Everwild

The Healer #1

by Kayla Jo

Sixteen year old Willow Rose thought she was just an average first degree witch until everything changed the night of her talisman ceremony. What was supposed to be the best day of her life has now become a horrible nightmare after discovering she was born with a rare healing power, one that has caught the attention of Hekate, Queen of the Witches. Hekate can only take Willow’s power by extracting it from her, which will ultimately end her life. To make matters worse, Hekate has captured the sisters of her Coven and locked them in a box of souls. After visiting a Seeker, Willow learns that Hekate has hidden her talisman deep in the heart of the Everwild, a dark forest filled with evil and horrifying creatures, a place that no one should enter willingly. Thrust into the Everwild to search for her talisman, Willow must face horrors beyond imaginable and come to terms with who she is while suppressing feelings for the Head Warlock’s son, Declan, who was unwillingly sent to the Everwild with her. In order to become powerful enough to defeat Hekate and save her sisters, Willow must have her talisman, but will love and the will to survive the dangers of the Everwild truly be enough to conquer all things?

Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Young Adult, Magic, Romance, Witches, Paranormal Romance

246 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 22, 2014

Reviews

[Flamingcrystal Flamingcrystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This YA series should be made into a movie! It is so much better than the Twilight Series! Witches, Warlocks, Werewolves, Elves...what a fabulous YA story...The 16 year old Willow Rose is a witch with the natural power of healing. On their 16th birthdays, all the witches go through a ceremony where they are presented with their talismans. These talismans will double their powers. Hekate the Queen of the Witches does not have the power of healing. She intends not to give Willow her talisman, and decides to hide this talisman in the heart of Everland, a place where no one wants to go as in this forest lurks evil beyond imagination. At the ceremony Hekate captures Willow’s 3 sisters in a box that Hekate calls the Pandora Box. Hekate tries to extract the healing power of Willow and this would kill Willow. The Head Warlock, his coven members and his warlock son Declan come to Willow’s rescue. Willow seeks out a Seeker, Carmela to show her where her talisman is. The Seeker pushes Willow and Declan through a portal that let them land in Everland. Willow needs her talisman to become powerful enough to defeat Hekate and to save her sisters. In this journey in Everland Willow and Declan face terrible horrors. Willow rescues and heals the injured werewolf, Chase, from a trap and he becomes her friend and follows her through the rest of the journey. Declan and Chase could not stand each other. They both like Willow a lot. This author really knows how to capture your imagination and I would recommend this Healer Series consisting of Everwild, Deadlands and Pandora’s Box to everyone who loves fantasy.

[CNickerson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good fantasy yarn but needs editing.

Good fantasy yarn but needs editing.

I enjoyed the story line, the characters, and the fantasy world. The description of the world spoke to me through the senses as good writing does. The nitty-gritty details of writing need work. There is awkwardness in subject\verb agreement that needs resolution. Also, some tenses of the verbs aren't correct. In addition, the author needs to write for clarity and proof more.
The use of slang doesn't always work, in my opinion, in this book. I LIKED the book...I read all of it. If I didn't think the author were talented, I wouldn't have gone to so much trouble here. I suggest the author read her writing out-loud as awkward writing falls badly on the ear. Best of luck and happy writing.

[Valerie Mcqueen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book I got solely on chance and I will say that I am pleasantly surprised. Not only is it a very entertaining read, it blends in so many characters from the paranormal world. I found the lure of the Everwild to be enticing! And who would have thought the Fae could be such mean people?? I love Willow as well, she is definitely a force to be reckoned with. This is one of the best surprises I have found, I can't wait to read book 2.

[Arie Antonia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great read. This story held me from beginning to end. I wanted to stay up all night reading to finish it. I just love Willow Rose and how she is growing into who she is meant to be as the story progresses. Her and Declan's love hate relationship was adorable to watch. I really didn't see the big shocker at the end coming and speaking of the ending it totally left me wanting more. I can't wait to see what happens in the next book

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well I must say I am pleasantly surprised! I got the book because I liked the cover and the description. A new author is always a game of chance. However this was really good! I can hardly wait to see what happens next with Willow!and Declan in the next book.

[Lauren Bessant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. Fantasy at it's finest but didn't hold the same charm the second time around. The characters lacked a little originality but their dynamics worked brilliantly together which lead to very amusing and emotional interactions throughout. There were lots of twists and turns in the book which kept things interesting throughout and I was very much addicted to it during my first read.

[christine baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

Loved this book! I read it all in one sitting! I do, will and have recommend this book to others. The second book seems to starting off great so here's to great reading everyone

[morgz · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Interesting concept! Needed refining but still good.

[JWinter · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book but it needs a few tweaks here and there.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is one of those books that you read after having read a bunch of books with the same plot and you just think "so books CAN be different!". That didn't happen to me but I imagine it could happen to someone... :D So anyway down to business.

