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The Watchers #1
The Watchers
The Watchers is the first book in The Watchers Series. It focuses on 16-year-old Clare Michaels and her journey to her mom's hometown of King's Cross. Long aware of her heritage - that she is the daughter of a fallen angel - The Watchers focuses on her first interaction with the world she has always hidden from. Her first interaction comes in the form of a handsome, young high-schooler, Daniel Adams. He is her clue to the world she has always been afraid to face openly...but is he a danger as well?
646 pages, ebook
First published May 3, 2011
152 people are currently reading
2678 people want to read
About the author
Lynnie Purcell
25 books169 followersLynnie is an author for young adult and romance novels. You can find her works published on Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Sony, and Apple. She has written five young adult novels and one adult novel. Her passions include reading, watching good movies and TV shows, and writing whenever she can.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 156 reviews
November 17, 2012
Lynnie here - just wanted to let you know that the book is available for free download off this Goodreads page now. Thanks for reading, commenting, and supporting me!
March 18, 2014
Bullet Review:
DNF at 15%.
Is it too much to ask that my urban fantasy and paranormal novels be somewhat fantastical and somewhat paranormal? Is it too much to ask that we spend more time on the heroine's crazy ability and less on high school DWAMA and family DWAMA and some random guy's abs???
Yet ANOTHER teenaged girl has the power to read minds, moves to a new town with her CRAZAY free-spirited mom, is immediately accepted into her high school and gets the attention of the best set of ABS on the campus. Cue bad verbal foreplay between Ms. Speshul Snowflake and Mr. ABS. Cue the complete abandonment of any attention to her "weird" ability. People nag on Sookie, but at least she bothered to meet some paranormal creatures once in awhile!!
Seriously, this lack of originality or at the VERY LEAST the ability to dig out a plot between the mundane DRAMAZ in this genre is just discouraging. Thank God I got this free or I would be royally pissed at this Twilight-hack job. (I already parted with a lot of money for Twilight, gorrammit, I'm not doing that again!!!)
(It's particularly a shame because Clare is a much better protagonist than Bella.)
Not recommended unless you like reading the same story over and over and OVER again.
DNF at 15%.
Is it too much to ask that my urban fantasy and paranormal novels be somewhat fantastical and somewhat paranormal? Is it too much to ask that we spend more time on the heroine's crazy ability and less on high school DWAMA and family DWAMA and some random guy's abs???
Yet ANOTHER teenaged girl has the power to read minds, moves to a new town with her CRAZAY free-spirited mom, is immediately accepted into her high school and gets the attention of the best set of ABS on the campus. Cue bad verbal foreplay between Ms. Speshul Snowflake and Mr. ABS. Cue the complete abandonment of any attention to her "weird" ability. People nag on Sookie, but at least she bothered to meet some paranormal creatures once in awhile!!
Seriously, this lack of originality or at the VERY LEAST the ability to dig out a plot between the mundane DRAMAZ in this genre is just discouraging. Thank God I got this free or I would be royally pissed at this Twilight-hack job. (I already parted with a lot of money for Twilight, gorrammit, I'm not doing that again!!!)
(It's particularly a shame because Clare is a much better protagonist than Bella.)
Not recommended unless you like reading the same story over and over and OVER again.
October 20, 2015
Clare is such a different kind of heroine. She's self-aware, intelligent and doesn't behave like a brainless 16 year old. I really liked her & loved Ellen, her mom. They have a unique relationship because of 'what' Clare is. She's the child of a human & a fallen angel. They've been running for years and have finally settled down in Ellen's childhood home in her hometown. Clare has piercings, tatoos, wears her hair short & faux mowhawkish. She's hiding in plain sight. She meets Daniel, who is an attractive enigma. He appears to be more than who he is to Clare. Alex is a girl Clare meets & who friends her. She's the unofficial school counselor. Daniel doesn't leave too much of an impression until 'what' he is is revealed to Clare. He's the child of a fallen angel too. He doesn't know who his biological parents were. He was adopted by a loving couple who helped him adjust to what he is. Jackson and Margaret are his friends. Jackson is a good friend to Daniel. Margaret has the tendency of going completely evil if she wasn't with Jackson. If there is no counterbalance to the evil within a person, the person can go completely dark & turn into a Nightshade. The Seekers are the villians in this book. They hunt down, turn or kill children of fallen angels. Clare is different because her blood is special. The characters don't know why & it isn't revealed at the end of this book. Her ability to wield fire when threatened at the end of the book is unexplained. Her necklace, containing the tear of her unknown father, is also unexplained. I look forward to finding out who he is. The ending was sweet with Daniel buying the guitar she admired at the beginning of the book & Clare playing it and singing to Daniel. This book has delightful conversations between all the characters. The snark, intelligence & even angry commentary is above average. It's a fantastic book on it's own and definitely worth reading. I'm on to book 2!
