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Paragon Society #1
Orson
Blood-magic wielding assassins, a shape-shifting girlfriend, and the real possibility of becoming the fabled boogeyman of the magic world—Orson Reid's life just got super complicated. It all started the day he kissed his best friend. The kiss was life changing, but in ways Orson never could have imagined. It seems he contracted a virus that is making him taller, faster and stronger—transforming him into something more than human. With his head still spinning from the revelation that shape-shifters, magic users, and monsters are real, he must also accept the fact that some in the magic world want him dead. And telling the good guys from the bad guys isn't easy, especially when it comes to the Paragon Society, an ancient order that enforces magical law with brutal efficiency. If all that wasn’t enough for one guy to deal with, there is also a good chance that he may be the Ollphiest, the legendary monster that even monsters fear. If you enjoy quirky characters, supernatural suspense, and pulse-pounding adventure, then you’ll love David Delaney’s page-turning Paragon Society series. So clear your schedule, get comfortable and start reading Orson today. The Paragon Society Main Series A Paragon Society Novel Gypsy A Paragon Society Novel A Paragon Society Novel A Paragon Society Novel A Paragon Society Novel Novellas and Short Stories Singularity A Paragon Society Novella A Paragon Society Novel
266 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 31, 2017
734 people are currently reading
704 people want to read
About the author
David Delaney
30 books66 followersDavid Delaney has been telling stories since he was a little kid. Of course, many of those early stories were told to get him out of whatever trouble he had gotten himself into. (But if his mom is reading this, he never lied – honest.)
As an adult, David continued telling stories, but a specialized kind of story called - The Television Promo (basically the TV show version of a movie trailer). If little kid David had known that grown up David would spend his days working on hit shows such as The Simpsons, 24 and Bones he would have totally spazzed out.
Now, David continues his joy of storytelling with the Paragon Society, a supernatural thriller series wherein battle mages and shapeshifters clash with people-eating-demon-women (among other nasties) over the fate of the Human race.
As an adult, David continued telling stories, but a specialized kind of story called - The Television Promo (basically the TV show version of a movie trailer). If little kid David had known that grown up David would spend his days working on hit shows such as The Simpsons, 24 and Bones he would have totally spazzed out.
Now, David continues his joy of storytelling with the Paragon Society, a supernatural thriller series wherein battle mages and shapeshifters clash with people-eating-demon-women (among other nasties) over the fate of the Human race.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 154 reviews
June 6, 2019
Orson by David Delaney and narrated Matt Godfrey is not your average shifter book! Jordan is a teen that finds out he is a shifter in a very unique way! How he became a shifter is also very unusual! There is nothing normal about shifters in this book especially Orson! He is the monster of the monsters! But he really is a nice guy! It is a great book that is totally different and clever, sprinkled with humor, lots of fun fantasy, and great friendship!
The narration was performed perfectly!
The narration was performed perfectly!
September 30, 2024
The start of this book completely threw me off and I loved it, I really thought I had been thrown into a bizarre fantasy world and it turned out just to be a video game, well played. Orson and his passive/nonchalant attitude was thoroughly enjoyable it makes a difference from YA characters being whiny and attention seeking. I could tell from pretty early on that this book wasn't going to take itself too seriously.
It gets fantastical pretty quickly it doesn't ease the reader into the chaos but tosses them in, still it was very easy to follow. I laughed so much during the first half of this book it was fun and cheesy in all the best ways. There were plenty of pop culture references: Harry Potter, Comic books and Tolkien were among the many. The author fully understood that he wasn't doing anything super original or ground-breaking but who cares it was modern and fun. Some of the name calling in this made me laugh so much too, it really showed Orson a typical teenage boy.
The negatives about this book is how underdeveloped certain aspects were. Firstly the battle/fight scenes if you can call them that were weak and messy. Every character other than Orson was mediocre at best and didn't have much personality. I thought there were also a lot of conveniences which I never enjoy. It seemed to get brutal out of the blue and become a lot higher stakes than the first 70% of the book. I found the ending pretty average too. Overall thought this was fun!
