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The Dreachen Codex #1
The Book of Secrets and Shadows
Perfect for fans of historical fantasy and supernatural mysteries, The Book of Secrets and Shadows follows Ember Merrington as she navigates the dark underbelly of 19th century London where demons and monsters walk among humans.
Concerned for her father’s declining health, Ember assumes his role of solving cases for the queen and unknowingly enters a hidden world where supernatural evil lurks around every corner. When a mysterious baron begins kidnapping young witches, Ember seizes the opportunity to prove herself. Guided by her late mother's mentor Daniel and aided by her clever friend Sam, Ember must uncover secrets about her own magical heritage and learn to harness her latent powers if she hopes to stop the baron's reign of terror.
With vivid world-building and a plucky heroine who never gives up, this fast-paced adventure explores themes of female empowerment and found family as Ember embraces her identity and forms an unlikely team to stand against the forces of darkness.
Concerned for her father’s declining health, Ember assumes his role of solving cases for the queen and unknowingly enters a hidden world where supernatural evil lurks around every corner. When a mysterious baron begins kidnapping young witches, Ember seizes the opportunity to prove herself. Guided by her late mother's mentor Daniel and aided by her clever friend Sam, Ember must uncover secrets about her own magical heritage and learn to harness her latent powers if she hopes to stop the baron's reign of terror.
With vivid world-building and a plucky heroine who never gives up, this fast-paced adventure explores themes of female empowerment and found family as Ember embraces her identity and forms an unlikely team to stand against the forces of darkness.
250 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 1, 2023
1 person is currently reading
15 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 22, 2023
A solid debut novel with supernatural, mystery, and historical elements all mixed together! The author doesn't rush the story or character development. It's easy to like the main character as well as others she interacts with. The setting is historically accurate, which is what any historical fiction reader looks for. I very much appreciated that there was a character with a permanent injury, as so few books tend to include that, and the author didn't shy away from the character's feelings about his own injury. Supernatural creatures were described very nicely and were easy to imagine. Looking forward to book 2!
October 10, 2023
This book is awesome, let's start there.
The description of nineteenth century London is awesome and it makes you get immersed in the story! Ember is a relatable character: her motivations, her thoughts, her actions and reactions. All of it was spot on.
The secondary characters are likable and all of them add to the story, they all play their parts and are not there just because.
The world building and the way Ember learns about the supernatural makes it so easy for the reader to understand the rules of this hidden world and I honestly only want to know more!
Wendy Larking made me feel excitement, happiness, worry, intrigue, panic... all of it throughout the story and I'm seriously impressed with the detailed way she describes the feelings of the heroine.
I can't wait for the next in this series as I want to know what happens next.
An awesome fantasy pnr novel with a strong heroine that really is the center of the story.
The description of nineteenth century London is awesome and it makes you get immersed in the story! Ember is a relatable character: her motivations, her thoughts, her actions and reactions. All of it was spot on.
The secondary characters are likable and all of them add to the story, they all play their parts and are not there just because.
The world building and the way Ember learns about the supernatural makes it so easy for the reader to understand the rules of this hidden world and I honestly only want to know more!
Wendy Larking made me feel excitement, happiness, worry, intrigue, panic... all of it throughout the story and I'm seriously impressed with the detailed way she describes the feelings of the heroine.
I can't wait for the next in this series as I want to know what happens next.
An awesome fantasy pnr novel with a strong heroine that really is the center of the story.
December 7, 2023
I had the privileged to read this book.
I found the story cute. The protagonist Ember is unknown what hides in the 19th century London. In the dark lurks something supernatural and soon Ember and the reader will fall into this mysterious world.
I did get some Grimm vibes, the tv-show where Nick is hit by the news of wessen and that he is from a line of hunters. Ember is a mix of Nick and Enola Holmes.
The side characters were realistic, strong-willed and kind hearted.
The storyline start of strong but has a lot of introduction and learning phases which is not my cup of tea in general.
In summary was this an alright book in the genre of historical fantasy with themes of friendship, feminism or strong female character, social classes hierarchy and family secrets. I do wanna know how much Ember can improve so I will keep an eye on this serie.
I found the story cute. The protagonist Ember is unknown what hides in the 19th century London. In the dark lurks something supernatural and soon Ember and the reader will fall into this mysterious world.
I did get some Grimm vibes, the tv-show where Nick is hit by the news of wessen and that he is from a line of hunters. Ember is a mix of Nick and Enola Holmes.
The side characters were realistic, strong-willed and kind hearted.
The storyline start of strong but has a lot of introduction and learning phases which is not my cup of tea in general.
In summary was this an alright book in the genre of historical fantasy with themes of friendship, feminism or strong female character, social classes hierarchy and family secrets. I do wanna know how much Ember can improve so I will keep an eye on this serie.
October 4, 2023
A wonderful time travel to join Ember on her adventures of learning about her true purpose. Such a delight to read and hard to put down. Supernatural creatures come to life when she learns about their existence and what role she plays. Really enjoyed the mystery and the plot twists. Can't wait for the sequel!!!!
December 4, 2023
I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
The characters drew me in from the first page till the last page.
It was such a compelling story, and I cannot wait until the second book is released.
The characters drew me in from the first page till the last page.
It was such a compelling story, and I cannot wait until the second book is released.
December 4, 2023
I really loved this read. It has the fun, classic, nostalgic feel of a ghostbuster type novel. I love victorian-era literature and spooky monsters and this was the best of both worlds. I loved that the FMC was not crazy overpowered like most paranormal fantasy novels are. I truly appreciate the build of a young hunter making and learning from her mistakes; this will be a fun series to follow and I’m looking forward to book #2!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews