Book Review - The Witch Who Cried Wolf

Happy, happy Friday, everyone! Today I bring you another book review. I know you're all super excited to get another book to look at. This is part of my Indie Fever Reading Challenge for 2014. I committed to read at least 1-24 Indie books this year. If you want to join in the fun and support great Indie authors, go here, fill out the linky thing, and get to reading! Before I move on, I'm gonna give you a rundown of the books on my list for 2014 along with links to the ones I've reviewed so far:

Rebecca Trogner The Last Keeper's Daughter Amazon Kindle $7.99
Scott Marlowe The Five Elements Amazon Kindle $2.99
L.K. Evans Keepers of Arden: The Brothers Volume 1 REVIEW HERE
Sarah Mäkelä The Witch Who Cried Wolf REVIEW BELOW
Felicia Tatum Masked Encounters REVIEW HERE
Peprah Boasiako The Hitman Amazon Kindle $0.9
David T Griffith The Bestiarum Vocabulum REVIEW HERE
C. S. Janey Surrender To You Amazon Kindle $2.51
Thaddeus White Sir Edric's Temple REVIEW HERE
Gloria Piper Finnegan's Quest Amazon Kindle $4.99
Elle Todd The Elect Amazon Kindle $2.99
Heather Topham Wood The Memory Witch REVIEW HERE
N. L. Greene Illusions Begin REVIEW HERE
J. A. Huss Tragic REVIEW HERE
Morgan Wylie Silent Orchids Amazon Kindle **FREE**
Laura Howard The Forgotten Ones Amazon Kindle $2.99
Pauline Creeden Sanctuary Amazon Kindle $0.99 (Currently Reading)
Casey Bond Winter Shadows Amazon Kindle $7.99
Casey Bond Devil Creek REVIEW HERE
Skylar Hamilton Burris The Strange Marriage of Anne de Bourgh Amazon Kindle $2.99
Christina Marie Morales Ambience Amazon Kindle $0.99
Tamar Hela Feast Island Amazon Kindle $2.99
Molly Taggart Off Target Amazon Kindle $2.99
S. G. Daniels The Druid's Doorway Amazon Kindle $3.99
Misty Provencher The Fly House Amazon Kindle $0.99

I'm not gonna ramble on and on here. Grab a cup of something warm to drink (it's still freaking cold out), snuggle up with your computer, and let's get going.

As always, here's a little information about the book being reviewed today:

Title: The Witch Who Cried Wolf (Cry Wolf Book 1)
Author: Sarah Mäkelä
Genre: New Adult Paranormal Romance
Length: About 105 Pages
Links to Purchase: Amazon Kindle $0.99

Synopsis:
Be careful what you wish for…

A potion gone wrong: Mia Brooks is a reluctant witch, with powers that she tries to hold in check. But when her magic gets mixed up, supernatural forces are unleashed and suddenly she’s being pursued by werewolves—that she didn’t even realize existed…

Hidden emotions: Ethan Parker, Mia’s brother’s best friend, is home from deployment for the holidays. Mia’s not only hiding from werewolves, she’s trying to keep her feelings for Ethan secret; it would be a disaster if he knew she’s been nursing a long-time crush…

The power of love: things take a terrifying turn when Mia and Ethan are attacked by a werewolf. Ethan is amazed when Mia reveals her paranormal prowess as she tries to shield them from danger. But can she really protect them from the darkness that lurks? And how can he tell her that, for ages, he’s been denying what he really wants? Mia...

On to the review!

I picked this book up after the author pitched it to me during my 12 Days of Christmas event. I read the sample and the story intrigued me. I had to know more. I'm not a fan of romance novels, but the paranormal aspect of The Witch Who Cried Wolf snagged me. I love dark things, werewolves, and witches so I was willing to overlook that it was labeled a romance. Paranormal aspects really took the front and center stage, with the romance being like a backdrop draped over the whole thing to give it color (think: Twilight). With that said, I have to move on to the meat and potatoes of my review.

From a Reader's Perspective:
This novella was told in first person, alternating viewpoints (Mia and Ethan). I kinda liked that I got to see the whole situation through two peoples' POVs because it showed me how grossly misunderstood many of the situations/remarks were. I liked connecting with the characters in this way. Mia wasn't someone I could get a good handle on, one second she's whimpering in a corner and the next she's fighting with everything she's got. I didn't see enough to really grasp the sudden change in her attitude. I could relate to Ethan and found him to be a good guy on the surface. I would like to see him with more flaws; but perhaps those are unveiled in later books. Oftentimes, the seemingly good guy has some vein of bad boy running through them. I hope to see him come into his own. World building was good for such a short book and I enjoyed discovering the hidden world of the paranormal among us. I could've done without some of the language in the book. It was pretty strong. I wouldn't recommend to those under age 18. Tenses jumped at times, and I found that rather jarring, and it felt like a lot of things were skimmed over or left out (what about Grandma?). There were also a number of sentences that made no sense at all. Which leads me to...

From an Editor's Perspective:
There were a lot of noticeable grammar and structure issues throughout. I mark these on my Kindle as I go, so I'll give you two out of the many I found: Was I thrilled about my relationship as much Greg was? and I set aside the empty beer can aside, then popped open a new one. This novella needs a once over. But, the story was entertaining and something enjoyable to read on a cold and rainy afternoon.

Rating:
+1 Star for giving me an entertaining read
+1 Star for using alternating viewpoints successfully
+1 Star for world building
-1 Star for the tense hopping, and things left out that were mentioned
-1 Star for the need for an editor
Overall: 3 out of 5 stars. Like I said above, it was something fun to while away the time on a cold/rainy afternoon.

Have you read this book? What did you think?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo