Isla's Inheritance

Isla's Inheritance #1

by Cassandra Page

Isla was content to let her father keep his secrets, but now she can’t stand the touch of iron and her dreams are developing a life of their own.

Seventeen-year-old Isla Blackman only agrees to participate in a Halloween séance because Dominic, an old crush, wants to. She is sure nothing will happen when they try to contact her mother’s spirit. But the séance receives a chilling reply.

SHE IS NOT DEAD.

Isla doesn’t want to upset her father by prying into the family history he never discusses. When the mysterious and unearthly Jack offers to help her discover the truth, Isla must master her new abilities to protect her loved ones from enemies she never knew existed.

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Urban Fantasy, Ebooks

260 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2014

About the author

Cassandra Page is a mother, author, editor and geek. She lives in Canberra, Australia’s bush capital, with her son and two Cairn Terriers. She has a serious coffee addiction and a tattoo of a cat—despite being allergic to cats. She has loved to read since primary school, when the library was her refuge, and loves many genres, all of them speculative fiction. When she’s not reading or writing, she engages in geekery, from Doctor Who to AD&D. Because who said you need to grow up?

Reviews

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

The night of the Halloween party, dressed as The Bride of Dracula and with cousin and best friend Sarah dressed as Dracula, seventeen year old Isla Blackman had no idea her life was about to change in a dramatic and unusual fashion. The ghost in front of her turned out to be Dominic, the boy she hadn’t seen for over a year as he’d been overseas – the tingling she was feeling meant that old crush was still there! But when a séance was suggested and agreed to, the words Isla heard upset her considerably…

Isla’s father David lived out of Canberra on a farm – Isla had moved in with her Aunt Elizabeth and cousins, Sarah and Ryan to be closer to the school they attended. With Isla’s eighteenth birthday just around the corner, and Sarah’s a month later, they usually celebrated together. But the night of Isla’s birthday was the night strange happenings began to occur; she was a little frightened by the unexplained and unexpected feelings she was having.

What was Isla’s father hiding from her? Why would he never talk to her about her mother? And who was Jack, this boy who didn’t seem quite real?

I really enjoyed Isla’s Inheritance by Aussie author Cassandra Page; light and entertaining with great characters and a well-orchestrated plot, the storyline is excellent. I can’t wait to get into Isla’s Oath, book two of the series, and have no hesitation in recommending Isla’s Inheritance highly.

With thanks to the author for my copy to read and review.

[Phrynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A light, enjoyable, young adult fantasy about a girl who finds out on her eighteenth birthday that she is actually half faerie and has extraordinary powers that she does not know what to do with. That's not grammatical but it says what I mean:) The story is good and I enjoyed all of the characters especially Jack. I could wish that the old eternal love triangle had not appeared yet again. Who are these girls who can fall in love with two boys at the same time? I suppose that in itself must be a young adult fantasy. Nevertheless I am hooked and will have to move on to the next book to find out what happens.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Isla's Inheritance took me by surprise - in a good way. It doesn't come across like a debut novel at all.

The way the author managed to draw me in immediately and keep me firmly entrenched in Isla's world was skilfully done. All I wanted to do was read it ... all the time. It transported me to another place and now that I've finished reading I still feel like I have one foot in reality and one foot firmly planted in the world of Isla and Jack.

Before starting the book I thought Canberra seemed an unlikely location for a story with 'mystical' elements. Happily, I discovered that I was completely mistaken. On the contrary, the location really works.

I loved the humour throughout the book. I had a couple of literal LOLs (on the train - awkward).

The main characters are all likeable and believable, even the supernatural variety.

The author deserves kudos for not resorting to stereotypes, particularly for the older female character.

I'm desperate to find out more about Jack. Fortunately, with book 2 coming out in 3 months, there isn't too long to wait.

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

How refreshing to read a story set in my own backyard!

Isla's Inheritance is a young adult urban fantasy set in Canberra, Australia. It follows the story of Isla, an eighteen year old girl, who discovers that not only do Fae exist, but that she is one.

Page's writing is beautiful and Canberra comes to life through her vivid descriptions. Although the plot is the familiar story of a human teen discovering they are part of a fantasy world, the Fae world Page paints is unique. My only criticism is that I wish there had of been a little more romance. I'm holding out for that in book 2!

[Kira · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick YA read (for someone who's a not so YA). Isla has just turned eighteen and her family secrets are brought to the surface along with abilities she didn't know she had. She has a new boyfriend Dominic and a new friend(?) Jake. Along with a few other problems to solve.

A light read and enjoyable with some funny moments but I felt not enough happened. Probably to be revealed in later books.

[Veronica Strachan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous Aus fantasy

I was looking forward to reading this Aus based fantasy and I was not disappointed. It was a great read. I thought I'd read a couple of chapters and have the rest for the weekend. Not to be. Eyes glued to the pages I had to keep reading till the end. The language flowed so well, familiar landmarks connected me with the story, and a rapidly developing plot means I'll have to get book 2 for my weekend read.

[John James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being a 48 year old man, I'm not the target demographic for this book, but I must say I enjoyed it quite a bit...

At first glance it's a simple story about a young woman coming of age and discovering that she is half-fae... nothing new there... but the nice thing about this book is how it celebrates the normal. I like the way the story treats the supernatural as part of ordinary existence, not something above and beyond normal... extraordinary things happen to people everyday, why not supernatural things as well...

I also like the positiveness of the story... people are there for each other, helping each other - friends and family... I like stories like that. I don't like stories that glorify evil. This book glorifies the normal and ordinary - and I for one wish there were more books like this.

[Katie Hamstead · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, this book was good. I definitely didn't hate it, but it just didn't grab me like I wanted. It's an easy, light read, set in the beautiful capital of Australia; Canberra. There were just things that felt off to me. Like their fashion was all very... late nineties. I'm thinking it should be maybe mentioned as a Modern History book. Also, HSC exams are usually almost done by Nov, and the 12th graders have already graduated so aren't expected to attend classes. I know this because my birthday is Nov 1 and I'd completed all but one of my exams by then.
Those factors aside, the book stayed a good course. A little slow paced, but the end built up nicely. Isla was likable, but I didn't feel any real connection between her and the love interest.
All up, this is a clean read, light, fun, and an easy introduction for teens into urban fantasy.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A light but compelling urban fantasy, set in my own city, Canberra. The main character is 18-year old Isla, a likeable and remarkably care-free teenager at the heart of a close-knit family who comprise several of the other important characters. It's no spoiler to say that Isla learns early in the book that there is more to get heritage than she had imagined, and that quickly draws her into adventure.

[Fiona Miller-Stevens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in Canberra, Australia, Isla’s Inheritance is an urban fantasy coming of age story about Isla, a girl who’s family heritage turns out to be more complicated than most.

I was surprised at how easily Page made Canberra a plausible place for a fae story. The characters connected and the dynamics of the fae world were intriguing. I have picked a ‘team’ and really hope that ‘my’ side wins later in the series.

This was an enjoyable read and I’m looking forward to reading book two.

[Sally906 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really enjoyable YA story about an 18-year-old girl who learns she is half fairy on her birthday.

She has a very lovely and patient boyfriend - and she also gains a male sort of fairy advisor/aid.

Isla is plunged into an adventure protecting her family from magical elements she didn't even know existed.

A good start to a new series

[Jasmine from How Useful It Is · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not enough backgrounds to each characters. Isla doesn't do her own research. Light-hearted actions for gentle readers. More detail reviews at www.howusefulitis.wordpress.com

[Zoey · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5★

[Kahlia]

I think I would have loved this book as a teen, but as an adult, I don't think this one is for me (especially since the rest of the YA fantasy genre has ruined me for books where teens actually act like teens and spend all the time thinking about teen things).

[Dschaper54 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing story! Loved it and can’t wait to start the next one. A few times I was upset that who ever edited it missed some paragraph issues but the story was awesome.

