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Ollie Wit #1
A Step into the Dark
I used to tell myself the monsters weren’t real until the day they killed my entire family. Now I’m barely getting out of bed, a heartbeat away from getting committed and none of it matters. Until Kane shows up. He says he knows the monsters are real. He says he can get rid of them. He says all I have to do is walk in their land, risk the destruction of everything I have left, and he’ll help me banish them forever. I don’t know who Kane is, or what he really wants and I don’t care. Nothing I have means anything if I can’t be free of the creatures that stalk me…
298 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 24, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 167 reviews
February 17, 2021
A Step into the Dark
Ollie Wit, Book 1
By: Donna Augustine
Narrated by: Angel Clark
I saw this author's book on freeaudiblecodes and nabbed it, I love her books but I didn't check the narrator. I should have! I encountered her narration on freeaudiblecodes before. Ugh!
The book itself has a good premise and it was interesting but it was difficult to concentrate on the story with the whiny, cartoon like voices. As the narrator was describing the action or narrating the scene her voice was fine but when it came to dialogue it was headache inducing!
The plot to the story was a little weak and seemed to just stop and I hate cliffhangers. I did like the gargoyles!
I want to try book two but I will read it with an ebook! I have read other books from this author and this may be a fluke or just my not being able to concentrate.
Ollie Wit, Book 1
By: Donna Augustine
Narrated by: Angel Clark
I saw this author's book on freeaudiblecodes and nabbed it, I love her books but I didn't check the narrator. I should have! I encountered her narration on freeaudiblecodes before. Ugh!
The book itself has a good premise and it was interesting but it was difficult to concentrate on the story with the whiny, cartoon like voices. As the narrator was describing the action or narrating the scene her voice was fine but when it came to dialogue it was headache inducing!
The plot to the story was a little weak and seemed to just stop and I hate cliffhangers. I did like the gargoyles!
I want to try book two but I will read it with an ebook! I have read other books from this author and this may be a fluke or just my not being able to concentrate.
February 9, 2017
Kindle Unlimited
This was absolutely fantastic - I loved it. The principle character, Ollie, has strength and plenty of personality and is a well crafted female protagonist. I felt the cover didn't adequately portray her - the cover shows an angst ridden teenager whereas Ollie is an outspoken, independent, gutsy 22yo.
The storytelling is stellar, with well written world building and depth to all the surrounding characters. The plot is well rounded out and following the introductory circumstances, keeps up a good pace, continuing to draw in fresh characters and scenarios. There's the merest hint of romance, but certainly doesn't play out with anything hot and heavy or indeed any particular action.
I was dreading a cliff-hanger at the end of this one and was over the moon when the story finished up with tied up ends whilst leaving an excellent tweak of a twist! Yep, a good surprise at the end to draw you on to the next novel out on 21 June 2017.
This was absolutely fantastic - I loved it. The principle character, Ollie, has strength and plenty of personality and is a well crafted female protagonist. I felt the cover didn't adequately portray her - the cover shows an angst ridden teenager whereas Ollie is an outspoken, independent, gutsy 22yo.
The storytelling is stellar, with well written world building and depth to all the surrounding characters. The plot is well rounded out and following the introductory circumstances, keeps up a good pace, continuing to draw in fresh characters and scenarios. There's the merest hint of romance, but certainly doesn't play out with anything hot and heavy or indeed any particular action.
I was dreading a cliff-hanger at the end of this one and was over the moon when the story finished up with tied up ends whilst leaving an excellent tweak of a twist! Yep, a good surprise at the end to draw you on to the next novel out on 21 June 2017.
June 27, 2017
4.5 stars due to the cliffhanger ending
Finished at 3am.
Ollie Wit is in a deep depression due to her whole family dying because of her. Sure everyone thinks it's an accident, in fact the official ruling was that it was an accident. Except Ollie knows what has happened. See Ollie sees things, monsters in the shadows. And when she decided it talk to one, BOOM whole family dead, except her. So now she's just walling in her couch, which has an indent for her. Her constant companions are the things in the shadows, and her own grief.
One day though, some men come to talk to her, then another set of men come to talk to her and scare away the other men. They tell her they have a job prospect for her, and that they will pay her 10 million dollars for her task. (WHOA 10 MIL??) So naturally she goes to meet said boss.
Kane...ah where to begin on Kane? He's an enigma, he's got mood swings, and I never can tell what is up with him. He tells Ollie exactly what those things are - crawlers - and that she is a a Shadow Walker, someone who lives here but can venture into that dimension. Shadow Walkers are kind of like witches, in that they go into the shadows and ask the crawlers for spells. She can come back and sell them or give them to other people. This concept is pretty cool. We also have a whole cast of characters which I actually like.
So Kane's stipulations are basically I'll pay you if you work with me and get this uber difficult spell, btw all the other Shadow Walkers we've had...have died. Yep. Because Shadow Walkers need an anchor on the other side. Kane is an anchor...and totally more than human. Ollie is somehow really good at being a Shadow Walker and strong.
While she's doing this she comes to live at Kane's compound, becomes friends with people and learns to lean on others. Until one day
There are so many good moments and bad moments between Kane and Ollie that I have no idea if he's a love interest or not. Ollie doesn't want him, or need him. No sireee. She protests a lot when she checks him out and finds herself drawn to him. But she tries to resist. And I can't tell if he just wants her for a notch on his belt or if there's some supernatural reason behind him wanting her, like mates (though IDK what he is) or if he just does like her.
