***As of June 8, 2013, Pawn has been re-edited and proofread***
Dreams and Nightmares, Screams and Sighs, Fate Wakes the Girl, And Says she Dies...
When the Boy Gets in the Way, Then the Nightmares Come to Play...
For her eighteenth birthday, Endora Lee Andrews receives the gift of dreams. Nighttime slumber brings her visions of the future, a preview of things to come. Endora’s unsettling new ability is seemingly harmless, until her dreams turn to nightmares.
When she meets the mysterious and swoon-worthy Kannon, he knows things about her that he can’t possibly know, and seems to be the key to uncovering the source of her ominous prophecies. But Kannon has many secrets, some the essential difference between life and death for Endora.
Can she discover the origins of her nightmares and how to prevent destiny, before the harbingers of death come for her?
Woven with love, mystery and mythology, PAWN is the story of a girl who was once brought back from death, only to face it again. Because Fate may give you a second chance at life, but that doesn’t mean it’s yours to keep.
Author of twenty-six books in six series, Sophie Davis is a pseudonym for best friends turned co-authors. The pair met in law school and instantly bonded over their love of great books and bad horror movies. When one longed for the ability to read minds so she wouldn't have to study for the bar exam, they created a dystopian world with superpowers that spans nine books.
While writing in genres of paranormal romance, time travel, urban fantasy, and mystery, their works have been optioned for film and translated for an international audience. You can find them teaching their dogs to enter wormholes in the desert of Southern California.
One dare gone too far... Two teenagers bound by death... A bond worth fighting for...
This book was simply amazing!!
I won't give too much away: firstly, because this was a beta read and there may be changes in the final copy, and secondly because I want you all to experience it for yourselves.
But can I just say...it blew me away.
Love mythology?
You'll love this book. Keep a look out for Hermes (who is literally the guy of your dreams...and possibly nightmares)!!
Love mystery?
Then get your Nancy Drew on! Unsolved mysteries and secrets are a hazard of this tale.
Love romance?
Then you'll love Sophie's latest couple - Kannon and Endora (a.k.a Eel).
This book is sure to be a hit with fans of YA fiction with a bit of a mythological twist. :)
Endora Lee Andrews is popular, has great friends and is celebrating her 18th birthday. All her life she’s had a special quirk…she has an odd electrical charge that shorts out batteries, watches and cell phones. Her friends call her Eel, for electric eel but she never really minds since she’s been this way all her life.
Hanging with friends, a call from her father, and a fun night was what Endora Lee Andrews expected for her 18th birthday. Instead she meets the mysterious Kannon, who pulls her in like a magnet and yet his presences alarms her. The call does come through from her father and they even set up a meeting, but strangely he’s a no show and disappears without a trace. But Endora’s most disturbing birthday surprise is the premonitions and nightmares she starts experiencing, giving her glimpses into future…
Uncertain and haunted by her nightmares, Endora must discover the secrets behind her new abilities. She must solve the mystery of her father’s disappearance and why she has this unnatural draw towards Kannon. Gods know, Endora’s life and afterlife might just depend on it.
I loved this book. Although Eel is faced with abnormal situations she rallies and faces it head on.
A strong heroine, a hot mysterious stranger, great friendships and a completely original and engaging plot, Sophie Davis writes a BRILLIANT new young adult series!
Pawn is the first Sophie Davis book I have read, and the first book in the Shadow Fate series, and I’ll certainly be diving into more. In fact, I’m rather desperate to get my hands on the second book in the series to see what happens next.
There are so many young adult mythology books out there, especially Greek mythology books, that I feel as though it is hard to find any that really stand out. It seems to be the same kind of story told over and over again. The main character finds out they’re the child of a God and drama ensues. There is nothing wrong with this kind of story, but at this point it feels overdone. Thus, I’m always interested in finding those stories that offer something different.
Pawn is that something different.
I’m not going to go into details, as I have no wish to be the person who gives spoilers, but know this story is unlike the other young adult mythology books you find. This one offers us something different, whilst keeping hold of all the things that make these kinds of books gripping. Without a doubt, I fell in love with this story – the fact it was something unique, the way things slowly developed, and the lingering questions I have worked to ensure I am in dire need of book two.
