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Scryer
Ivy is cursed with the talent of Scrying. Worse than having the ability to see the worst of humanity's past and future, is the centuries old agreement between her kind and the greedy Corin family. The ritualistic seduction of Ivy lets the Corins access her knowledge to further their power.
But someone is killing scryers, and between her ex-lover, Lake, and new lover, Caleb, Ivy needs to find out who she can trust.
WARNING: Contains scenes of sex and violence
But someone is killing scryers, and between her ex-lover, Lake, and new lover, Caleb, Ivy needs to find out who she can trust.
WARNING: Contains scenes of sex and violence
163 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 13, 2015
2 people are currently reading
24 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 27, 2022
Sinden West's author page on Amazon reads: "I write romances with a dark undertone, and happy endings are not guaranteed."
This is solely why I am giving Scryer 3 stars. I really liked the concept of the story and although there were some parts I wish were developed more, for instance, I would have liked to see Ivy's day job with the medium pan out or connect in some way back to the main plot, I would not have minded if I got the HEA.
The couple ends up together in the end but I do not like the arrangement in which it takes place.
I've read 2 different stories by Sinden West and this is the third one, and Scryer has the most bleak HEA.
West's Scars series has an HEA that satisfied me. Even though there is no declaration of "I love you", there were words shared, albeit more restrained, but it is clear that not only by actions but by words that their love has evolved into a more compassionate one. West's Vicious had the most overt HEA with one of the MCs breaking face and asking for love (which West's MCs never seem to do), declaration of love, and pregnancy all checked off and accounted for.
However, Scryer ends in a way that did not satisfy me. It has a bit of that Dune ending vibe where the couple are together but there is the necessary OW for political reasons. And I just don't like that.
This is solely why I am giving Scryer 3 stars. I really liked the concept of the story and although there were some parts I wish were developed more, for instance, I would have liked to see Ivy's day job with the medium pan out or connect in some way back to the main plot, I would not have minded if I got the HEA.
The couple ends up together in the end but I do not like the arrangement in which it takes place.
I've read 2 different stories by Sinden West and this is the third one, and Scryer has the most bleak HEA.
West's Scars series has an HEA that satisfied me. Even though there is no declaration of "I love you", there were words shared, albeit more restrained, but it is clear that not only by actions but by words that their love has evolved into a more compassionate one. West's Vicious had the most overt HEA with one of the MCs breaking face and asking for love (which West's MCs never seem to do), declaration of love, and pregnancy all checked off and accounted for.
However, Scryer ends in a way that did not satisfy me. It has a bit of that Dune ending vibe where the couple are together but there is the necessary OW for political reasons. And I just don't like that.
April 15, 2019
3.75 stars.
I read this on a cold & dreary day; I was in the mood for this book's mysterious, bleak, and cynical tone. There's a foggy atmosphere of despair that permeates through the pages. It reflects Ivy's mind frame, at one point she says:
I felt like I was a piece of ice and anyone who touched me would turn black and perish. But I had to be like that—the alternative would crush me. If I let everything I saw in, then I would have ebbed away slowly over the years
Ivy's status as a Scryer is the crux of her problems. She's able to see the past and future of others in reflective surfaces. Sinden West did an amazing job describing the repercussions of this ability and Ivy's emotional landscape. I felt her devastation the first time she described Lake's betrayal. Her sense that her world was closing in around her, and her belief that her options were limited. At one point while she's riding in the car with 'friends' this occurs:
We piled into the car, and one of the girls whom I was pressed against wore a watch. In the shiny, flat surface of that innocent little object, I saw her early death. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to breathe and count silently until the car stopped and I didn’t have to touch her anymore.
Adding to Ivy's struggles is the Circle, a group of people with their own supernatural abilities who use Scryers to benefit themselves. The Circle is mysterious at first, but readers slowly learn more about them and the ritual as the story unfolds.