[JWinter · Rating 2 out of 5]

A light and entertaining read that is almost ruined by the fact that there is a love triangle.

[Heather Lawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally posted here: https://heatherreviews.wordpress.com/...
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Isla’s Inheritance is a fantasy story with a bit of a difference. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first got this book but it surprised and enthralled me and I’m definitely going to be looking at the other books in the series.

Isla’s dad never did want to talk about her mother with her, which was fine; she could understand his need for secrets. But when she joins a group of kids having a séance at a party and the subject turns to her mother, she’s in for the biggest shock of her life. Her mother isn’t dead.

Faced with this new truth, Isla isn’t sure whether she should confront her dad about this revelation. When the mysterious Jack offers to help her out with uncovering the truth about her mother and her fae heritage, Isla opens up a whole new world that she hadn’t even known existed. Then her dad falls into a coma and she has to master her unusual talents in order to save him.

I really liked this book. The fae are surprisingly something that I’ve not read a lot of and I like seeing the different takes that authors have with the creatures. Isla has no idea fae creatures even exist and she has to learn about them quick when her world starts falling into chaos around her: her mother isn’t dead, her dad is in a coma, a mysterious boy named Jack is offering to help her, and she’s somehow managed to create a seer out of her cousin.

The story is a bit slower in pace than what I’m used to, but I actually think it works with this story. We get to know Isla and her cousins really well because of this, so it’s actually great for the character development. The only character I felt we didn’t get to know all that well was Dominic, who – although he is Isla’s boyfriend – is barely in the book. I think a little more could have been done to explore their relationship while Isla deals with the whole fae business, but perhaps that is looked at more in the next book. I’ll find out soon.

A fantastic introduction to fae beings for people not familiar with the concept, this book is rooted in our world with hints of the fantastical. On the shorter side, this is an easy and quick read that draws you in and keeps you interested throughout. I liked the little mystery aspect to her father’s coma and I’m really intrigued to see how these events affect their future in the next books.

This is a series I will definitely be seeking more of.

[Kara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review and others are also available to read on my blog Diary of a Teen Writer.

Overall, Isla’s Inheritance by Cassandra Page was a solid and enjoyable debut novel. It’s doubly as fantastic considering the author is Australia — and, well, I love reading books written by fellow Aussies!

The beginning of this novel ensured some slight confusion on my behalf, however.

Disclaimer: I don’t read blurbs. Not properly or anything; just so I know the basic, basic idea of what I’m getting into. So this was no fault of the authors, just mine, thought it was slightly . . . odd. The beginning of this novel opens with a séance.

Now, what comes to mind when you see the word séance? Ghosts, right? Hence why I was going into this novel expecting a ghost story, and ended up getting a story about fae. Which is not a bad thing. It just threw me for awhile when I realized that this novel was not, in fact, about ghosts.

Once I got past the whole not-being-about-ghosts thing, I was able to enjoy the story more. Here was the best thing about Cassandra Page’s writing style: It’s so. Damn. Addictive. I stayed up pretty late reading this one, which definitely means I enjoyed reading it. Entertaining characters, storyline, with a dash of romance.

I liked this, but I didn’t love it.

Here’s why: I’ve talked about this before with other YA paranormal novels, and my reasoning has stayed the same — I am just really quite bored of paranormal novels. I don’t feel that the author brought anything new to the genre in this novel, as much as it pains me to say that. Perhaps, if I had read this a year or two ago, I would have loved it so much more, but because the fae have been done so many times before, they’ve lost their appeal to me in an urban fantasy setting. The ending, too, seemed very abrupt and sudden, with the climax rushed. It left me with the feeling: What? That’s all? (Yes I am aware this is a trilogy; but this first novel just left off at a strange place for me.)

In conclusion? Liked it, didn’t loved it. Fun, witty, and loveable characters. Interesting story . . . but the concept has been done too many times before in the YA category to hold me. In saying that though, I’ll be interested in reading the sequel, and learning more about Jack in particular, too.

