Blood, Smoke and Mirrors (Bad Witch, #1)

by Robyn Bachar

[Angie]

Blood, Smoke and Mirrors was so fun! While the tone reminded me of a lot of other Urban Fantasy series I've read, it also felt completely fresh! Catherina, aka Cat, is a lone witch. She's been cast out of the community for harming a man who attacked her. Witches live by a strict "harm none" philosophy, even if that means forgoing self defense. Now, she's approached by her ex-boyfriend with some news. Her mentor has been murdered by vampires, has no heir to her position as liaison to the fae, and thinks Cat will be perfect for the position. Cat doesn't want that kind of power, but realizes that it's the right thing for her to step up in case someone worse applies. Someone like her dead beat, vampire, murderer father.

So I really enjoyed the world of Blood, Smoke and Mirrors even though it was a bit confusing at times. The whole magical community is known as magicians which contains witches, sorcerers, vampires, shifters, and other variations of these things. There are a lot of different magicians, most are only mentioned once or twice, but the main players seem to be witches and vampires. Then, of course, there's the fae who don't reside in the human world. They just come in to cause mischief and breed, and are the source of all magic. There's also tension between some of the groups, mainly between fae and vampires. Which is why it's so bad that Cat's father is up for the position of Oberon. Why would vampires want to get involved with a species that refuses to interact with them?

The plot of Blood, Smoke and Mirrors was a lot of fun! The first half takes us through the trials Cat and her father must face as they compete to be the next Titania or Oberon. The tests were interesting, especially since they're not told what they're suppose to do. They just have to figure it out and do it. On top of that, there's plenty of action, since her father wants Cat out of the picture and hires hitmen. Luckily, the fae are very protective of their kin. Later in the book it's revealed why a vampire would run for this position, which causes even more problems for Cat! I really want to know how that all turns out!

In the end, I really enjoyed Blood, Smoke and Mirrors. The world and plot were great, and the characters are likeable (or love-to-hateable). Cat was a different kind of UF heroine. She's badass, but not exactly kickass since she was raised by a witch so there was that whole no violence at any cost thing to deal with. She's also chubby and wears glasses! She does hold her own though, and can acknowledge her shortcomings. I can't wait to see what comes next for her!

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.