Review: Justice Calling by Annie Bellet

Justice Calling
(The Twenty-Sided Sorceress #1)
by Annie Bellet
Publisher: Self-published
Publication date: July 23, 2014
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Rating:

Gamer. Nerd. Sorceress.

Jade Crow lives a quiet life running her comic book and game store in Wylde, Idaho. After twenty-five years fleeing from a powerful sorcerer who wants to eat her heart and take her powers, quiet suits her just fine. Surrounded by friends who are even less human than she is, Jade figures she’s finally safe.

As long as she doesn’t use her magic.

When dark powers threaten her friends’ lives, a sexy shape-shifter enforcer shows up. He’s the shifter world’s judge, jury, and executioner rolled into one, and he thinks Jade is to blame. To clear her name, save her friends, and stop the villain, she’ll have to use her wits… and her sorceress powers.

Except Jade knows that as soon as she does, a far deadlier nemesis awaits.

I got Justice Calling three years ago as a freebie and it’s just been sitting on my e-reader ever since. I don’t know about you, but anytime I get a free ebook, I’m always a little hesitant to read it. More times than not, they are poorly written, make no sense, and are just not worth your time. However, I was pleasantly surprised by this short story. It had interesting characters that you learn a little bit about as the story progresses, danger, fighting, magic, and a conclusion to the story. Granted, I would have liked it to be a bit longer, but for anyone interested in short stories or novellas, this one is worth the read.

Jade is a sorceress in hiding. Her people are feared due to how they can channel energy. Even though Jade doesn’t practice the the dark stuff, she’s still viewed upon as dangerous. So, when a Justice (someone who is sent to take care of any problematic magic users) shows up claiming that he had a vision that Jade would become a killer, Jade knows she has to keep her magical ability a secret. However, when people she cares about start falling under some dark magic spells, Jade has to decide to give up her secret, or watch the ones she loves die.

Like I said, this was a good start to a series. There was mystery, suspense, magic, shifters, love interests, and a big battle scene. Now, I will say that it would have been even better as a full length novel, because I feel like we just barely scratched at the surface to these characters, but it was still enjoyable to read. It definitely got my interest as to what happens next for Jade and her friends.