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Wicca #11
Origins
My name is Rose MacEwan. The year is 1682. It's a hard time to be a witch, and an even harder time to be a Wodebayne. But now that I have found my soulmate, I feel amost safe. I will do anything to keep him. Pity the witch who comes between me and my true love.
Seventeen-year-old Morgan is finding out about her wiccan ancestry - but how will this affect her future... and her love for Hunter?
Seventeen-year-old Morgan is finding out about her wiccan ancestry - but how will this affect her future... and her love for Hunter?
184 pages, Paperback
First published May 13, 2002
112 people are currently reading
3916 people want to read
About the author
Cate Tiernan
104 books3,811 followers"was born in New Orleans, LA, in 1961. New Orleans is one of the most interesting American cities, and it has an incredibly rich and exotic culture that had a profound influence on me. Kids in other cities have lemonade stands; we sold voodoo gris-gris and made wax dolls in the likenesses of our enemies. It's a very beautiful city, and the constant heat and humidity make gardens grow out of control. There's an air of lassitude there, a general acceptance of eccentic or flamboyant behavior--the heat simply makes people do crazy things.
I went to school in New York, and after school went back to New Orleans. Then I went back to New York (Manhattan) and got a job in publishing and started writing. My first book, a young, middle-grade chapter book, was published in 1990.
Living in Manhattan was incredible, even though I didn't have a lot of money. There was so much to do and see, and so many interesting people to watch. There was a lot of frenetic energy there, and sometimes that felt very wearing and hard to live with. After eight years I was ready for a change, and my husband and I moved back to New Orleans. (Are you seeing a pattern here?)
(While I was in NY, I helped edit "The Secret Circle" by L.J. Smith. I thought it was great.)
We stayed in New Orleans five years. By the time we had two small children we knew we had to find someplace safer to live. I was glad my children were born in New Orleans--I had been born there, and my father had, and his father had, and his father had and so on. There was something about the connection of generations of blood coming from one place that I found very primal and important.
Now I live in a cohousing community in Durham, NC. This is the most suburban place I've ever lived, and it's very different from living right in the middle of a city. For one thing, there aren't enough coffee shops. However, it's incredibly safe, and the community is very important to me. There are a lot of strong women here, and I find them inspiring.
Am I a witch? Well, no. Even Wicca is too organized a religion for me. I'm much more idiosyncratic and just need to do my own thing, which is kind of new-agey and pantheistic. It's not that I don't work or play well with others, but I need to decide for myself when I do a certain thing, and how I do it. However, I can really relate to Wicca, and I so appreciate its woman-centeredness and its essentially female identity. I love those aspects, among others.
I have several favorite writers. Barbara Hambly has been the biggest influence on how I describe magic. She's an incredibly imaginative and empathetic writer with a gift for creating a rich, sensual world. I love Barbara Pym, an English writer whose books came out mostly in the fifties. She was a master at describing the thousand tiny moments that make up a woman's day; how the seemingly small and inconsequential thing can suddenly take on a huge emotional importance. I greatly admire P.D. James. She's one of the very few writers who makes me actually look up words in the dictionary. She has a beautiful, precise, educated command of the language that leaves me in awe. I love Philip Larkin's poetry. I read a lot of nonfiction and also have some favorite romance writers. Before anyone groans, let me say that these women write really well about women trying to achieve emotional fulfillment, and that's kind of what we're all doing, right? I also just like reading about sex. Anyway, Jennifer Crusie, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, and early Linda Howard are my faves.
And then of course there's my dark side, but more on that later.
" -Source
Cate Tiernan is a pseudonym for Gabrielle Charbonnet
I went to school in New York, and after school went back to New Orleans. Then I went back to New York (Manhattan) and got a job in publishing and started writing. My first book, a young, middle-grade chapter book, was published in 1990.
Living in Manhattan was incredible, even though I didn't have a lot of money. There was so much to do and see, and so many interesting people to watch. There was a lot of frenetic energy there, and sometimes that felt very wearing and hard to live with. After eight years I was ready for a change, and my husband and I moved back to New Orleans. (Are you seeing a pattern here?)
(While I was in NY, I helped edit "The Secret Circle" by L.J. Smith. I thought it was great.)
We stayed in New Orleans five years. By the time we had two small children we knew we had to find someplace safer to live. I was glad my children were born in New Orleans--I had been born there, and my father had, and his father had, and his father had and so on. There was something about the connection of generations of blood coming from one place that I found very primal and important.
Now I live in a cohousing community in Durham, NC. This is the most suburban place I've ever lived, and it's very different from living right in the middle of a city. For one thing, there aren't enough coffee shops. However, it's incredibly safe, and the community is very important to me. There are a lot of strong women here, and I find them inspiring.
Am I a witch? Well, no. Even Wicca is too organized a religion for me. I'm much more idiosyncratic and just need to do my own thing, which is kind of new-agey and pantheistic. It's not that I don't work or play well with others, but I need to decide for myself when I do a certain thing, and how I do it. However, I can really relate to Wicca, and I so appreciate its woman-centeredness and its essentially female identity. I love those aspects, among others.
I have several favorite writers. Barbara Hambly has been the biggest influence on how I describe magic. She's an incredibly imaginative and empathetic writer with a gift for creating a rich, sensual world. I love Barbara Pym, an English writer whose books came out mostly in the fifties. She was a master at describing the thousand tiny moments that make up a woman's day; how the seemingly small and inconsequential thing can suddenly take on a huge emotional importance. I greatly admire P.D. James. She's one of the very few writers who makes me actually look up words in the dictionary. She has a beautiful, precise, educated command of the language that leaves me in awe. I love Philip Larkin's poetry. I read a lot of nonfiction and also have some favorite romance writers. Before anyone groans, let me say that these women write really well about women trying to achieve emotional fulfillment, and that's kind of what we're all doing, right? I also just like reading about sex. Anyway, Jennifer Crusie, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, and early Linda Howard are my faves.
And then of course there's my dark side, but more on that later.
" -Source
Cate Tiernan is a pseudonym for Gabrielle Charbonnet
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 229 reviews
May 4, 2021
Ok, so I am giving this one a 4 star simply because it feels like it messed with the flow of the series. It belongs as a prelude or companion book. It follows one of Morgan's ancestors and has very little present-day in it at all. It's also missing its signature BOS entries at the beginning of the chapters.
It wasn't bad at all. In fact, it was very interesting and explains some great history of the main story. However for it to just be randomly thrown into the series like this feels forced and off. Maybe telling the story in bits and pieces as a BOS entry would have been way better and stayed with the flow of the series so far.
On to the plot itself. Following Rose was interesting. She was a little full of herself, but I suppose being both a powerful witch and the daughter of a high priestess would do that. It answers a couple of questions that I had from the primary plot and it was a fun read. Now on to the rest of the series and hopefully no more of this stuff.
It wasn't bad at all. In fact, it was very interesting and explains some great history of the main story. However for it to just be randomly thrown into the series like this feels forced and off. Maybe telling the story in bits and pieces as a BOS entry would have been way better and stayed with the flow of the series so far.
On to the plot itself. Following Rose was interesting. She was a little full of herself, but I suppose being both a powerful witch and the daughter of a high priestess would do that. It answers a couple of questions that I had from the primary plot and it was a fun read. Now on to the rest of the series and hopefully no more of this stuff.
