Hexed by Michael Alen Nelson Review: My Kind of YA Urban Fantasy

July 27, 2015 by Jeann @ Happy Indulgence | 4 stars, Books, Reviews

Hexed by Michael Alen Nelson Review: My Kind of YA Urban FantasyHexed by Michael Alan Nelson
Series: Hexed #1
Published by Pyr on May 5, 2015
Source: Publisher
Genres: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal
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THE FIRST NOVEL BASED ON THE HEXED COMIC! Luci Jenifer Inacio das Neves, Lucifer for short, isn't your typical teenaged girl. She's a thief who survives by stealing bad things from bad people in the magical and mystical underworld hidden beneath our own. So when a policeman's daughter, Gina, is kidnapped by a force he can't explain, Lucifer is the only one who has a chance at getting his daughter back.

With the unsolicited help of Gina's friends, including Gina's boyfriend David, Lucifer's investigation leads to the unfortunate truth of the kidnapping. Gina was taken to an otherworldly dimension by a creature of unspeakable evil: one of the Seven Sisters of Witchdown. Against all odds, Lucifer must use every magical tool hidden in her trick bag to steal her way into the Shade and bring Gina back before the Sister sacrifices her for her own dark ends. But the closer Lucifer gets to Gina, the closer she gets to David. And David to her. Lucifer must risk her life by confronting demons, witches, and the cruel demigoddess controlling her destiny - all to save the one girl who stands in the way of Lucifer finally finding love.

I’m a big fan of the urban fantasy genre with it’s kick ass heroines, nonstop action and supernatural elements, and Hexed is a YA urban fantasy that did not disappoint! Hexed features a thief with a mission – to recover a missing girl kidnapped by supernatural forces.

Not to be mistaken with the devil, Lucifer is a smart, resourceful and kick ass heroine who steals magical artifacts from bad people. I was really impressed with her – she’s smart enough to con people but also kick ass enough to hold on her own against all sorts of baddies, from witches, demons, witch hounds, security systems and hexes. Lucifer is like a gateway to this magical world that people don’t know existed, and she handles it with confidence and flair.

“The final ritual to becoming a witch is the worst. It’s…unthinkable. To truly become a witch, you have to make a sacrifice. A sacrifice “born of one’s own flesh.””. – Lucifer 

While Lucifer sounds pretty intimidating, she’s actually the opposite – she cares enough about people to help them and emphasise with them BUT she doesn’t care enough to conform and blend in. The thing about Lucifer is that she’s tough and has grit, she’ll do whatever it takes to help a human out of a bad situation, even if it means putting herself in danger.

Hexed is fast-paced and filled with action, with Lucifer constantly progressing through her investigation while encountering demons and enlisting help along the way. She makes quick allies out of Buck, the cop who wants her to save his daughter Gina, and David, Gina’s concerned boyfriend. While the two become close, the romance never becomes overpowering or takes over the plot which I really liked. She also never forgot that David had a girlfriend (a key point of contention I have for YA romances!).

“If you wish to know the secret of traveling to Witchdown, you will give me your emotions. All of your emotions. You will give me your capacity for love, hate, sadness, joy, empathy, sympathy, pathos of every stripe. I will turn you into a husk devoid of any and all feelings. A homunculus incapable of experiencing anything endemic to the human condition. That is the price of this secret. – The Harlot

My favourite part of the story were the supernatural elements, which were blended really well with the overall plot. With demon possessions, a demigoddess who is also a Keeper of Secrets, the Seven evil witches who use their own children as sacrifices, and magical mirrors and artifacts, I was really drawn into the authenticity of the story.

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Hexed is a fantastic urban fantasy read with a smart, resourceful heroine, great magical elements and a thrilling, action-filled plot. I enjoyed every moment of it and hope to see more YA urban fantasies that will follow suit!

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 

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Thank you to Pyr for sending me a review copy from overseas! 

