Meghan Ciana DoidgeRecensioni

I am seriously mad at this book. There is a central mystery, one that at about 50% of my way through the book is making me want to shake several characters because they are being very sullen and NOT TALKING TO EACH OTHER, despite many opportunities. I skipped ahead to see when it is solved, only to discover it’s not even confirmed until the end, as a cliffhanger.

The character seems to loose her will and direction about midway through. Frankly, for all the complaining about needing sleep, if she had complained like this in the beginning the would be no story. Drive is gone, replaced by a, frankly, annoying acceptance and…. Willingness to drift.

And not talk to anyone. Or for anyone to try and talk to her. There’s no reason given for that, by the way. No, “if I talk about this you will die.” It’s just plot shenanigans to stretch it out. I have been reading this author for years and I really expected better..

It’s 3 star bc the first 1/3 is 5*.

Edit: finished. Nothing is solved. It's not just one cliffhanger, I can think of about 5.

so good.

enjoyable cozy...½

This, as well as book 0, have been soo close to 4 stars.
The author invested a lot of time into crafting believable complex and flawed characters and she succeeded. The interactions and dialogue between characters feel very real. A lot of attention went into polishing those interactions into something very enjoyable.
While the emotional landscape and character interactions were very well fleshed out, the bad guys were all absurdly stupid and cliched cardboard cutouts.
Which was a real shame because the author demonstrated that she is capable of writing morally grey characters with believable motivations.
The plot, in general, is rather meh in books 0-1. It's almost like the author spent so much time living in her characters' heads that she completely forgot to construct any kind of interesting plot.

The premise is well executed but the tightly intertwined magic system isn't well defined at all.
The magic never really came into play beyond being a plot device.

Cute series. Probably not good enough to reread but enjoyably to read

I wanted to like this series. I'm glad that she is not a fairy.

This book was given to me by the author through the Making Connections ARR group for an honest review, thank you.



Spirit Binder is the story of Theodora, or Theo. She was born under a prophecy that many interpreted differently. What doesn’t alter is that she is the manifestation or ‘fountain’ of Spirit. She can feel Spirit around and in everything. Many worship her, many try to control her and many wish to destroy her. Theo has lost her memory of the past ten years and is trying to remember who she is, what the people around her mean to her, and who is helping and hindering her recovery.

How I interpret Theo, is that she is like Jesus Christ, the Buddha, Yoda and all the great Spiritual Masters that have a connection to the Divine, so much so that they manifest it. Theo has lost some of her memories of who she is and this symbolizes to me the author’s message of how humans have lost their connection to the Divine, and how different factions manipulate the ‘message’ for their purpose, just like in religion.

This story reminds me of a dystopian fic. It appears to be set on Earth after a war or the devastation of the Earth from human destruction of habitat. The time we live in currently is called, “The Before.” The people, who live in Cascadia, are magic users. The ones who don’t have magic are called “Lackings.” From the descriptions in the story the location is somewhere in Oregon or Washington State. I’m not sure where “The Chief” is located since it’s supposed to be a mountain in that area by that name.

There is a romantic triangle between Theo, Ren and Hugh. Theo is destined to be with Hugh, but finds herself bound to Ren. I’ll let the readers find out how Theo became bonded to Ren and how it is resolved. There really aren’t any sexual scenes in this story; only a slight hint of one which I don’t consider very explicit.

The formatting and editing are very good. There were a few grammar issues that slipped by, but not that many to be concerned about.

Now I come to the major issue I had with Spirit Binder. Despite how much I wanted to like this book, I couldn’t get into it. It wasn’t a DNF book, but it was a book that I would put aside and wish I didn’t have to pick up again because it didn’t hold my interest. I didn’t feel drawn to the characters, nor did I feel any sympathy for them. I felt as if I was reading through a hazy distance filter and observing all the characters rather than being a part of the action. It was only toward the end of the story that I think I figured out why I felt disconnected. Unless the other characters addressed Theo and used her name, the author has Theo refer to herself as 'she.' There were a couple times the author used 'Theo' but those appeared to be errors. This made me feel as if I was watching the story from far above. I couldn’t feel what Theo felt, I didn't feel what the other characters felt because Theo looked at everyone and everything as an observation. This could have been a technique by the author to make us feel that Theo was Spirit, but it left me not caring what happened to the characters.

Despite Spirit Binder being an interesting concept, the author couldn’t get me to feel for any of the characters. I’m sure it won’t bother other readers, but I prefer feeling deeply the character’s emotions, and I really didn’t get that from this book. I can therefore only give this story 3 stars

Fun from start to finish. Never a boring moment and the characters were all enjoyable.

