Review: Charming by Elliott James

Charming

(Pax Arcana # 1)

By: Elliot James

Pub. Date: September 24, 2013

Publisher: Orbit

Pages: 400

Source: Netgalley

I received this galley in exchange for an honest review.

John Charming isn't your average Prince...

He comes from a line of Charmings — an illustrious family of dragon slayers, witch-finders and killers dating back to before the fall of Rome. Trained by a modern day version of the Knights Templar, monster hunters who have updated their methods from chainmail and crossbows to kevlar and shotguns, he was one of the best. That is — until he became the abomination the Knights were sworn to hunt.

That was a lifetime ago. Now, he tends bar under an assumed name in rural Virginia and leads a peaceful, quiet life. One that shouldn't change just because a vampire and a blonde walked into his bar... Right?

While I didn't enjoy Charming as much as I was hoping I would, it was still an enjoyable story. The premise is definitely enough to draw readers in, but I think the book could have been a lot more then it was.

I loved the idea that John Charming came from a line of Charmings. While John isn't in that life anymore, he still knows how to handle himself if anything evil comes his way. After being kicked out of the knighthood, he lives a quiet life as a bartender. He doesn't want any trouble until he learns that there are vampires in his town.

I really liked John and I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Everything he loved and cared about was taken from him, turning him into an almost empty shell. I loved learning about the history of the Knights and about the monsters and how to kill and fight them. I did have a problem with the amount of knowledge we received though. There were pages and pages of information overload and I feel like it took away from the actual story.

I really liked Sig, the Valkryie vampire hunter. After what happened to John's fiancé, I liked that he was able to trust Sig. The two of them had a really nice connection.

Even though there were things that I did not like about Charming, it definitely was an original read, and I am interested to find out what happens next. Plus, that cover is amazing!