I mean, those questions. I thought we’d been introduced to plenty of things already, there were so many things I was eager to see, but the ending gave us so many new possibilities. There were more twists thrown in than expected, more questions developed than anticipated, and the ending has worked to ensure I’ll gladly dive straight into book two.
Bring on the second book in the Shadow Fate series – I’m eager to see what comes next!
This book has a really intriguing mythology that is doled out in a fascinating and mysterious way. Romance, adventure and mystery with likable characters are just the thing.
Perfect for fans of Jennifer Lynn Armentrout's Lux series.
I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this via the authors. This story was originally written a few years ago but has now been revamped and rereleased. Even though I read the original version, I honestly felt as if I was reading this story for the first time.
Endora is a troubled young woman following an incident on her 18th birthday. She finds herself having issues with dreams she keeps having which seem to be far more than just simple dreams. But Endora soon has more to worry about. The person who seemingly saved her from the incident keeps popping up unexpectedly, she finds out things about her dad which has her very concerned, and she ends up having things to deal with that she wasn’t expecting. Long hidden family secrets are discovered which drastically change Endora’s opinions on everything she thought she knew about herself.
The mythology woven throughout this story is brilliantly done. I was drawn into the whole idea behind it instantly.
The story flows along at a great pace which quickly speeds up as we head toward the ending. This is a series, so the ending isn’t as cut and dried as some may be expecting. It has me desperately waiting for the next book already.
Well done to the authors as they have managed to add so much into the pages. Bring on book two!
"Pawn" by Sophie Davis is the first in a new series and having read and liked her amazing Talented Series I downloaded this book on the day of its release, eager to see what idea she had come up this time. In "Pawn" the protagonist Endora, or "Eel" turns 18 and at her surprise party (nearly?) drowns and gets rescued by the mysterious Kannon. Her feelings towards her attractive saviour however turn ambiguous when he seems to know things about her she has not told him herself. Unsure whether she can trust him she ceases contact with him. In the meantime however she sees or 'meets' him in dreams, all of which seem to have special meaning or a clairvoyant or omniscient character. She finally meets with him and finds out that Kannon and her are not so different and share the same gift or powers. Her exchange with Kannon is romantically charged but also leads her to the investigation of some myths, the nature of which I do not want to reveal here so you can find out yourself without a spoiler. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it is written in parts for young adults and briefly crosses over into chick lit territory with scenes between Endora's circle of girlfriends but not in a way that would limit Davis' story or audience to that market. The central idea behind the story and probably the rest of series to follow very clever, well thought through and engaging and I found myself drawn into the journey of discovery that Endora and Kannon embark upon more than I would have thought. There are additional interests woven into the plot, like some mystery regarding Endora's father, making this a more dimensional and enjoyable. The writing is tight and smooth and the plot moves along perfectly, never letting me out of its grip. Davis is a talented writer, story teller and entertainer and leaves us with a great set up for the next instalment of this series. Highly recommended.
Free will or Greek Gods, which is the myth?, Endora, "Eel" has always caused problems with battery operated stuff. She lives with her mother who is overprotective and yet distant. Her father having been court ordered to stay away.
For her 18th birthday, her friends "kidnap" her and take her to a party. She is egged into jumping off the cliff and she almost drowns! Why she is not sure she wants to believe.
Kannon happens by and saves her. They are immediately attracted to each other, and yet Eel senses something is wrong.
Eel just wants to play lacrosse, go to her prom, graduate High School and pick a career. However, she is starting to have weird dreams that seem to be coming true.
Kannon says it is because she was sent back from the dead to make sure things turn out like they are supposed to (according to the gods' plans). Eel can't understand how this could be and people still have free will.
Not giving the story away, read and follow her struggle to find the answers, stop the dreams, find love.
Eel is very strong, she has the support of her friends but does not allow them to do everything for her. She takes the reins in her life and faces the consequences of her actions head on!!