November 27, 2014
If the whole series was written this way, I would be utterly in love with this series. In this book, we find out about one of Morgan's ancestors, Rose, the woman who started the black wave because she was wronged by her lover. She was accused as a witch and was sentenced to death. We find out her lover, Diarmuid. She thought they were soul mates, only to find out in the end that he was using her for sex, that he didn't mean anything that he promised her. Not only was she wronged by Diarmuid, she was also wronged by his promised wife, Siobhan's clan. Both of their clans are against the Woodbanes, and she wants every clan to suffer for making the Woodbanes always look like they're evil, when they were actually trying to be good witches. Now, Rose wants every clan to suffer the same fate of the dark wave as Diarmuid's and Siobhan's clans. Rose is a strong character, a little desperate, but amazing. She wants everything to be done for the good, and she's a fighter for what she believes in. Even when her mother throws her out of the coven and home, she still holds her head high because she does not think that she did anything wrong. She was only protecting herself from death and fighting for clan's rights, something that her mother didn't understand. Throughout the book, the tension in Sile's coven is high because they all have been wronged one way or another, and they practice dark magick behind Sile's back. The Woodbanes were destined to practice dark magick, and Rose found the perfect way to make all the other clans suffer for what they have done to the Woodbanes. Lastly, an important note to touch upon was when after the dark wave. The Christian townspeople fear her in a way that gives Rose power. They don't sentence her to death; they actually let her go if she promises not to harm them. She walks with her head held high, people paying her respect for her power. They don't dare to cross her, and she's relieved because she no longer has to hide who she really is. I think Rose is an admirable character for all that she had to endure and continuously fighting for what she wants. I have no idea how Morgan can be related to her because Morgan is the exact opposite of Rose.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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October 13, 2020
Another really weird change of pace with shifting the focus of the story to the past and how the dark wave came about. This is very much a prequel, but published towards the end of the series? So weird. I was happy to have a break from Morgan being Morgan, though :P
November 9, 2014
This installment of the Wicca series really took a dark turn.
The book begins with Morgan and Hunter beginning to read a Book of Shadows written by Rose MacEwan, an ancestor of Morgan's, and the rest of the book is said Book of Shadows, telling the tale of Rose and her first love Diarmuid, as well as her powerful abilities and connection to the Goddess. This tale of course takes a dark turn, and we find out the origins of the Dark Wave which affected both Morgan and Hunter's families.
My first book from the series that I read for the first-time, this certainly did not disappoint, and encourages me even more to continue with this YA series, despite being an adult.
The book begins with Morgan and Hunter beginning to read a Book of Shadows written by Rose MacEwan, an ancestor of Morgan's, and the rest of the book is said Book of Shadows, telling the tale of Rose and her first love Diarmuid, as well as her powerful abilities and connection to the Goddess. This tale of course takes a dark turn, and we find out the origins of the Dark Wave which affected both Morgan and Hunter's families.
My first book from the series that I read for the first-time, this certainly did not disappoint, and encourages me even more to continue with this YA series, despite being an adult.
May 31, 2019
This was probably my favorite book. I’m really shocked because it seems most people don’t like it. I enjoyed the history of Morgan’s ancestors and discovering how the dark waves got started. It’s very interesting but I guess to each their own. On to book 11
November 16, 2017
Ehhh it got more interesting towards the end, but that doesn’t really make up for how dull the rest was.
September 29, 2024
4.5*
C’est, selon moi, le meilleur de la série. Si elle avait été écrite entièrement comme ça, woah cela aurait été un coup de coeur. L’écriture d’époque, la culture des Highlands, la sorcellerie à sa base naturelle, aucune répétitions des autres tomes! Un retour en arrière plaisant et intéressant.
Connaître l’histoire de Rose, l’ancêtre de Morgan, permet de comprendre plusieurs élément sur la puissance de sa magye. J’ai adoré. Surtout que Rose et Morgan ont beaucoup plus en commun qu’elle ne le croit, bien que Morgan semble avoir un coeur plus pur.
Le seul problème c’est que là, la série semble complètement décousue. Des tomes 1 à 9, l’histoire se suivait de façon rapproché. Le tome 10 on dirait un spin off et le tome 11 également. Est-ce que le tome 12 reprendra là où le tome 9 s’était arrêté ou on continue la divergence? Ce sera à voir.
C’est, selon moi, le meilleur de la série. Si elle avait été écrite entièrement comme ça, woah cela aurait été un coup de coeur. L’écriture d’époque, la culture des Highlands, la sorcellerie à sa base naturelle, aucune répétitions des autres tomes! Un retour en arrière plaisant et intéressant.
