Pricked by Scott Mooney
Publisher: Bleeding Ink Publishing
Pricked starts out by introducing us to the main character Briar Pryce. She seems like a normal human at first but she’s not. She lives in a magical part of New York City called the Poisoned Apple and she has magical powers.
Briar’s powers are pretty unique. I haven’t come across them just yet in a fantasy book. She’s able to manipulate other people’s emotions by using flowers, and roses are her flowers of choice. The roses even change colour based on the emotions Briar pours into them.
The magical powers attract the attention of the Elite. They hire Briar to find the human boyfriend of an Elite’s daughter. While she is thrown into the world of Elite intrigues, she has to find the boyfriend in time before he gets killed. Or before a war destroys the human world in New York City.
Missing Back Story
The author seemed to have had a back story in his head already, which was rather apparent when I started reading. The author seems to know things about the backdrop of Briar, her friends and the Poisoned Apple. Unfortunately the reader doesn’t yet. So as this is the first (or only?) book, this is where the story has to be created and set. I felt like I was missing some pieces of the puzzle. Why does she think the spell that transformed her best friend into a cat was meant for her? What could she have done prior to this story taking place to “deserve” that? Some things get cleared up along the way but for me it felt like I had to assume certain things to make it all fit.
I will say, as a whole, the key words for me that came up while reading where “happy” “upbeat” and even a bit witty at times. Maybe even a bit too witty as some jokes really need a bit of “know how”of the real world.
What I also really liked was the backdrop of New York City. There is this almost other dimensional magical world that exists in the same spot as one of the most famous cities in the world.
A Little More Depth
Overall it’s not a bad story, I just think it still needs a little work. The time span seems to be a few days. Which doesn’t really give it enough time to flow and develop and to really create the characters. I know who are in the book and sort of who they are in relation to Briar but I don’t really get to know them.
It would have been nice to have a little more character development throughout. It’s done with 1 or 2 characters and the rest of them are just “there”. It all lacked a little depth for me.
If you like a light summer read with a relatively simple story and some good jokes and a happy vibe, this might be your book.
Rating: 3/5
With that rating set, I have to say it came to a 3/5 because I don’t do half stars. It felt worthy of more than a 2 star but 3 is stretching it a little. So the benefit of the doubt applies here.
Pricked is available from August 13, 2019
Disclaimer: I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley and Bleeding Ink Publishing in exchange for my honest and unbiased review. All opinions are my own.