Unlike ordinary humans, we could not predict their futures without taking part in a ritual. It was like we were naturally blocked from them, and in any other situation, it would be ideal…
For centuries we had been used by his family, for our bodies and our talents. I would not repeat history, except, of course for the ritual, but I had no say in that. It was my fate, as distasteful as it was.
There's an interesting parallel between the ritual and red skirt and Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale. Like The Handmaid's Tale, the story revolves around themes of sex, power, and control. It isn't a typical romance. I don't want to give anyone the wrong impression. The parallels to The Handmaid's Tale are light, but present. I feel like this similarity was purposely constructed by Sinden West, especially because of this phrase in the story:. The story also reminds me a little bit of Tanith Lee's Dark Dance. There are some similarities between Ivy and Rachaela. Both are weighed down by life's disappointments, and are loners. Both are wanted by others for what they're able to provide sexually. The supernatural elements in both books are gentle. I do think Dark Dance is a superior novel, but considering how unique it is I was thrilled to come across a book with a similar tone. Dark Dance is much more gothic, but I loved the little bit of gothic flavor the mansion provided in Scryer.
There's a subtlety to the relationships as well as the supernatural elements that I appreciated. Nothing was ever too OTT or in my face. There were no info-dumps; as I read I slowly learned more about the world.
I was entranced up to 60%, and this can be evidenced by all my kindle highlights, most of them are in the first half of the book. Towards the end I felt the dialogue became a bit wooden and unnatural. Though I felt the writing wasn't as good towards the end, this is a small complaint. Ivy's character arc was so massive yet subtly done it made finishing the story worth it.
I read this on a cold & dreary day; I was in the mood for this book's mysterious, bleak, and cynical tone. There's a foggy atmosphere of despair that permeates through the pages. It reflects Ivy's mind frame, at one point she says:
I felt like I was a piece of ice and anyone who touched me would turn black and perish. But I had to be like that—the alternative would crush me. If I let everything I saw in, then I would have ebbed away slowly over the years
Ivy's status as a Scryer is the crux of her problems. She's able to see the past and future of others in reflective surfaces. Sinden West did an amazing job describing the repercussions of this ability and Ivy's emotional landscape. I felt her devastation the first time she described Lake's betrayal. Her sense that her world was closing in around her, and her belief that her options were limited. At one point while she's riding in the car with 'friends' this occurs:
We piled into the car, and one of the girls whom I was pressed against wore a watch. In the shiny, flat surface of that innocent little object, I saw her early death. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to breathe and count silently until the car stopped and I didn’t have to touch her anymore.
Adding to Ivy's struggles is the Circle, a group of people with their own supernatural abilities who use Scryers to benefit themselves. The Circle is mysterious at first, but readers slowly learn more about them and the ritual as the story unfolds.
Unlike ordinary humans, we could not predict their futures without taking part in a ritual. It was like we were naturally blocked from them, and in any other situation, it would be ideal…
For centuries we had been used by his family, for our bodies and our talents. I would not repeat history, except, of course for the ritual, but I had no say in that. It was my fate, as distasteful as it was.
There's an interesting parallel between the ritual and red skirt and Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale. Like The Handmaid's Tale, the story revolves around themes of sex, power, and control. It isn't a typical romance. I don't want to give anyone the wrong impression. The parallels to The Handmaid's Tale are light, but present. I feel like this similarity was purposely constructed by Sinden West, especially because of this phrase in the story:. The story also reminds me a little bit of Tanith Lee's Dark Dance. There are some similarities between Ivy and Rachaela. Both are weighed down by life's disappointments, and are loners. Both are wanted by others for what they're able to provide sexually. The supernatural elements in both books are gentle. I do think Dark Dance is a superior novel, but considering how unique it is I was thrilled to come across a book with a similar tone. Dark Dance is much more gothic, but I loved the little bit of gothic flavor the mansion provided in Scryer.
There's a subtlety to the relationships as well as the supernatural elements that I appreciated. Nothing was ever too OTT or in my face. There were no info-dumps; as I read I slowly learned more about the world.
