The Dowser Series

This is a review of just the first two books in this 9 book series. But so far I am impressed and sucked into it just enough that I will probably continue with it at some point. I did listen to the audiobooks for these two, but I don’t think I will continue with those. The narrator, Caitlin Davies, just doesn’t work for me. I’m not sure I can articulate why she doesn’t, but there is just something that doesn’t work for me. I will probably continue the series with either ebooks or physical copies depending on what I can get my hands on when I am ready to continue.

• 

• 

Confession:

I totally picked up the first book in this series on a whim. I was looking for something to listen to that sounded fun and light and this seemed to fit the bill. My issues with the narrator aside, I was immediately drawn into this story that while not being as light as I hoped, was certainly entertaining and fun.

“I was going to have to take each step forward in ignorance. But then, perhaps I always had. Perhaps any sense of control had been false, or based on a false understanding.”
― Meghan Ciana Doidge, Cupcakes, Trinkets, and Other Deadly Magic

Jade, the main character and so far sole narrator of the story, is a great character. She loves to bake and owns a cupcake shop in Vancouver, B.C. She is a half witch, and a dowser, which means she can sense magic in others and objects. I love how she describes other people’s magic, she smells it as different types of food and spices. When we first meet Jade, she is pretty clueless and hapless when it comes to other magic users, and she doesn’t see herself as being all that powerful. But over the course of the two books, she does come into her power and has a crash course in all of the other powerful beings that are now surrounding her. She also creates these trinkets, that are imbued with magic, both her own and from the found objects that she uses to create them. Jade has a lot of faults, but I am totally into following her and her cohorts to the hopefully very sweet ending.

There are lots of other characters that help and hinder Jade in these two books, but Candy, Desmond and Kett end up being the favorites. Candy is a young werewolf with green hair and a great personality. She is just as much into getting into mischief as Jade is, so they make a good team. Desmond is a shapeshifter who changes into a mountain lion, but he is the alpha of the Pacific Coast wolf pack. Not sure how that happened or works, but I love his alpha swagger. Kett is a vampire, that likes to solve problems, and Jade’s parentage is something he wants to solve. I really like how he keeps his distance from Jade but still can be there when she needs him.

“I might be able to walk away from sexy, dangerous shifters, but chocolate had me at its beck and call.”
― Meghan Ciana Doidge, Trinkets, Treasures, and Other Bloody Magic

The story in these first two books is nicely paced with lots of action. There is, of course, an evil magic user, with the first book being a mystery of sorts, trying to figure out who it is. The second book continues this story line as well. I loved the urban settings of Vancouver and Portland and can’t wait to see where Jade goes next. The second book ended with a little bit of a cliffhanger, which is making me itch a bit to get to the third book soon. There is a bit of romance between Jade and Desmond that got a bit steamy in the second book, but not sure that is going to go anywhere yet.

If you are looking for a nicely done urban fantasy with lots of diverse supernatural creatures then this is one you might want to give a try. So far the story is a solid urban fantasy, that will make you smile, especially when Jade makes cupcakes. You just might want to eat a cupcake while reading.