Connaître l’histoire de Rose, l’ancêtre de Morgan, permet de comprendre plusieurs élément sur la puissance de sa magye. J’ai adoré. Surtout que Rose et Morgan ont beaucoup plus en commun qu’elle ne le croit, bien que Morgan semble avoir un coeur plus pur.
Le seul problème c’est que là, la série semble complètement décousue. Des tomes 1 à 9, l’histoire se suivait de façon rapproché. Le tome 10 on dirait un spin off et le tome 11 également. Est-ce que le tome 12 reprendra là où le tome 9 s’était arrêté ou on continue la divergence? Ce sera à voir.
May 2, 2017
Essere catapultati nel passato è stato bellissimo. (3.5)
January 11, 2016
Plot
Origins, as one might guess from the title, is a story that visits a previous time before the time of Morgan. It’s about Morgan’s evil ancestor, Rose, and the origin of the dark wave. Or, it should have been. Instead the book was basically Morgan-esque drama set in the 1600s in Scotland, with Rose instead of Morgan, though there isn’t much difference between the two. The part about the dark wave only takes up maybe two short chapters. While it is interesting to go into the background of something, dedicating an entire book to it in a series that has more books than is reasonably should isn’t a good choice.
Writing
The story has a bit of Morgan’s POV, but then it shifts to Rose’s, even though we’re supposed to be reading her journal, not actually experiencing it along with her. Rose sounds very much like Morgan, and there’s not much of a difference between the two, even though I’m sure Tiernan tried to make it that way. The book would have been better if Morgan and Hunter had been reading the book and commenting on it as they went. The writing isn’t terrible, but there are choices about how it was set up that I would have done differently.
Characters
I hated Rose. Not only was she almost exactly like Morgan, a character so dimwitted I wish I could smack her through the book, but she was also really creepy. She messed with the free will of at least two boys for the sake of love, when her mother had forbidden her to do it. She was a bad character and the text didn’t really try to paint her as one. If Morgan and Hunter would have been reading the book and commenting on it, this would have been obvious, but the text tries to make us sympathetic towards Rose.
Things I Liked
I didn’t really like anything. This book was unnecessary.
Things I Didn't Like
I didn’t like how justified Rose’s actions were being portrayed. If Tiernan didn’t want to give off a feeling like this, she shouldn’t have made Origins from Rose’s POV. It was a rather silly thing to do if we’re supposed to see Rose as the villain.
Diversity
There is none, unless you count some powerful witches being white women.
Overall
There was no reason to go into the origins of the dark wave using and entire book to do it. The Sweep series is already fifteen books long, and a lot of the books are not needed. The reader didn’t need to know all of the events that transpired before Rose created the first dark wave. Yes, a lot of things lead up to it, but just telling us about her being accused of a witch and wanting to destroy those who wronged her was enough. Tiernan probably could have given us this information through Morgan paraphrasing it to Hunter in the next book.
Here is a link to my notes.
Origins, as one might guess from the title, is a story that visits a previous time before the time of Morgan. It’s about Morgan’s evil ancestor, Rose, and the origin of the dark wave. Or, it should have been. Instead the book was basically Morgan-esque drama set in the 1600s in Scotland, with Rose instead of Morgan, though there isn’t much difference between the two. The part about the dark wave only takes up maybe two short chapters. While it is interesting to go into the background of something, dedicating an entire book to it in a series that has more books than is reasonably should isn’t a good choice.
Writing
The story has a bit of Morgan’s POV, but then it shifts to Rose’s, even though we’re supposed to be reading her journal, not actually experiencing it along with her. Rose sounds very much like Morgan, and there’s not much of a difference between the two, even though I’m sure Tiernan tried to make it that way. The book would have been better if Morgan and Hunter had been reading the book and commenting on it as they went. The writing isn’t terrible, but there are choices about how it was set up that I would have done differently.
