May Day

Although uneven in its delivery, Born’s debut novel introduces readers to a fascinating world of ancient magic and sets up a number of intriguing arcs for the proposed series to come. Ari Mason was born with highly destructive magic powers that her heartless mother manipulated ruthlessly. Having fled her coven, Ari is now a bartender and tarot card reader. She’s determined to use her powers to help others, including her ghost companion Remy and her friend Leise, who has just received an unusual bequest. She may even have found love for herself. When a killer with supernatural powers begins targeting Houston’s witches and humans alike, Ari resolves to take action—until she realizes the killer is much closer to her than she ever imagined. The premise of this story is appealing, reminiscent of Adrian Phoenix’s Hoodoo series, but too little meaningful exposition and too much extraneous detail keep this story from exploring anything deeper than the superficial and generally predictable. (BookLife)