[Stacy Sabala · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Review- Isla’s Inheritance by Cassandra Page

Isla is finishing up her last year in school. She is a bit sad since it has been just her dad and her. She watches her aunt and cousins which makes her feel melancholy since she doesn’t have that type of relationship. In fact she knows next to nothing about her mother. She doesn’t even know what she looks like.
Everything changes one night at a Halloween party. Isla is talked into participating in a séance where it is revealed that her mother isn’t dead. Isla is shocked and upset thinking it is a prank. Then she starts having these strange dreams about a woman who looks just like her. Other bizarre things start happening. Her father burns her with iron and she encounters a strange man named Jack.
The truth about her mother, her father and Isla, herself, starts to come to light. Isla is shocked and has to change her whole way of thinking. She and Jack have to work together to keep everyone safe, plus find the person who is now after her father. She is unsure about who she is and what she should do. She is completely confused about everything.
I like Isla. She is a sensible girl who does her best. Her world gets turned upside down when she turns eighteen and a strange new world gets introduced to her. She handles it quite well which adds to her likability.
She is joined by a great cast of characters. Sarah is her cousin and best friend. She is the outgoing one of the two. She is the opposite of Isla and adds some balance and fun. Dominic is Isla’s boyfriend and past crush which is incredibly sweet. Then there is Jack who decides to help and protect her. There seems to be a love triangle developing that adds another dynamic to the story.
So Isla is struggling with her guilt about her powers, with her anger toward her father and mother, with her feelings for two different boys, and with feelings of being overwhelmed when she learns what she is. Now she is being hunted and must learn to use her powers to protect those she loves.
This book is a great way to start a book series. I can’t wait to read the next installment. I am truly excited to see what happens next. I give it a 5 out of 5.

[Emily Wrayburn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review originally posted on A Keyboard and an Open Mind July 29, 2016:

This is the second book I’ve read by local author Cassandra Page, and I have to admit, I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to reading books set in Canberra (even if I do love recognising the locations).

At a seance on Halloween, Isla receives a strange message from a ouija board regarding her long-dead mother: “SHE IS NOT DEAD”. Soon after, she starts having strange dreams and develops a strange aversion to her father’s iron statues. Could her mother still be alive? And is she even human?

This book hosts a great cast of characters, from Isla and her dad, to the extended family who Isla lives with when she’s attending school (her father lives on a farm some distance away). There’s also Dominic, her new boyfriend, and Jack, a friend/mentor character who helps Isla come to terms with her newly-discovered identity.

The romance between Isla and Dominic happened quite quickly, but I did appreciate the fact that there was no typical mooning over the crush, like there is in so much YA. There is a bit of a Dominic/Isla/Jack love triangle in upcoming books. I’d like to hope the story doesn’t go down that route, but both some things that characters said and did are giving me that distinct impression.

The book is very easy to read, though it was one of those books were I flew through it, only to realise that not a whole lot had happened. The stakes never feel especially high, but having said, it moves along at a good pace and as you can see from the dates above, I finished it in under 24 hours. Judging by the ending, which was a little bit abrupt, the second book probably has more going on, and this one was really doing the setting up.

Overall, I can’t really say that I feel compelled to continue with the series, but I didn’t feel like I was wasting my time reading this one.

[Zed Whisper · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love stories about the Fae but unfortunately, most tend to be rather predictable so I was glad that this book had some notable differences, such as: Isla's ability to read auras and manipulate emotions. And how she accidentally empowered her cousin with magic so he paints the future. Most importantly, the first few chapters with the seance and the ouija board captivated my attention and that curiosity continued throughout the book.

My pet peeve with Isla's Inheritance was that the dialogue was stilted at times and no matter how much I enjoyed Isla's story I wasn't entirely convinced about the events taking place. What I found strange was how easily Sarah believed her about being a half breed and having supernatural powers. The girl believes in paranormal stories but she didn't even blink in accepting it as the truth, I would have expected her to be at least a little sceptical of Isla's truth.

Overall, a good read but because of some of the characters, I've given this a 3 out of 5. Since this is the first in the series there is more backstory and character building than a standalone book, but I'm expecting the rest of the series to be 4 stars and possibly above.

