(Cover picture courtesy of YA Bound Book Tours.)

Katherine’s place is the same as any woman’s—on the shelf next to the dresses and bolts of cloth. When she’s sold to a warlock, life grows even bleaker. Her new owner is as old and rancid as he is cruel, driving her to do the unthinkable: run.

Nothing prepared her for being on her own. And she’s definitely unprepared for the warlocks hunting her down. But she must stay one step ahead because if caught, the best she can hope for is death.

[Full disclosure: Janeal Falor provided me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.]

A lot of times I’m not a big novella fan, I admit it.  Even when they’re prequels or just extra information about characters.  Sometimes they’re repetitive, but sometimes like with Mine to Tarnish they add a whole other dimension to the rich world the author has created.

I was always fond of Katherine in You Are Mine, but seeing her story through her own eyes is so much better than having it secondhand through Serena.  Serena and Katherine are very different people to start out with, but their situations are remarkably similar.  It’s just how they deal with those situations that I found fascinating.  For instance, when Katherine chooses to escape I was cheering for her the whole way!  In a world where violence against women is the norm and women are nothing but property, I had a hard time finding hope for poor Katherine’s life even outside of marriage but it was better than the alternative.

You can technically read Mine to Tarnish before you read You Are Mine, but I’d recommend sticking to the publishing order.  It’s nicer to go back and hear Katherine’s backstory because then you at least have a better grasp on the world she’s living in from the full length novel.  At the same time, you can get a pretty good taste of the terrifying world of the Mine series by just reading the novella first.  It really depends on your personal tastes.

The novella was fast-paced and well written.  There wasn’t really any time when I was tempted to put it down because I liked the faster pacing.  That, and it helped that Katherine’s story is pretty remarkable for a woman in that world.  You can’t help but like the feisty Katherine who was raised by a remarkable woman who believes in true equality, even if she hides it.

Really, what more can I say?  If you read and liked You Are Mine, you’re going to love Mine to Tarnish.  If you’re new to the Mine series, let me say welcome and I hope you enjoy it as much as I am!

I give this novella 5/5 stars.

Amazon     Barnes and Noble*     Goodreads

*Unavailable.