November 2, 2012
I have no idea how this book isn't know! It was amazing and I am so happy I found it. While it does have angels, which in my opinion can get a little tedious and sometimes outright annoying. This book was far from any angel book I've ever read. While the writing style is a little underdeveloped in some places the author uses words that most others are to afraid to use and this is what makes her writing stand out.
When I first started the book I was a little nervous, there hadn't been many reviewers and most didn't have much to say. Then the book started and I was blown away at the creativity she used to make a world of watchers, half angels that have a temper and aren't well loved in the angel community, the concept of this book is unique. The characters are likable and HILARIOUS! There were SO many times I laughed out loud from the witty banter between all of them.
Our main character, Clare, is used to life on the run. Unlike most characters these days she well informed on whats going on. Her mother tells her that shes half angel and there is a war going on between two dangerous people and they will recruit her but if she doesn't come willingly they'll kill her. So when she winds up in her moms hometown where her mother left, King's Cross, she's not very happy. Already different from everyone else her appearance wards people away further, as a punk girl most are to afraid to come to close, which is how she likes it. People don't ask questions that way which keeps her safe. Then she meets Daniel, the popular boy that all the girls love and all the boys envy. There first encounter, while hilarious, is not on the best of terms. Daniel is curious about the punk girl that has shown up and beat him where no one else could. This is the making of a witty and hilarious friendship that sparks something deeper.
The secondary characters are great, the action is intense, the romance is heart warming and the plot special. This book has it all and is a must read!
When I first started the book I was a little nervous, there hadn't been many reviewers and most didn't have much to say. Then the book started and I was blown away at the creativity she used to make a world of watchers, half angels that have a temper and aren't well loved in the angel community, the concept of this book is unique. The characters are likable and HILARIOUS! There were SO many times I laughed out loud from the witty banter between all of them.
Our main character, Clare, is used to life on the run. Unlike most characters these days she well informed on whats going on. Her mother tells her that shes half angel and there is a war going on between two dangerous people and they will recruit her but if she doesn't come willingly they'll kill her. So when she winds up in her moms hometown where her mother left, King's Cross, she's not very happy. Already different from everyone else her appearance wards people away further, as a punk girl most are to afraid to come to close, which is how she likes it. People don't ask questions that way which keeps her safe. Then she meets Daniel, the popular boy that all the girls love and all the boys envy. There first encounter, while hilarious, is not on the best of terms. Daniel is curious about the punk girl that has shown up and beat him where no one else could. This is the making of a witty and hilarious friendship that sparks something deeper.
The secondary characters are great, the action is intense, the romance is heart warming and the plot special. This book has it all and is a must read!
June 9, 2013
I started out reading this book with low expectations. The first chapter paralleled Twilight, and I found that I was apprehensive upon venturing into another book like it. However, the intriguing plot and riveting action sequences kept me reading, and I read it in one sitting. While some of the scenes were admittedly and chillingly reminiscent of Twilight, the similarities ended there. The main character, Clare, was both independent and intelligent, and the other characters were multi-faceted. Her relationship with Daniel Adams is one of equality, and they share both witty banter and serious conversations. The dialogue was both full of sarcasm and full of character, and while others may not be a fan of long-winded description, I particularly enjoyed the quiet, contemplative passages. My only complaint would be that the grammar, at times, irked me. However, the rest of the content of the book more-than made up for it. This book exceeded my expectations and then some; it was a fun and exciting read that I just couldn’t put down.
