Sixteen year old Mimi Alston has company. No less than three ghosts follow her around, and only she can see them. At her last school, she was known as the girl with imaginary friends. Now Mimi's starting fresh in a new town, where she's determined to make some real friends and fit in for once. She's ready for a normal life...except Mimi never counted on her fascination with troubled goth-boy, Drew. When she's invited to join the elite Gifted Program, Mimi discovers she's not the only one at the school with an unusual talent. Maybe being normal isn't even an option anymore.
S.D. Wasley was born and raised in Perth, Western Australia.
She has been composing literary works since before she could write – at five years of age she announced her first poem in the kitchen, improv-style. Today, she lives in the Perth hills region with her two daughters, surrounded by dogs, cats and chickens.
S.D. Wasley writes fiction in the genres of mystery, paranormal and young adult.
SD Wasley’s debut novel, The Seventh, was published with Evernight Teen in January 2015 and she has now publish two complete series. View her other titles on Goodreads or the sdwasleyauthor.com website.
This was an excellent read and a solid start to a series. A talented group of seven high school students are brought together at a special school where each has different abilities. Well written, good characters, good mystery, good stuff.
Very much looking forward to The Rift, next book in the series and Mimi's adventures.
BTW after reading, I discovered this is Ms Wasley's first book and she grew up in and still lives in Perth. Another very good Aussie writer in the stable.
The Seventh is S.D. Wasley’s debut novel and is a supernatural tale that weaves different elements of the paranormal together with friendship and romance in this first novel that kicks off Wasley’s debut series.
The Seventh follows sixteen year old Miette "Mimi" Alston, a teenage girl who has spent the last three years of her life accompanied by three ghosts at all times. Known for her odd nature and the problems her ghosts can cause, Mini’s school life has been nothing but difficulties. So when her psychologist recommends Etherall Valley Prep, a school that focuses on managing problem children, a category Mimi falls into with her diagnosed delusions, Mimi takes a chance on EVP, unaware her life is about to change forever. Soon invited to participate in a Gifted program, Mimi is shocked to discover other individuals with abilities similar to hers and quickly discovers that having her gift isn’t necessarily the curse she believed it to be……
As far as storyline’s go, the one within The Seventh was quite solid. S.D. Wasley’s writing is easy to read and her main character easy to follow. From what I discovered in this first instalment I’m thinking The Seventh will be a part of a series and Wasley supports this by setting up many possibilities with where the storyline could possibly go. The Seventh sets the stage are far as storyline development and mythology are concerned, and while it’s a fairly basic storyline for now, Wasley clearly has a bigger picture in mind.
Mimi is an easy enough main character to follow. She’s very normal despite the fact she has ghosts following her at all times and I enjoyed her developing relationships with the other characters. S.D. Wasley gives Mimi people who can understand where she’s coming and who have been insimilar situations in the form of Drew, Gabe, Mona, Ed, Cassie and Patience who are all a part of the Gifted program and who have different abilities of their own.
Obviously there’s a romance between Mimi and goth-boy Drew that was actually quite sweet. They were endearing to be honest and I liked that they grew from a friendship, and that despite their obvious crushes on each other, they got to know each other first before a romantic relationship developed.