It gets fantastical pretty quickly it doesn't ease the reader into the chaos but tosses them in, still it was very easy to follow. I laughed so much during the first half of this book it was fun and cheesy in all the best ways. There were plenty of pop culture references: Harry Potter, Comic books and Tolkien were among the many. The author fully understood that he wasn't doing anything super original or ground-breaking but who cares it was modern and fun. Some of the name calling in this made me laugh so much too, it really showed Orson a typical teenage boy.
The negatives about this book is how underdeveloped certain aspects were. Firstly the battle/fight scenes if you can call them that were weak and messy. Every character other than Orson was mediocre at best and didn't have much personality. I thought there were also a lot of conveniences which I never enjoy. It seemed to get brutal out of the blue and become a lot higher stakes than the first 70% of the book. I found the ending pretty average too. Overall thought this was fun!
December 19, 2019
Spoiler-FREE review of ‘Orson: A Paragon Society’
“I must say, Orson, so far you’re handling this quite well," Mrs. Kelly said approvingly.
“Well, my self-diagnosis included brain tumors and insanity. This is . . . better. And I also read a lot of comic books.”
2.5/5.0 ‘Orson’ is the first novel in the Paragon series. It was a little rough. When starting the book, I was just looking to satisfy an urban fantasy/ Paranormal itch I had been having for a while. To be honest it did satisfy it but the story was just on the ‘Ok’/’Meh’ side. There was no overarching plot really, more of a backstory and while I was interested to see what would happen, I was never really on the edge of my seat. It felt flat and did not do anything new to the genre. The characters were pretty cringy at times and I visibly shook my head at some of it. I also wish there were more depth with the characters as most of them felt 2 dimensional. That said it is an indie author and is on Kindle unlimited. Because of that I will most likely continue straight on to the sequel and see what happens to the story.
I can't recommend it unless you know and LOVE the genre and don't mind the usual tropes, OR you have to absolutely satisfy an itch. For me there was no harm in giving it a shoot because of my Kindle unlimited subscription. Fingers crossed it has a resurgence in its sequel waiting for me.
“I must say, Orson, so far you’re handling this quite well," Mrs. Kelly said approvingly.
“Well, my self-diagnosis included brain tumors and insanity. This is . . . better. And I also read a lot of comic books.”
2.5/5.0 ‘Orson’ is the first novel in the Paragon series. It was a little rough. When starting the book, I was just looking to satisfy an urban fantasy/ Paranormal itch I had been having for a while. To be honest it did satisfy it but the story was just on the ‘Ok’/’Meh’ side. There was no overarching plot really, more of a backstory and while I was interested to see what would happen, I was never really on the edge of my seat. It felt flat and did not do anything new to the genre. The characters were pretty cringy at times and I visibly shook my head at some of it. I also wish there were more depth with the characters as most of them felt 2 dimensional. That said it is an indie author and is on Kindle unlimited. Because of that I will most likely continue straight on to the sequel and see what happens to the story.
I can't recommend it unless you know and LOVE the genre and don't mind the usual tropes, OR you have to absolutely satisfy an itch. For me there was no harm in giving it a shoot because of my Kindle unlimited subscription. Fingers crossed it has a resurgence in its sequel waiting for me.