Characters
I hated Rose. Not only was she almost exactly like Morgan, a character so dimwitted I wish I could smack her through the book, but she was also really creepy. She messed with the free will of at least two boys for the sake of love, when her mother had forbidden her to do it. She was a bad character and the text didn’t really try to paint her as one. If Morgan and Hunter would have been reading the book and commenting on it, this would have been obvious, but the text tries to make us sympathetic towards Rose.
Things I Liked
I didn’t really like anything. This book was unnecessary.
Things I Didn't Like
I didn’t like how justified Rose’s actions were being portrayed. If Tiernan didn’t want to give off a feeling like this, she shouldn’t have made Origins from Rose’s POV. It was a rather silly thing to do if we’re supposed to see Rose as the villain.
Diversity
There is none, unless you count some powerful witches being white women.
Overall
There was no reason to go into the origins of the dark wave using and entire book to do it. The Sweep series is already fifteen books long, and a lot of the books are not needed. The reader didn’t need to know all of the events that transpired before Rose created the first dark wave. Yes, a lot of things lead up to it, but just telling us about her being accused of a witch and wanting to destroy those who wronged her was enough. Tiernan probably could have given us this information through Morgan paraphrasing it to Hunter in the next book.
Here is a link to my notes.
July 29, 2017
This was..... Awful.
This was absolutely awful and this book made me very angry. I hate read this and I would have put it down had I not already gotten this far into this series.
Rose MacEwan has got to be the worst character I've ever read about, if not at least top 3 of the worst. She's a horrible human being, she's psychotic, and there was nothing good about reading from her perspective.
I get that we weren't supposed to like her. But there are better ways at portraying a villain other than this garbage.
Rose is so awful I was basically cheering when..
I'm done with this book. I can't wait to be done with this series.
This was absolutely awful and this book made me very angry. I hate read this and I would have put it down had I not already gotten this far into this series.
Rose MacEwan has got to be the worst character I've ever read about, if not at least top 3 of the worst. She's a horrible human being, she's psychotic, and there was nothing good about reading from her perspective.
I get that we weren't supposed to like her. But there are better ways at portraying a villain other than this garbage.
Rose is so awful I was basically cheering when..
I'm done with this book. I can't wait to be done with this series.
February 11, 2010
A Potent storyline; and despite it's diversion from Morgan's & Hunter's tale, this books still proves worthy of the Sweep collection. I hadn't expected it to be so good, as I prefer the first person being Morgan, however, I gained quite a surprise as I read it. This book unveils both innocence and guilt alike, from Rose's perspective. It is one of the most beautifully and potently crafted books of this series I've read yet. An intense, heart-wrenching tale of Morgan's ancestor living through the Burning Times, hiding amongst the Christians to ensure the survival or her clan as well as herself, coping with clan rivalry and bigotry, and the utmost stifes,...the pains of love, heartbreak, and betrayal.
December 23, 2012
I love this flashback to how the dark wave began. Rose's life is actually pretty understandable: young girl newly fallen in love, toying on the edge of darkness (with the crystal, dolls, etc), not *intentionally* being evil (yet). And how things were just wrenched out of her control and she wanted revenge but it got too far.
March 10, 2016
Actual rating - 2.5
Worst one in the series so far. So dull!
Worst one in the series so far. So dull!
June 5, 2022
It's been a while since a book from the Wicca series has held my attention as I couldn't put Origins down! Loved it from beginning to end! 😊👍
Just a heads up there will be spoilers below
🔥Overall🔥
A very intense, fast pace tale of historical love, betrayal, and heartbreak that quickly became one of my favorites from the series that began with Hunter showing Rose's Book of Shadows and the epilogue of the book to Morgan's shock, disgust, and despair of Rose's legacy and by extension: Morgan's dark family heritage she's unfortunately inherited.
Definitely recommend this to anyone! I'll give this book a 5 star rating!
