Wake the Dead (The Journals of Octavia Hollows Book 1) by Stacey Rourke

source: free copy courtesy of Caffeinated PR Services / Twitter
title: Wake the Dead (The Journals of Octavia Hollows Book 1) Audio Book
author: Stacey Rourke
published: Anchor Group Publishing (February 28, 2019)
genre: fantasy/paranormal/new adult paranormal
rated: 4 out of 5 stars

blurb:
With a touch of her hand, Octavia Hollows can restore life. Yet, she couldn’t save the man she loved from the horrific accident that stole him from her. Octavia thought she could outrun the pain, but ghosts from the past refuse to be silenced. Out of options, she chooses to retrace her wayward journey across the country in search of answers. Surrounded by baffling mysteries of the undead, what she learns about herself along the way might become her greatest weapon.

Seattle, Washington: Land of cloudy skies and a great cup of coffee.

Octavia blew into town in search of information, only to get swirled up in a paranormal predicament even she couldn’t fathom. A neonatal nurse is dead, and her young patient is aging at an alarming rate.

Can Octavia unlock the secrets to this confusing curse before time runs out?

If you like snarky humor, fantastical monsters, and farm-animal sidekicks, The Journals of Octavia Hollows are the paranormal cozy mystery novellas you’ve been waiting for!

my thoughts:
Wake the Dead (The Journals of Octavia Hollows Book 1) is book 1 of 6 in the The Journals of Octavia Hollows series.

This installment centers on Octavia Hollows who is a witch and a necromancer who can bring back the dead. Octavia has had a rough past with her gift and she has been given a hard time by her coven because her talent borders on dark magic.
Two parents reach out to Octavia for help. Their young son is aging rapidly and his brother is aging in reverse, becoming younger. Also in the mix is neonatal nurse Nikki who may be able to help the brothers with some answers but who is recently deceased.  Octavia is always with her sidekick, a little pig named Bacon who she worked her powers on to save from the slaughterhouse.

This was a fun mix of the paranormal and humor with a dash of mystery and I really enjoyed the story. I liked Octavia right away. She is torn because of her gift and the way she used it in the past. She’s sarcastic and snarky and between her and Nikki, they had me laughing out loud more than once. I love a pet sidekick and Bacon was too cute. I would definitely continue with this series and see where Octavia goes next. The ending wrapped everything up nicely and Octavia continues on her road trip cross country to try and finds some answers about what happened to the love of her life.

This was a novella that I listened to on audio and it left me wanting more. The narrator did a great job with the story. I liked how she did the different voices and her narration was easy to follow.

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Disclaimer: This review is my honest opinion. I did not receive any kind of compensation for reading and reviewing this book. I am under no obligation to write a positive review. My free review copy of Wake the Dead (The Journals of Octavia Hollows Book 1) by Stacey Rourke was courtesy of Caffeinated PR Services . Some of these links are affiliate links. The book picture used here is my own.