May 2, 2013
I dived into the book on my kindle without knowing that this 'Angels & demons' story' was more for a young adult readership. I'm not really a horror book reader, but for light reading this suited me fine. The characters are well described and some are very likable. I think in pictures,so the graphic detail of the violence was at times a bit much, but it did kept my attention. So far so that I downloaded 'The Seekers' (2)( which I finished last night) and now I'm reading 'The Saints' (3)For me reading on this level is also a kind of investigation about what many readers, especially young adults, are into these days. Often fiction stories are 'truer' about our own reality. Human beings are all co-creators, so if our thinking creates our realities, then visionary, paranormal,science, horror, fantasy or mythology topics could easily have an influence on our evolution as a species.I will finish this Angels & demons - series, hoping that the outcome is a positive one.
April 25, 2015
I loved it I had to keep reading it . this was a jaw dropping book every second will have you guessing and guessing and wanting more that you just can't stop. Clare is so powerful and brave and I just loved the way she can to life and understanding of what is to become. Daniel is really just there for her and they f=go together well I can't wait to see what happens next.
January 7, 2013
Loved this book so much, I bought and read the others in the series all within a 2 week period (during the holidays with a houseful of kids and grandkids!!).
February 9, 2013
Really great series! Hard to put down, sorry to see it end!
February 9, 2013
This was great!!! Thank u so much for this amazing story! I needed that!
March 7, 2013
interesting story with new ideas
September 7, 2014
When I went into this book and found out that the lead male characters name was Daniel, my mind instantly flashed to the last paranormal romance I read “Fallen” by Lauren Kate and the lead character from that book who shares the same name. I had issues with that character and I was hoping against hope that it wouldn’t happen the same way here.
It didn’t. Other than the name similarity there was nothing about this book that reminded me of that one other than the mention of angels, which is a big check mark for me. I`m obsessed with the idea of angels, especially those of the fallen and because of that, this story really worked for me.
Daniel, liked him right off the bat, which is weird because he was kind of a jerk in the beginning, but it all made sense and was rectified pretty quickly as the story went on.This boy even had me swooning at points because he was just sweet as hell, yet sarcastic and funny. It was a perfect combination. He has restored my faith in Daniels! lol
Clare was a heroine I could get behind. She didn`t appear weak minded the way they can sometimes be in other novels, gave as good as she got and her heart was unlike any I`ve ever seen. She endeared herself to me pretty quickly and I`m happy to say that I never had a moment through the entire story where that wavered whatsoever. This is the kind of heroine I love reading about. She loved the boy (angel) but she didn`t have to lose herself in the process.
The story was intriguing and the ending was epic. I had a fear that this being a series, it would have ended on a major cliff-hanger, but it didn`t. It ended perfectly in my opinion, and when you read it and read a certain conversation Daniel and Clare have in it, you`ll see what I mean by it ending in a fantastic way.
I felt it was paced well, nothing felt rushed and there were no moments that I felt dragged out. It all came together easily and was extremely difficult for me to put down once I started. There was enough information given at certain points to keep my interest and make me even more interested in how things would play out.
If you`re a fan of paranormal romance at all, this is definitely a book for you. I`m off to read the second book in the series, which I hope continues on with the fantastic way this one was written. It`s definitely a world and a book to get lost in and that`s what we all want when we read right?
The author has definitely picked herself up a new fan. I’m only sad that I didn’t catch this series sooner. Very well put together. Bring on more angels, demons and battles of good and evil. I’m all for it!
It didn’t. Other than the name similarity there was nothing about this book that reminded me of that one other than the mention of angels, which is a big check mark for me. I`m obsessed with the idea of angels, especially those of the fallen and because of that, this story really worked for me.
Daniel, liked him right off the bat, which is weird because he was kind of a jerk in the beginning, but it all made sense and was rectified pretty quickly as the story went on.This boy even had me swooning at points because he was just sweet as hell, yet sarcastic and funny. It was a perfect combination. He has restored my faith in Daniels! lol
Clare was a heroine I could get behind. She didn`t appear weak minded the way they can sometimes be in other novels, gave as good as she got and her heart was unlike any I`ve ever seen. She endeared herself to me pretty quickly and I`m happy to say that I never had a moment through the entire story where that wavered whatsoever. This is the kind of heroine I love reading about. She loved the boy (angel) but she didn`t have to lose herself in the process.