I got this book on Amazon on a whim and I'm glad I did. From the first page, it absorbed me. This book is about witches and all that fantasy stuff but it puts a new spin on it. It's also very real. the main character, Willow Rose (I LOVE her name by the way!), is an immature 16 year-old but she has her bright moments. she's lived a sheltered life so it was nice to see that the author kept it real by making her act that way. She doesn't know a lot about the world or at the most just knows a bunch of facts with no experiences to go with them which is to be expected for her situation and age.

This is a 4 star book to me for two reasons. One, I'm sure you've heard me say before - it just isn't a true fangirl book for me. I won't obsess over the characters or imagine what it would be like if Willow ended up with someone else or how she will defeat Hekate or anything like that. Yes, I have an extreme urge to get the next one but it wasn't great.

The second reason, I haven' said about many books but I feel like I have to say it about this one. The love story between Willow Rose and Declan was extremely predictable. Declan gets pushed into the portal, they go on a long and dangerous journey alone, they fall in love, and have relationship problems along the way. Of course that isn't entirely true but if I say why, it will be a spoiler and I've been trying so hard lately to have spoiler free reviews so that's that.

So four stars for a really good reality but lacking in the relationship origionality department.

Oh and P.S. I LOVE the cover - beautiful!!

[Elen Tabita Bertoldi · Rating 5 out of 5]

review also in my blog:
http://licareads.blogspot.com/2015/03...

Interesting book, I never thought of Hekate as a big villain, but I guess that make things different, interesting, even though we don’t see much of her during the book. Willow is a witch with an incredible rare power, but she is not aware of it. When Hekate tries to kill her and steal the souls and powers of all her sister in the coven, Willow is forced to find the seeker and discover where Hekate has hidden her talisman, the only thing that could give Willow her true power that could be used against Hekate.

The reason that I liked this book was that it has an adventure feel to it and that put together with humor and romance make Everwild an ideal read for a teenager to pass time and imagine a whole new world with different species of paranormal, fae, dragons, ghouls, werewolves, elf and several elements. I guess is always nice to take some time to “travel” to a complete fantasy world.

I love the characters. Willow is quick to anger and even quicker to give a snark answer and Declan is not far from that. They both have an obvious attraction to each other but they rather pick on each other than to confess they may like one another. And it’s fun to read their discussion and when you add an overly flirty werewolf, things get even funnier. Chase is incredible funny and he’s a terrible werewolf, always getting lost and attracting trouble everywhere he goes and that means that Willow and Declan get is trouble too. I don’t know if things would be better or worse without Chase but it certainly wouldn’t be as funny.

I recommend this for anyone that like a magical read with a lot of fantasy, paranormal, mythology elements, a book without love triangle and a lot of laugh out loud.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was slightly annoying to me, it went back to the gender stereotypes of the girl needing to be saved all the time and while I will acknowledge that towards the end of the book the main character did go through some character development and started to come into her own it still didn’t help that through the rest of book she was utterly helpless.

The main character is 16 year old Willow a witch who was left at birth by her parents and adopted by a witching family. The book starts at her sixteenth birthday party where she is supposed to gain her talisman and learn what affinity she has. But hell kicks off at her party as she is forced to dance with the guy she likes but loathes at the same time and the Queen of Witches makes a bid for more power, as she fears Willow. Willow is then sent off on a magical adventure to find her talisman where she is faced with dangers but she seems to be reliant on other characters to save her. She was a fairly annoying character having a really cool and strong power but seeming helpless and needing to be saved all of the time.

The most noteworthy secondary characters for me were Declan and Chase. Declan is the guy Willow has known since school and has always argued with but secretly has a crush on and he feels the same. Chase is a werewolf they meet on their travels through the Everwild wood, he is flirty, cocky and could probably single handily cause a war but I found him very lovable.

The storyline was fairly original and gripping as the characters encountered problem after problem. The pacing was good and events were well distributed throughout the book not leaving it all till the last minute, but still holding enough back to leave readers wanting more.

3.5 stars, I will stick with the rest of the series in the hopes that Willow will become a likeable character but I’m not sure this will happen.

[Jessie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm giving this story a small 3 star

At first the story is really captivating. It's about a girl who is coming into her powers as a witch. She is 16, feels completely inadequate, and has lots of self loathing feelings. She is forced on an adventure with a boy who is typically extremely attractive, well built, etc. at first they hate each other but all to quickly end up loving each other. To be honest this is where he book started going down hill for me. The two characters went from hating each other to saying they love each other in no time. And the entire time the main character feels inadequite, ugly, and all the helpless woe is me feelings. It was almost to much. The MC willow is supposedly going to be the strongest witch and rule some day but so far she is an extremely weak character who needs saved way to often.

The story plot is creative and that is what I feel saved this book.

