Reflections

by J. Dorothy

No longer published under this title. Will be re-released this year, with new cover and title of Beautiful Curses. Part one.

Genres: Paranormal Romance

234 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 8, 2012

About the author

Hi all,
I live in Australia and I'm very proud to be the mother of two very lovely boys who keep me very busy.
I have been writing for the past six years, and have two romances and a twisted fairy tale now published on Amazon.
I love hearing from readers, I think as an author it is such a buzz to know someone has taken the time to read your book.
I hope to re-publish the eternal curse series this year, with new titles, covers, and a re-edit. After losing my publisher last year, I've decided to self publish the series and freshen them up.
Cheers all and have a great day.
Jxxx

Reviews

[Ivan Amberlake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reflections Review

I looked forward to reading this book for ages as I was intrigued by the great premise. Reflections turned out to be a very engaging read. It’s Book 1 in “Eternal Curse” trilogy and it’s a really great start to a trilogy.

First, I want to say that I enjoyed getting to know all the characters in this book. Enjoyed imensely. There is a great cast of characters here—Gabriella and Jo, Beth and Spencer and James and so on and on. The author does a great job making them unique and easy to distinguish. They author also did a marvelous job writing great dialogues that are full of humor and are real fun to read. The ending shows there’s going to be a continuation, and not a happy one.

I’d categorize this book as “Fantasy” and “Family and Family Relationships”, and would definitely recommend it to YA and Adult readers. It’s a must-read for fantasy fans. I’m reading Shadows (Book 2) right now and I can’t get enough of this series.

[Tricia Drammeh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reflections is the first book in a trilogy and is a very strong start to the series. In this Young Adult Fantasy novel, we meet sisters, Jo and Gabriella. Due to their wicked aunt Rowelyn and a secret family curse, the two sisters are complete opposites. While Gabriella is vivacious, outgoing, and gorgeous, Jo is reserved, quiet, and possesses an understated beauty. The differences between the two sisters reach much deeper - while Jo is kind and selfless, Gabriella hides a manipulative and selfish nature under her lovely facade. Can we blame the curse for Gabriella's less appealing qualities? Or, is it Gabriella's choices that make her who she is?

While the reader is pondering the age-old question of nature versus nurture, we're also taken on a wild ride as mysteries are carefully unwrapped and secrets are revealed. Whereas in most fantasy novels, magic is often the medicine that cures the characters' ills, in Reflections magic is the problem. Jo doesn't set out to fight magic with magic; she seeks to solve her problems with determination, common sense, and intelligence.

In the midst of a race against time plot, the ultimate sibling rivalry, and the rapidly unfolding mystery, we also have two unique romantic stories and brilliantly crafted secondary characters that really help to round out this story. I enjoyed every moment of this story and can't wait until the next books in the series are released.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the characters to be all rather likeable in their own way. Jo seems like a sensible, intelligent, yet reserved young girl. I found it easy to relate to her. Other members of her family seem equally likeable – but they are not without their flaws – except for Gabriella, who of course serves as a character whose position in terms of good and bad is ambiguous. I feel the way that Gabriella – and her aunt – were made into ‘evil’ characters to be very interesting. Unlike most bad characters, Gabriella didn’t seem to do anything that you wouldn’t expect from the typical school queen bee. She’s beautiful, has lots of friends, is manipulative and sometimes stirs up trouble. Sounds pretty normal – and not exactly evil so far, right? When the essence of sorceresses is explained, things become much darker.

While some people mention how sibling rivalry was an interesting part of this story, I didn’t see that. There’s no competition. Jo is quiet and happy to sit back on the sidelines while Gabriella takes centre stage. Jo doesn’t really fight for Gabriella’s position. If anything this is a story about good and evil in sister form. Jo (good) tries to believe the best in her sister; meanwhile her sister (evil) manipulates people and does things to purposely hurt Jo, sometimes under the guise of caring for her.

While I think the length of this book is pretty standard for an eBook and that it works well as a standalone novel, this book really works as a set up for the following two books. The reader has questions – which arise after reading the synopsis – and we do get some answers. There is no final solution, nor is the whole story told and so the reader is left with more questions which, hopefully, the following books in the trilogy will answer.

If you’re looking for a novel with a well thought out plot and wonderfully developed characters then this is a book for you. The characters are compelling and the plot is full of delicious questions making it a truly fascinating mystery with a hint of magic.

(You can see my full review on my blog.)

[Paul Trembling · Rating 4 out of 5]

One thing I found particularly interesting about 'Reflections' is the complex and detailed background of ancient magic and Sorceresses that the author has created. The implications of this for the characters are well thought out and develop naturally through the story. There's a good sense of mystery as well, which kept my attention as the main character slowly finds out more about what happened in the past - and what might happen in the future.

Dorothy has a smooth, easy writing style which kept me engaged with the story. The development of the characters and the interaction between them felt authentic.

I was a bit doubtful about the opening scene. Whilst dramatic and powerfully written, it did seem to me to give away a lot of information. Although this event is crucial to the rest of the story, holding back on the details might have increased the mystery element still further.

I also wondered about the introduction of 'Uncle Barley'. His appearance at just the right time to convey crucial information seemed a bit too convenient to me!

However, neither of these quibbles stopped me enjoying the story. It finishes well - not to give anything away, but things are neatly set up for the next book in the series. I would think that there's plenty of potential in both the background and the characters to fuel several more.

And, to mention something often overlooked, the cover art is impressive! A pity that my Kindle can't do it justice.

[Brenda Franklin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reflections is book one of the Eternal Curse Trilogy. It’s a Young Adult Fantasy filled with mystery and magic starring sisters Jo and Gabriella - who couldn’t be more different. Jo is introverted, kind, and the kind to assist when anyone needs it, while Gabriella has more of a controlling and selfish nature wrapped in beauty.

Though I did find the first couple of chapters a little slow, it was still interesting enough to keep my attention. Next thing I knew I was staying up late trying to solve all of my questions: What’s with the rings? Who is Rowellyn? And what will be the outcome of the curse?

The use of magic in this book is different than what I have read, as of late. It is always refreshing to see new ideas and this one doesn’t disappoint. The characters were fun and well rounded, as well as realistic with just as strong secondary characters (My favorites were James and Spencer.). And the more I read the more I found myself falling in love with the relationship between James and Jo, as well as between Jo and her sister, Gabriella.

So sit back and enjoy the ride as J. Dorothy takes us through her world of the Eternal Curse Trilogy with a few twists, sister rivalry, and a little love. If the first one is this good, I can’t wait to read the next book, Shadows.

-Brenda Franklin

[Lana Axe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two sisters are as different as can be. Jo is an introverted bookworm, while Gabriella is outgoing and popular. A dark family secret has set both girls on a path that could devastate their future chances for happiness. One of them may willing to make a great sacrifice in order to gain magical power.

Jo finally finds love in James, and this lets her experience things she has overlooked in life before. She was happy to have her books and simply be a loner up until her seventeenth year. Now she's found a best friend in Beth and a possible soulmate in James. With her father coming back into her life, everything seems to be going well for her.

On the other hand, Gabriella is less happy to be reunited with her father and doesn't seem interested in falling in love. There are tantalizing bits to her story that we do not fully see yet, and I'm sure there is much more to come in part two. A sorceress still holds power of the two girls' fates, and their story is far from over.

Romance, magic, and dark secrets fill the pages of this brilliant start to a young adult series. Highly recommended.