Great story!!!

I loved this story! Dystopian, witches, and so much intrigue!!!!! Fitch is part of the Bloody Hex and it looks like he’s been set up to take the fall for his gang and while he’s away in prison he starts to question his loyalties. Does he help the government offering him a way out or does he stay in the gang to protect his brother… or does he come up with a plan C and surprise everyone!!!! Ends on a cliffhanger !!!

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A promising beginning

I was told this would be a slow burn and i'm not disappointed. I see so many layers of this story coming together and i'm excited to see what happens next. Fitch is a very injured main character, who would absolutely never admit to having an injury physical or psychological. I think I see where part of this is headed, and I hope I'm wrong because my heart already breaks for him. I'm excited to see what happens next.

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Another "new to me" author

4.25 Stars ⭐️

This was another "new to me" author. I saw a recommendation from an author that I enjoy and thought, "this sounds interesting."

It was.

We are introduced to Fitch Farrow who happens to be an assassin for the gang The Bloody Hex. It took me a little while to understand everything, but we are dropped into a world where it appears as if witches live in a sort of walled compound. There are many different types of witches with supernatural powers - i.e. technomancy, shadowmancy, watermancy, etc. Our MMC is not only a technomancer, but he is mentally able to get people to move their bodies as well. As an assassin, that comes in handy.

Little by little we learn that Fitch was the son of a Capital Investigator (think the FBI) who was assassinated by The Bloody Hex when Fitch was a teenager. The only reason he and his little brother survived was because one of the thugs was shaking his brother and Fitch mentally tore the guy into pieces. Yep, he was surprised too.

So, we are about a decade later and the leader of the gang- Grimm - has managed to turn Fitch into the most famous and prolific killer - he has 31 kills. The one thing that motivates him is trying to protect his little brother. Donovan is only human - he has no powers, but he has not had been inducted into the gang yet and hasn't had to kill. Fitch is doing it instead.

When we begin, Donovan is turning 20 and is going to be inducted - but he has to make his first kill. Fitch is adamantly opposed to this and reacts badly. Did I mention that Fitch is a basket case? He is a chain smoking alcoholic who ends up in a different bed every night and he really is a mess. There are many different emotions going on under the surface, mainly because of Grimm's extreme talent at manipulation. He is using the brothers against each other. Donovan only wants to be like his big brother, but Fitch doesn't understand that - he wants Donnie safe. To be safe, he wants Donnie as far away from the gang as possible. Needless to say, they do not agree on this.

In this book, Fitch is arrested trying to save Donnie. We then follow along to see what is going to happen. If he is convicted, the Capital is going to chop off his head with a guillotine, so I guess you can say that The Capital is beyond excited to have finally caught the famous killer.

The storyline was fun and interesting. There is more going on than meets the eye. Grimm has a definite plan regarding the future of the city. Fitch ends up having had a personal relationship with the Capital's most important investigator (remember, his father was an investigator and they were very close with many of his colleagues before he was killed.) So, lots going on.

This was a quick and easy read and I enjoyed it quite a bit. It didn't end in a cliffhanger, but it definitely set up the second book.

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This was great! 10/10

I really enjoyed this story and am so excited to continue listening to the next book! Love the characters, story line, and excitement. Hot sounding voice actor too

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Awesome Urban Fantasy

Pulling Strings is book 1 of Quinn Cameron's Marionette series. This is my first book by this author, but it won’t be my last. I enjoyed the writing style and colorful characters. The book is narrated by L. Connor McGeverly.

Book one follows Fitch Farrow, a telekinetic witch in the Bloody Hex gang. Fitch, aka Marionette, has made a name for himself because of the 30 kills he has under his belt. He never wanted to be a killer, but he’s one of the best at it. When his younger brother, who is human, is brought into the gang, Fitch chooses incarceration to keep his brother safe. The book is set in a modern urban setting, in a city. Humans and witches live together but aren’t exactly on great terms.

Fitch is hilariously snarky and pulled more than one chuckle from me. I loved how colorful the Bloody Hex members were and their different abilities. Knowing that Fitch is working for the very gang that ended his parents shows you just how powerful they are. I am very interested in knowing what Fitch’s next move is.

It took me a little bit to find my groove with the story. At times, it felt a little slow as it built up momentum. Unfortunately, I was not a fan of the narration. It sounded like he was just reading words from a page and not playing a role. It was frustrating and distracting from the book itself. It wasn’t until I was halfway in that I got used to it and could listen to more than half an hour at a time. He was able to provide different “voices” for the various characters, and I enjoyed the variety.

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Awesome read !!

I loved this book, this is one of the best paranormal fantasy I've ever read. I would definitely recommend reading this book if you're into fantasy. I loved that Fitch being the older brother was protective over Donovan and he was willing to do anything to protect him no matter what. Even though Donovan was hardheaded and he upset me for being so naive. But I can't wait for the next book to come out. The narrator did an awesome job narrating the book it felt like I was in the actual story myself.

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Urban fantasy fun

The first story in the Marionette series by Quinn Cameron has a unique flair to it, and I applaud their creativity. Fitch Farrow seems like an interesting character to assign as an accomplished assassin. That said, he also seemed an interesting choice as a lead MC for the series. Perhaps there is more growth for him throughout the storyline, but in this first book I felt a disconnect with Fitch as the MC. I rounded up here, but felt this was a solid 3.5 stars for me.

Having experienced this story as only an audiobook though, it's hard to say how accurate my opinion of the story can truly be. While the content was engaging, it was incredibly difficult to listen to, as the narration was very flat and held little inflection. The characters were identifiable enough with the voices that had been used for them, but the story itself and the conversations between the characters created a very bland atmosphere, which I'm sure the author had not intended. I couldn't visualize the environment, even given detailed descriptions from Quinn Cameron. I'm sure if I had also taken the time to read through the book myself, my opinion could (and may) change.

I received an authorized copy of this audiobook and am volunteering my honest review.

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Wonderful, Engaging Story

I. Loved. This. Audiobook.

The story was amazing and immediately drew me in. The world-building was solid as well - setting up the backdrop for future novels. I read the book after listening to the audiobook and I can confirm that either media is a wonderful way to consume this story. Marionette was definitely my favorite character and I am excited to see how he affects the narrative of the next novels in the series. I definitely recommend this book - especially to fantasy lovers.

This is my first time reading Quinn Cameron and I love this author's writing style and prose. I was captivated from chapter one and really came to appreciate the movement of the story as well as how the chapters were broken up. I am following Quinn and looking forward to seeing where this author goes.

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