March 6, 2022
Rating 4.0 stars
Somewhat of a typical story, though it is done pretty well. Orson is just a normal person, until he kisses his childhood best friend. She has been his best friend for years but that all started to change when they went to prom together. After the kiss he started noticing some changes. His clothes were fitting kind of tight, he was hungry all the time, and he started to see some weird things. Turns out that his new girlfriend is a werepanther and when she kissed Orson, she gave him enzymes that catalyzed a latent genetic marker in him that turned him into a shifter too. This is unusual, shifters are born not made. Nothing like this has happened in a very long time and it leads people in the shifter community to think back to a story in their past about a powerful shifter that was made called the Ollphiest. The Ollphiest is the boogeyman of the shifter world. No one knows the specifics except that they are supposed to be insanely powerful and a nightmare to deal with. Orson is just a laid back guy though. He gets persecuted by the magical and shifter world known as the society. So now he is thrust into a brand new world that he knows nothing about, has also has to learn how to control his new abilities at the same time dealing with having a shifter girlfriend and her family. Overall a pretty good book.
Somewhat of a typical story, though it is done pretty well. Orson is just a normal person, until he kisses his childhood best friend. She has been his best friend for years but that all started to change when they went to prom together. After the kiss he started noticing some changes. His clothes were fitting kind of tight, he was hungry all the time, and he started to see some weird things. Turns out that his new girlfriend is a werepanther and when she kissed Orson, she gave him enzymes that catalyzed a latent genetic marker in him that turned him into a shifter too. This is unusual, shifters are born not made. Nothing like this has happened in a very long time and it leads people in the shifter community to think back to a story in their past about a powerful shifter that was made called the Ollphiest. The Ollphiest is the boogeyman of the shifter world. No one knows the specifics except that they are supposed to be insanely powerful and a nightmare to deal with. Orson is just a laid back guy though. He gets persecuted by the magical and shifter world known as the society. So now he is thrust into a brand new world that he knows nothing about, has also has to learn how to control his new abilities at the same time dealing with having a shifter girlfriend and her family. Overall a pretty good book.
March 18, 2018
Started to feel like fan fiction
I found it to be an enjoyable read but it never stopped feeling like an attempt to mainstream Jan Stryvant's Valens Legacy. I mean to be fair of all the stories about a college kid being turned into a legendary breed of shapeshifter who can also do magic, falls in love with a cat shapeshifter, is hunted by killer mages and ends up starting a covert war against the forces that keep magic hidden from regular people this is the 2nd best, easily. I don't mean to sound unfair I did truly enjoy the book but if it wasn't inspired by The Valens Legacy it's one helluva Standalone Complex.
I found it to be an enjoyable read but it never stopped feeling like an attempt to mainstream Jan Stryvant's Valens Legacy. I mean to be fair of all the stories about a college kid being turned into a legendary breed of shapeshifter who can also do magic, falls in love with a cat shapeshifter, is hunted by killer mages and ends up starting a covert war against the forces that keep magic hidden from regular people this is the 2nd best, easily. I don't mean to sound unfair I did truly enjoy the book but if it wasn't inspired by The Valens Legacy it's one helluva Standalone Complex.
October 1, 2018
This is a sold as a novel, but it's really a prequel. It's the tragic origin story of bear-shifter Orson, who is destined for great things. No telling what those great things will be. Probably cleaning out a corrupt house of magicals (called the Paragon Society). The earnestness of the 18 year old Orson was not realistic - it felt too young. Maybe this series is intended for middle/high school boys.
November 4, 2021
This is a fun new urban fantasy series about shapeshifters and mages. Orson learns he has latent shapeshifter genes when his girlfriend kisses him for the first time and accidentally awakens the talent within him. But Orson isn’t just any old shapeshifter, he’s a mythical, incredibly powerful, shifter who scares the pants off most everyone who finds out about him. So as shapeshifter society splits and some begin working with the hated blood mages to remove the “threat” of Orson (and that threat always seemed more political to me than personal), Orson has to learn to master his abilities so he can survive.
I didn’t feel like there was anything new in this book, but it is a fun take on a tried-and-true storyline. It’s also a very fast read. So if you’re looking for a new urban fantasy with a lot of action, this is a good novel to sink your teeth into.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
I didn’t feel like there was anything new in this book, but it is a fun take on a tried-and-true storyline. It’s also a very fast read. So if you’re looking for a new urban fantasy with a lot of action, this is a good novel to sink your teeth into.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
June 28, 2023
It's surprisingly enjoyable. Ended on a cliffhanger, so you're forced to read the next book if you want to know how it ends.
