Rating: 4.25 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Novel
Leon Alcantara is a bruho, a generational witch and the last of his line. He’s young, brash, cocky, and uses his talents as a finder. It’s his job to recover (or steal) items. Leon’s on what he thinks is an easy job when another finder shows up. While it’s not uncommon for more than one finder to be assigned to a job, he’s never met another one while working. And he’s certainly never met one like Max Drake.
Max blames Leon for the botched job and is determined to recover the bag he was hired to steal. But his path crosses with Leon again and things don’t look any better. The two men are like oil and water, completely different in their outlook and approach, and they can’t help but get under each other’s skin. The attraction is there, of course, but the way they grate against one another doesn’t bode well for anything happening between them.
Except when they realize the best option to get answers is to work together. The more time they spend together, the more that hate turns into affection. And when the sinister motives of the thief are revealed, it’s a race against time if they hope save the day. And perhaps, find a good thing in each other at the same time.
Hex and the City is the first book in a new series by Nazri Noor and the magic system and world building are engaging and fun. Regular people have no idea the supernatural exists, and magic has many disciplines based on both culture and tradition. I really liked how complex the world was, and how the author managed to take an interesting twist with the magic system. Leon and Max are the perfect example, as they are opposites in every way. Not just their personality, with Leon being more laid back and go with the flow and Max rigid in his discipline, but the way they use their magic as well.
This story delves well into the enemies-to lovers-trope. The MCs start out at odds with each other and working against each other. Everything they say seems to get under the other’s skin, and while they both have the same end goal, they have different ideas about how to accomplish that. That’s not to say that the chemistry isn’t sparking from the first meeting, because it certainly is. It’s clear from early on these two will work through their differences and end up in a good place, which is exactly what happens. Their relationship takes time to transition from enemies to lovers, but the lust is always bubbling under the surface. I liked watching their mindsets shift from disdain to affection and protectiveness, and how they learned to work together.
The mystery of the thief’s identity and their goal is only partially resolved at the end of the book, paving way for more in this series. The author did a good job of parceling out information that gave the reader just enough clues without being too revealing. This worked well for the climax of the story, but I was still left a bit unsatisfied when all was said and done, as there are far too many unanswered questions. For me, the ending was a little rushed. And there was a whole plot point in regards to Leon that was left largely unexplored. While this is a series and this is only the beginning, certain aspects felt a little too unfinished for me to be wholly satisfied at the end of the book.
That being said, I think this is a nice start to the series. The world building, in particular, kept me engaged, and I liked the banter between the MCs a great deal. I’m definitely looking forward to what happens next, and to see certain points explored further as the series progresses.
