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Dùsgadh: Essence of Life
"Ember Malloch has no idea her life is about to get turned upside down. Besides the fact that she sees the dead on occasion, she lives an ordinary mundane life.
Her sister warned her not to provoke the spirits, but Ember has a mind of her
own and she defies Becky at every turn. Now, her life as she knows it will be
changed forever, as an unbridled strength is unleashed upon her.
She will have an awakening like no other as she learns her past, and discovers
who she is…"
Her sister warned her not to provoke the spirits, but Ember has a mind of her
own and she defies Becky at every turn. Now, her life as she knows it will be
changed forever, as an unbridled strength is unleashed upon her.
She will have an awakening like no other as she learns her past, and discovers
who she is…"
133 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 5, 2015
163 people want to read
About the author
Margaret A. Daly
8 books258 followersUSA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR
Margaret owns and runs her own online marketing and design business, she works with several best selling and award winning authors while promoting their work and still, loves to read and write her own stories!
Margaret owns and runs her own online marketing and design business, she works with several best selling and award winning authors while promoting their work and still, loves to read and write her own stories!
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
April 8, 2016
Genre: Paranormal, Fantasy, Mystery, Romance
Edition: Kindle Edition, Published June 10th 2015 by AuthorHouse
Pages: 133
(New Adult: contains scenes with explicit content)
-----------------------------------------------------
I received an e-Arc from the author for an honest review. Thank you so much for this great opportunity to read your book!
-Dusgadh is the first book in a series and the author mainly focuses on introducing the readers to the world and the characters, with some action mixed in.
-After a mysterious fire that killed her parents, Ember tries to adjust to a new life, however she soon realises that her life and true identity are quite different than she could ever imagine. The book explores Ember’s journey as she tries to discover who she really is.
-I quite enjoyed the setting of the book and how it explored Celtic folklore in a contemporary setting while also focusing on supernatural and magical themes. However what I enjoyed the most was how the author gave a lot of importance to love and family relationships amidst this paranormal world. This was mostly evident in the relationship between Ember and her sister Becky and how it developed as Ember was discovering more about her life.
-My favourite characters were definitely Matt and Izzy and their interactions with each other. Their upbeat characters gave so much life to the story. Ember was also a great character who remained strong and focused amidst the turmoils in her life while also being relatable in her conflicts with her true identity.
-However I didn’t really feel any deep connection with any of the characters maybe because they weren’t that much fleshed out.
-This book is quite fast-paced mostly because action is always around the corner and the writing is not too-descriptive. What I didn’t enjoy was the rushed feeling during most of the climatic parts in the novel and the lack of proper transitioning from a scene to another.
-I also didn’t enjoy Ember’s relationship with Zeb. While I understand that they have a history together I still preferred some more details about his character and how their relationship actually developed. Maybe this will be tackled in the next book hopefully.
Rating: 3 stars
Overall quite an enjoyable read and would recommend to those who enjoy paranormal/romance books.
Edition: Kindle Edition, Published June 10th 2015 by AuthorHouse
Pages: 133
(New Adult: contains scenes with explicit content)
-----------------------------------------------------
I received an e-Arc from the author for an honest review. Thank you so much for this great opportunity to read your book!
-Dusgadh is the first book in a series and the author mainly focuses on introducing the readers to the world and the characters, with some action mixed in.
-After a mysterious fire that killed her parents, Ember tries to adjust to a new life, however she soon realises that her life and true identity are quite different than she could ever imagine. The book explores Ember’s journey as she tries to discover who she really is.
-I quite enjoyed the setting of the book and how it explored Celtic folklore in a contemporary setting while also focusing on supernatural and magical themes. However what I enjoyed the most was how the author gave a lot of importance to love and family relationships amidst this paranormal world. This was mostly evident in the relationship between Ember and her sister Becky and how it developed as Ember was discovering more about her life.