[Leilani · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun adventure this was! All the different creatures and the landscapes were so intriguing there's constant action through and through. A cute sweet young love romance blooming with betrayal power-lust and death you get the whole package in this series. A very descriptive read when explaining the landscape, creatures, and persons, doesn't bother me I like that kind of reading, though it does getting tiring after a while, a constant explanation about all details of what the main female lead is thinking when going from one room to the next. I would of liked more dialog when it came to the characters all interacting with each other but what the reader gets is epically funny and entertaining. I love personally as a reader switching points of views so the surprise at the end of this book was such a treat that I devoured happily and was much needed and helped, when I rated the book.

[kelli bates · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overdone cliche

Overdone cliche

I like it but the romance is so cliche. I mean come on really. I think that she should have ended up with someone else like Chase the werewolf or a new character that she meets in the future. I have read a ton of books but most teenage book ends the same. Like bad boy bumps into nerdy bullied girl they become friends and fall in love. To me the stories are boring , anti climatic , overdone but other than that I liked it a lot it was interesting. Very few books can pull of this kind of overdone cliche romance but most can't. Unfortunately this book couldn't.

[Alex L Criddle · Rating 3 out of 5]

First, I have to commend the author for an intriguing plot and excellent use of paranormal characters. Second, this novel needed to be edited again, and again, and maybe one more time. The lack of editing, especially during the second half of the novel, got in the way of the story. Third, Willow needs to get over herself. She is so worried about not being beautiful and not being powerful enough and blah, blah, blah. I know a lot of young adult novels have protagonists with insecurities, but Willow was just over the top.

[Alicia · Rating 2 out of 5]

The pacing of the book is the reason for my low score. The beginning and the very end were the best parts. Somewhere in the middle is when things get muddle. A lot of action in a sense happens but it's so much over a short period of time gives me whiplash. It's the same with the romance aspect they start off straight up hating each other to all she can think about and they're all over each other. Slower progression of their relationship would have made it more believable.

[Kathryn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really liked the story I really did. The only thing that bothered me was willow. She kept crying the whole time and didn't think. Declan had to save her and throughout the entire book I just wished she'd stopped being so senseless and think. Declan tells her not to breathe the fog she breathes it in. She goes off Into the forest without thinking about possible dangers. The girl doesn't know stealth when her life depends on it. And the ending just pissed me off. Really? Really?

[Priscilla Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Where's the ending

I love when I can get sucked into a story line. One that's strong points in the characters and plot. This is a young adult paranormal read about a witch trying to find her way. My only issue is that it's not really a complete story and it leaves off at the start of a new adventure.

[Kelsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one took a few chapters to get my attention but I am SO glad I didn't write it off as a fail because it's the farthest thing from it! Oh my gosh, I couldn't get enough of Willow & Declan, I LOVE the love/hate relationship they share- besides some of the cheesy lines- it never disappointed me! The magical realm that Jo has created is just astonishing & I totally want more!

[Beth Lopez · Rating 4 out of 5]

i really liked this book!!! i mean i can't wait to read the next and i loved that we had declan's point of view and at least we now know how he thinks!!!!! and omg!!! she is sometimes so stupid but sometimes she is so smart and is funny to see how they work with each other, and well i loved this book

[Elowen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aside from the bad spelling/grammer, it was better than expected. The story was fun and different; not too predictable. Willow was a good MC, although I do wish she was stronger in the physical sense since she is the heroine. All in all, for being a freebie on Amazon, it was great.

[bookwormmama · Rating 2 out of 5]

If the writing were better I would read on. I really like the idea of this story. However, I'm at a loss to describe how badly written and edited was. It's really a testament to how much I wanted to like it that I read through. And it's a lightning bolt, not a lightning bold. Just saying.

[Brenda Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book for me, is what I call *a one timer*. The author takes you some strange journeys, and some real strange critters. I am glad I read it, but won't read book one or any other in the series. They have no appeal for me.

[Preri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so torn.

4.5 STARS!!!

This book was an amazing. I liked the plot.

But what annoyed was Willow and Declan's love.

Yeah, it was definitely insta-love. Also, Willow is 16 but she acts 12. And then suddenly she swears.

See?

Anyway, it was a good book.

[connie johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book

I love this book
I am going on to the second
I mean a read the first chapter then
I like couldn't quite reading
a few mistakes here and there but over look all of them and man do you got a good book
And wus sup people

[Ashley Barney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book. I was engaged the entire time. A few times the dialogue felt a little stiff, but the plot is so excellent it hardly matters. There is action, adventure, and romance. Would love to see this as a movie.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved loved loved this book. I grabbed it as a recommendation from another book. I am so glad I did. I can't wait to read the rest of the series. I didn't give it five stars because some areas were a bit rushed. Highly recommend this book!!!!

[Candy J · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had gotten this free on amazon and was really presently surprised! Good chsracters, fast paced, good love story over all great YA book! excited for the next book!

[Lucyt2008 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable read kept me curious and couldn't actually put it down