Favourite Quotes:

I wasn't good at this dating business. If that's what we were doing. I wasn't very good at predating either. I'd say I wasn't good at postdating, but I hadn't yet had an opportunity to prove it.

I examined my palm; the skin was unbroken and smooth, showing no sign of the burn. It glistened with saliva. I really wanted to wipe it clean against my jeans, but that seemed rude. Of course, he’d just licked me, so maybe his idea of rude was different than mine.

Sure, the outcome was favourable, but what was the cost? Wasn’t changing the way she felt about something not far from taking away her free will altogether?

[Carissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Witty, fun, and faerily spooky, this was easily one of my favorite reads of the year. I'm so excited that this will be a series!!

This first installment is perfect for fans of the fae and Melissa Marr's Wicked Lovely, especially those who like their urban fantasy a bit lighthearted (a la Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side). I was literally laughing out loud at several points in the book.

However, things are not all fun and games and witty banter. There were some serious creep-out moments, and wonderful twists and turns in this beautifully Australian urban fantasy.

I loved Isla and her family, and like other reviewers have mentioned, I'm dying to know more about Jack and can't wait for book two to come out in 2015!

[Ayanami Faerudo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review copy thru NetGalley


Actual rating: 2.5

Perhaps a lot had already been done with the fae or I have just read so many variations of a coming-to-age, I'm-really-a-special-snowflake paranormal stories that Isla's Inheritance didn't do that much for me.

I do love it that the setting is set in Australia. I haven't come across and read that much books that is set in the Land Down Under. Of course, it did got me into thinking how the heck the fae got there when I was used to them being in the United Kingdom and Ireland. But then again, I reminded myself that one of my favorite fae books was set in Louisiana. Immigration anyone?

Overall, I did not love the book but it was okay.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

As much as this was an enjoyable read and I have no doubt Cassandra Page can write, I couldn't help but feel cheated with the ending to this book. It felt so contrived. The writer has tried to spread the main story over a series and has completely forgotten that she still needs to tell a story in each book. You have no idea where this story is going, there is virtually no plot and it is only 13 pages from the end that you have any idea as to where the silly ending is heading. I received this book for free through Goodreads first reads.

[Edel Ryder-hanrahan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story was okay, though a bit standard "I just found out I'm secretly supernatural" fare, but the writing jarred in a lot of ways. Some grammar mistakes, a few too many "clever" darlings that weren't killed, dialogue that just fell flat for me in a lot of places. I felt really irked by the steel vs iron thing. If iron is a BIG problem, then steel contains so much of it that it should also cause a significant problem. As the star-rating hover-text says: "It was okay." And that's just fine.

[Melanie Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Girl discovers she has powers and must learn to control them in order to help defeat the enemy. This is a well-worn storyline in YA lit, but Page made this story her own with wit and her own take on certain "facts" of faery lore. I can appreciate her taking certain liberties with science and story (ie iron burns, but steel doesn't). This story was engaging and fun and well worth the read.

[Alayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very enjoyable book, not least because it was set in Canberra where I lived for 40 years! I just wish the authors/publishers wouldn't insist on using Americanisms all the time - Aussies don't have purses, they have handbags! A Young Adult story that is not full of the usual teenage angst, thankfully, but is a very good read even for "oldies" like me!

[Jennifer Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new fantastic series about the fae set in Australia. Get lost in the imagery and twisting tale as Isla discovers who and what she is along with the help of a hob named Jack.

What could go wrong? Or right!

[Alioop · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book hooked me from the start. It took only 2 days to ready because I just didn't want to put it down.
I enjoyed the coming of age story with a twist, and that the twist was not vampires or werewolves was a welcome change.

I cant wait to contunie the advernture with Isla and Jack.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great start to what is sure to be a wonderful series. I loved the characters and they felt like old friends. The storyline was well-developed and opened the way for a series. Can't wait to read the next installment!

I was given this book in exchange for an honest review via Netgalley.