Harmlessly silly fluff. Could have used less repitition and some more suspense. Villian and motive obvious by 30% which is awfully early even for a book that's trying to be light and silly. The cupcakes were awesome sounding though, totally the best part. The lead was fine for one book, I think she'll get tiresome real fast though unless she drops the ostrich act and clues in to the world she's in.

Fun and worth a read, despite the little problems with the book.

Well, this was free on Amazon, which is why I read it. Wasn't the worst, but not really good either. I'm a bit sick of these urban fantasy books where the main character is the "special one". And also doesn't really know it. And all men fall for her. I get that it's fantasy, but I'd like some realism with it. Plus it's more interesting when things are difficult. Also reading this after Hobbit (and as a balance while reading Macbeth) probably wasn't a great idea...

Can I say that this book is trash but in the best way possible? What I mean is that it is a total escape from reality into a story that, while a bit predictable, is still fun and campy. I'm giving it about a 3.4 leaning towards 4 stars. It was just pure fun to read and while it doesn't make my top list of books I am still interested in continuing the series to see what other mysterious trouble our characters get into.

from amazon: If you’d asked me a week ago, I would have told you that the best cupcakes were dark chocolate with chocolate cream cheese icing, that dancing in a crowd of magic wielders — the Adept — was better than sex, and that my life was peaceful and uneventful. Just the way I liked it. That’s what twenty-three years in the magical backwater of Vancouver will get you — a completely skewed sense of reality. Because when the dead werewolves started showing up, it all unraveled … except for the cupcake part. That’s a universal truth.

The truth is... i read this, & don't remember it hardly at all which is not a good sign. Trying to clean out my Kindle a bit, so will give it three stars for 'ok' and move on.....

I LOVED the first three books in this series. This one, not so much. I think it boils down to repetitivness and predictably. I understand briefly refreshing the reader on past events incase they are new to the series. However going over and over and over magic flavors and colors and past events quickly become boring. If i had read this book first I don't think I would be enticed to read the other three books. Everything was thoroughly explained and left nothing to be curious about the events of the previous books. In this book I kept waiting for a plot twist, Jade to fall in love Kandy. . . Warner to turn evil. . . Jade to loose her magic and fight to get it back. . . Scarlett or Gran to disappear. . . Sienna's ghost to start wreaking havoc. . . SOMETHING. But no. :(

I've been listening to the audio books and the narrator is awesome. I will be listening to the next book and any other books that come out even though I was disappointed with its book I have faith they will become better

I remember starting and loving the Dowser series about 3 yrs ago. My taste in books must have really changed because I couldn't not stand this book! Everything from the characters, writing style, to vibe are all the same. It is quite entertaining but it's not for me any more. Sorry Jade

A fun read

You must read the series to fully understand the story. This fifth installment is more cogent and cohesive than the fourth. All in all, an enjoyable read.

I combined reading and listening with this book with kindle whispersync. As far as the story goes, I really enjoyed it. It starts ten months after the end of book 3 and in many ways is the start of a new series arc so in some ways it felt quite fresh whilst also bringing in elements and characters of the previous 3 books. It was an intriguing new adventure and with a new character introduced as a potential love interest for the MC, we got to see a new dynamic in the interactions between the characters which was fun. In this book, Jade seems more settled in her powers and her and it was nice to see this character development. As per usual, with all the talk of cupcakes and Chocolate in this book, I found myself craving blackforest cake chocolate at the end of it. From a listening perspective, I wasn't mad about the narrator. She seemed to have a kind of bored tone to her reading that kind of got under my skin a little but not enough to completely distract from the story thank goodness. Overall I really enjoyed this book and am greatly looking forward to book 5 :-)

This was a much better book that the first volume. Jade is a baker and owner of a cupcake bakery in Vancouver, B.C. She is also a half-witch Dowser. She can see and identify magic in others, which is what unusual among the other Adepts. ***Spoiler*** She currently has a werewolf greenhaired bodyguard name Kandy who lives next door and a vampire mentor named Kett. Recently her foster sister/best friend was killed by an incident involving a magical portal and murder of several werewolves and a boyfriend in a grab for power. After encountering a group of First Nation skinwakers, Jade leaves her studies to settle back into running her bakery. However, a curse making young sorcerer shows up at her door with an invitation from Portland, Oregon’s most powerful sorcerer to see his magical collection. Jade agrees to go, but she really wants to find out if her sister is truly dead as well as figure out who her father is. . Lots of action and paranormal mayhem ensue. I found Jade to be a more interesting less vacuous character. She actually thinks about her actions and behaves in a less childish manner. A rather fun UF novel.½

