“‘A captured sorceress. A prince without a throne. Balancing on the edge of good and evil.’ Captured by an evil sorcerer, I'm forced to become his apprentice and learn forbidden magic. Teetering on the edge between good and evil, I trade my soul for power. Allemar wants to control me, but little does he know the shifter he's caged--is not easily tamed. My training draws me closer to Aspen, the forsaken prince, wanted for treason against the crown. My sisters have always feared him, but I can see the man beneath the cloak of hate. For I am Maeve, one of the adoptive daughters of Lady Eville. I hunt the truth, seeking the one who murders my shifter friends. But what will I do when all evidence points to Aspen and the dark magic he wields? Unleash the beast within.”
What is the book about?
After falling and ending up alone in the woods, Maeve, one of the adoptive daughters of Lady Eville, is found by Allemar and his followers and taken captive. When she realises that no one is coming to save her, she is forced to become his apprentice and learn forbidden magic or risk losing her life. Now Maeve struggles to keep good and evil separate as she learns magic that her mother and sisters always deemed dark and evil. However, Maeve is more than just a trapped sorceress, she is also a shifter, able to shapeshift into different forms, and she is not easily caged, especially as she is one of the most reckless, brave and stubborn of her sisters. Despite being Allemar’s apprentice, Maeve is also bound to Aspen, the dark prince, and as he teaches her more about her new magic, she begins to learn more about him and the man he really is behind the mask. She sees the truth about him, not the monster her sisters fear and begins to feel more than hatred towards him. When Aspen takes her back to his kingdom, they both enter the palace, along with some other shifters that Maeve didn’t even know existed. But there is someone after the shifters, killing them in a dark and magical way. All evidence points to Aspen and Allemar, but Maeve struggles between what she knows in her heart and in her head. However, no matter what Maeve will find a way to save her shifter friends and save the kingdom, even if it means unleashing the beast within and losing control once again.
What were your initial thoughts on the book?
Of Thorn and Thread ended on a shocking cliff-hanger about Maeve and left me with so many unanswered questions, so, as soon as I finished reading it, I grabbed Of Mist and Murder, desperate to start reading to find out what happened to Maeve. Initially, before even looking at the book, I knew I would love Of Mist and Murder, particularly because of how much I liked Maeve every time she appeared in one of the previous books. I was also really excited because this book was different to all of the others as Maeve didn’t choose to leave home and go on her own adventure; she was taken and forced into it. After reading the blurb, I was even more excited to read this book as I wanted to find out more about the shifters and about Maeve and Aspen. Soon I had started to read and I found the book so easy to read from the very beginning. I had initially thought I would enjoy the book and I was glad to see that I was right once again. It was so easy to read that I was soon reaching the end of the book in only a couple of days, after only being able to put it down a few times.
Who was your favourite character and why?
My favourite character was definitely Maeve because of her bravery, strength and confidence. She reminded me a lot of Rosalie, who I had loved in the first book; however she was more reckless and less calm and calculating. I loved how, even though Maeve was trapped and forced into using a type of magic that her mother had always forbidden her, she didn’t let that change her and she continued to be the rebellious, young girl I always encountered in the other books. Her sister always saw her as out of control and reckless, however, for me, Maeve was brave and strong and, although she didn’t always think before she acted and used her magic, she did so because she wanted to help and cared too much for her family and friends, which proved correct time and time again. She was also stubborn and confident and knew her worth, which often got her into trouble as she would never back down from a fight, even against one of the most powerful and feared sorcerers around. Where everyone else saw recklessness, I saw bravery, however her rash decisions did come back to bite her at the end of the book and she realised that it was time for her to change a bit, but I know that she will never fully give up her rebellious side.
What was your favourite part of the book and why?
My favourite part of the book was when Maeve learnt the truth about who, or what, she was. She always believe her rare circumstances were because she was a shifter, as well as a sorceress, however she was soon let in on the secret that her mother had kept from her all these years and she realised that she was different. I also loved this part because she quickly took in what she learnt and embraced her magic and took the form of a creature she had always felt a connection with. She used that power to help everyone and defeat the sorcerer who had plagued each of her sisters, proving once again her strength, bravery and recklessness came from her need to help her sisters and others she cared for. I loved how quickly Maeve was able to adapt to the information she was given and the fact that she did that made me love her even more and choose her as my favourite character and this as my favourite part. In this part, Maeve also looked past her grief and the loss of someone she cared for and was able to see past it all in order to help those she could still save. This showed me more of her strength and made me love this part even more, especially seeing as I still had hope that not everyone was lost.
What was your overall impression of the book?
Overall, I really enjoyed Of Mist and Murder, however, although there was a lot I enjoyed, there was also some things that I did think could be better. One thing that I really enjoyed was how fast-paced the book was. I know now that all of Chanda Hahn’s books are incredibly well written and so easy to devour in one sitting as they are ridiculously addictive and easy to read. There are some books that I have read and found hard to get into, but that has not happened with one of these books and I am not expecting it to happen in any of the next books. Another thing I really liked about the book was the romance. I have a huge thing for enemies to lovers, mainly because of how much I enjoy the fact that these people hated each other and only saw the flaws they each had, and yet somehow they fell in love with those differences and the characteristics that they should hate about each other. I also love how it really illustrates that there is a fine line between love and hate and that it is easy to see past the things you hated about a person when you are in love with them. I also love the stress and tension it brings, especially for me, as a reader, because I can see clearly that they are falling for each other, but they are blinded by their supposed hatred and are unable to see their true feelings (it really does get annoying, but I love it). Maeve and Aspen’s feelings for each other were strong, however they not only had their hate blocking them, but Maeve also had to cope with the fact that her sisters hated Aspen and she didn’t know if they would forgive her for falling for the villain of the story. One last thing I wanted to mention was the ending of the book. I absolutely loved it and loved that Maeve got the ending she deserved, a certain character got the second chance that he deserved and another was finally punished and destroyed. Although I really liked the ending and it was exactly what I wanted, I did think that it was a little unbelievable and it might not have been what the book needed. Sometimes death of those you love is necessary in order to make a story better, and it is especially important in a story where there is magic and a lot of fighting because in real life not everyone survives. However, I also understand that in romance stories the couples are supposed to get their happy ending, so the ending sort of made sense. Also, the fact that a certain villain was defeated seemed ridiculous because of how easy it seemed. How can the villain that appeared in every story so far be defeated this easily? It may not be real and there is a chance he comes back, however if he doesn’t then it shows that he wasn’t a good enough villain and he was far too weak. Of Mist and Murder was a great book and I just can’t wait to read the next book, Of Gold and Greed.
Would you recommend this book?
I would absolutely recommend reading this book, but after reading the previous 5 books in the series. Of Mist and Murder is the perfect book for over 14s with a love for adventure, romance and fantasy. It is also particularly important that you enjoy fairy tale retellings.
Summarise the book in one sentence. (Verdict)
An enemies to lovers love story with dark magic, sacrifices and thrilling twists.
Reviewed by Jimena Gutierrez Reviriego
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