I was entranced up to 60%, and this can be evidenced by all my kindle highlights, most of them are in the first half of the book. Towards the end I felt the dialogue became a bit wooden and unnatural. Though I felt the writing wasn't as good towards the end, this is a small complaint. Ivy's character arc was so massive yet subtly done it made finishing the story worth it.
February 14, 2016
3.5 stars
Ivy was a scryer, which meant she could tell people’s futures from touching them. Being close to people was complicated. Isolation was the easiest way for her to deal with her situation. Even when she did find one of the rare people whose futures she couldn’t tell, she didn’t want an emotional connection with them. Her family had a special connection with the Corin family. An old pact between the two families required scryers to spend one night a month with a member of the Corin family. Only they had the ability to force scryers to tell them what they wanted to know about the future after having sex with a scryer.
Ivy was not happy about her fate. She was bitter and cold as a result. Her misery made her hard to like. Yet I did sympathize with her. She was in a difficult situation was was dealing with it the best she could.
There was a love triangle of sorts, but it wasn’t angsty and aggravating. Ivy had some interest in two men. Lake was her ex who has spurned her, but she couldn’t entirely let go of her feelings for him. The other guy was Caleb, who she mainly enjoyed using for sex. Both men were assholes. Nothing about her situation with the two guys was romantic or sweet. She didn’t let them walk all over her either. There was an unconventional HEA, but it wasn’t really about love.
The scryers were alarmed because someone was killing them. I had been surprised to discover who was behind it. Almost every character in this story was bad or just downright evil, which made it harder to figure out who was killing people. Towards the end the story took a turn in a direction I hadn’t expected. Although the ending wasn’t really pleasant, it worked for this story. A happy, perfect HEA would have been lame.
Ivy was a scryer, which meant she could tell people’s futures from touching them. Being close to people was complicated. Isolation was the easiest way for her to deal with her situation. Even when she did find one of the rare people whose futures she couldn’t tell, she didn’t want an emotional connection with them. Her family had a special connection with the Corin family. An old pact between the two families required scryers to spend one night a month with a member of the Corin family. Only they had the ability to force scryers to tell them what they wanted to know about the future after having sex with a scryer.
Ivy was not happy about her fate. She was bitter and cold as a result. Her misery made her hard to like. Yet I did sympathize with her. She was in a difficult situation was was dealing with it the best she could.
There was a love triangle of sorts, but it wasn’t angsty and aggravating. Ivy had some interest in two men. Lake was her ex who has spurned her, but she couldn’t entirely let go of her feelings for him. The other guy was Caleb, who she mainly enjoyed using for sex. Both men were assholes. Nothing about her situation with the two guys was romantic or sweet. She didn’t let them walk all over her either. There was an unconventional HEA, but it wasn’t really about love.
The scryers were alarmed because someone was killing them. I had been surprised to discover who was behind it. Almost every character in this story was bad or just downright evil, which made it harder to figure out who was killing people. Towards the end the story took a turn in a direction I hadn’t expected. Although the ending wasn’t really pleasant, it worked for this story. A happy, perfect HEA would have been lame.
April 19, 2015
Loved it, but beware it's a cliffhanger.
Having enjoyed some of her previous books I was thrilled to discover that Sinden's latest book had a supernatural touch to it.
Ivy Scryer is as her name would suggest a Scryer and she lives an uncertain and mainly lonely life, every month she has to give herself over, both body and soul to a member of the circle, which in Ivy's case is Michael Corin, he's rich and powerful and keeps Ivy to himself. He dresses her in the ceremonial red then she has to have sex with him to increase her visions. It's hard to have a normal life when she has to face this every month but her main obstacle against a normal life is the fact that just one touch, even an accidental brush will show her that persons future, any disasters which befall them including their own deaths, her only salvation is found in the few people she can't read, these are the ones she allows herself to find relief with, a few minutes of pleasure in her otherwise unenviable life.