Just a heads up there will be spoilers below
🔥Overall🔥
A very intense, fast pace tale of historical love, betrayal, and heartbreak that quickly became one of my favorites from the series that began with Hunter showing Rose's Book of Shadows and the epilogue of the book to Morgan's shock, disgust, and despair of Rose's legacy and by extension: Morgan's dark family heritage she's unfortunately inherited.
Definitely recommend this to anyone! I'll give this book a 5 star rating!
November 26, 2023
I wasn't thrilled to start this again as I wanted to get back into reading from Morgan's perspective after Hunter's shoddy POV. But I'm glad I read it again, and it was interesting to read where the dark wave had originated and for what reason.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 9, 2020
Got better as it went along bit of a random book to have in middle of series but gives you the history of the dark wave
September 18, 2022
Un petit retour dans la passé pour connaître le début de la vague sombre.
December 17, 2022
★★★★4.5 Stars
YAAASS this was precisely what I needed! A quick read that transports you to earlier times in a witches' coven where love, evil, jealousy, and of course magic all reside.
I LOVED this backstory on Rose, it was a perfect change from the regular plot. I can't believe I didn't take any notes, I guess I was just so into the switch of voice and direction of the book I forgot! I think this may be my favorite book of the series so far!
YAAASS this was precisely what I needed! A quick read that transports you to earlier times in a witches' coven where love, evil, jealousy, and of course magic all reside.
I LOVED this backstory on Rose, it was a perfect change from the regular plot. I can't believe I didn't take any notes, I guess I was just so into the switch of voice and direction of the book I forgot! I think this may be my favorite book of the series so far!
October 15, 2023
Completely unnecessary book
October 29, 2010
I have to admit, I debated about the star rating of the book. I eventually realized that while I greatly enjoyed the books previous to this one & I did enjoy the ending, I just didn't really get all that into the story.
This entry into the series goes back to the origins of the dark wave. Hunter has returned from his trip to see his father & he's returned with the diary of Rose McEwan- the witch who created the dark wave. From her humble beginnings as a witch attempting to hide from the mass hysteria of the Salem witch trials to her inevitable fall into darkness, the book chronicles her decent into evil.
Like I said earlier, this book was ok but I just didn't get all that into it. The story is fine & the ending is fantastic. Its just that it took an awfully long time to get there. It really felt like it could have been about 10-20 pages shorter. If you are one of the people like me & just can't get as into this story as you did the previous books, then I just have to say... keep at it. The last 20-30 pages of this are fantastic & quickly paced.
This book does give some background, but if you are debating whether or not to buy this one or the next volume in the series... well, you may want to put off getting this for a while. It doesn't really seem to give that much to the series & if you are a Hunter & Morgan fan, they're hardly in this book. I do recommend getting it & reading it, but it just didn't really grab me.
I'm giving this one 2 scores. As for the book as a standalone novel (the rating I'm giving it here), it is only a 3. However, when I put it in with the rest of the series, the rating would be higher- a 3.65 or so.
This entry into the series goes back to the origins of the dark wave. Hunter has returned from his trip to see his father & he's returned with the diary of Rose McEwan- the witch who created the dark wave. From her humble beginnings as a witch attempting to hide from the mass hysteria of the Salem witch trials to her inevitable fall into darkness, the book chronicles her decent into evil.
Like I said earlier, this book was ok but I just didn't get all that into it. The story is fine & the ending is fantastic. Its just that it took an awfully long time to get there. It really felt like it could have been about 10-20 pages shorter. If you are one of the people like me & just can't get as into this story as you did the previous books, then I just have to say... keep at it. The last 20-30 pages of this are fantastic & quickly paced.
This book does give some background, but if you are debating whether or not to buy this one or the next volume in the series... well, you may want to put off getting this for a while. It doesn't really seem to give that much to the series & if you are a Hunter & Morgan fan, they're hardly in this book. I do recommend getting it & reading it, but it just didn't really grab me.
I'm giving this one 2 scores. As for the book as a standalone novel (the rating I'm giving it here), it is only a 3. However, when I put it in with the rest of the series, the rating would be higher- a 3.65 or so.