Leon and Butch are some funny side kicks and are hysterical. Flip, is a bit overboard but I can handle her. Even Zee (which whenever I read that I think Zee as in from Mercy....it messes up my internal picture since this Zee is female...and a gargoyle.) is funny too.
I enjoyed this story so much I blew through it and stayed up late to finish it.
READ IT.
Yes this has a slow burn romance. It's awesome.
Finished at 3am.
Ollie Wit is in a deep depression due to her whole family dying because of her. Sure everyone thinks it's an accident, in fact the official ruling was that it was an accident. Except Ollie knows what has happened. See Ollie sees things, monsters in the shadows. And when she decided it talk to one, BOOM whole family dead, except her. So now she's just walling in her couch, which has an indent for her. Her constant companions are the things in the shadows, and her own grief.
One day though, some men come to talk to her, then another set of men come to talk to her and scare away the other men. They tell her they have a job prospect for her, and that they will pay her 10 million dollars for her task. (WHOA 10 MIL??) So naturally she goes to meet said boss.
Kane...ah where to begin on Kane? He's an enigma, he's got mood swings, and I never can tell what is up with him. He tells Ollie exactly what those things are - crawlers - and that she is a a Shadow Walker, someone who lives here but can venture into that dimension. Shadow Walkers are kind of like witches, in that they go into the shadows and ask the crawlers for spells. She can come back and sell them or give them to other people. This concept is pretty cool. We also have a whole cast of characters which I actually like.
So Kane's stipulations are basically I'll pay you if you work with me and get this uber difficult spell, btw all the other Shadow Walkers we've had...have died. Yep. Because Shadow Walkers need an anchor on the other side. Kane is an anchor...and totally more than human. Ollie is somehow really good at being a Shadow Walker and strong.
While she's doing this she comes to live at Kane's compound, becomes friends with people and learns to lean on others. Until one day
There are so many good moments and bad moments between Kane and Ollie that I have no idea if he's a love interest or not. Ollie doesn't want him, or need him. No sireee. She protests a lot when she checks him out and finds herself drawn to him. But she tries to resist. And I can't tell if he just wants her for a notch on his belt or if there's some supernatural reason behind him wanting her, like mates (though IDK what he is) or if he just does like her.
Leon and Butch are some funny side kicks and are hysterical. Flip, is a bit overboard but I can handle her. Even Zee (which whenever I read that I think Zee as in from Mercy....it messes up my internal picture since this Zee is female...and a gargoyle.) is funny too.
I enjoyed this story so much I blew through it and stayed up late to finish it.
READ IT.
Yes this has a slow burn romance. It's awesome.
December 21, 2018
Not going to lie, I went into this not expecting much but hoping that I would at least get something original and fun.
I got so much more than that.
I really enjoyed this. Not only was it unique and kept me turning the pages but it was so entertaining and hard to put down. So glad I finally picked this up and gave it a chance.
I will definitely be picking up book two here soon.
I got so much more than that.
I really enjoyed this. Not only was it unique and kept me turning the pages but it was so entertaining and hard to put down. So glad I finally picked this up and gave it a chance.
I will definitely be picking up book two here soon.
August 27, 2020
Surprise, surprise! I really enjoyed this book!
I should start with some content warnings. Even though this is a fantasy the main character talks about wanting to die a lot. It didn't bother me because it's part of the story but I thought I should bring it up anyway for anyone who could potentially be triggered by that.
Oliva "Ollie" has been plagued by monsters her entire life. They're specifically shadow monsters. Nobody else in her life seems to see them and they honestly think she's a little insane. She goes through therapy and learns to lie like the best of them because she doesn't want to come off as even crazier than they already think she is. One day an explosion happens and tragically Ollie loses her entire family. This sends her into a deep, dark spiral where she simply didn't care to live. A month after this incident she is approached by two individuals saying she needed to come with them if she wants answers about her life. With nothing left to lose she goes.
She meets Kane who is head of supernatural community of witches, werewolves, vampires, fairies, gargoyles, etc. He tells Ollie that she is a Shadow Walker and if she helps him get what he wants, he can make the monsters go away for good. Despite how she feels about living and skeptical he's telling the truth at all, she goes along with it because of the sole purpose of wanting answers. In this community, Shadow Walkers are called paper dolls because they never usually survive more than a couple of days in the Shadow World. Ollie turns out to be a lot stronger than anyone expected and the more she learns the more she wants to live.
I loved Ollie. She's pretty broken but incredibly fearless. I love that even though tricks were being played on her she didn't snitch. She never completely let her guard down. Everyone had a price and she was fully aware of her use in this world. Kane was quite the enigma. He was a tell it like it is guy. He had secrets of course mostly to spare Ollie from being overwhelmed but he was up front in everything he said did. He was also her saving grace because for whatever reason, whenever she was around him, the monsters scattered. He's not quite human but he's filled with purpose. He wants to help Ollie succeed because he wants to succeed.