The story was intriguing and the ending was epic. I had a fear that this being a series, it would have ended on a major cliff-hanger, but it didn`t. It ended perfectly in my opinion, and when you read it and read a certain conversation Daniel and Clare have in it, you`ll see what I mean by it ending in a fantastic way.
I felt it was paced well, nothing felt rushed and there were no moments that I felt dragged out. It all came together easily and was extremely difficult for me to put down once I started. There was enough information given at certain points to keep my interest and make me even more interested in how things would play out.
If you`re a fan of paranormal romance at all, this is definitely a book for you. I`m off to read the second book in the series, which I hope continues on with the fantastic way this one was written. It`s definitely a world and a book to get lost in and that`s what we all want when we read right?
The author has definitely picked herself up a new fan. I’m only sad that I didn’t catch this series sooner. Very well put together. Bring on more angels, demons and battles of good and evil. I’m all for it!
March 4, 2014
I liked this book a lot, despite the blatant twilight rip-offs. Certainly main character Clare has a lot more spunk than Bella, even if she comes off as a bit conceited and above it all at times, 'oh, great, these children have made me *popular*...how droll.' 'oh, born to a teen mom, I have to do everything cuz she's retarded.' How hipster do you have to be that you dress like a punk but look down on punk music and prefer jazz...like TRUST ME, I fit in NOWHERE. The twilight rip-offs are Daniel's eyes that turn black and the way he has to fight not to hurt her when she wins at volleyball and the fact that his family is Edward's exact family, minus Alice and Jasper. Seems like a mistake, Alice was the most interesting one. ;) Plus the writing was a bit too flowery at parts. No character should ever wax poetic about the way her laughter sounds with his, IMO--it's not that serious. Still, Clare is a passionate character with good female friends and an endearing relationship with her mother. She has the guts to get pissed at Daniel, get in his face, and do what she wants no matter how mad he gets about it. The angel thing might be done to death, but at least Purcell is trying to add her own mythology to it, and I felt like it worked. I'll move on with the series.
February 21, 2013
3.5 stars. Sorry first of all, I'm writing this from my phone waiting for my daughter's vocal concert to begin.
Reading the first 3/4ths of the book I had a dejá vu feeling that I've read this book before. Let's see if you can guess.
Big city girl and her mom are constantly running from the unknown until they end up at little town Mom -Ellen -grew up in but ran away from when she was 15. Girl-Claire- has a special gift of hearing other peoples thoughts. A gift she received from her unknown father. Apparently Dad was a fallen angel. Claire trys to adjust to small town living and meets a boy- Daniel. Daniel is gone from school a lot, already very educated at his young age of 17. After a couple of interesting encounters a friendship develops and a warning from Daniel to stay out of the woods. People are going missing and Claire can't help to feel that she is constantly being watched. Also, Claire has the ability to read minds however, not while she is around Daniel. Claire finds out more about herself and the drama/adventure begins. If you are able to get past the Twilight similarities you will enjoy this book.
Reading the first 3/4ths of the book I had a dejá vu feeling that I've read this book before. Let's see if you can guess.
Big city girl and her mom are constantly running from the unknown until they end up at little town Mom -Ellen -grew up in but ran away from when she was 15. Girl-Claire- has a special gift of hearing other peoples thoughts. A gift she received from her unknown father. Apparently Dad was a fallen angel. Claire trys to adjust to small town living and meets a boy- Daniel. Daniel is gone from school a lot, already very educated at his young age of 17. After a couple of interesting encounters a friendship develops and a warning from Daniel to stay out of the woods. People are going missing and Claire can't help to feel that she is constantly being watched. Also, Claire has the ability to read minds however, not while she is around Daniel. Claire finds out more about herself and the drama/adventure begins. If you are able to get past the Twilight similarities you will enjoy this book.