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Jeann is an Aussie YA blogger and mum who loves to read and recommend books! You can usually find me fangirling about books on my various social media channels including Tiktok@happyindulgence, Instagram and Youtube.

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43 responses to “Hexed by Michael Alen Nelson Review: My Kind of YA Urban Fantasy

  1. danielleisbusyreading

    Thanks for the rec, Jeann! I had never heard of this book before. It sounds like a lot of fun. I don't like that the love interest already has a girlfriend, but at least that's a fact not forgotten by the MC (I hate that too).
    Great review!

    • No problems Danielle! I\’m so glad I found out about this book, it\’s a US only one at the moment. Glad to hear it\’s not just me!

  2. aentee @ read at midnight

    I love Urban Fantasy, it's so tough to find one I like in the YA genre but omg I need this book. The heroine sounds exactly like my type of girl, and the supernatural elements sounds deliciously intense! Thanks for writing the review 😀
    My recent post Book Review: Spark

  3. Faye M.

    Oh, man, this sounds absolutely amazing! I added it to my TBR 😉 It's so hard to find good urban fantasies in YA these days. Most of the ones I've read and loved are adult ones, and I've kinda given up on a good YA counterpart at this point, until I got to your review. I just love the sound of Lucifer! Thankfully, this book is already out so I can get to it ASAP 😉
    My recent post Review: Ruthless by Carolyn Lee Adams – Woods + Psycho on the loose = TERROR

  4. Oooo! I really like the sound of this! It looks like it has a bit of a Buffy vibe to it, and I need more Buffy in my life after finishing the series earlier this month (*crying*). I love kickass heroines who can take care of themselves, and I love that they're growing in numbers (at least a little) in the YA genre. We definitely need to see girls who can stand up for themselves, and hold their own, and Lucifer sounds like she fits the bill perfectly!

    I'm super glad you enjoyed this one, Jeann, and I'll be keeping an eye out for it 😀
    My recent post Review: Ensnared by A.G. Howard

  5. keionda

    Ohhhh that is such a high rating! 🙂 I definitely have to try this book out. The name of the heroine kind of threw me for a loop. I was confused for a second until I read it again and her name was indeed what I thought it was! Teehee I'm usually not an action girl but I'll watch a movie with action in it ironically. I'm glad you liked this one Jeann!:)

  6. I'm only now getting back into UF and I'm looving the genre. I'm going to look more into this one because it sounds fantastic! And a YA UF at that!! That sounds pretty amazing.
    The MC seems really great too and I'm intrigued by all the paranormal elements.
    Thanks for putting this to my attention, Jeann!
    Lovely review! 🙂
    My recent post Review : Him by Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy

    • I love UF so much, it's a shame there aren't many YA ones (or good YA ones). No problems Nick! The paranormal elements were great 🙂

  7. Ooooh this is a first when I have seen a girl as a heroine with this name and I love that she's a great character with a side of bad-assery but also with a touch of humanity. Plus points for the romance and not forgetting the girlfriend part 🙂 Sounds like this was a great one and I seriously hope the sequel will be just a satisfying for you, love!
    My recent post Review: PS I Still Love You by Jenny Han

  8. booksbonesbuffy

    You already know I love this book! And it's a series, yay! I also love the part about the stuff animals;-) Awesome review, thanks for sharing your thoughts!

  9. I'm a massive fan of well written urban fantasy too, and this sounds incredible! I mainly read dystopians for their strong female heroines, but it's about time we started seeing more kick ass book chicks in other genres too. Lucifer sounds like a brilliant character, tough as boots but with a humanity in her that makes her likable as well. Sign me up Jeann, this sounds totally my thing. Brilliant review! <3
    My recent post The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness

    • Yesss I totally agree, that's what I miss about the paranormal genre in YA. I'm a keen lover of urban fantasy but it's mostly adult, so I really loved this one! Lucifer is a great character 🙂 Thank you!

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