HOWEVER, there is very much an undercurrent of sexual tension between these two. I didn't think there was a romance arc here but, I may be optimistic, but a shared fake kiss with all type of eat among a couple other moments lead me to believe there is potential for this to develop into something. (I'm hoping anyway!) They borderline hate each other but MAN I could feel all types of vibes. Besides that aspect, there's still very much to look forward to in the plot alone.
I have to take an Ilona Andrews, Emerald Blaze detour but I can't wait to dive back into this world in book two and beyond.
I should start with some content warnings. Even though this is a fantasy the main character talks about wanting to die a lot. It didn't bother me because it's part of the story but I thought I should bring it up anyway for anyone who could potentially be triggered by that.
Oliva "Ollie" has been plagued by monsters her entire life. They're specifically shadow monsters. Nobody else in her life seems to see them and they honestly think she's a little insane. She goes through therapy and learns to lie like the best of them because she doesn't want to come off as even crazier than they already think she is. One day an explosion happens and tragically Ollie loses her entire family. This sends her into a deep, dark spiral where she simply didn't care to live. A month after this incident she is approached by two individuals saying she needed to come with them if she wants answers about her life. With nothing left to lose she goes.
She meets Kane who is head of supernatural community of witches, werewolves, vampires, fairies, gargoyles, etc. He tells Ollie that she is a Shadow Walker and if she helps him get what he wants, he can make the monsters go away for good. Despite how she feels about living and skeptical he's telling the truth at all, she goes along with it because of the sole purpose of wanting answers. In this community, Shadow Walkers are called paper dolls because they never usually survive more than a couple of days in the Shadow World. Ollie turns out to be a lot stronger than anyone expected and the more she learns the more she wants to live.
I loved Ollie. She's pretty broken but incredibly fearless. I love that even though tricks were being played on her she didn't snitch. She never completely let her guard down. Everyone had a price and she was fully aware of her use in this world. Kane was quite the enigma. He was a tell it like it is guy. He had secrets of course mostly to spare Ollie from being overwhelmed but he was up front in everything he said did. He was also her saving grace because for whatever reason, whenever she was around him, the monsters scattered. He's not quite human but he's filled with purpose. He wants to help Ollie succeed because he wants to succeed.
HOWEVER, there is very much an undercurrent of sexual tension between these two. I didn't think there was a romance arc here but, I may be optimistic, but a shared fake kiss with all type of eat among a couple other moments lead me to believe there is potential for this to develop into something. (I'm hoping anyway!) They borderline hate each other but MAN I could feel all types of vibes. Besides that aspect, there's still very much to look forward to in the plot alone.
I have to take an Ilona Andrews, Emerald Blaze detour but I can't wait to dive back into this world in book two and beyond.
March 13, 2017
“In the middle of all of this turmoil, lying feet from a man who I knew wasn’t human, I felt more normal than I ever had in my life.”
I really enjoyed this book, so much; to the point I finished it off effortlessly. It was an extremely easy read. When I read the blurb, I immediately decided to get this, which was literally somewhere in the middle of the night. what can I say, I'm a proud night lurker.
I'm familiar with Donna Augustine's books, and I adored The Wilds series. Nonetheless, I had big expectations for this book, and Donna did not disappoint.
The female lead Olivia -'Ollie'- was a tortured soul or "paper doll" as some would claim, but in actuality she is a Shadow Walker. She sees these monsters constantly, and has no remission from them. In the beginning of the story she has some, suicidal thoughts and these 'monsters' have driven her to the brink of society's clause of 'insanity'. She's attended psych appointments for years, and has even been admitted a couple times due to her ramblings of monsters. Life is pretty tough for Ollie, when she's lost her family, plagued by monsters, and has lost her will to live. The only thing keeping her from actually killing herself is a promise she made to her father. However she is a magical being, and she has reached her magical majority, so she is now a coveted Shadow Walker.
She meets the mysterious Kane, who knows all about Shadow Walkers, and has gone through hundreds trying to take them to the Shadow Lands for them to find him this spell. But none of them have been able to do so, either failing within the few days, or self destruction. Hence why they call Shadow Walkers "paper dolls'. Ollie then goes to learn that the monsters that plague her very existence are called crawlers and belong to another dimension.
"They're called crawlers, and they're real enough to take out an entire building full of people. They're creatures from another dimension that leak out into this world. Most can't see them. That doesn't mean they aren't real."
Okay, if you read The Wilds then you know who Dax is, and if you know Dax, then lemme tell you..... that Kane and Dax are eerily similar. And you know what, I actually liked that. However not all was similar, as Kane had some differences here and there.
Kane is mysterious, nobody knows what the eff he is, but they respect him. He's charming, snarky, bossy af, demanding, caring, mean when needed, and he's knowledgable. Which makes me understand that he's pretty much been alive for a while. He wants Ollie to get him this soul merging spell, we don't know for whom he wants this spell for, but he wanted this badly enough.
I liked the dynamics between Ollie and Kane, and how well they got on each other's nerve. Kane is bossy, and he quickly learned that you just can't boss Ollie around, no matter how tormented she is. Ollie stood up for herself, and never, ever wanted to show weakness to the crew Underground. I also liked how she knew that she could have had a relationship with Kane, but she didn't. She wanted to be on equal grounding with him, and she suspected that type of relationship he was capable of wouldn't be enough. It's kinda between the lines but I think he also wanted more.
“Business only. Completely clear.” His tone said something else entirely. “I could use some help if you want to hang around.”