February 7, 2015
One to remeber
The downfall of having read close to a thousand books in the past two years is that #1I started reading before Amazon rolled out all this collection stuff #2 it's hard to remember if I have even read the book or the details are fuzzy. Trying to fix this issue with excel but i need a research partners or anyone who can work excel...long story short....I love this series. I have read several series by Lynnie Purcell and this is one of my fave. Ellen the lead females mother cracks me up. Amazing storyline and a must read for ya paranormal and ya paranormal romance genre. The writing is done a higher level so it's not flakey or cheesy it took me five minutes to remember the whole story now if I could just do that with the other books in this series because as good as this story is i can not imagine not reading the others...read it and you won't be disappointed
The downfall of having read close to a thousand books in the past two years is that #1I started reading before Amazon rolled out all this collection stuff #2 it's hard to remember if I have even read the book or the details are fuzzy. Trying to fix this issue with excel but i need a research partners or anyone who can work excel...long story short....I love this series. I have read several series by Lynnie Purcell and this is one of my fave. Ellen the lead females mother cracks me up. Amazing storyline and a must read for ya paranormal and ya paranormal romance genre. The writing is done a higher level so it's not flakey or cheesy it took me five minutes to remember the whole story now if I could just do that with the other books in this series because as good as this story is i can not imagine not reading the others...read it and you won't be disappointed
March 13, 2013
This had a strong "Twi-vibe" to it, but it isn't Twilight-ish. No idiotic girl, no "do as I say!" guy... but certain scenes, certain characters and even certain events bring Twi-vibes. It almost feels like (and I find this a LOT in post-Twilight YA books) anti-fan fiction. All the complaints people voice about Twilight are rectified here. I've read all 4 books and this is the only one that has the strong Twi-vibe. Seriously, it's like "Oh, Bella was a klutz, this girl will ooze athletic ability!" or "she let ed boss her around and choose her friends? this girl will put him right!" That's why I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars. It was good, but I don't want all the reminders of how Twilight got it wrong. Like I said, the other books don't read like that, the rest are 5 stars!!! So get through this book and get on with the series, it'll be worth it!
February 12, 2013
This book had so many similarities to Twilight I felt like I was ready a totally plagiarized book, after about 1/2 way the book started taking on its own story, but still had so many similar things to other books I have read it really annoyed me. I did enjoy the story however just had to look past the copy-cat stuff.
March 9, 2012
Ok!!! So I read the first three books... They end with clif hangers... I was on the edge of my seat!!! I need to kow what happens next.... I loved it. Clare and Daniel are awesome... Clare is more awesome!
March 3, 2013
Awesome book!!!!!!!
March 4, 2013
Very fast paced with page turning excitement. Loved it.
April 16, 2025
young -or older -adult?
I was tempted repeatedly to bail out if this book and to leave it for the teenagers. since I am (ahem) slightly beyond those tender years, by several decades!, I nevertheless allowed stellar characteristics of the strange tale to sway me and I stayed. I am hyper happy I listened to my inner child. the whole wonder world of angst, fear and insecurity, along with the pioneering spirits of young people who are discovering worlds exclusively theirs for the first time, and then bravely tackling the surprises as well as the disappointments and the victories, was superbly reimagined by the author. the two lead roles were cast so perfectly, they seemed to have been purchased from the Writer's Emporium with specific instructions to just allow nature to take it own course. but then, the surprise that kept me reading was when the tale ratcheted upwards to a deeper,more sinister plot that suddenly had lost its fun and games vibe and became a life and death story that would affect every character in it. and when Clare, not Daniel, emerges into an insurmountable force in her own right, teenagers have grown up the hard way. it seems to promise that despite the messes we grownups have foisted onto the next generations, they will be enough to survive, prevail, and conquer as well as protect their inheritances while finding plenty enough time and opportunity to just live. and,maybe, even find time at 76 to go be a kid again
I was tempted repeatedly to bail out if this book and to leave it for the teenagers. since I am (ahem) slightly beyond those tender years, by several decades!, I nevertheless allowed stellar characteristics of the strange tale to sway me and I stayed. I am hyper happy I listened to my inner child. the whole wonder world of angst, fear and insecurity, along with the pioneering spirits of young people who are discovering worlds exclusively theirs for the first time, and then bravely tackling the surprises as well as the disappointments and the victories, was superbly reimagined by the author. the two lead roles were cast so perfectly, they seemed to have been purchased from the Writer's Emporium with specific instructions to just allow nature to take it own course. but then, the surprise that kept me reading was when the tale ratcheted upwards to a deeper,more sinister plot that suddenly had lost its fun and games vibe and became a life and death story that would affect every character in it. and when Clare, not Daniel, emerges into an insurmountable force in her own right, teenagers have grown up the hard way. it seems to promise that despite the messes we grownups have foisted onto the next generations, they will be enough to survive, prevail, and conquer as well as protect their inheritances while finding plenty enough time and opportunity to just live. and,maybe, even find time at 76 to go be a kid again
June 3, 2020
2.5 stars. Ok, this wasn’t horrible but it wasn’t great. The writing needs work. But I personally like contemporary stories with some magical or fantasy elements in them. I like angels and nephilim in books. So there was stuff in here I liked. But there were lots of problems including a few random statements here and there that I found questionable.
