24. Lauren

    This sounds really cool! I’m a big fan of Mercy and Kate, so I need to check this out and meet Aria. Thanks for putting this on my radar!

    • kimbacaffeinate

      Anytime Lauren..I adore both of those authors too.

  26. Alreem

    sound like a good book, I’m glad you enjoyed it 😀 Lovely Review

  27. Melliane

    It sounds like a nice book. I heard about it and I may have it in fact because it does ring a bell but I need to check this out. thanks for the review!

    • kimbacaffeinate

      Hope you have it, it was a nice start to the series I am curious to see how it develops