-My favourite characters were definitely Matt and Izzy and their interactions with each other. Their upbeat characters gave so much life to the story. Ember was also a great character who remained strong and focused amidst the turmoils in her life while also being relatable in her conflicts with her true identity.
-However I didn’t really feel any deep connection with any of the characters maybe because they weren’t that much fleshed out.
-This book is quite fast-paced mostly because action is always around the corner and the writing is not too-descriptive. What I didn’t enjoy was the rushed feeling during most of the climatic parts in the novel and the lack of proper transitioning from a scene to another.
-I also didn’t enjoy Ember’s relationship with Zeb. While I understand that they have a history together I still preferred some more details about his character and how their relationship actually developed. Maybe this will be tackled in the next book hopefully.
Rating: 3 stars
Overall quite an enjoyable read and would recommend to those who enjoy paranormal/romance books.
September 8, 2015
I read this story (about the length of a novella) in one long sitting, and it's definitely packed full of interesting ideas, action, and mystery so that you keep turning the pages. The overall concept involves a mix of Celtic folklore, magic, and New Age-ish reincarnation that's pretty interesting. I really like that this fantastical mystery unfolds bit by bit until you get the full picture of what's going on, and you learn from inside the main character's head as she too figures out what's happening to her.
Ember herself is a likable-enough character to root for. Her sister Becky is a little flat but a good authority figure. The bad guy is appropriately evil and creepy. Matt and Izzy were easily my favorite characters, and their story involves a really cool twist that made them that much more interesting. (Honestly, I would happily have read THEIR story more than Ember's.)
However, there were several glitches in the book that kept me from really, really enjoying this story. It often felt like the author knew what she wanted to say but didn't convey it very clearly - especially when different planes of consciousness were used. The timeline moves really fast and doesn't dwell enough on some important parts, for example transitioning way too fast into the climactic fight at the end. It feels very jumpy. Ember's sudden flare-ups of rage are also really weird - aimed at everyone from her sister to the love of her life/lives. And, even though Ember and the reader both think she's an adult, it suddenly turns out that she was 16 when she "died," which adds a lot of confusion about the love interest aspect of the story and about how old she's ever been in general when all these memories resurface. Mostly, a lot of things just felt rushed.
As for the writing itself, the book is relatively typo-free, which is nice and helps you read without getting hung up on goofs. The language used feels comfortably YA or NA, not too difficult, and accessible for all readers.
Give it a try if you like mystical, kind of scary, kind of romantic fantasies with a girl at the center.
Ember herself is a likable-enough character to root for. Her sister Becky is a little flat but a good authority figure. The bad guy is appropriately evil and creepy. Matt and Izzy were easily my favorite characters, and their story involves a really cool twist that made them that much more interesting. (Honestly, I would happily have read THEIR story more than Ember's.)
However, there were several glitches in the book that kept me from really, really enjoying this story. It often felt like the author knew what she wanted to say but didn't convey it very clearly - especially when different planes of consciousness were used. The timeline moves really fast and doesn't dwell enough on some important parts, for example transitioning way too fast into the climactic fight at the end. It feels very jumpy. Ember's sudden flare-ups of rage are also really weird - aimed at everyone from her sister to the love of her life/lives. And, even though Ember and the reader both think she's an adult, it suddenly turns out that she was 16 when she "died," which adds a lot of confusion about the love interest aspect of the story and about how old she's ever been in general when all these memories resurface. Mostly, a lot of things just felt rushed.
As for the writing itself, the book is relatively typo-free, which is nice and helps you read without getting hung up on goofs. The language used feels comfortably YA or NA, not too difficult, and accessible for all readers.
Give it a try if you like mystical, kind of scary, kind of romantic fantasies with a girl at the center.
April 17, 2016
First of all I would like to thank the author for providing me with a copy of this book to review!
Man I wish this novel was longer! “Dusgadh” has lots of potential because there’s SUCH a deep and inventive world there. The author has an outstanding imagination. It is just such a freaking cool mix of many ideas and styles: magic, romance, violence, fantasy, and more!