I’m not going to continue this series but I might pick up a later book by this author. There was potential in the writing and I enjoyed the ideas. So maybe next time I’ll have a better reading experience.
I’m not going to continue this series but I might pick up a later book by this author. There was potential in the writing and I enjoyed the ideas. So maybe next time I’ll have a better reading experience.
November 29, 2020
Different
I’m 59 years old so not as big a fan of Fantasy but I was a former high school librarian so have read many. This has a really good beginning and I was intrigued by her ability to read minds and her other family circumstances. After the other characters were added in all of the powers and magic abilities they possessed just seemed overboard to me. But it kept me entertained throughout so that’s a plus.
I’m 59 years old so not as big a fan of Fantasy but I was a former high school librarian so have read many. This has a really good beginning and I was intrigued by her ability to read minds and her other family circumstances. After the other characters were added in all of the powers and magic abilities they possessed just seemed overboard to me. But it kept me entertained throughout so that’s a plus.
June 9, 2022
Good Read
I like that the main character knows who she is and it's not a secret being kept from her for no good reason like you tend to see in so many of these kind of books. There are some hidden things about her, but only because the person who would tell her also doesn't know, so it makes sense. There is the whole beautiful, mysterious boy and instalove thing which is so annoying, but other than that this is pretty good book.
I like that the main character knows who she is and it's not a secret being kept from her for no good reason like you tend to see in so many of these kind of books. There are some hidden things about her, but only because the person who would tell her also doesn't know, so it makes sense. There is the whole beautiful, mysterious boy and instalove thing which is so annoying, but other than that this is pretty good book.
December 26, 2018
This was a free book I had gotten on my Nook, an author I had not heard of. I ended up loving this book! For a new author (to me) I found the book very well put together and it really pulled me in. This mixes a little mystery and romance with fantasy. If you enjoy a fantasy book, this one is a good one, I really enjoyed it.
February 1, 2023
I originally read this book in 2014 when I had seen it in an email from bookhub I believe.
I decided to reread it, as 2014 and the years to follow were hectic for myself.
I absolutely love this book! The imagery, the story itself… Having a young main character who knows who she is and doesn’t care what others think.
Just love it! Cannot wait to reread the rest of this series.
I decided to reread it, as 2014 and the years to follow were hectic for myself.
I absolutely love this book! The imagery, the story itself… Having a young main character who knows who she is and doesn’t care what others think.
Just love it! Cannot wait to reread the rest of this series.
July 5, 2017
Liked the story concept but the fact that it took 600+ pages to tell this story ruined it for me. This book was filled with nonsense and would benefit from a serious edit review.
Done with this series.
Done with this series.
September 27, 2017
ok but not that great. i wanted to like this book more than i did. a familiar story with familiar characters and outcomes. it so similar to other ya novels ive read im not sure if ill finish the series.
July 5, 2019
I started reading this today, I have only put the book down to pet my fur-babies and go to the bathroom. I'm already 50% of the way through (according to my Kobo reader) I am glued!!! Gotta know what happens next. I may have found me a new Series to fall in love with. Thank you for being on Kobo
July 21, 2019
Favorite young adult series
I have read this series several times. The books are well written. They have have just the right amount of romance, action, and suspense. This is by far the best angel series I have read.;
I have read this series several times. The books are well written. They have have just the right amount of romance, action, and suspense. This is by far the best angel series I have read.;
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