The Killing Spell

Set in a world where carefully chosen words and phrases can conjure magic, Kauwe’s smart and satisfying urban fantasy debut combines gripping mystery, tantalizing romance, and sharp cultural critique. Clan head Kealaokaleo “Kea” Petrova, 25, lives with her family on the Homestead, an independent Hawaiian community on the Southern California coast, where she makes a living by trading unregulated Hawaiian-language spells on the black market. When she is summoned before the Los Angeles Casters Board, she thinks she’s going to be punished but instead finds that her friend Basilio has called her there as an expert witness to prove his innocence in the recent murder of revolutionary Angelo Reyes, leader of the Tagalog clans. When the Board threatens to “eliminate” the entire Homestead because Angelo was killed with a Hawaiian spell, Kea, furious and desperate, volunteers to solve the murder to save her people and preserve her language. The resulting investigation is a high-octane adventure that brings her near death more than once, all under the suspicious eye of Board member and lead investigator Sora Kaiser. Sora is infuriatingly condescending and cautious, but when the two discover a magical connection, it sparks a sizzling enemies-to-lovers romance. Fascinating linguistic-turned-magical theory, electrifying moments of intimacy, and a thrilling whodunit set this apart from the pack. (Apr.)