Review: Deadly Rising by Jeri Westerson (Booke of the Hidden #2)

Deadly Rising (Booke of the Hidden #2)
Jeri Westerson
Published: Oct. 23, 2018 (Everafter Platinum)
Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon
Review source: copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review

Reviewed by: Amy

Rating (out of 5): 3.5 stars

Note: While this review will be spoiler free it will reference events from the first book, Booke of the Hidden.

After discovering an ancient magical Booke bricked up within the walls of her tea shop, Kylie Strange becomes what is known as the Chosen Host. Meaning, when said book decides to spit out evil creatures to wreak havoc on the small town of Moody Bog, Maine, Kylie is responsible for tracking them down and sending them back to wherever it was they originally came from.

After just banishing a succubus with the help of the brooding and handsome Erasmus Dark–a demon tied to the Booke—Kylie is ready for a little respite and to focus her attention on her newly opened shop. Unfortunately, when people start going missing Kylie knows that another creature has probably been let loose again. As Halloween is quickly approaching and with the Booke acting more erratic than usual, Kylie is faced with the issue of having to contend with two unknown creatures this time around.

Deadly Rising very clearly picks up right where the first book left off. Having not read the first book, I had absolutely no problems jumping right into Kylie’s story. Jeri Westerson has done probably the best job in making the story very accessible to new readers without any info dumps, while successfully moving the story forward for those who have read the first book.

I think this is because Deadly Rising has such a familiar feeling about it. From the small town, to the mystery surrounding the Booke and Kylie’s own family, to the love triangle between Kylie, the town sheriff, and the demon who watches over the Booke. These elements were comfortable and, dare I say welcoming. I almost felt like I was going back to early Sookie Stackhouse or Mercy Thompson.

The downside to this was the fact that there were so many elements to contend with within this story. Besides the creatures of the Booke, there’s the Booke itself and the full extent of Erasmus’s tie to the Booke. Plus, there’s a motorcycle gang coven who is up to nefarious purposes, and the fact that not everyone in the small-town is privy to its magical secrets. Not everything is figured out by the end, what’s left over will obviously transition readers to book three, and it’s all promising. There were quite a few elements that seemed a bit too coincidental for my tastes, such as the issue with the creatures released by the book. It was just a bit too overshadowed by everything else.

Overall, though, I liked the complex characters and the small-town setting of Deadly Rising. With the way things ended, it doesn’t look like Kylie’s going to be getting any rest for quite some time.

Sexual content: Sex