Numinous

A Dirge of Rood'ravil #1

by Emory Skwara

Growing up with a step-mother that couldn't care less if she existed and a father that abandoned her at a young age, Lily Blackmoor mostly took care of herself, and her younger brother Sebastian, on her own. Teased relentlessly through elementary and middle school, she didn't have it much better at school. It wasn't until her small, tabby cat Blink lured her into a magical hideaway that everything changed. He wasn't what he seemed and was on a mission to bring her back to her home world. But the road back is hard and deadly, and there are conditions before they can make the journey. It's not until she is so close to meeting those conditions that the least likely person shows up making everything more complicated. In the meantime, her brother Sebastian is having terrible nightmares, that at first he shrugs off, but when it's clear they are trying to tell him something; he starts to listen. The message: Lily, if not stopped, will leave a wake of destruction over the Earth, and it's up to him to stop her. Told from different characters point of view, Numinous is a story of magic, power and adventure, love and fear, trials and suffering, and of faith.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

605 pages, Paperback

First published September 12, 2014

About the author

I live in Minnesota, have a Liberal Arts degree, and when I'm not reading or watching a movie, I'm probably cooped up somewhere with black coffee, writing. I have a lot of different influences, a lot of which are classic authors (I'm bad at keeping up with modern fiction). I like stories that are entertaining, but also thought provoking, intellectual, and try to reach you at a deeper, emotional level. So, with that said, I try to bring that to my own writing as well. I really hope you enjoy something of mine, and if you do please feel free to let me know what you think. I would love to hear from you.

Reviews

[Daniel Adorno · Rating 5 out of 5]

Numinous is an imaginative and engaging read, which will whisk you away on a marvelous journey into the world of Rood'ravil. Emory Skwara has an uncanny ability to create real, grounded characters who you connect with right away. The story surrounds Lily and her ability to control minds with the use of fiad, a magical ability she possesses. Her cat, Blink, is from another world and instructs her on how to use fiad. Meanwhile her brother, Sebastian, learns about Lily's abilities and the other world, Roodravil, from an enigmatic owl called Numinous. Both Lily and Sebastian are caught up in an adventure neither signed up for when they go down opposite paths that will ultimately collide.

The two main protagonists, Lily and Sebastian, each perfectly capture the innocence, eagerness, and angst of teenagers caught in circumstances beyond their control. It's difficult for me to classify the book under one genre because it perfectly melds urban fantasy, epic fantasy, and sci-fi so well. I enjoyed the multitude of characters in the book besides Lily and Sebastian such as Drake and Ricky, whose viewpoints are captured in separate chapters. Skwara's writing puts you inside each character's head and I found myself identifying with several characters' idiosyncrasies and personalities. Overall, Numinous is full of many memorable characters and creatures, it delivers thrills and adventure that any reader will enjoy. This book is a real treat for both young adults and adults who enjoy fantasy and sci-fi stories. I highly recommend it!

[Ninja · Rating 1 out of 5]

I looked forward to reading this and was sorely disappointed. I stopped reading after chapter 21 and how I managed to even get that far? I haven't a clue. I don't think there was any editing done in the story either, it was horrendous at times and 21 chapters in, I didn't like a single character. They were all annoying and not believable.
I can do with Blink and he being able to shapeshift or whatever, but it was ridiculous. HE was ridiculous.
Lily? Ugh, what an irritating person. She went from keeping to herself and spending time in the woods to this evil little wench in a matter of chapters. Not believable.
And she and her friends robbing the bank? How stupid, seriously. It actually made my head hurt. I don't understand how she was supposedly not strong enough to control multiple people at once in the beginning of the book to controlling everyone in her school's hallways with a movement of her hands later. Was I supposed to believe her wanting to go to Rood'ravil gave her the ability to become stronger? It just didn't seem that way at all.
Also, plenty of times throughout, it felt as if the story was jumping all over the place. At one point it's a memory and suddenly BAM! right back in the present. It was confusing and difficult to read. I know the author was/is super thrilled about writing this story, but no, thank you.
Better luck next time.

[Daniel Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really cool book. I loved all the elements--fantasy, romance, adventure, good vs. evil, mystery and intrigue, etc. The author definitely has a cinematic eye for things--he paints a good picture and develops the story very well. I was about 3/4 of the way through when I realized that all of my questions weren't going to be answered in this, the first book of the series. Which is totally fine. Some things were a bit out of the blue--like why does Evander all of a sudden want to be trained? But I guess every young apprentice that goes to another world does some sort of training: Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Hunger Games, Divergent, etc. The copy editor need to be fired for allowing a lot of little mistakes. Like "get down to brass tax"--a term used by the Elk King. First of all they're tacks, it's not a tax. Second of all the term doesn't jive: why would some old king in a different dimension/world use the term, "get down to brass tacks"? There were a lot of little genre clashes like that: imagine Tolkien all of a sudden having Gandalf say, "That's cool, man." Weird. Also, I loved the Numinous character, the all-wise owl. The book is really of a high caliber for being free on Wattpad. I can see why it was nominated for awards there.

[Toni L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW What a great fantasy read. Couldn't wait to finish the
book so I could see what was going to happen. But the adventure
continues in the second book. When will it be out????? Soon
I hope. Have already told my neighbor about the book and she plans
to get it. Please read what others say about the book, But I would
say GET IT. It is so good.

[Katherine Tennison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!

Loved this book can't wait until the next book comes out. This book kept me completely on the edge of my seat the entire time.

[Linda S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Captivating

There was never a slow place in the writing. I had to know what was going to happen. I can't wait for the next book.