“I think I’ll be okay. Actually, I know I will.
A slight smile curved his lips as he walked closer to me. “You could hang around anyway.”
I knew what he was offering. I deserved more.
“Maybe in another lifetime.” I smiled as I moved to exit his office.
“Olivia? Would that be a human lifetime?”
I didn’t laugh until I had shut the door behind me”
okaaaay then, I feel like these two.... wait then there's that Asher.
I'm not lying to you when I state that I experienced my first fae/leprechaun character. This girl was called 'Flip' and let's just say that Flip was flipping crazy-in-a-good-way-what? Flip low-key was ready to turn up on anyone who pissed her off, and when I say turn up I mean literally freak the fuck out on you. She was of small stature, so she blamed her anger on her leprechaun side lmao!
When I say I appreciate a good fight, I honestly do, but add a little fae/leprechaun to the mix, it's like an atomic bomb.
“The smile was wiped from Flip’s face, and a completely different person seemed to be standing there. She swung around on the shifter and screamed, “Shut the fuck up and stop listening to my conversation, you shifter trash!”
Flip kicked the air near her chair. The shifter cowered, pulling her chair farther away from where Flip was as the rest of her group told her to let it go.”
When Flip mentioned to Ollie about leprechauns and lucky charms, I lost myself over a fit of laughter. lol
“Bad, and you need to make sure you pay up. You don’t mess with the leprechauns. This isn’t like a Lucky Charms commercial. They’re hardcore.”
Then she get's into a fight with a werewolf and I went over the rainbow!
“That big jackass over there scooted his chair right into me. You know what he said?” she asked, hitting me in the arm to keep my attention.
“No. What?” I asked, happy to listen as she scooted closer to tell me her story, forcing out a larger crawler in the process.
“That he didn’t see me.”
At one point in the book I anticipated that she would say "They're after me lucky charms", but sadly that didn't happen.... yet.
There are so many different types of creatures in this story from vamps, to shifters *even a possum shifter wtf*, witches, gargoyles, ect..
There were a few slip of the miss typos, but they were slight.
I can't wait for the next book, and to divulge into more of this story. Donna literally left me hanging and she knows what she did at the end. I was left wondering 'what the hell? wait! noooo".
I also need to know what Kane is, like maybe in this lifetime would be good?
December 6, 2023
This book was awesome. It was interesting to see how someone acts when they are not afraid to die. She couldn't care less about anything anymore, and that made her quite interesting. There's a scene near the end with the gargoyles that I swear I laughed for 15 minutes straight, and if I think about it, it still cracks me up. Good book.
February 6, 2019
Review to come..
July 19, 2018
Ollie finds out the hard way that she is a shadow walker. They are able to enter into a shadow realm where there are creepy monster things. Most shadow walkers don't last long. Obviously Ollie is different otherwise this would be a bad book if the MC died right away. Ollie is special but not obnoxiously so. She's stronger and more capable than the average shadow walker.
The supernatural world filled with vampires, werewolves, witches, and gargoyles is revealed to Ollie. To find out more about what she is and how to stop the monsters from creeping around her in the real world, she is forced to work for the head of a supernatural faction. Kane is a pompous ass but has a good side that slips out every once and a while. Since he is the only one who can keep the monsters at bay, Ollie likes to stay by his side. Clearly he is keeping secrets of his own.
This was entertaining. Compared to some of the books I've read by Donna Augustine, these characters are more mature and make much smarter decisions. This was one of those books that kind of had a cliffhanger. Something surprising happened to keep me interested, but it wasn't anything dire where it is imperative to know what happens ASAP.
The supernatural world filled with vampires, werewolves, witches, and gargoyles is revealed to Ollie. To find out more about what she is and how to stop the monsters from creeping around her in the real world, she is forced to work for the head of a supernatural faction. Kane is a pompous ass but has a good side that slips out every once and a while. Since he is the only one who can keep the monsters at bay, Ollie likes to stay by his side. Clearly he is keeping secrets of his own.
This was entertaining. Compared to some of the books I've read by Donna Augustine, these characters are more mature and make much smarter decisions. This was one of those books that kind of had a cliffhanger. Something surprising happened to keep me interested, but it wasn't anything dire where it is imperative to know what happens ASAP.
February 17, 2017
So far I've really enjoyed Donna Augustine's books. This is a new series, and it doesn't disappoint. I did feel that there were some similarities here to the fever series. However, it definitely has it's own thing going and the MC's personalities are very different (but there is a Barrons/Mac dynamic. Which, I'm totally ok with ;).
Something I love about Donna Augustine's work is how she choses to write her MC's. While strong, kick ass women, there's a vulnerability there. They aren't some perfect snowflakes, invincible, lacking feelings, and all powerful. They're flawed, resilient, and ultimately brave. Her writing is fresh and unique and currently one of my favourite authors to pick up.
Something I love about Donna Augustine's work is how she choses to write her MC's. While strong, kick ass women, there's a vulnerability there. They aren't some perfect snowflakes, invincible, lacking feelings, and all powerful. They're flawed, resilient, and ultimately brave. Her writing is fresh and unique and currently one of my favourite authors to pick up.
June 10, 2017
Wow this is one hell of a story. Well written and something completely new in terms of Fantasy or Paranormal.
