Cursed

Cedarstone Chronicles #1

by Sean Stone

Out of options. Out of time.
If Arthur Winters doesn’t break the curse that robbed his coven of magic then they will remain cursed forever. But those who cast the curse will not sit back and let him win.

With no magic and no allies, he only has one option. He must wake the deadly immortal warlock, Nickolas Blackwood. Will Nickolas help Arthur break the curse, or will he join the ranks of Arthur's enemies?

Genres: Urban Fantasy

368 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 20, 2015

About the author

Sean is a writer and reader of all kinds of books, but he particularly enjoys books with 413 pages. He lives alone in Maidstone with his cats, Molly and Klaus, in an apartment that does not allow pets. He is also quite sure that one of them is trying to kill him. It’s a good thing he’s immortal.

He works as a lab technician by day and writes rather marvelous books by night. Sometimes he writes in the day too, but those books aren’t as good.

Sean Stone is a serious man.

Reviews

[Segilola Salami · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cedarstone is a beacon for the supernatural but some how, the human race seemed to control all of them. Well not for very long. I can't explain fully how I felt about the book. It was written very well. There were negligible typos etc. As a Londoner, I can imagine the consistent use 'was' eg was you ok? being intentional. However, I am not sure it fitted all the characters. If you watch the vampire diaries or the originals, can you imagine Klaus Mikelson speaking in New Orleans slangs? The plot flowed nicely and was steady throughout. It wasn't a slow pace but it wasn't fast either. Towards the end of the book, that was when I found it picked up pace a bit. Going from the ending, I think the next book has the potential to be better.

[Aly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the cover of this book! It was very eye catching! lol The story was very interesting This book is not your average vampire, werewolf, witches book. There are some great turns in this book I didn't see coming. You should see what you think. * I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*

[Dale Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Curse was effectively the end of magic within the city limits of Cedarstone. The covens had fallen apart, some drifting away, others "disappearing" - for whatever reason. Now, the culmination of the Curse is drawing near, the day when it will become permanent and irreversible...and the remaining four sorcerers will do anything to delay the inevitable. Unfortunately, ANYTHING means unleashing a monster that had been locked away from the world. But, the solution may be worse than the problem.

Author Sean Stone has created stories of supernatural creatures that live, love, and fight in a world that could be just around the corner from the neighborhood you live in...or maybe even right next door. This, the first book in the CEDARSTONE CHRONICLES, is set before the events of his other great series ARCANE, INC. and acts as a precursor and cause and effect to the latter. Stone has a deft hand at creating characters that, while of the supernatural variety, still have the day to day problems that we all see around us in the real world as they each try to find...and keep...their place in a society that isn't aware of their existence...yet! With the CEDARSTONE CHRONICLES, Stone begins to weave the threads of a story that will carry through book after book building towards the ultimate confrontation that happens in THE DEAD WARLOCK - book 6 of the Arcane, Inc. series.

The advent of indie/self published authors has seen incredibly well written stories as well as horrendously terrible efforts. This is definitely of the former as Stone only gets better with each book.

I would definitely recommend this book...and series...to fans of Urban Fantasy and the Supernatural.

[J C Steel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sean Stone’s Cursed: A Cedarstone Novel is set in the quiet British town of Cedarstone. As far as the rest of the country, and most of its inhabitants, are concerned, Cedarstone is an utterly normal town. However, within Cedarstone’s boundaries, ancient groups of sorcerers, vampires, werewolves, and humans covertly vie for place, and a thirty-year curse set on Cedarstone’s once-thriving coven is about to precipitate the return of an immortal. The question of whether the cure is worse than the disease may well be about to be answered.

Cursed is told primarily from the point of view of the leader of Cedarstone’s failing coven. Arthur is riddled with self-doubt, and his desperation to save his coven is portrayed as the root of many of his decisions, most especially the decision to bring back the legendary Nickolas Blackstone. While the book has a sound plot, I did find that between grammar, spelling and sentence structure, the writing got in the way of the story at intervals. In addition, the characters, especially Arthur, felt a little two-dimensional, with predictable reactions. However, there is a satisfying level of complexity to the inter-racial relations and the background of the plot that goes a long way towards making this book a worthwhile read.

[The_Manc_Witch · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a fan of must things supernatural I was quite interested in coming across this book and seeing what it had to offer. I will confess that although I am an avid reader I do not normally like reading stories, however the world of Cedarstone was something that I quickly became invested in.

The author does an amazing job creating the fictional town of Cederstone and each and every person we come across throughout is a complex and, despite the genre of the book, believable. The plot throughout the book is well written and the unfolding of the story creates real intrigue throughout, the author did a great job in respect of making his plots actual surprises as opposed to something that you could see coming from four chapters previous and I think this is what makes the story so gripping.

I actually found myself (uncharacteristically) emotionally invested in these fictional people and by the end of the book I just wanted to read the next. If you, like me, love to watch all the supernatural TV shows themed around werewolves, witches and vampires, then this book if not only for you but it is jam packed full of these beings and many unexpected and unusual ones thrown in to the mix also. All-round a must read book. BUY IT NOW!!!

[Christine Karmelreads2665 W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Choose wisely because the devil you do know maybe better than the devil you don't, January 31, 201 6
Received this book for an honest review.

This is my first book by John Stone and I would have to say he hit this book out of the park. I wasn't for sure what to expect when I opened up the book I thought it would be something scary. This book had reader engaged from beginning to end. You have to suspense, you have murder, you have mayhem, and in general all out supernatural warfare.

Looking forward to reading the next book in the series to find out the continuation of the story.

[Penelope · Rating 5 out of 5]

A desperate coven; striped of its powers trying to break a curse that if fully completed will see their powers gone for good; are aligning themselves with an immortal to break said curse before its too late. If that wasnt juicy enough throw in some vampires and werewolves and you get a very very interesting series of books.

Cursed is the first in the series and has me hooked already. Once you start reading it is very hard to stop until you read the last page, and then you crave more. I look forward to book 2.

[Wendy Bowers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Snarky and fast paced

As a Dresden junky, im always looking for that fix. These books do a good job. Supernatural just isnt the same without the seething sarcasm and these books are just the thing to tide me over. Fast paced and well rounded characters.

[Audrey Cienki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good basic story, but poor grammar, poor sentence structure,etc.