Name: Lizzie Grace series by Keri Arthur
Publisher: Independent
Rating: 3.5 (I’m on the 5th book in a 12 books series so this is subject to change)
A series gets one book (and sometimes not even the entire book) to hook me. There have been instances where I really wanted to like a series, or it came highly recommended, so I pushed it to two books before throwing in the towel. As stated above I’m about a third into the series which means it’s held my attention enough that I have continued into book five. So… let’s get into it with Lizzie Grace series.
I am enjoying stepping into the world Keri Arthur created with the Lizzie Grace series. The main characters, while they have their quirks are likeable enough (mostly). Their decisions feel like they drive the plot instead of the other way around which is a pitfall (and pet peeve) that I have read in some urban fantasy novels. Now, that’s not to say questionable decisions aren’t made (where’s the fun in that) but when it happens, it’s not out of character and/or not out of reason for the character.
There be spoilers ahead!!
What got the rating to 3.5:
It takes place in Australia. It gives it that difference of standing out among other urban fantasy (mine included) that takes place in the United States. When reading I get to travel to the land down under and hear the characters speaking in Australian accents. I get to read snippets of description about things I’ve seen in documentaries, movies, or nature shows.
The world building is inspiring. While the different acronyms are a bit jarring at first and the witch college feels a bit Hogwart-ish with the different years, I can tell the author put a lot of thought and care into constructing her world. She walks the line between giving the reader enough to understand how things work in the world she’s created, while not overburdening with unnecessary exposition. I’m a visual reader, through Arthur’s descriptions I can truly picture Castle Rock and the surrounding territories, as well as envision her characters navigating though it which leads me to the next pro…
Character growth/building. Athur has a multitude of characters and most, at least the main characters come with their own personalities (more on that later). From book 1 to book 5 I have watched the main characters grow, some more than others which is the nature of the first person POV. I’ve gotten to know the characters and come to root either for them or against them, depending on where the fall in the lineup.
Plotlines, stories are captivating. In each of the novels, Arthur has created interesting plots that interweave with different aspects of the stories in any given book, in addition to a meta plot that has thus far spanned all five books. In book four, the meta plotline was revealed (more to come on that) but of course, just because we know what’s coming, doesn’t mean we know when it’ll get here or how things will unfold. The per book plots are entertaining and allow for character development and relationship development.
Uniqueness. Yes, there are aspects that reminded me of Hogwarts, but in fairness that’s like saying stories about vampires are Stoker-esque. Lizzie and Belle her human witch familiar live on a werewolf reservation. Yes, a werewolf reservation. Now of course, being from the States, the first place my mind goes is Indigenous people reservations. There are similarities in the form of the government taking a land that was owned by one pack and spiting it up amongst the original pack and two others. There’s also the aspect in the reservation is self-policed but if humans are killed the government sends in their own agents. It’s not completely clear if the werewolves are forced to live there or chose to, mainly because the werewolves the reader meets are living there by choice… and there are werewolf exchange programs. Yeah, it’s a whole thing and makes the world that much more vibrant. There’s also Belle who is a rare familiar that is also a witch and also is a spirit talker. Her superpower is helping ghost transition to their next life. There’s a lot of care put into the witch aspect, from spell stones to protection circles. It’s obvious Arthur has put depth and thought into how the witch world, runs.
Quick reads. Because of the pace and entertainment factor, it doesn’t feel like I’m reading a 300+ page novel. It’s so captivating I managed to get through two books in one week. It helped that I had a couple of days off that gave me some extra time to devote to reading, but it also speaks to the book that I wanted to make time to read which included popping the book open while waiting in line in the grocery store.
​
Why the rating isn’t higher than 3.5
Repetitiveness. In book 2, the word untoward was used twenty times if it was used once. It appeared in every chapter and some chapters multiple times, to the point where it reached eyerolling levels. Let’s put it this way, if I took a shot every time a character said untoward, or Lizzie thought it, I’d be dead from alcohol poisoning. By book 3 the use of untoward had relaxed some, but was joined by the phrase former / latter and how do you want to play this. Add to this it wasn’t just one character saying the phrase but multiple characters saying them, which leads to the second con…
Hive mind. It’s a good rule of thumbs to give different characters different ticks, or habits or things they say, so when Arthur has three characters use the say phrases, “how do you want to play this” or former / latter, other than making it monotonous and repetitive, it makes it hard to distinguish the characters’ voices from each other. Unfortunately, these were not side characters but main and supporting characters saying the same thing.