Read
May 28, 2021Why does the Ollphiest remind me of Venom. {I love it!}
August 11, 2017
Such a GREAT BOOK!!!
I am in love with Orson and the other characters in this book! I was sooo hoping that the next book was already out but alas, NO!!! I just wanted this series to continue immediately, that's how good this book. I did however notice that apparently there is a novella that was written prior to Orson, called Singularity Barbeque, so I guess that was supposed to be read first? Although the Author did indicate at the end of Orson the the series would not be numbered as each book will have a different POV according to who the story is primarily about but the series would progress. I cannot wait for the continuation of this series, I really, really enjoyed this book and will be scouring Amazon for the next one!!! Hurry up David Delaney!!!😉
I am in love with Orson and the other characters in this book! I was sooo hoping that the next book was already out but alas, NO!!! I just wanted this series to continue immediately, that's how good this book. I did however notice that apparently there is a novella that was written prior to Orson, called Singularity Barbeque, so I guess that was supposed to be read first? Although the Author did indicate at the end of Orson the the series would not be numbered as each book will have a different POV according to who the story is primarily about but the series would progress. I cannot wait for the continuation of this series, I really, really enjoyed this book and will be scouring Amazon for the next one!!! Hurry up David Delaney!!!😉
March 10, 2019
I had this on audio and the narrator was pretty good. Orson's bear's voice reminded me of Declan and The book of Darkest Sorrows from John Conroe's Demon Accords.
I quite enjoyed it and was ready to settle down to the series, right up until the end.
It's the author's work and they can do whatever they like; however this reader rolled her eyes and sighed noisily at the ending.
Ughhh I can feel where this story is likely to be going. Obviously I may be totally wrong and whilst I hope I am, I'm probably not going to continue and find out.
I quite enjoyed it and was ready to settle down to the series, right up until the end.
It's the author's work and they can do whatever they like; however this reader rolled her eyes and sighed noisily at the ending.
Ughhh I can feel where this story is likely to be going. Obviously I may be totally wrong and whilst I hope I am, I'm probably not going to continue and find out.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 25, 2019
The MC is way to big of a softy. Almost crying over having to lie? scared of his own shadow. i thought by the description of the book it was going to be about a bad ass MC. Sadly not so much.
May 13, 2018
This book was readable, It was a very short read and only took a few hours to complete. It had some flaws that bothered me slightly but not enough to throw it away. I overlooked these flaws as I enjoyed the premise of the story and was going along with the narrative approach. I enjoyed this story and the author pretty much had me not questioning too many things until the end . Orson himself is a bit bi-polar as his character shifts a lot from being totally laid back and cool with all the weird shit going on to being a ginormous titty-baby about all the weird shit going on. Not sure which one of those personalities is the monster and which one is Orson.
I started the second book only to realize that this book was very much an origin story, much in the same vein as the Marvel Comics and MCU he also regularly referenced.
In short the author is very keen to take his approach to writing completely from movies, television and comic books and his stories take on the form of a comic book without the comics. I don't say that as a bad thing, if you like comic books (I like comic books sometimes), you'll probably dig this series. But with that in mind, I expect a few characters to die and comeback before the series is over. Did I mention the overuse of Harry Potter references? -Meh, probably doesn't matter anyway.
I started the second book only to realize that this book was very much an origin story, much in the same vein as the Marvel Comics and MCU he also regularly referenced.
In short the author is very keen to take his approach to writing completely from movies, television and comic books and his stories take on the form of a comic book without the comics. I don't say that as a bad thing, if you like comic books (I like comic books sometimes), you'll probably dig this series. But with that in mind, I expect a few characters to die and comeback before the series is over. Did I mention the overuse of Harry Potter references? -Meh, probably doesn't matter anyway.