I received a copy from the author for an honest review. What if everything you believed in life about yourself turned out to be a lie? Had déjà vu moments that really were going play out in the future as if you had already experienced them? Endora or Eel as her friends call her has those experiences. She also seems to cause electronics to stop working. But on her 18th birthday, things start to happen and change around her. Her best friend Devon is about the only person she can trust. She misses her dad but when he doesn’t meet her for the appointment they have planned together, Eel gets an odd call that changes things. Once Kannon saves her from a near death experience, the connection is strong between them and undeniable. But is he safe to be around and is he someone she can trust? What secrets will Eel learn about who she really is? This is the beginning of another pull you in story from Ms. Davis you will want to pick up and read.
*I have received an ARC in exchange of an honest review
What a great novel full of love and adventure. The author has the perfect blend of love and adventure. First off, they have a great heroine.
Endora is such a fun character. I love her sarcastic remarks and her inner strength. She is such a strong heroine. Her strength really made me admire her and love her story. Kaydon is the ultimate book boyfriend. He is so sweet and cool. I love how he is the perfect blend of mystery but a completely sensitive soul. There is such more to him than that meets the eye. He is a great match for Endora.
The romance in this novel made me enjoy it most of all. I loved the chemistry and banter between Kaydon and Endora. There was an awesome slow burn that kept on flickering. And when they finally kissed, the pages came alive with fireworks.
The world building is 5+ stars. There is such a unique take on mythology. The Greek Mythology is done extremely well. There is nothing overdone or cliched. There is complete accuracy with a nice little twist. The world building complements the character development and that was amazing. I love learning more and more about the Greek Legends I love.
All in all, great first novel to a fantastic YA series. I can't wait for the second novel.
Endora finds out shortly after her 18th birthday that her dreams actually forsee the future. All because she died briefly at birth and was revived. That's not all though. She comes to find out that there are others out there who have died and come back but their experience involved being brought before three creatures in the underworld who judge your life and decide if you get a second chance at life or not. This forces Endora to delve a little deeper into what really happened to her when she was born.
There is a bit of Greek Mythology, mixed in with the budding romance between Endora and Kannon. Clean with some PG kissing scenes but filled with action and plenty of girl drama and action. I wasn't impressed with the nonchalant way they portrayed underage drinking, partying and for the other characters, sex though it was only inferred. The teens in this YA story were a little immature in my opinion. Overall a nice story that wasn't terribly predictable. Ending leads us to the next book in a bit of a cliffhanger way for those of you that HATE that, this may not be for you.
I really enjoyed this! The beginning is really cool and gets right to the action; it really draws you into the story. Endora's life begins to change when she turns 18, and has a frightening experience after making the stupid choice to jump off a cliff. I loved the mystery surrounding that! Endora ends up being able to see visions of the future, but she keeps denying it. When a good-looking guy rescues her and seems to know more about herself than she does, Endora is going to have to open her eyes to things that seem crazy. I loved the Greek god mythology stuff, and what is going on with Endora was an unique idea. Endora did get on my nerves at times. She's a bit of a party girl, and tries a bit too hard to fit in. She's friends with the popular girls that let guys treat them like crud, and I wasn't liking that. I didn't really like any of her friends, but Endora is mostly fine. I liked Kaydon; the guy who rescued Endora, Endora and him have some cute moments together. There's some good mystery in this book, and I'm excited to see where the series goes. Entertaining read!
I loved this book! I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review, and I didn't read that this was an updated version of an earlier edition until after I finished it. Deja vu is a theme of sorts in this book, and I was seriously wowed that I was actually experiencing deja vu as I read it, thinking that it felt so familiar! That said, I enjoyed it immensely both times I read it, and am so glad that now it is the beginning of a trilogy because I must have more! Love the mythology become real in this book, and Eel, Devon, and Kayden. Cannot wait to see what happens next. If you are new to this author, go immediately and read The Talented series - you will not regret it. If you are not new to this author, you may think "The Sophies can't possibly come up with a world as amazing as the Talented one"....well, guess what, they can! This book idea is wholly original, well fleshed-out, and drew me right in. Loved it so much!!