STORY: The author packed a lot of cool information into a surprisingly short novel. I enjoyed the history of Ember’s family’s clan, I thought learning about the time she spent in purgatory was interesting and I want to know more about Ember’s experiences there and the “being” that got her out.
It felt like all of a sudden we were talking about spirits, purgatory, etc. without establishing Ember’s beliefs or getting the reader grounded in the universe or characters at all. We don’t know anything about the main character - Ember - yet but we’re supposed to just accept and go along with this ghost world? Also Ember was put into situations very jarringly and without any preamble. Before any one idea could fully be grasped by the reader, we were already onto another place, event, situation, and set of information.
However, I think the reason we are pushed to new events, times, and places so quickly is to purposefully disorient the readers. Because Ember is feeling very confused and disoriented, and is overwhelmed by her history (it is a long & complicated personal history), we are thrown around to in order to sympathize with and relate to her more.
CHARACTERS: There were some areas where I felt like the character development was lacking, and what development attempts were there felt contrived. I really wanted not only more individual character development for Ember, but also relationship development. For Zeb & Ember, Matt & Izzy, and Matt & Izzy & Ember & Becky, specifically.
Becky was my favorite character. Her relationship with Ember was interesting because it was tumultuous - full of love and irritation and an incredibly long history. Becky was a maybe not a conventionally great sister, but she still was good to Ember. She was skilled at being stern with Ember, realizing when Ember needed support, and made a good teacher for her.
Regarding Ember’s character: The beginning of the story takes place a few years before the rest of the story, so when that time jump forward happens I think Ember is supposed to be like 20? But she doesn’t seem to have matured much. In fact her character in general seems immature and whiney. Plus the fact that she’s apparently lived many lives before, but hasn’t gained any insight or maturity is a little disappointing and unbelievable to me.
The author did an awesome job of creating a crazy and creepy villain. Del was a great character addition - and you never knew when he was going to show up! That made him all the more evil and made me worry and become more emotionally invested. I am excited to see what’s in store for Ember’s future and what foes she may have to face.
WRITING: I was very impressed with the author’s ability to write so many different types of scenes - be it violent, historical, action-packed, emotional, or romantic in nature. I was also impressed with the cool blend of Scottish Gaelic terms and history with the wicca/fantastical story.
I will say that every time we dove into an explanation of Ember’s past, it was done very weirdly. Like learning about the beginnings of Cassie & Ember’s friendship: it came at a weird time, so it felt rushed and out of place.
Overall I really enjoyed this story and found it very page-turning! I read it very quickly and was entertained by it. I would definitely recommend it.
And also overall wish there was more story! LONGERRRRR. Guess I’ll have to wait for book 2 ;)
Man I wish this novel was longer! “Dusgadh” has lots of potential because there’s SUCH a deep and inventive world there. The author has an outstanding imagination. It is just such a freaking cool mix of many ideas and styles: magic, romance, violence, fantasy, and more!
STORY: The author packed a lot of cool information into a surprisingly short novel. I enjoyed the history of Ember’s family’s clan, I thought learning about the time she spent in purgatory was interesting and I want to know more about Ember’s experiences there and the “being” that got her out.
It felt like all of a sudden we were talking about spirits, purgatory, etc. without establishing Ember’s beliefs or getting the reader grounded in the universe or characters at all. We don’t know anything about the main character - Ember - yet but we’re supposed to just accept and go along with this ghost world? Also Ember was put into situations very jarringly and without any preamble. Before any one idea could fully be grasped by the reader, we were already onto another place, event, situation, and set of information.
However, I think the reason we are pushed to new events, times, and places so quickly is to purposefully disorient the readers. Because Ember is feeling very confused and disoriented, and is overwhelmed by her history (it is a long & complicated personal history), we are thrown around to in order to sympathize with and relate to her more.
CHARACTERS: There were some areas where I felt like the character development was lacking, and what development attempts were there felt contrived. I really wanted not only more individual character development for Ember, but also relationship development. For Zeb & Ember, Matt & Izzy, and Matt & Izzy & Ember & Becky, specifically.