May 23, 2020
I really enjoyed this book. David Dealny has a wonderful writing style that makes the characters really jump off the page and always kept me smiling. Though dealing with familiar fantasy elements, he managed to sidestep a lot of the annoying tropes in the genre and delivered something that felt fresh.
My biggest issue was the break neck pace of the plot. This book goes from 0-200mph fast enough to give you whiplash. Introducing the shifter culture, a hidden magical society, a ‘chosen one’ style story, and a political thriller all in so short a novel made everything feel rushed.
The main character has less than a day to go from not knowing the magical world exists to being really comfortable in it and a serious threat. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it, but I never had chance to savour what was happening.
As a result, the big moments in the novel feel a little hollow, and some character choices/reactions feel really jarring. It’s like if you had a new neighbour who played his music too loud on his first night in the house and you decide to move because you just can’t deal with that. It’s possible that would be the right decision because you might never get on with your neighbour, but after a single incident it is a massive over reaction.
That kind of over reaction was common here which led to characters doing things that feel abrupt and a little forced.
That aside though, I had a lot of fun with this book and I’m looking forward to the next one. It’s 4-stars for now, but I have high hopes for the future novels.
My biggest issue was the break neck pace of the plot. This book goes from 0-200mph fast enough to give you whiplash. Introducing the shifter culture, a hidden magical society, a ‘chosen one’ style story, and a political thriller all in so short a novel made everything feel rushed.
The main character has less than a day to go from not knowing the magical world exists to being really comfortable in it and a serious threat. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it, but I never had chance to savour what was happening.
As a result, the big moments in the novel feel a little hollow, and some character choices/reactions feel really jarring. It’s like if you had a new neighbour who played his music too loud on his first night in the house and you decide to move because you just can’t deal with that. It’s possible that would be the right decision because you might never get on with your neighbour, but after a single incident it is a massive over reaction.
That kind of over reaction was common here which led to characters doing things that feel abrupt and a little forced.
That aside though, I had a lot of fun with this book and I’m looking forward to the next one. It’s 4-stars for now, but I have high hopes for the future novels.
March 3, 2021
Co tu dużo mówić, słuchałem nie ze względu na treść, która powiedzmy sobie jest dość młodzieżowa lecz ze względu na język - naukę języka. Lektor ma super zrozumiałą przez mnie wymowę i neutralną barwę głosu a sam język w miarę prosty do ogarnięcia ale nie za prosty aby nie stanowił wyzwania.
Co do samej książki to przedstawia naiwną fabułę, nie no lubię fantasy ale te jest proste jak rąbanie cepem - bardzo widoczne postępy w fabule. Bo o czym jest książka o nastolatku który po randce z dziewczyną dostaje supermocy która wytłumaczona jest jako mutacja genetyczna a później dodana prawie na siłę magia - tak nagle staje się nie "X-men-em" tylko magiczną istotą.
Fabuła i żarty typu "cycki to cycki" jest trochę naiwna ale w sam raz dla młodzieży która zaczyna przygodę z książką. Sama książka nie jest długa 244 strony czytadła i na pewno bardziej mi się to podoba niż Saga "Czas milczenia" która to kiedyś usiłowałem czytać ale więcej niż trzy gwiazdy nie mogę dać.
Książka dobra na odstresowanie i do nauki angielskiego i wątpię aby wyszła po polsku. Rozumiem napisać nawet taką książkę jest ciężko ale jest różnica pomiędzy wirtuozerią a zwykłym dziełem.
Ale jakby nie patrzeć już biorę się za tom drugi, tak więc tom pierwszy nie bolał i nie zniechęcił - chcę więcej nagich dziewczyn! ;D
Co do samej książki to przedstawia naiwną fabułę, nie no lubię fantasy ale te jest proste jak rąbanie cepem - bardzo widoczne postępy w fabule. Bo o czym jest książka o nastolatku który po randce z dziewczyną dostaje supermocy która wytłumaczona jest jako mutacja genetyczna a później dodana prawie na siłę magia - tak nagle staje się nie "X-men-em" tylko magiczną istotą.
