4.5/5 stars

The Booke of the Hidden is the first book in a new series by the same name, by Jeri Westerson. I really, really enjoyed this supernatural/urban fantasy read. It follows our main character Kylie, as she moves across the country to a town in Maine, where she opens up her own Herb & Tea shop. There she finds a book hidden in the wall, called the Booke of the Hidden. From there, she is swept up in a crazy whirlwind demon hunting adventure that reminded me of part Buffy the Vampire Slayer and part Supernatural. I cannot wait to read more about this series.

Kylie is a feisty main heroine. She has no problem standing up for herself, which I loved about her. Even when she first meets the mysterious Mr. Dark, she doesn't mind putting him in his place. I loved that Kylie was immediately embraced into this quirky small town. It is already a spiritual town. Kind of like in Buffy, where the town seemed to be the epicenter of supernatural activity. Except in this case, it is not because of a hell mouth, but rather because of the Booke. The Booke is really rather fascinating, so I am going to put a spoiler in place right here, which is really not much of a spoiler since it's descirbed within the first 50 pages of the story, but click on if you want to see how the Booke works. 

When Kylie finds the Booke of the Hidden she opens it and sees that it is blank. The book forms a connection with Kylie and she is the only one that can open it. The Booke acts like a kind of pandora's box, and when she opened it she released a whole bunch of demons into the world. She is then tasked with rounding up and defeating the demons by killing them and writing in the Booke to trap them there. Cool, right?

There is a light budding romance in The Booke of the Dead. I really liked the romance, but I wanted more of it. If I am being honest with myself, the light romance is the reason I couldn't commit to 5 stars for this otherwise excellent story. I am really hoping that the romance will develop into something more in the next book, because I love the dynamic between the two of them. Bring on more romance! (even if it is a love triangle, I will take it) 

Bottom line: If you are a fan of demon hunting adventures, set in a cool atmosphereic small town, with plenty of supernatural baddies, then The Booke of the Hidden is a great book for you. It is the start of what is sure to be an exciting series. I can't wait for the second book. I love the spunky main character and I am really interested to see the whole cast of secondary characters developed more. Plus, I totally want more romance! I really enjoyed The Booke of the Hidden.