August 11, 2016
Lame attempt to extend the series, painfully, by another book, into the past, so we get some more olden-times and Gaelic. Boooring.
-----------
The first 2-3 books in this series are addictive, a fresh "modern-teen" POV in the tired genre of witches/kids with supernatural powers finding themselves (and the wonder of Wicca) among families/communities who "don't get it".
After #3, it goes downhill. There is no psychological development of the main characters (and the secondary characters are quite shallowly described and hard to distinguish throughout the series; even the more promising and believable ones, BFFs Bree & Robbie are essentially dropped from the books by #4) a lot of the narrative suspenseful points are all "tell" and no "show", the conclusions are hurried and tied up nicely--except for a minimum of predictable suspense that the publisher made you have to draw people through the series. Also, each book is so short, (it's like a single chapter of a Harry Potter) that the narrative arc is predictable and hasty, and makes one wonder if these were paid by the book, or that the series was extended way beyond what should have been its natural life span by the publisher, or what.
It's no Harry Potter, that's for sure. Apart from the above flaws, here's no humor (unless you count Morgan's drinking Diet Coke all the time, which gets tired really fast) and no writing good enough to be enjoyed by adults as well (a sure sign of a good children's book).
Also there's way too much touchy-feely Wicca rituals and pseudo Gaelic chanting, which is not well enough written to be convincing and also gets tiresome.
-----------
The first 2-3 books in this series are addictive, a fresh "modern-teen" POV in the tired genre of witches/kids with supernatural powers finding themselves (and the wonder of Wicca) among families/communities who "don't get it".
After #3, it goes downhill. There is no psychological development of the main characters (and the secondary characters are quite shallowly described and hard to distinguish throughout the series; even the more promising and believable ones, BFFs Bree & Robbie are essentially dropped from the books by #4) a lot of the narrative suspenseful points are all "tell" and no "show", the conclusions are hurried and tied up nicely--except for a minimum of predictable suspense that the publisher made you have to draw people through the series. Also, each book is so short, (it's like a single chapter of a Harry Potter) that the narrative arc is predictable and hasty, and makes one wonder if these were paid by the book, or that the series was extended way beyond what should have been its natural life span by the publisher, or what.
It's no Harry Potter, that's for sure. Apart from the above flaws, here's no humor (unless you count Morgan's drinking Diet Coke all the time, which gets tired really fast) and no writing good enough to be enjoyed by adults as well (a sure sign of a good children's book).
Also there's way too much touchy-feely Wicca rituals and pseudo Gaelic chanting, which is not well enough written to be convincing and also gets tiresome.
February 1, 2021
Rating - 3.50/3.75
I like back stories, so this has swung my vote up a little. The writing isn't up to the standard of other writers I've read, but it's not bad. It's from another point of view again, and details the origin of the "dark wave". It's slow paced in many parts, faster in others, though the ending is fairly good.
I like back stories, so this has swung my vote up a little. The writing isn't up to the standard of other writers I've read, but it's not bad. It's from another point of view again, and details the origin of the "dark wave". It's slow paced in many parts, faster in others, though the ending is fairly good.
April 11, 2018
In this book we learn the story of an ancestor of Morgan, the first person who created a black wave.
It was kind of interesting to know, but I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I did with the others.
It was kind of interesting to know, but I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I did with the others.
July 7, 2009
i liked this book more than i thought i would. it's interesting to know how the dark wave began, but it was kind of boring. too much background info.
January 1, 2015
An old favorite - I have always loved Cate Tiernan's Sweep series! This particular book was somewhat harder to read.
July 21, 2019
This book.... AHHHH I was not expecting things to go this way. What will happen next??
January 2, 2020
Quite enjoyed reading the POV of Morgan's ancestor.
April 9, 2020
You really gonna throw relationship drama at me and then have an entire book set over a hundred years ago? And THEN just brush over that drama like it’s nothing?! Come on!!!
August 15, 2020
This book was so good 😍😍
June 1, 2023
Favorite one so far
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