Rating: 4⭐️
Both books in this mini series are excellent introductions to the author and Sea Wicche universe, which the majority of the characters are a part of.
At 89 pages, Kelly quickly lays out her intriguing main female character of Orla, an extremely rare Eurasian Eagle Owl Shifter. Shes settled in Monterey, California, after the deaths of her parents, her background and theirs remains unclear except for certain elements.
She’s been raised in relative isolation due to her nature as an owl shifter as well as her needs determined by being autistic. She’s happiest surrounded by her enormous personal and ever growing library that she turned into a bookstore. A old huge Victorianhouse/bookstore, Night Owl Books, open only from 8pm to 6am, that rarely sells any books or sees any customers, but allows Orla plenty of time to read or fly around all the territory she owns around the house.
Orla is fascinating, and on target as shifter where the author has done an excellent job in incorporating the physical and natural history species details into the character. She’s throughly believable in her role as both a woman happily withdrawn from the world and an owl soaring through her territory.
The invasion into her home by outsiders is both realistic and shocking in its own right. Upsetting her carefully constructed calm existence in multiple ways.
I would like to have had more pages to explore the storyline , the actual villain’s identity, and all the new characters, who are actually crossovers with the other series.
The side characters, small portraits of a few wonderful people who are returning customers of Orla’s and her relationship with them, that’s a dynamic I’d love to see more of.
Overall, charming, interesting and over way too soon.
Interconnected series:
Beginning with:
Sea Wicche (5 book series)
A Story in the World of the Sea Wicche (2 book series)
Night Owl Books #1
Night Owl Bridge #2
Buy link
Night Owl Books (A Story in the World of the Sea Wicche Book 1)
Blurb
Orla is an owl shifter, so her bookstore Night Owl Books is only open from 8pm to 6am. She gets very few customers—other than a couple of insomniacs—and that’s the way she likes it. Customers tend to interrupt her reading. All of that changes one night when a terrified woman runs into the bookstore, followed by two bear shifters, a werewolf, and a psychic wicche. Poor Orla’s night is about to be far less quiet.
Publisher
NYLA
Publication date
March 4, 2025
Language
English
Print length
89 pages
Book 1 of 2
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 