Being purposefully obtuse with information, drawing plots out unnecessarily. This came in two forms. The first is the meta plot that exposes why Lizzie and Belle are on the run. Lizzie and Belle both know but no one else does. It’s hinted at in book 1 and 2, hinted at a bit harder in book 3 and finally revealed in book 4. The problem is since all the books are in Lizzie’s POV, it feels like Arthur made a conscious choice to use it as a device to keep the reader coming back from more, rather than a slow reveal as the character is discovering the information (which isn’t necessary as her stories are compelling enough). The second of this comes in the form of the Wild Magic. In books 1 and 2 it’s hinted, then stated the wild magic behaves differently around Lizzie. By book 3 it’s revealed Lizzie’s mother was possessed or inhabited by wild magic when she was pregnant with Lizzie, yet Lizzie and Belle spend the rest of book 3 & 4 lamenting on not understanding why the wild magic is so different with her. It’s not until book 5 Lizzie wonders if her connection to the wild magic has something to do with being in her mother’s womb during aforementioned possession. Um… DUH!!! It feels like Lizzie who is a smart cookie, is being made intentionally daft to drag this out when it’s not necessary.
Bigot to lovers storyline. Lizzie and Aiden’s first meeting isn’t just rough it’s infuriating. Aiden accuses her of being a witch (and not in a good way), flagrantly tells her he hates witches, and proceeds to treat her with all the disdain of a bigot being forced to interact with someone from the group that he hates. Now he does literally save her life without thought (she returns the favor) and we do find out his hate steams form thinking that a witch killed his sister, but I’m sorry, that justifies your prejudice for an entire branch of people how? I have no doubt my exposure to bigotry as a Black woman has me seeing things differently, I have a hard time seeing Aiden as anything other than an asshole at worst, a jerk at best and I can’t for the life of me understand how Lizzie is in lust with him from the start when his feelings are so blatantly on display.
Foreshadowing with a baseball bat. Lastly there’s a known fact in this universe that werewolves for the most part, while they date anything with a pulse, only commit to and marry other werewolves. So of course when Lizzie gets involved with Aiden, the end of her relationship is a foregone conclusion. It’s foreshadowed when Belle’s paramour, Zak breaks up with her to pursue a potential relationship with a werewolf that goes nowhere fast and leaves Zak with breakup remorse and Belle saying “you made your choice, no take backs” (which I love about her). It’s foreshadowed that a Lizzie / Aiden break up will happen when Aiden asks Lizzie if she would also call no take backs to which she says yes. You know when else it’s foreshadowed? All the time. At least once a day Lizzie is reminding Aiden she knows they are only temporary because he’ll marry a wolf. And when she’s not reminding him, she’s reminding herself as to why she shouldn’t fall in love with him. Enough. I get it. They’ll break up. Can it happen now? Because I think Lizzie can do better than being in a relationship with someone who hated her for what she is.
Overall: I think Arthur spends more time than necessary recapping her previous books. As a series writer, I get the need to make sure someone picking up book 5 knows what’s going on, however, at the same time, if that’s where a reader chooses to begin their journey, they’ve accepted the risk of being unclear on some things. I also feel Arthur needs to be careful at having Lizzie always save the day by using wild magic, especially since she’s always saying she’s an underpowered witch. Someone else saving the day doesn’t make Lizzie less than. That said, I’m still enjoying the reading of these stories. In books 2 – 5 Arthur juggles two main plots and the meta plot, with both story plots ending by the last page in a mostly satisfying manner. I love that in book 1 it was Lizzie and Belle against the world, and now in book 5 they have an entire community. The relationships between the characters (Lizzie and Aiden excluded), particularly Belle and Lizzie are so fun to read, and the friendship between these women is endearing. Each leans on the other and takes care of the other, it’s sisterhood at its finest.