September 19, 2017
Cliffhanger!
Olivia is ready to die. Being somewhat responsible for the deaths of everyone you care about will do that. What I liked about this story was how she came back to life by traveling to hell and back over and over. I dislike how it went down with her and Kane though. Watching them butt heads was fun but I wish there was more. The cliffhanger was no fun either. I will definitely continue with the story.
Olivia is ready to die. Being somewhat responsible for the deaths of everyone you care about will do that. What I liked about this story was how she came back to life by traveling to hell and back over and over. I dislike how it went down with her and Kane though. Watching them butt heads was fun but I wish there was more. The cliffhanger was no fun either. I will definitely continue with the story.
December 10, 2021
Rating : 4/5 ... an urban fantasy with a hot, dark, mysterious MC ...
Review in french : cliquez ici
Review in english : Full disclosure, I read this book a long time a go. But I finally decided to review it because I really liked it.
Ollie Wit is one of the first Donna Augustine series I read. If you don't know this author I recommend her: especially the Ollie Wit and Wyrd Blood series.
Why read the Ollie Wit series? Simply for the character of Kane. He's dark, mysterious and a bit addictive. If you liked Connor in Ilona Andrews' Hidden Legacy series, you'll like Kane. This urban fantasy may not be original, but it is easy to get into the plot and the characters are interesting.
I recommend this slightly addictive urban fantasy.
Review in french : cliquez ici
Review in english : Full disclosure, I read this book a long time a go. But I finally decided to review it because I really liked it.
Ollie Wit is one of the first Donna Augustine series I read. If you don't know this author I recommend her: especially the Ollie Wit and Wyrd Blood series.
Why read the Ollie Wit series? Simply for the character of Kane. He's dark, mysterious and a bit addictive. If you liked Connor in Ilona Andrews' Hidden Legacy series, you'll like Kane. This urban fantasy may not be original, but it is easy to get into the plot and the characters are interesting.
I recommend this slightly addictive urban fantasy.
July 31, 2017
This was a decent start to a new paranormal fantasy. This has some unique elements but it is also a little confusing because the why of it all it left a mystery. The main character can be a little hard to connect to, she’s miserable but some of what is making her miserable was a harder sell for me.
June 16, 2019
This was not good. There were a lot of aspects that occurred "just because" when in the scope of the world it didn't make sense.
The animosity of the witches was logical, however, the hatred from all the other species did not. Especially with all of them clamoring for favors from her. Honestly, with how likely she was to die SOON, it didn't really make sense for them to hate her so vehemently. Also, why did people so desperately want her to shadow walk and get spells when there were witches available to create and do them for you?
Kane is a dollar store knock-off of barrons from the Darkfever series. Mysterious, powerful rich and handsome. What is he? yadda yadda. While those characteristics made for an interesting character in barrons not so much here. But they both had the what you don't know will hurt you but I'm not going to be the one to tell you mentality. Except what Ollie didn't know would kill hundreds. Kinda important to disclose a lil sumthin sumthin?
Ollie's inner monologue was at odds with her spoken dialogue. Inside she would process things and seem to understand the situation and then she would speak and appear to no nothing at all? It was very frustrating to read about. Also, it was such a contradiction that Ollie thought that going over to the shadow world was a piece of cake and would brush past the monsters with ease, but in her own realm where the monsters couldn't make contact, she was terrified of them? What? Especially when you take into consideration and she had been seeing them her whole life and would be desensitized to it after 22 years.
World building issues were never resolved and the appearance of Asher was weird. The dialogue felt clunky and unnatural at times and the plot was suffering from poor world building. The concept here is cool as shit and I'm utterly disappointed at how poorly executed it was.
The animosity of the witches was logical, however, the hatred from all the other species did not. Especially with all of them clamoring for favors from her. Honestly, with how likely she was to die SOON, it didn't really make sense for them to hate her so vehemently. Also, why did people so desperately want her to shadow walk and get spells when there were witches available to create and do them for you?
Kane is a dollar store knock-off of barrons from the Darkfever series. Mysterious, powerful rich and handsome. What is he? yadda yadda. While those characteristics made for an interesting character in barrons not so much here. But they both had the what you don't know will hurt you but I'm not going to be the one to tell you mentality. Except what Ollie didn't know would kill hundreds. Kinda important to disclose a lil sumthin sumthin?
Ollie's inner monologue was at odds with her spoken dialogue. Inside she would process things and seem to understand the situation and then she would speak and appear to no nothing at all? It was very frustrating to read about. Also, it was such a contradiction that Ollie thought that going over to the shadow world was a piece of cake and would brush past the monsters with ease, but in her own realm where the monsters couldn't make contact, she was terrified of them? What? Especially when you take into consideration and she had been seeing them her whole life and would be desensitized to it after 22 years.
World building issues were never resolved and the appearance of Asher was weird. The dialogue felt clunky and unnatural at times and the plot was suffering from poor world building. The concept here is cool as shit and I'm utterly disappointed at how poorly executed it was.
July 2, 2021
7/2/2021
I had to come back after finishing this series and warn everyone that whatever you liked about the first two books will be destroyed in the last. I don’t recommend starting this series you will be devastatingly disappointed by the last book. So many plot holes that never get filled. So many mysterious that are major plot events that they will never reveal.