S.D. Wasley ends this instalment of her debut series perfectly with enough excitement, development and revelations to leave me wondering what will happen next. Likable characters combined with a paranormal element make for an entertaining read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
She goes by Mimi—never Miette, which means “crumb” in French. At age 16, she’s moving to a new home in Etherall Valley and rebooting her life at a fancy prep school for unusual kids. She’s got a knack for art, two parents who don’t know what to make of her, and three ghosts for company. Ah, teenagers. In spite of her attempts at social invisibility, within a week Mimi is elevated above the other unusual students and invited into their exclusive “gifted” program, which—until she joins them—consists of only six kids. There, she learns that she is not insane, her ghosts are real, and her presence in the program completes a circle. The “gifts” of these seven kids are all different: everything from empathy to animal control to conjuration. And Mimi? She’s a necromancer. She “calls the dead.” And here I thought I was weird, back in high school, being in chess club. THE SEVENTH, by S.d. Wasley, isn’t so much a coming-of-age story as it is an emerging-from-the-shell story. Mimi is, at first, quiet and withdrawn, filled with self-doubt and a lifetime’s worth of insecurities—brought on by years of labeling by her peers and her parents’ misguided attempts to somehow cure her of her oddities. As the tale progresses and Mimi comes to understand that she is not, in fact, broken in any way, our hero emerges as everything she never thought she could be: brave, outgoing, even popular. And, as unthinkable as it may at one time have been, beautiful. There’s a lot of teenage dating drama in the first half of this book. Seriously, I haven’t seen so much angst since J.K. Rowling introduced her American readers to the word “snogging” in Order of the Phoenix. And that’s okay, even if that’s not your genre. What Wasley has going for her here is that most of the players in this drama are just so insufferably likeable, the reader doesn’t know who to root for in the dating game and who to pity. When the reader’s that invested in the characters, even the most jaded of us can comfortably genre-hop our norms and find ourselves engaged in the action. Some of these characters appear on the surface as familiar archetypes: the surfer, the match-maker, the death metal Goth kid, the shrinking violet—each of them further characterized by whatever gift, our power, they are gradually learning to master. Wasley, however, manages to deconstruct our first impressions and peel the outer layers away, revealing complex and unexpected individuals who struggle to discover not only what they are, but also why they are. If there’s anything missing here, it’s an iconic (or, at least, present) antagonist. Or so it seems in the early running. But Wasley has that covered, in the end, too—and the way she plots her story makes it clear that she was aware of this threat from the outset. You have to get to the end of the book to know where S.d. Wasley was going from the beginning. By the time Mimi has to confront this emerging menace head-on, the reader has realized that Wasley had all of this carefully planned before she invited us along. Now that her tale is ready, we are guided by a steady, sure hand. But it really is Mimi who keeps us reading. There’s something in her we all wish for and few of us have. When Mimi realizes her own self worth, she refuses to let go of it. When she’s given a purpose, she embraces it. When faced with the prospect of danger she cannot avoid, she’s unwilling to surrender to the fear of it. Mimi’s journey and transformation, so far removed from the bleak young soul we met at the beginning of the book, is where the true magic of this story lies.
Starting the book your thrown into Mimi's world. She's scared and has no idea why these Ghosts have come to her. They've made her the "weird" one of her school. One day she's invited to a school, to help her and kids like her. The Journey isn't easy but becomes more aware of her self. Understanding that she does have a gift and that she isn't the "weird" one anymore. Mimi grows throughout the entire book. You see a weak girl break the mold and become one that is confident. She also helps another one see that he shouldn't be afraid of the gifts he has. The story was very well done. The different cast of characters and their abilities were something that I think any of us would want. To be a part of something and know your not the only one. The ending I didn't see coming. I had some ideas but they were wrong. I like when a book has a little twist and does something you don't expect. I don't want to give much of this book away. There's so much good in it...Lissa
Excellent character development, which is quite a feat in the fantasy genre. The main characters' supernatural gifts are well woven into their personalities, making them interesting and quite realistic. The storyline offers plenty of suspense and leaves some intriguing questions for the sequel.
I really enjoyed reading this book! The plot was great and the character dynamic was fun to read about. I was left with one question: will there be more? I hope so!!
Her parents thought she had emotional problems, her classmates taunted her for her imaginary friends. Her doctor said she was fine, but recommended a special school for children “like her.” Mimi and the ghosts who protect her are about to start on a new chapter in her life in a new school and just maybe she can make some friends. Invited to join a Gifted Program, Mimi discovers what she always believed in her heart, she is not crazy, she has a special gift and so does everyone in the program. Not everyone looked at their talents as gifts, Drew, with the striking green eyes finds his gift to be a curse and he keeps people at a distance by going all goth and carrying a chip the size of Montana on his shoulder. Of course, he is the one that captures Mimi’s heart, but why? In a tale filled with secrets upon secrets, covering secrets, there is danger lurking nearby and together these seven teens must stand together, against the odds, learning the true meaning of trust and friendship along the way!