This book in one sentence: After almost dying on her 18th birthday, Endore develops precognitive powers and meets Kaydon a mysterious boy who both scares and intrigues her. My rating: ⭐⭐⭐ Steaminess: 🌶️1/2 My recommendation: This is a pretty standard "girl discovers a paranormal world and powers and also a mysterious attractive boy who may or may not be dangerous" story. The beginning was really intriguing and drew me in right away. The world building was a hodge-podge of various cultures' mytholgies. Also it's mostly based on greek mythology, the author randomly throws in some japanese, russian and christian mythology as well. The main character is significantly less annoying than the leads of this type of paranormal YA usually are. But the more the story progressed, the less interested I was. I probably won't read the sequel. Tropes: chosen-one, mysterious-love-interest, a few others that I won't mention because spoilers.
Endora, aka Eel, has always been different. On her 18th birthday her whole life turns upside down and she finds out everything she knew about herself was a lie.
Endora kind of drove me crazy. She’s told multiple times not to trust any strangers, yet she keeps seeing a strange cute boy by herself because, you know, cute boy. And she’s told over and over that her dreams are premonitions yet she prepares for prom like it’s all going to be fine? I found myself frustrated with Endora on more than one occasion. I guess it’s because she is 18 and more concerned with the aforementioned cute boy?
Towards the end of the book I started to get more into the story line and Endora finally seems to be focused on actually doing something about her predicament. I like where the story left off and think Book 2 has a lot of potential!
*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review*
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Pawn is the first book in the Shadow Fate series, and Sophie Davis has written a fabulous story. Endora Lee Andrews - Eel, spurred on by her friends jumps into the water from a cliff on her 18th birthday. But what she doesn’t realised is that jump will change everything, when she’s trapped by a creature under the water - “Welcome home”. Lucky she’s saved by a mysterious guy Kayden. Her world will to change when she’s able to predict things that are about to happen in the future and starts to look into why. I could write a lot more about this book, but it’s just so good, that I don’t want to spoil it. If you love YA, romance, mythology, a little mystery and adventure, then I highly recommend Pawn. Looking forward to the second book - Sacrifice.
I was pulled into this story.... Endora is your average teenager, good with a minor wildside. She has an over protective mother that goes to the point of almost smothering and an absent father though not by choice.
The mythology of this world is introduced slowly which I absolutely loved and I found that the pacing added to the mystery element of the world building. I kept on asking myself, what was going on or why was this happening, which of course spurred me on to read a few more pages to try to find the answer.
The ending sets up for the next book quite nicely so this time you know exactly what to expect. I did think it might head in a slightly different direction so I was pleasantly surprised down to the last page when it didn't.
Pawn is a great start to this series and I look forward to seeing what is in store for Endora and Kaydon.
I’m a huge fan of Sophie Davis and this one did far from disappoint. I love the NDE theme and can’t wait for Eel to get more answers. I look forward to meeting the rulers of the underworld during her next adventure!
All of the characters are amazing, and I found myself connecting with them as well as trying to pick which ones are not to be trusted. The romance was perfect and I enjoyed getting lost in their story.
This is not a standalone, but it ends without a nail-biting cliffhanger. I am eager to read the next in series, and I’m so glad it will be here in a few weeks!!
I highly recommend this and her other books if you have not read them yet!
This was a very interesting book. I had never read a story like it and it's refreshing how original it is. Eel died and came back to life. When she turns 18, she starts getting prophetic dreams. A boy she meets on her birthday had some of the answers to her dreams but not all off them. When her father disappeared, she discovers that her second chance at life is way more complicated than she could have imagined. The story kept me intrigued and I really enjoyed it. I plan to continue the series and recommend it to anyone who wants your typical high school romance in a not so typical story packaging.
I love Greek Mythology so this story caltured my interest. The teenage drama was a bit annoying in the beginning and I can only take so much teenage angst but once you find out some of her deep dark secrets it starts to get interesting. The story line about the Fates and reincarnation add a certain mystery and intrigue. Who is Eel really and will she find her father who is searching for answers. Throw in a few gods, some mysrical creatures, a deadly chase and I am curious to find out what really happened on judgement day. The phrase "signing your life away" takes on a whole new meaning.