Becky was my favorite character. Her relationship with Ember was interesting because it was tumultuous - full of love and irritation and an incredibly long history. Becky was a maybe not a conventionally great sister, but she still was good to Ember. She was skilled at being stern with Ember, realizing when Ember needed support, and made a good teacher for her.
Regarding Ember’s character: The beginning of the story takes place a few years before the rest of the story, so when that time jump forward happens I think Ember is supposed to be like 20? But she doesn’t seem to have matured much. In fact her character in general seems immature and whiney. Plus the fact that she’s apparently lived many lives before, but hasn’t gained any insight or maturity is a little disappointing and unbelievable to me.
The author did an awesome job of creating a crazy and creepy villain. Del was a great character addition - and you never knew when he was going to show up! That made him all the more evil and made me worry and become more emotionally invested. I am excited to see what’s in store for Ember’s future and what foes she may have to face.
WRITING: I was very impressed with the author’s ability to write so many different types of scenes - be it violent, historical, action-packed, emotional, or romantic in nature. I was also impressed with the cool blend of Scottish Gaelic terms and history with the wicca/fantastical story.
I will say that every time we dove into an explanation of Ember’s past, it was done very weirdly. Like learning about the beginnings of Cassie & Ember’s friendship: it came at a weird time, so it felt rushed and out of place.
Overall I really enjoyed this story and found it very page-turning! I read it very quickly and was entertained by it. I would definitely recommend it.
And also overall wish there was more story! LONGERRRRR. Guess I’ll have to wait for book 2 ;)
September 20, 2015
Not only does the story’s hero, Ember, face a horrific series of attacks, she faces a worse series of revelations about her real identity. As the story is told in the first person, we learn each emerging truth as Ember does. For her and us nothing is what it seemed. This layering of violence, emotion, and a deeply compromised reality makes this a compelling dive into the supernatural.
Our engagement with Ember would have been stronger if Act 1 had been given over to her earlier normal life. We’re thrown immediately into her struggle against occult surprises at every turn. By seeing and sympathizing with her as a normal young woman we’d have felt even deeper the onslaught of occult forces.
That aside, the portrait of ruthless evil in the book is very powerful. It overwhelms, exploits, and physically and emotionally ransacks its victims. This is very convincingly and chillingly portrayed. I was very drawn into seeing how Ember would fare against such horrific treatment.
Our engagement with Ember would have been stronger if Act 1 had been given over to her earlier normal life. We’re thrown immediately into her struggle against occult surprises at every turn. By seeing and sympathizing with her as a normal young woman we’d have felt even deeper the onslaught of occult forces.
That aside, the portrait of ruthless evil in the book is very powerful. It overwhelms, exploits, and physically and emotionally ransacks its victims. This is very convincingly and chillingly portrayed. I was very drawn into seeing how Ember would fare against such horrific treatment.
June 10, 2015
This books has everything a reader would want! A good, strong female character who has no problem standing up for herself, funny, loyal friends, a ruthless villain we all hope is destroyed and of course the destined, fated-together love story that we all need.
Ember is a young girl who has recently lost both of her parents in a horrific house fire. Struggling to come to copes with the loss of her family, she has trouble bonding with her older, over-protective sister. The story quickly changes from normal, adolescent girl problems to an all out battle between good and evil. Will Ember be strong enough to fight the man who has seemed to defeat her lifetime after lifetime? Find out now, in this seat gripping fast-paced read.
Ember is a young girl who has recently lost both of her parents in a horrific house fire. Struggling to come to copes with the loss of her family, she has trouble bonding with her older, over-protective sister. The story quickly changes from normal, adolescent girl problems to an all out battle between good and evil. Will Ember be strong enough to fight the man who has seemed to defeat her lifetime after lifetime? Find out now, in this seat gripping fast-paced read.