As if her life wasn't bad enough she's also heart broken.....but enough of that you'll find out the details yourself when you read this book and this book is in my opinion fabulous but be warned it ends on a huge cliffhanger.
April 29, 2015
Freaking Awesome! What did they create?!
I loved this story. It's not your average paranormal read. The other reviewers did a great job telling what the story was about, so I'm just going to add my two scents : )
Ivy, sweet, soft hearted Ivy. How in the world do you push yourself to keep going when day after day your life seems to be not much more than a vapor, waiting to dissipate into nothingness? You're never part of the "In" crowd because nothing about you or your life is normal. You can't stand to be touched because most of the time you have to suffer for it.
There is no spark of hope in sight, and the only times you can get any pleasure out of life, is when you indulge in an art as old as time to take you away from the reality of your life.
This writer is so subtle when building up to the transformation of our sweet Ivy. The betrayal, love, lust, hate, and blood shed all played a part in this whicked tale of power & sex. Sinden writes in a way that you'll want to know what will happen next.
I cannot wait to see who or what Ivy becomes in the next book.
I loved this story. It's not your average paranormal read. The other reviewers did a great job telling what the story was about, so I'm just going to add my two scents : )
Ivy, sweet, soft hearted Ivy. How in the world do you push yourself to keep going when day after day your life seems to be not much more than a vapor, waiting to dissipate into nothingness? You're never part of the "In" crowd because nothing about you or your life is normal. You can't stand to be touched because most of the time you have to suffer for it.
There is no spark of hope in sight, and the only times you can get any pleasure out of life, is when you indulge in an art as old as time to take you away from the reality of your life.
This writer is so subtle when building up to the transformation of our sweet Ivy. The betrayal, love, lust, hate, and blood shed all played a part in this whicked tale of power & sex. Sinden writes in a way that you'll want to know what will happen next.
I cannot wait to see who or what Ivy becomes in the next book.
April 19, 2015
Beautiful
Beautifully written, full of all the dark and twisty goodness we've come to expect from Ms. West, and topped off with paranormal flair, this was a-maz-ing. I read A LOT of paranormal and I can honestly say I've never read this storyline. It was truly unique; this is not your average vamp story, people. It's a story about power, sex, violence, and those that use sex and violence to get power. It's about finding a balance between accepting your lot in life while fighting like hell not to become a slave to it.
Caleb and Lake were perfect in their arrogance. Ivy's strength and the way she embraced her 'badassedness' in the end... loved it. Ms. West had me guessing throughout. Not once was I able to predict an event and, for me, that is a sign of a truly well-written book.
Beautifully written, full of all the dark and twisty goodness we've come to expect from Ms. West, and topped off with paranormal flair, this was a-maz-ing. I read A LOT of paranormal and I can honestly say I've never read this storyline. It was truly unique; this is not your average vamp story, people. It's a story about power, sex, violence, and those that use sex and violence to get power. It's about finding a balance between accepting your lot in life while fighting like hell not to become a slave to it.
Caleb and Lake were perfect in their arrogance. Ivy's strength and the way she embraced her 'badassedness' in the end... loved it. Ms. West had me guessing throughout. Not once was I able to predict an event and, for me, that is a sign of a truly well-written book.
April 24, 2015
3.5 Stars
April 13, 2020
Everything about this book is excellent; from the beautiful cover, to the wonderful, lyrical, melodious text. It had me at the short but oh so sweet, prologue:
¡§He let out a breath that he didn¡¦t know he was holding. She was intact. Her pale skin was unmarred except for the vicious red stripe across her throat that had stolen her life.¡¨
When I first became aware that Miss West was going to be writing something with a supernatural flavour as her latest novel, I admit to being really disappointed. The reason being my love for her other books; notably Scars and Vicious. I wanted more of the same (throwing my dummy out of the pram lol). This book could not have been more different if she¡¦d tried, and I could not be more pleased! I just loved it.