Get ready for a story to pull you in right away. After turning 18 Endora starts to have premonitions. She meets Kaydon and he opens up a world of secrets she never knew about herself and her family. We go on an adventure with her learning the truth. This young adult story had twist after twist and the ending just made me need more. I couldn't start book two fast enough. I can't give too much detail because there are so many surprises, it would ruin the experience. This narrator was the perfect voice for this story. I forgot that it was one person for all characters. If you love mythology, you will adore this book.
Endora has always had quirky things about her, and when she turns 18, she begins having dreams and flashes of future events. She meets Kaydon when she jumps off a cliff into a lake, and comes across something she isn’t sure she can even explain. Kaydon saves her from the water, and she can tell he is like her. As Endora learns more about her life and her past, she and her friend Devon, along with Kaydon, try to help unravel all the secrets that plague her. I’m excited to read book two.
What do you do when you turn 18, then find out your entire life is a lie? Your parents aren't who you thought they were, there's something out there that wants you dead, your dreams tell the future, and you're being mysteriously drawn toward the cutest boy you've ever seen. Well, if you're anything like Endora Lee Andrews (otherwise known as Eel), you embrace the crazy, and hunt for answers. This book is full of twists, and will leave you on the edge of your seat. I can't wait for the next one!
This book is suitable for younger teens, as well as adults. It has a great plot that captures your interest and holds it from beginning to end. The storyline flows smoothly and the characters are well defined.
Kate Richardson has done a great job keeping the various character vocals separate and clear. She flowed through the narration just as smoothly as the storyline. There were no noticeable mistakes or repeats detected.
An all around great book and audiobook and I highly recommend as an historically and mythologically oriented fantasy!
Pawn is the first book in the Shadow Fate series by Sophie Davis.
This book is YA/Greek mythology. It truly stands apart from other mythology books I have read. The story mainly focuses on Endora and the premonitions she suddenly sees shortly after turning 18. She meets Kaydon during her birthday bash at the lake. Was it perfect timing or a coincidence as to when they met. Endora aka Eel discovers she’s not the only person with her gifts and we go on a mystery ride to learn more about her gifts. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Got book 2, cued up and ready to go!
I am so happy I received this ARC. I love Sophie’s other books series, especially the Talented series so I knew I would like this book. I gave this book four stars instead of five because I was slow getting into it. It took me until the middle of the book to really get interested in it and then I could not put it down. I enjoyed the mythology put into this book. I am beyond excited for the next book in the series to come out.
This is a good start to a new series. Eel is not like other girls but no one really knows why. On her 18th birthday she meets a stranger. She both likes him and is frightened of him for good reason on both counts. The next few weeks completely change her life. Add to it the strange dreams and this new stranger Eel is in for something new. This has all the great elements for a good YA series.
*I received a free copy of this book via the author and am voluntarily leaving a review.*
I received an ARC of this book from the authors and having read every series previously written, I was keen! To be honest I was slow to get into this one, but glad I didn't give it up! The way the mythology is written into the story leaves you wondering about choice and free will. Throw in teenage love and the strength of friendship and now I can't wait for the next one to end up in my ebookshelf! Can't wait to find out the true nature of Eels existence 💞
I gave this book 4 stars because the first half kind of dragged for me. I agree with some of the reviewers in that it took me to about half way through the story to get hooked and boy, I did not see that plot twist coming! After the twist I became hooked and now I can't wait for book 2 to come out. If you like mythology and a bit of mystery, this book is for you.
This book kept my attention from beginning to end. I loved how the authors mixed Greek mythology into a modern setting. I loved the characters, they were easy to relate to and I found myself caring about what was happening to them. I can't wait to see where the story goes in the sequel.
As a lover of Greek mythology and a long time YA fanatic Pawn drew me in from page one and never let go! Endora' s story is a fast-paced thrill ride filled with mystery, intrigue, and otherworldly influence. Sophie Davis quickly became my favorite author(s) with their Talented series and I have yet to be disappointed. I am never left wanting for anything but more!