August 29, 2015
I really enjoyed this book. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I found myself drawn in immediately. I love Margaret's writing style. She was neither too descriptive nor not descriptive enough. Some of the circumstances in the book had me extremely emotional, considering my family. I would recommend this to anyone.
November 10, 2015
Reviewed for Readers Favorite
Dusgadh, such an odd word to title a story, but then when you subtitle it Essence of Life, maybe it makes more sense. Ember has never felt like she fit in. She loved her family, but they were taken from her in middle school and she was left with only her older sister. She has trouble making friends, and even worse, she sees ghosts. She is just fumbling along in life until one night, a party and a seance in the park brings up something more than Ember or anyone else was expecting. Author Margaret A. Daly sets this fantasy, supernatural, paranormal story around a group of late teenagers. Throwing in past-lives and reincarnation along with some evil magic, power hungry kings and rebel forces bent on resistance. How it all comes together is the beginning of a series, and this story is the start, the Awakening, or the memories of the past returning to Ember, allowing her to continue on her mission.
Dùsgadh: Essence of Life, The Awakening is a wonderful first book in a series, in fact I really thought it was a complete book until the very end when I realized there was more to be told still. By using the concept of awakening, Ember recovers her memories of the past and her past lives in this book, and so her sister is there to explain things to her as well as her two guardians. Although author Margaret A. Daly uses this book to set the background and introduce you to characters and the whole concept of the story, it still has plenty of action, adventure and death to keep you on the edge of your seat as you are reading. There are even some people that are barely mentioned in this book, that I have a sneaking feeling are going to show up in later books, only because I just can't see the author making the deal out of them in this book without them showing up again somewhere. This is a great read, and I am willing to say middle schoolers, teens, young adults and up would enjoy this story!
Dusgadh, such an odd word to title a story, but then when you subtitle it Essence of Life, maybe it makes more sense. Ember has never felt like she fit in. She loved her family, but they were taken from her in middle school and she was left with only her older sister. She has trouble making friends, and even worse, she sees ghosts. She is just fumbling along in life until one night, a party and a seance in the park brings up something more than Ember or anyone else was expecting. Author Margaret A. Daly sets this fantasy, supernatural, paranormal story around a group of late teenagers. Throwing in past-lives and reincarnation along with some evil magic, power hungry kings and rebel forces bent on resistance. How it all comes together is the beginning of a series, and this story is the start, the Awakening, or the memories of the past returning to Ember, allowing her to continue on her mission.
Dùsgadh: Essence of Life, The Awakening is a wonderful first book in a series, in fact I really thought it was a complete book until the very end when I realized there was more to be told still. By using the concept of awakening, Ember recovers her memories of the past and her past lives in this book, and so her sister is there to explain things to her as well as her two guardians. Although author Margaret A. Daly uses this book to set the background and introduce you to characters and the whole concept of the story, it still has plenty of action, adventure and death to keep you on the edge of your seat as you are reading. There are even some people that are barely mentioned in this book, that I have a sneaking feeling are going to show up in later books, only because I just can't see the author making the deal out of them in this book without them showing up again somewhere. This is a great read, and I am willing to say middle schoolers, teens, young adults and up would enjoy this story!
March 16, 2016
I received a copy of this novella from the author in exchange for an honest review and I have to say that I really enjoyed this introduction to what I think is going to be a really good series. Even with it being a novella, it had enough action and stuff going on to make it feel like a full length novel.
One of my favorite parts of the book are her friends, Matt and Izzy. I love the story about them and how they all end up being together. I feel like I am being so vague but I don't want to give anything away without meaning to. I also really like Ember's relationship that she had with her sister, they went through some rough stuff and ended up becoming stronger because of it.
Another thing I really enjoyed was the Celtic folklore to it. It was one of the first books I have read dealing with that and I found it very interesting. I would definitely recommend this to any adult or new adult that enjoys paranormal romances. I can't wait to read the next in the series! Thanks again to the author for giving me the chance to review it!
