Charming by Elliott James

John Charming is a lot of things. First, he's a Charming. Ever wonder why there are so many stories featuring Prince Charming? Because there were many rather than just one. Second, John is a knight. Trained by the Knights Templar and set to uphold the Pax Arcana - an ancient law that keeps magic in check. And finally, John is a werewolf and as such considered by many to be an abomination. This is why he's been exiled from the knights and become one of their targets. So now John lives under the radar, traveling from place to place whenever he thinks he may have been recognized. When a vampire infestation threatens the town he most recently calls home, John gets dragged into the fight.

Charming is fun! I love the concept of the series and John Charming as a character - he's a bit of a smart ass with some interesting issues.

What I love the most, though, is the way James weaves in so many different mythologies. It's actually less apparent here in the series installment than in the previous shorts, but even though the main focus in Charming is on the vampires, James does include mention of a variety of beings other than the bloodsucking fiends. Leaving out Sig of course. The fact that she's a... I'll let you find out what she is when John does. She's super cool, though.

James even adds his own twists to vampire and werewolf lore as well, making what could otherwise be the more mainstream aspects of the book new and refreshing. It'll be interesting to see how this progresses further all things considered. The extras in the back of Charming do include a Q&A with James where he mentions a bit about the follow up to Charming. Sounds like this time around it'll be the werewolves that are the enemies and John may just have to pair up with some of the Templars this time around, too.

Rating: 5/5