The Little Crow by Caitlin Ricci

  Cover – Gorgeous!

 POV – 3rd person, dual POV

 Would I read it again – Yes!

 Genre – LGBT, Detective, Paranormal, Fantasy

 ** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **

 Wow! I loved this one. From the world building to the characterisation, there wasn't anything I didn't like about it.

 The story is told in dual POV, but in a way that means each character gets a solid 4-5 chapters of POV before switching, which is great. It means that the other character can continue doing the same routine, without us having to read about it in detail, while we head off with the more interesting storyline of the moment. It does, however, mean that we don't get Mal's first POV until Chapter 15, but the reason for that is just as vital to the story as the dual POV. It takes that long for us to learn the truth of who he is and what his part in the story is.

 There's a lot of “bad” or “evil” stuff covered in the story, but only in passing and never in any real detail: cannibalism, illegal drugs, occult, hit and run, coma, drowning, suicide, torture etc. All of these things are included because – hello, Demons! – but also because they're necessary plot progressions, as well as explorations of the type of crimes that Detective Jamison investigates.

 I was pulled right into the story from page one, when Jamison began any other raid by finding Mal as a prisoner, held hostage by a bunch of occultists. It was a great way to introduce us to both characters, and I loved the weirdness that Mal exhibited through Jamison's POV. Though it was obvious that something else was going on, it was nice not to have it thrown in our faces right away. Jamison had a very no-nonsense attitude, always the dedicated cop, so it was nice to follow that for a while, before dipping into the more naughyy, malevolent attitude of Mal.

 When it comes to the characters, I loved them all! Mal is naughty, feisty and sometimes so utterly adorable. Jamison is sweet and proper at first, then a little vengeful, unforgiving and stubborn later on (with good reason). Carter is naive, but innocent and lovely. Jamison's mum is just amazing. I love her to pieces. I loved the chemistry between Mal and Jamison, the friendship between Carter and Jamison, the awkward friend-zone part of their friendship, and the way that Mal and Carter argued and had a nicely matched resistance towards each other. Most of all, I loved the bond that Mal had with Jamison's mother. It was just beautiful and it was perfectly explored with the cookies incident.

 I really liked that we spent an almost equal amount of time in Earth and Hell, getting to see Mal in both environments, while Jamison explored his reality as well as his dreams. It was a nice twist to the whole idea, actually seeing Mal in action, while also seeing that he wasn't quite the top dog, despite what he'd want anyone to think.

 The ending was really cute, but I really appreciated the little blurb and snippet of book 2 at the end, letting me know that my unanswered question of Carter's shadow was going to be answered. I would have liked a confrontation about Jamison finding out the truth about all Mal had done for him, in terms of the dream and the cat-o-nine, but at the same time I kind of love that he learns to appreciate Mal despite that knowledge. Because I think Mal would always wonder if pity or gratitude was the real reason for his change of heart, instead of genuinely wanting it.

 So, pretty much the perfect ending. I can't wait to get stuck into book 2.

 ~

Favourite Quotes

 “Freed, the man rose to his feet, and Jamison found his nose only inches from the tattoo of a crow that flew against the man’s navel. Though his mouth was dry, he swallowed thickly as he followed the trail of the intricate tattoo until the bird’s tail feathers disappeared under the waist of the man’s jeans.”

 ““That’s it?” Mal asked as he pulled back. “That’s not a kiss. That’s a peck. You’d give some idiot dying on the sidewalk more than that if he needed CPR. Not good enough, Jamison. Not at all. I demand more.””

 ““Getting back to before you were hit…” Mal said, trying to move Jamison away from thoughts of Carter. Please don’t think about him, Mal wanted to say. I’m here, I’m yours. Notice me. But he didn’t. Those thoughts sounded weak, and Mal wasn’t weak. He’d make Jamison want him more than Carter without exposing himself in the process. Weakness was for humans and the lowest imps, not for demons like Mal.”

 “Mal had nearly cried as he’d stood in the shower, the hot water spraying over his chest and arms as he watched his blood mix with Jamison’s at his feet.”