The first half of this book was excruciating. The setting was rather poorly described. The characters were very cardboard cut out types, with not enough build up for a reader to empathize withthem. The Main character Jade is some sort of a half-witch. She was brought up by her grandmother. Her mom is a witch, but her father was an unknown. Jade also has a foster sister who is a witch named Sienna. Their witchcraft was of the earth. Jade wasn't a practicing witch, as she had little power being Hal-human. She is a downer, good at locating things and recognizing magic in others. She runs a cupcake bakery and makes jewelry from found items. They live in Vancouver, BC. One day a vampire was seen outside the bakery, unable to enter due to wards placed on the building. He wanted Jade's help in finding the murderer of some werewolves. Jade didn't even know there were other Adepts (magical creatures) in Vancouver. The next day a werewolf. which Jade met while clubbing with her sister and sister's boyfriend, was found murdered. The vampire and the local pack needed Jade to find the killer, as the killer was leaving Jade's trinket necklaces on the victims (we never know why...) The story's pace quicker and became fairly enjoyable in the last half. I think I will read the next volume before I make any decisions on the series, however.½

Magic is sexy!

I loved this novel! From the sexy cupcakes names to the magical werewolf dance club "orgy" to the very horny main character. Fave character was Kett--aka the vampire. So mysterious in a I-want-to-rip-your-head-off way. This was just fun, quirky read. And apparently everything about magic is either really scary or sexy. Will definitely read the other novels!

Reader Rated 15 for mild language, mild sensuality, and mild violence.

This is the 6th book in the series and it doesn't disappoint. Jade and the gang are still after Shailaja, although Jade wants to keep everybody safe and so doesn't go looking for awhile which slows the book down a bit but allows the reader to read about some good sex and even better food descriptions. Once Jade realizes she's going to have to take out the rabid koala the action moves fast until the end. I was worried that this was going to be the end of the series but from what I read it seems like there has to be more - hopefully with a spiced up love life (I think Warren is a bit dull, I really wish she'd hook-up with Kett, he'd keep her hopping) and some more challenges.

Fair warning before you read this book. There are actually 2 other series (Dowser and Oracle) making this the first book in the 3rd spin off. If you go to this website link https://madebymeghan.ca/novels/ Meghan Ciana Doidge has provided a recommended reading order of her books. If you haven’t read those, at this point the books stop working very well as stand-alones and there’s too much you will either not understand or will be ruined for you by spoilers.

However Ms. Doidge did weave a suitable amount of back story in this novel to provide a good understanding of the characters and their roles in the Adept world. Thankfully the author is an incredibly speedy writer and does not force her fans to wait very long between books since Catching Echoes grabs you, taking you along for one heck of a ride then leaving you begging for your next fix.

Her conclusion comes up fast and quick ending on a climax that will make you see red because you want more but there isn’t any yet and you’ll feel surprised as if you never saw it coming but Doidge did subtly leave clues sprinkled about if you knew where to look. She proves her excellent writing talent once again in these well-developed characters as each book opens another facet of their personalities. Her worlds are richly detailed in vibrant landscapes and colors pulling you in like a virtual reality escape.

Although Echoes does have a ‘bit’ of a feeling as if it was written just to buy her some time it’s only because you need some set-up before she gets to the meat of her latest saga.

This will either make her new fans if you aren’t familiar with her work or make her original fans fall in love with her all over again.

Vampires, Werewolves, shifters, necromancers and witches oh my. It was a cute cozy type para-mystery read with a few grizzly bits, a good introduction into this world of baked goodies and supernaturals.

Not bad. Cute in fact. A bit tropey, gorgeous smart and supertalented cook who owns her own successful business at an improbably young age, discovers she's got superpowers.

Heroine is a bit passive, getting ordered around by everyone and anyone, until the very end when she finally grows a backbone. I think without that saving grace I may have liked it a lot less. The writing is competent, but the main character has a couple of annoying quirks, a "Yes I went there" kind of self-congratulory tone that is laid on a bit too thick, and it drops brand names constantly, which I suspect would also be annoying if not for the fact I didn't recognise any of them, so they slid right by me. Cos really, I don't much care about expensive rain boots, and I'm not sure why the character thinks I might.

Of course the men are so alpha it hurtss, and there looks like maybe a setup for a love triangle between a witch, a vampire and a werewolf. Because that's totally original.

I'll probably pick up the next couple of this series, because this was a nice light and fun read, and intriguing enough to want to know what happens next, but it's not an autobuy yet.

Because this was free on Amazon, I was surprised how much I enjoyed this, pretty good entry in the typical urban fantasy genre, competently done, no surprises. Which is sometimes exactly what you want! The world building was fairly solid, and even better the characters were well drawn and engaging. I will likely pick up the other books in the series, when I want a relaxing read.