7/1/2021
I’m seriously intrigued by this series. It’s definitely something new that I haven’t really experience before & that cliff hanger! Welp, I have to finish the next one immediately.
I had to come back after finishing this series and warn everyone that whatever you liked about the first two books will be destroyed in the last. I don’t recommend starting this series you will be devastatingly disappointed by the last book. So many plot holes that never get filled. So many mysterious that are major plot events that they will never reveal.
7/1/2021
I’m seriously intrigued by this series. It’s definitely something new that I haven’t really experience before & that cliff hanger! Welp, I have to finish the next one immediately.
July 29, 2017
I didn't like the ending of this, it felt very "fish-hooky." But otherwise it was a pretty pleasant urban fantasy read, with a few minor editing bumps. It was good enough that I want to read the next, but if the ending is like the first I may not go farther with the series.
I'm certainly willing to explore the world a bit more.
I'm certainly willing to explore the world a bit more.
April 4, 2023
4 stars★★★★☆
First read: September 2020
Second read: February 2021
Third read: March 2022
Fourth read: April 2022
Ollie Wit series reviews:
#1 A Step into the Dark: ★★★★☆
#2 Walking in the Dark: ★★★☆☆
#3 Kissed by the Dark: ★★★★☆
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September 1, 2020
So, so painful - and not in a good way.
Horrible dialogue, childish MC and cringe-worthy narration (dialogue) to name a few.
I'm questioning my sanity as to why I even finished it.....
Horrible dialogue, childish MC and cringe-worthy narration (dialogue) to name a few.
I'm questioning my sanity as to why I even finished it.....
December 29, 2018
Spoilers
Oh dang this was such a good book. I read so much that I tend to get bored; all the books tend to be so similar I can figure them out in just a few chapters. Not this one. I loved it.
The story centers around a woman who sees monsters. She loses everyone in her family and then gets recruited by a guy who is super mysterious and controls a bunch of magical folk. He offers her a deal: work w him and retrieve a spell to connect a soul to a body and he would help free her of the shadow monsters.
There's intrigue in so many things in the book; I was giddy about how they got on together, about how others got on with her, about the shadow land, about what he really is, why he wanted the spell so bad, and about asher.
SPOILER My only complaint is that he wanted the spell so bad that she almost died retrieving it and yet it reads like he used it for the shadow walker chick our MC met one time. What happened to him wanting it so badly for himself? It didn't add up for me. I have to assume it's one of those spells that can be used again or that it was really just a test. I can't wait to read more of this world and figure it all out.
I loved the writing, the story, the jealous characters , the MCs internal dialogue, and the witty banter!
No sex (a few moments had me pining for a(nother) kiss though). I don't recall any cussing. A+
Oh dang this was such a good book. I read so much that I tend to get bored; all the books tend to be so similar I can figure them out in just a few chapters. Not this one. I loved it.
The story centers around a woman who sees monsters. She loses everyone in her family and then gets recruited by a guy who is super mysterious and controls a bunch of magical folk. He offers her a deal: work w him and retrieve a spell to connect a soul to a body and he would help free her of the shadow monsters.
There's intrigue in so many things in the book; I was giddy about how they got on together, about how others got on with her, about the shadow land, about what he really is, why he wanted the spell so bad, and about asher.
SPOILER My only complaint is that he wanted the spell so bad that she almost died retrieving it and yet it reads like he used it for the shadow walker chick our MC met one time. What happened to him wanting it so badly for himself? It didn't add up for me. I have to assume it's one of those spells that can be used again or that it was really just a test. I can't wait to read more of this world and figure it all out.
I loved the writing, the story, the jealous characters , the MCs internal dialogue, and the witty banter!
No sex (a few moments had me pining for a(nother) kiss though). I don't recall any cussing. A+
November 10, 2020
The synopsis for this story drew me in. It fit into my paranormal realm that I love.
When I first started this story I did not know what to expect. The narrator made it very hard for me to get into it. She made Ollie sound very annoying and whiney. I did not know if that was how she was supposed to portray her but that is how she ended up. Even the other characters sounded annoying.
As I got pass the narration I appreciated the little nuances she brought to the characters. If Ollie was supposed to yawn she did and made me know that she was truly tired without stating so.
When I got into it I loved the characters and the story. Ollie has been through so much and all she wanted was answers. Ollie did not get all of the answers she was looking for. However, she gained a mismatched family.
The entire story explored the world she is involved in. I wished that we got to see more of the world. There was so much going on that I felt a bit cheated that it was just glossed over. For instance, we know that Kane is an Anchor but what does that really mean? Also I would love to know who Butch and Kane were referencing.
I am committed to this series and I really hope that it does not disappoint.
When I first started this story I did not know what to expect. The narrator made it very hard for me to get into it. She made Ollie sound very annoying and whiney. I did not know if that was how she was supposed to portray her but that is how she ended up. Even the other characters sounded annoying.
As I got pass the narration I appreciated the little nuances she brought to the characters. If Ollie was supposed to yawn she did and made me know that she was truly tired without stating so.
When I got into it I loved the characters and the story. Ollie has been through so much and all she wanted was answers. Ollie did not get all of the answers she was looking for. However, she gained a mismatched family.