The Seventh by S.D. Wasley is pure reading entertainment directed at teens, but able to quench any reader’s thirst for intrigue, sweet romance and a wonderful fantasy escape! S.D. Wasley has written an age appropriate fantasy with just enough mental confusion about romance and life to bring back memories for adults and to hit a bullseye for most young teens on up! Well written with great details, emotional hooks and a few unexpected twists, I was completely invested in these kids and how difficult it was for them to master/live with their abilities! A coming of age story in a world full of secrets! Settle in for a tale that brings heartbreak, happiness and understanding to a wonderful group of kids as Mimi finds a place where she finally fits in and it is a place where everyone is uniquely different in their own way!
I received this copy from S.D. Wasley in exchange for my honest review.
Publication Date: January 23, 2015 Publisher: Evernight Teen Genre: Teen/YA Fantasy Print Length: 262 pages Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble For Reviews and More Check out: http://tometender.blogspot.com
The Seventh Sixteen year old Mimi Alston is a part of the gifted program at her new high school. This program doesn’t resemble the mainstream classes you might find in today’s school however. It’s filled with kids who have special talents or powers. I don’t want to give away too much about these talents because it was fun to discover them as the story went along. I was reminded of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters and I kept finding myself wondering what it might feel like to possess any one of these special gifts. Mimi is a likable character and I love the relationship that developed between her and Drew. Drew, the goth bad boy, who had no idea what bands were on the rock shirts he wore, was perfectly flawed. He embodied the teenage angst and uncertainty we all feel at some point in our high school years and I was very happy when he started to emerge from behind all the makeup. As the story progresses we see Mimi, Drew and the others in this gifted program develop their gifts and at a few points in the story they use them to help other people. Once again I felt a parallel to the superhero’s at Xavier’s School. The end of the book comes at you fast and hard and Mimi’s emergence from awkward teen to confident heroine had me cheering for her in the end. Wonderful ‘coming of age’ story. Well done!
I usually like to take notes whilst reviewing a book but I got so into reading The Seventh I completely forgot to write anything down until I was a quarter of the way. To go through life being ridiculed by your peers only to find out at 16yo that you are actually ‘gifted’ and not the only one with this type of talent was very cleansing. The minute Drew and Mimi locked eyes they were both startled at the recognition they felt yet they had never met. As I progressed through the book I became more immersed in the story and the ‘Seven Gifted’ group. My mind ran rampant with all their talents and the good or bad that they could do. So much of the feelings that were expressed in The Seventh are what we have all been through whether you are a male or female. Everyone’s talent starts to improve and as you read you start to see how they can all help each other. As you get towards the end of the book the pace picks up and your there with Mimi, Drew and the others trying to help in any way you could. The way S.D. Wasley wrote the ending was open to interpretation and a great way for a reader to eagerly await the sale of the next sequel to The Seventh. I myself cannot wait for Book 2.
I first stumbled across SD Wasley in Summer Crush the Young Adult Anthology, which I read and reviewed in August 2015. Since I enjoyed her story, I searched around and found her first novel, The Seventh. This was a fast paced, action packed and an extremely well detailed story revolving around 7 young adults. So much happened throughout the story it kept me engaged and I really didn’t want to put it down. Mimi, who narrates the story, and Drew are the main characters but the other 5 kids play a huge role. Mimi may be living with seeing ghosts but this was much more than just a ghost story. There was a crush or two, a lot of paranormal activity, first love and the start of some great friendships. This book definitely left me wanting more and I’m extremely glad book two, The Rift, came out today, November 6, 2015. I would highly recommend this book for readers 13+.