The characters, as with her other works, just leap off the page. I was not reading a book, I was watching a movie; so vibrant and colourful. I read the whole damn thing out loud, except when in the coffee shop. I¡¦m sure some of the other patrons must have noticed me talking to myself LOL. I become her characters; Ivy is me, so is Penzance, and Dorothea. Lake and Caleb are every man I ever had or wanted to have: real or imagined. Miss West is a master (mistress ?) at changing her characters behaviour throughout her stories, so that the reader is constantly wondering who they really are, what they are capable of, and what the hell they are going to be doing next? I still don¡¦t know who is the bad guy or the good guy; they are equally as bad, or as good, it depends on where they¡¦re at in the story. It¡¦s great how the author manages to do this, and I¡¦m grateful that she does. Those of you who are familiar with Scars and Vicious will recognise the way she does it. I could get p*ssed off at her for doing it but it just makes me want more! Like I still haven¡¦t figured out whether Aaron or Brody (Scars & Vicious) are good guys or a bad guys; depends on what time of day it is. LOL
º
Same goes for her stories; I have NEVER once been able to guess/figure out, just where they are going either. So frustratingly thrilling; why do you think I am addicted, and keep coming back for more? Poor woman LOL! She has a hard job satisfying her ¡¥fans¡¦ eh? God did I just call myself a FAN; no effing way: groupie, fan ¡V NEVER! Ardent reader is all. This book took me on one long ride, with no let-up whatsoever. I feel exhausted, but also happy, and content. Perhaps there is another book here, as I¡¦m not convinced that Ivy is really happy with her lot. Perhaps she¡¦s made a mistake?? No spoilers here. .
¡§He let out a breath that he didn¡¦t know he was holding. She was intact. Her pale skin was unmarred except for the vicious red stripe across her throat that had stolen her life.¡¨
When I first became aware that Miss West was going to be writing something with a supernatural flavour as her latest novel, I admit to being really disappointed. The reason being my love for her other books; notably Scars and Vicious. I wanted more of the same (throwing my dummy out of the pram lol). This book could not have been more different if she¡¦d tried, and I could not be more pleased! I just loved it.
The characters, as with her other works, just leap off the page. I was not reading a book, I was watching a movie; so vibrant and colourful. I read the whole damn thing out loud, except when in the coffee shop. I¡¦m sure some of the other patrons must have noticed me talking to myself LOL. I become her characters; Ivy is me, so is Penzance, and Dorothea. Lake and Caleb are every man I ever had or wanted to have: real or imagined. Miss West is a master (mistress ?) at changing her characters behaviour throughout her stories, so that the reader is constantly wondering who they really are, what they are capable of, and what the hell they are going to be doing next? I still don¡¦t know who is the bad guy or the good guy; they are equally as bad, or as good, it depends on where they¡¦re at in the story. It¡¦s great how the author manages to do this, and I¡¦m grateful that she does. Those of you who are familiar with Scars and Vicious will recognise the way she does it. I could get p*ssed off at her for doing it but it just makes me want more! Like I still haven¡¦t figured out whether Aaron or Brody (Scars & Vicious) are good guys or a bad guys; depends on what time of day it is. LOL
º
Same goes for her stories; I have NEVER once been able to guess/figure out, just where they are going either. So frustratingly thrilling; why do you think I am addicted, and keep coming back for more? Poor woman LOL! She has a hard job satisfying her ¡¥fans¡¦ eh? God did I just call myself a FAN; no effing way: groupie, fan ¡V NEVER! Ardent reader is all. This book took me on one long ride, with no let-up whatsoever. I feel exhausted, but also happy, and content. Perhaps there is another book here, as I¡¦m not convinced that Ivy is really happy with her lot. Perhaps she¡¦s made a mistake?? No spoilers here. .
May 15, 2015
I didn't think much of the ending with this book.. she became evil! She was meant to rise above it! Not become one of them! haha
But I did enjoy the first half.... it was different, i've never read about this particular character before...
But I did enjoy the first half.... it was different, i've never read about this particular character before...
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