The entire story explored the world she is involved in. I wished that we got to see more of the world. There was so much going on that I felt a bit cheated that it was just glossed over. For instance, we know that Kane is an Anchor but what does that really mean? Also I would love to know who Butch and Kane were referencing.
I am committed to this series and I really hope that it does not disappoint.
October 12, 2020
I enjoyed the opening of this book a lot. It was dark and it felt real.
But as soon as she got actually involved in it all things stopped making sense.
I was totally on board with how she found reasons to live again without even realizing. I really liked the whole cut-throat attitude of the underground but the whole debt thing was extremely far fetched and utter nonsense tbh. I probably would try to murder someone that indebted me to some unknown party for an undefined but insanely high amount without being asked beforehand.
I get that she has few options but the way she is seemingly being manoeuvred into these bogus situations that supposedly can only be resolved by her indebting herself is just ridiculous and utterly unbelievable not to mention infuriating as hell and the whole speel about snitches getting stitches was equally absurd.
And even leaving all these massive logical errors aside the way she is willing to willy-nilly take on debts of unknown size or consequence is just ridiculous. She isn't familiar with the underground, yes, but she otherwise doesn't act the naive damsel or like the typical tstl heroine but comes across rather street smart and intelligent. I can't even put my frustration into words properly over this mess.
It's just extremely lazy writing. Despite me enjoying the opening to a degree that I started to hope I might actually have found a gem, I am just not able to look past all that crap regardless of how trivial or insignificant the consequences of all this bullshit might end up being.
I strongly suspect much of the plot will revolve around how she will get out of all these bullshit debts with boldness and cunning whit and how she will incur debts from various parties over and over again, keeping her trapped in a vicious cycle. *edit: I was wrong. This is not at all what happens.
You know what, I just realized I am frustrated enough to keep listening to the audiobook on +80% speed (or something) just to see if I'm right with my predictions and to have confirmation for my rant. The book officially counts as dropped in the mid of chapter 15 though.
Edit: It got even worse than I imagined. The MC rapidly devolves into a star-struck drooling idiot that throws around childish tantrums constantly but ultimately lets herself being pushed around by Kain like a paper doll. She just takes all his shit because reasons and feelings and stuff all the while prancing around announcing how tough she is and that she will show them all eventually. It's really embarrassing. The screwed up logic never went away either. It just keeps piling up.
I have to admit a large part of my intense frustration with the shallow and inconsistent story is because I just didn't expect it after such a serious opening. Most authors fail miserably in accurately describing real trauma or the resulting depression and apathy like that but this book nails it. 10/10. I even want to go as far as to say that this author probably has personal experience in some form. This made me expect a more serious story that has the intent to be gritty and real. But the book pretty much made a 180° turn and mostly turned into a soap opera. The heavier vibes never really went away but the light and silly magical academy romance atmosphere (there is no actual school involved. The book just manifests most of the same clichées.) clashes horribly with this darker theme and makes it impossible for me to take the darker parts serious while at the same time drawing attention to the idiocy of the lighter parts.
But as soon as she got actually involved in it all things stopped making sense.
I was totally on board with how she found reasons to live again without even realizing. I really liked the whole cut-throat attitude of the underground but the whole debt thing was extremely far fetched and utter nonsense tbh. I probably would try to murder someone that indebted me to some unknown party for an undefined but insanely high amount without being asked beforehand.
I get that she has few options but the way she is seemingly being manoeuvred into these bogus situations that supposedly can only be resolved by her indebting herself is just ridiculous and utterly unbelievable not to mention infuriating as hell and the whole speel about snitches getting stitches was equally absurd.
And even leaving all these massive logical errors aside the way she is willing to willy-nilly take on debts of unknown size or consequence is just ridiculous. She isn't familiar with the underground, yes, but she otherwise doesn't act the naive damsel or like the typical tstl heroine but comes across rather street smart and intelligent. I can't even put my frustration into words properly over this mess.
It's just extremely lazy writing. Despite me enjoying the opening to a degree that I started to hope I might actually have found a gem, I am just not able to look past all that crap regardless of how trivial or insignificant the consequences of all this bullshit might end up being.
I strongly suspect much of the plot will revolve around how she will get out of all these bullshit debts with boldness and cunning whit and how she will incur debts from various parties over and over again, keeping her trapped in a vicious cycle. *edit: I was wrong. This is not at all what happens.
You know what, I just realized I am frustrated enough to keep listening to the audiobook on +80% speed (or something) just to see if I'm right with my predictions and to have confirmation for my rant. The book officially counts as dropped in the mid of chapter 15 though.
Edit: It got even worse than I imagined. The MC rapidly devolves into a star-struck drooling idiot that throws around childish tantrums constantly but ultimately lets herself being pushed around by Kain like a paper doll. She just takes all his shit because reasons and feelings and stuff all the while prancing around announcing how tough she is and that she will show them all eventually. It's really embarrassing. The screwed up logic never went away either. It just keeps piling up.
I have to admit a large part of my intense frustration with the shallow and inconsistent story is because I just didn't expect it after such a serious opening. Most authors fail miserably in accurately describing real trauma or the resulting depression and apathy like that but this book nails it. 10/10. I even want to go as far as to say that this author probably has personal experience in some form. This made me expect a more serious story that has the intent to be gritty and real. But the book pretty much made a 180° turn and mostly turned into a soap opera. The heavier vibes never really went away but the light and silly magical academy romance atmosphere (there is no actual school involved. The book just manifests most of the same clichées.) clashes horribly with this darker theme and makes it impossible for me to take the darker parts serious while at the same time drawing attention to the idiocy of the lighter parts.