I love reading YA as it takes you back to those teenage years where everything is both uncertain and exciting. The Seventh transported me effortlessly back to that place, with characters who felt like real people and a plot that made we wish I was a part of the gifted program.
This is a genuinely good coming of age tale and I can't wait for the sequel.
I'm not the target audience for this book aimed at teens, but loved it anyway! It was fun to watch Mimi blossom as she discovered her true self and to unravel with her the book's central mystery. I look forward to the sequel.
This is a fascinating story about a girl who's not really crazy...even if all her life people have been telling her she is. She sees and communicates with ghosts. As if that wasn't hard enough for Mimi, she transfers to a new school that specialises in dealing with children who have "problems" like hers. It's not a school entirely for exceptional children, though - a significant point of difference. There are plenty of students who don't see ghosts.
Though it's a complete book with a distinct ending (no, you won't get spoilers from me), it also sets the scene for a captivating series that looks to encompass cults, age-old conspiracies, paranormal abilities and the hope of saving the world while trying to finish high school. I slipped effortlessly into the story and I'd reached the end of it far too soon - in fact, I was left wishing there was a sequel already.
The only reason I didn't give this book five stars is my inability to click with Mimi. While I was invested in the story, I didn't feel much of a connection to Mimi, though she's certainly a likable character. I understand she's been so used to being considered crazy that she's fairly cautious and aloof, but I figured being in her head, I'd feel more for her. Instead, I felt as cold toward her as one of her ghosts. Kudos to Ms Wasley if the ghostly feel of this was her intention - I found it quite unusual, and I'll definitely be looking to read more of her work.
This book has got to be the best YA paranormal book I've ever read.
It has a fantastic storyline, brilliant young characters who all fit together like a glove. You get to see each character evolve into themselves.
They have realistic gifts that fit which each individual. Yes it has all your usual teenager dramas but with unique twists. It keeps you on the edge with the suspense, wanting to find out what's coming next I just couldn't put it down.
I maybe a 36 year old but I really enjoyed this book and was contacting the author as soon as I had finished to find out when the next book is coming, as it leaves you very intrigued to find out more.
I can't believe this book is the Author's first book, as she writes as though she has been writing for years. S.D Wasley should be very proud of herself, this is an amazing read. I will look forward to reading the next one
At first, the first couple chapters I felt something was off. I'm not sure if it was how the author worded things or what. I wasn't sure how the rest of the book would feel to me but I pushed on and kept reading.
I'm glad I did!
The ghosts aspects were so cool, and all the different powers the Seven had was unique and fun to read about. Further into the story I really started to feel what the main character was feeling and was easily able to escape into reading land every time I opened the book.
The romantic scenes were definitely very YA, the main characters only kissed a couple times (right at the end) but the whole story gave me much YA vibes.
The ending was edge of your seat suspense and I loved every minute of it.
I am definitely going to read the next books in the series!
A book full of the paranormal, mystery, and intrigue. The protagonist is 16 years old, so the book seems a little naive, but that doesn’t mean it’s silly. There are seven kids who live in the school dorms during the week, and go home on weekends & holidays. Each of them have different kinds of gifts, and are in the Gifted Program, in order to learn about and develop their gifts. The parents know their kids are a little weird, but don’t know what’s really going on. Because there are seven kids with different gifts, there’s always something happening, and it made reading this book such fun.
Great YA Book with unique characters. Smooth writing and great flow. One character left me wondering what her family,s deal was but I wasn't satisfied with explanation, if you want to call it that. Liked the main character parents and would like to know more background on the characters.
Seven gifted teenagers are in school together but why? What are their gifts and why this school. curious to find out they investigate and uncover something quite sinister. Who can they trust and who must they be careful of? Plenty of suspense but you must read to find out.
This books was a great read. The characters where believable and relatable despite being 'gifted'. The storyline was engaging and had me rushing to get the rift when I finished. Highly recommend!