Wickedly Spirited

It was short but enjoyable. A new baba in the making

I really enjoy this series. This is kind of like "a day in the life of..." story. It also is a good warning about why magic is dangerous. Unintended consequences are bad i enough in regular life without the complications of magic. Again I enjoy Deborah Blake's prose and humor in these stories.

My Thoughts - 4 out of 5 Unicorns - I really liked it!!! ***I choose what I read and review based on what intrigues me!! Yes, I got a review copy of this book, but no one tells me what to think, feel, or write about any book! I bought my own e-copy as well as the rest of the series in paperback. The cover is intriguing and magical! And guess what, it is what attracted my attention to the book! This is my first time reading anything by Deborah Blake, and I definitely liked it! This is a novella in the Baba Yaga series, and I’m guessing this falls after book 3 due to its number. I read this book with no prior knowledge, and I’m guessing I would have loved this book more if I read the books in order. I think it would have made it more together than just this book. I believe it so much that I have ordered the series to read as well as the Riders books too. I really like Jazz and her spirit. Kids will always pull at my heart especially Jazz’s story. I love that Bella has taken her in and made her part of her family. Jazz takes family serious, and she feels compelled to do something to help the Riders even though others have said it isn’t possible. Things happen, but I refuse to ruin the story for you. You must read it to find out. I love this world that Deborah has created, and I want to visit and learn more about it, the Baba Yagas, magic, Otherworld, dragons, and the Riders. I love the emotions and attitudes that she writes into her characters. I can’t wait to read more! I recommend to paranormal fans who love magic, witches, spell trouble, and dragon-cats!

A quick, fun read that I thoroughly enjoyed. “You might even say their bark is as bad as their bite.” Wickedly Spirited by Deborah Blake is a fun little bridge-of-sorts between the author’s Baba Yaga series and her Riders’ series. It’s a quick, fun read that I thoroughly enjoyed. Jazz, a powerful magically-talented teen who was first introduced in Wickedly Powerful and who is apprenticing to Baba Yaga Bella, takes center stage as she covertly takes on the task of restoring immortality to the Riders - a task that other Baba Yagas consider impossible. Along the way, we learn much more about Jazz’s past, revisit the enchanting Otherworld and catch up with some previous favorite characters. There’s even a surprising twist at the end which will influence future books. Here’s a delightful excerpt pulled from Jazz’s adventure in the Otherworld: “My name is Koshka, and this Human person is Jazz. She is the protégé of the Baba Yaga Bella, and I am Bella’s Chudo-Yudo.” “Oh,” said the Dwarf, and doffed his hat, briefly revealing a shiny bald spot before putting it back on again. “Why didn’t you say so?” He scowled. “I thought you were door-to-door salesmen.” “Do you get a lot of that in the Otherworld?” Jazz asked, genuinely interested in the answer. Somehow she hadn’t imagined that would be a problem here. Smythe shook his head. “Not yet. But I’ve heard all about them, and I expect they’ll turn up any day.” I’m going to stop here so as not to spoil the story – just know that it’s not to be missed. I can’t wait to see what Jazz gets into next! My full review is published at Reading Between the Wines Book Club. Please check it out there!

Jazz desperately wants to help the Riders regain their stolen immortality, but as a trainee Baba Yaga, she would never be taken seriously...unless a certain Chudo-Yudo lends a hand. This short story gave some insight into the character of Jazz, the orphan teenager that was adopted by Bella and Sam. I loved her interactions with the magical creatures and found her reasons for this quest to be very endearing.

Wickedly Spirited by Deborah Blake is a novella in her Baba Yaga series. Blake has another series, Broken Riders, that is a spinoff of her Baba Yaga series. Broken Riders are warrior men who protected the Baba Yaga witches, until a powerful crazed witch took away their immortality, emotionally breaking them. In Wickedly Spirited, Jazz, a teenage Baba Yaga in training is determined to find a way to help return the Broken Riders to the way they were. Jazz lives with Bella, the Baba Yaga who is her mentor and training her. Bella knows that Jazz has a lot of magical power, but tries to hold her back until she learns everything there is to know about using potions and spells. Jazz is tired of being treated like a kid, which she is, and decides secretly to come up with her own potion. This being a novella makes it difficult to tell too much more, as it would be major spoilers. What follows Is a fun storyline, where Jazz will visit the Otherworld, with Koshka, (a cat -really a dragon) to get what she needs to create this new potion. She is determined to do what she feels is right, even if all the Baba Yago witches have failed. Jazz is an overconfident teenager, who will not listen to warnings until she performs the spell she created, with an unexpected outcome, which will certainly teach her a lesson. Do you want to know what happens…..you need to read this cute quick story. Deborah Blake gives us a fun fast read to lead the way to the next book in either Baba Yaga or Broken Riders series. I really did enjoy Wickedly Spirited, as it was a nice quick fun read.