A Ferry of Bones & Gold (Soulbound, #1)

by Hailey Turner

He clicked the safety back on and set the handgun on the small round dining table situated near the kitchen on the living room side of the kitchen’s pass-through.

This is entirely, absolutely, way more description than the action he performs calls for.

The spell came in handy when Patrick needed a weapon or two but didn’t want anyone to know he was carrying.

Since he's used it at least twice already, this was not necessary, and thus insulting.

Patrick put himself in the demon’s path without a second thought because that’s what he’d been trained to do.

Or: "Training pulled Paatrick into the demon's path." Because we KNOW his training now, author. Geesh.

people, Patrick was a mage in name only these days. He’d lost the ability to tap into the ley lines running deep in the earth and channel their external power through his soul.

Another repeat.

Picking up his phone instead of his handgun,

No, he's already holding the gun. Setting down his gun, he picked up his phone instead. I'm thinking this author has crappy editorial help.

The words came out harsh, falling between them like heavy stones. Jono blinked, taking a step back in the face of Patrick’s sudden and intense fury that he couldn’t contain.

Poorly worded, clunky. I usually only see this kind of failure in book endings, not beginnings.

out of the little coffee shop. They headed to where Patrick had parked the car on the street and got in.

boring action

It’s not their business what a seer dictates me to do.”

"..dictates I do." That's just bad English, ffs

It didn’t take long to reach the SOA building.

Yes, because you said a page ago that it's a block away.

took a seat outside on a chair

on a chair is not remarkable in the least. Srsly, who edited this?

Patrick stood up and went to meet the

Obvious, can be assumed, thus dull.

“The magic at the prior crime scenes has never done that before.”

What a dorky sentence. this whole scene needs an edit pass STAT.

They were running out of time.

This sentiment has been overused to the point where here, where it's actually relevant, I growled to see it again.

but what had come through while it was open would need to be dealt with in the future.

Useless. We can't go back in time, so duh, of course the future.

If there was anything years of one-on-one and group therapy had shown Patrick, it was that normal was relative, and you lived every day one day at a time.

That final clause diminishes this message.