June 2, 2021
4 stars! This book was just what I needed to pick me out of a high fantasy bookslump. Its fast-paced, funny inner dialogue is exactly what you'd expect in an urban fantasy! I'm intrigued by the budding romance (slow-burn for sure!), and can't wait to see what happens next…
September 24, 2019
4.5 ⭐️
January 6, 2025
I enjoyed that, easy read, not pretending to be otherwise, interesting concept and the FMC is my kind of bonkers:) keen to know what happens next…
February 16, 2018
YES!!!
Love love LOVE this book! The banter back and forth between Ollie & Zane... Perfection. This was exactly what I needed
Love love LOVE this book! The banter back and forth between Ollie & Zane... Perfection. This was exactly what I needed
March 5, 2017
Donna Augustine’s debut in her new series is a wonderful mix of urban fantasy and mystery. With a steady-paced narrative and well-constructed world building she effectively tells her fantastical tale filled with humor, magic, and a fair bit of paranormal politics. Her co-stars both human and not perform their roles beautifully and her star’s nemesis Kane is one cool dude who keeps his emotions and his species strictly under wraps. But it’s definitely her vulnerable, exasperating and full of attitude protagonist Ollie that rocks this read and will keep readers engaged and impatiently waiting for round two!
After the explosion that killed her family Ollie Wit wants to know what caused the blast, why she survived, and why can she see monsters that no one else can. Those questions lead her to a forbidding stranger named Kane who leads her into an underground world filled with creatures she once thought were found only in fairytales and nightmares. He’s given her some answers to her questions, she now knows she’s a Shadow Walker and that her actions led to the death of her loved ones. He’s willing to answer all her questions, but for a price. Now the question she must ask is can she trust him and is she willing to step into the dark to help him?
After the explosion that killed her family Ollie Wit wants to know what caused the blast, why she survived, and why can she see monsters that no one else can. Those questions lead her to a forbidding stranger named Kane who leads her into an underground world filled with creatures she once thought were found only in fairytales and nightmares. He’s given her some answers to her questions, she now knows she’s a Shadow Walker and that her actions led to the death of her loved ones. He’s willing to answer all her questions, but for a price. Now the question she must ask is can she trust him and is she willing to step into the dark to help him?
Read
September 20, 2017Ollie has seen monsters her whole life...monsters only she can see. Spending her formative years medicated and psychoanalyzed taught her to just ignore them. Until the one day she chose to speak to them...and it destroyed her world.
The sole survivor of a terrible building explosion, Ollie just wants it all to end. Then she gets a visit from some very persistent enforcer types intent on orchestrating a meet with their "boss". Kane is, to put it bluntly, an egotistical ass...but he might have something Ollie desperately wants. A way to make the monsters disappear so she can live a normal life.
A Step into the Dark is first in a new series. Ollie is reminiscent of Dahlia in the Wilds series. Very internally driven and practical. Not caring if she lives or dies also makes Ollie delightfully honest and fearless. Yes, she walks among monsters, but she manages to retain a fabulously dark sense of humor while doing it. Can't wait for the next chapter.
The sole survivor of a terrible building explosion, Ollie just wants it all to end. Then she gets a visit from some very persistent enforcer types intent on orchestrating a meet with their "boss". Kane is, to put it bluntly, an egotistical ass...but he might have something Ollie desperately wants. A way to make the monsters disappear so she can live a normal life.
A Step into the Dark is first in a new series. Ollie is reminiscent of Dahlia in the Wilds series. Very internally driven and practical. Not caring if she lives or dies also makes Ollie delightfully honest and fearless. Yes, she walks among monsters, but she manages to retain a fabulously dark sense of humor while doing it. Can't wait for the next chapter.
March 15, 2017
This was an awesome book I really liked it an amazing debut to a new very exciting UF series.
February 7, 2017
Oh, my God!
Donna Augustine is incapable of writing poorly. I devour everything she writes. She's by far the best Urban Fantasy author out there--so full of creativity, ingenuity and originality! It also helps that she has a firm grasp of grammar and mechanics, and all her characters are dimensional. They also don't suffer from Deux Ex Machina syndrome, meaning THEIR CHOICES MAKE SENSE! I can't tell you how much I hate stupid protagonists that are incompetent, and of course, I hate stories that progress only as a result of unbelievable stupidity on the part of the protagonist. You'll never get that in a Donna Augustine novel. I promise. Her characters make sense, and you'll love them, her, and her series.
Donna Augustine is incapable of writing poorly. I devour everything she writes. She's by far the best Urban Fantasy author out there--so full of creativity, ingenuity and originality! It also helps that she has a firm grasp of grammar and mechanics, and all her characters are dimensional. They also don't suffer from Deux Ex Machina syndrome, meaning THEIR CHOICES MAKE SENSE! I can't tell you how much I hate stupid protagonists that are incompetent, and of course, I hate stories that progress only as a result of unbelievable stupidity on the part of the protagonist. You'll never get that in a Donna Augustine novel. I promise. Her characters make sense, and you'll love them, her, and her series.
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