One of my favorite parts of the book are her friends, Matt and Izzy. I love the story about them and how they all end up being together. I feel like I am being so vague but I don't want to give anything away without meaning to. I also really like Ember's relationship that she had with her sister, they went through some rough stuff and ended up becoming stronger because of it.
Another thing I really enjoyed was the Celtic folklore to it. It was one of the first books I have read dealing with that and I found it very interesting. I would definitely recommend this to any adult or new adult that enjoys paranormal romances. I can't wait to read the next in the series! Thanks again to the author for giving me the chance to review it!
April 5, 2017
"I received a copy of this book and voluntarily chose to review it."
It was really hard to put this book down and therefore I read it in one sitting. The author has developed a very interesting storyline packed full mystery, lots of action, the paranormal, and folklore.
The main character, Ember and her sister, Becky, face a great tragedy. Ember has always felt different like something was missing. She finds out that her life has been a lie and the revelation of her true identity brings with it rage, heartbreak, and mistrust. I don't want to go into great deal to avoid spoilers.
I enjoyed the folklore aspect and the paranormal scenes throughout the story and felt the author did a good job transporting me from one realm to another without feeling a sense of confusion. The author's descriptions made me feel like I was right there next to the characters.
I am looking forward to reading more from this author and would recommend this to anyone who likes a mystery, paranormal, or high action read.
It was really hard to put this book down and therefore I read it in one sitting. The author has developed a very interesting storyline packed full mystery, lots of action, the paranormal, and folklore.
The main character, Ember and her sister, Becky, face a great tragedy. Ember has always felt different like something was missing. She finds out that her life has been a lie and the revelation of her true identity brings with it rage, heartbreak, and mistrust. I don't want to go into great deal to avoid spoilers.
I enjoyed the folklore aspect and the paranormal scenes throughout the story and felt the author did a good job transporting me from one realm to another without feeling a sense of confusion. The author's descriptions made me feel like I was right there next to the characters.
I am looking forward to reading more from this author and would recommend this to anyone who likes a mystery, paranormal, or high action read.
June 11, 2015
More of a novella than a full length novel, Dusgadh Essence of Life, by debut author Margaret Daly is a fast paced read that offers a good thrill.
For main character Ember Malloch that feeling somebody is watching her doesn’t just turn into a nightmare scenario, it becomes something she never could have imagined.
First she has to adjust to the trauma of life without her parents after a freak accident, and then she has to adjust to a life where the reality she’s always known is completely false.
Explore Celtic folklore, past lives, evil sorcerers, and the spirit world with Ember, her stalwart sister Becky, and two faithful companions, Matt and Izzy. There’s even a sexy man or two.
The timeline is a little confusing at first but this story is definitely worth sticking around for.
Dani Bauer
Fabulous Females of Fiction
For main character Ember Malloch that feeling somebody is watching her doesn’t just turn into a nightmare scenario, it becomes something she never could have imagined.
First she has to adjust to the trauma of life without her parents after a freak accident, and then she has to adjust to a life where the reality she’s always known is completely false.
Explore Celtic folklore, past lives, evil sorcerers, and the spirit world with Ember, her stalwart sister Becky, and two faithful companions, Matt and Izzy. There’s even a sexy man or two.
The timeline is a little confusing at first but this story is definitely worth sticking around for.
Dani Bauer
Fabulous Females of Fiction
August 19, 2015
I've been contemplating exactly what to write about this book for a while. It was fast paced, full of action, and seemed every page had a new fact I needed to know. Because of these facts and my habit to read quickly when it's exciting I often had to re-read pages. Ember intrigued me, she knows so little about herself yet is such a strong person. She is often conflicted because of these issues and I can relate to that and I love being able to relate to characters. I am excited to see where the story continues to take her and how the characters will unfold!! And yes, I'm a fan of anything Scottish!!
November 8, 2018
This story of two sisters gives way to magic and mystery and an element of horror that kept me turning the pages. A very enjoyable read! Looking forward to seeing how the series develops.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews