Review: Talk Supe Reviews: Can't Wait For More!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 22, 2014
A world filled with telekinetics who can skim your memories or hurl you with a blink of an eye with angels as guardians set in the mystical state of Louisiana. That's the kind of world AJ Larrieu created in TWISTED MIRACLES, book 1 of her debut series, The Shadowminds. You can tell that Ms. Larrieu is a devoted urban fantasy reader because she hit all the marks in TWISTED MIRACLES. You have a heroine who's on the brink of honing a unique and impressive powers, a series of murders committed by a mystery man draining powers from his victims, and a love story that's a bit angsty but sincere. I suggest you read the excerpt so you can get a clear snapshot of what TWISTED MIRACLES' plot is about.The world building isn't that complicated, AJ Larrieu didn't go hardcore on the myth, she just gave bits and pieces here and there, enough to loosely establish what we're dealing with. I'm not sure if we're going to meet the usual creatures, weres and vamps, so far there's a LOT of  people with varying mind powers and Guardian Angels, wings and all, serving as consultants/keepers. I would like to know more about these angels because they're not very angelic, cunning is the best adjective, I think, to describe these winged creatures. If one is to compare, these guardians are more like Nephilims than Angels.I didn't really connect much with Cass Weatherfield but it sure was fun watching her grow into her powers and sort out her relationship with her ex-boyfriend, Shane Tanner. I love the build-up of Cass' character side by side with the mystery. The level of confusion and putting the puzzles together are layered in the story, one in terms of Cass adjusting to her powers and personal relationships and the other in solving the murder mysteries. My least favorite part of the book is Cass' training, albeit necessary to see, because it was very Karate Kid. The telekinesis and mindspeak is something I still have to get acclimated to, it felt both personal and not intimate at the same time. Nitpicking? Probably. Shane Tanner, I don't really have a clear grasp on his character yet aside from he's madly in love with Cass and would do anything for her. Together they make a great team though and I'm sure there are more fabtastic adventures ahead of them.That said, I think AJ Larrieu perfectly positioned her characters and the plot right in the middle. TWISTED MIRACLES (for me) may not have been a super duper awesome series intro BUT I believe this is good because the way things developed and ended, The Shadowminds is headed north, which is a good thing. No pressure to outdo the previous, perfect place for more build-up. Bigger things are about to happen and like I said, Cass is in the perfect place to shoot up and grow into a very strong heroine now that she knows what she is and has the tools to hone her skills. I guess you can say TWISTED MIRACLES is a teaser of some sort, it just has the right amount of flavor to get you to read the next one. And I'm looking forward to the next bite!