Fabuła i żarty typu "cycki to cycki" jest trochę naiwna ale w sam raz dla młodzieży która zaczyna przygodę z książką. Sama książka nie jest długa 244 strony czytadła i na pewno bardziej mi się to podoba niż Saga "Czas milczenia" która to kiedyś usiłowałem czytać ale więcej niż trzy gwiazdy nie mogę dać.
Książka dobra na odstresowanie i do nauki angielskiego i wątpię aby wyszła po polsku. Rozumiem napisać nawet taką książkę jest ciężko ale jest różnica pomiędzy wirtuozerią a zwykłym dziełem.
Ale jakby nie patrzeć już biorę się za tom drugi, tak więc tom pierwszy nie bolał i nie zniechęcił - chcę więcej nagich dziewczyn! ;D
March 29, 2020
My real rating would be 2.5 but I decided not to be so stric with it. It has an interesting setting and the author did a good job with its creation, but the shortcomings come forward to strongly. The novel doesn't decided its own nature either it should stay kids friendly or if it will take a risk at a mature audience. The plot feels more geared toward a young audience but some of the content are too crude, goory, and violent for such a consumers. Is not an explicit YA novel but it feels like it wants to be. The characters at time felt well grounded and well though but then they take radical actions with out forward thinking and out of the norm. Not to mention the cringy of the dialogue at times. For example why does an 300 years plus individual would take its time to even know what Harry Potter is or even understand or remember the some of the elements of the work, it makes no sense at all. And the only significant death in this book felt forced, it could have go in so many different ways that it lost the impact it should have. So it has potential, but the author needs to ground his work better and not let it be influenced so strongly by his personality.
May 19, 2018
Great find and super fun read!!!
I stumbled upon this book while looking for a fun new read and boy did this certainly meet my expectations!! I love paranormal, urban fantasy stuff and this was a lot of fun. I appreciated the variation on the typical shifter and magical being social composition. Most of all I loved the snark, humor and the gaming + Harry Potter references while Orson was trying to make sense of the new paranormal society that was abruptly foisted upon him and wreaked havoc on his life as he knew it. My only issue or annoyance with the book was how often Elyse referred to Orson as dork. I get she was nearly always being playful and trying to put him at ease but eventually it felt like overkill... perhaps I was the only one annoyed but alas I loved the rest and look forward to reading more from this author.
I stumbled upon this book while looking for a fun new read and boy did this certainly meet my expectations!! I love paranormal, urban fantasy stuff and this was a lot of fun. I appreciated the variation on the typical shifter and magical being social composition. Most of all I loved the snark, humor and the gaming + Harry Potter references while Orson was trying to make sense of the new paranormal society that was abruptly foisted upon him and wreaked havoc on his life as he knew it. My only issue or annoyance with the book was how often Elyse referred to Orson as dork. I get she was nearly always being playful and trying to put him at ease but eventually it felt like overkill... perhaps I was the only one annoyed but alas I loved the rest and look forward to reading more from this author.
January 25, 2024
I wish I'd known this was YA before I started reading. I'm far outside the target demographic, and my TBR is so big that I don't bother trying books where I'm attempting to relate to main characters that are younger than my children. But I'm always looking for good fantasy so I thought I'd give this a go.
Now the author might not have been intending this to be YA but it most definitely is. I've read 950 books over the past 2 years and this is the ONLY book I've read where 1 character repeatedly (16 times!) calls another dork. It's the only book I've read where a parent told their 18 year old to watch their language after saying the word damn. It's the only book I've thought to myself, "my boys would have liked this when they were 14".
If this had been written for adults, it could have been fantastic. It has the bones and the story arc and a compelling MMC, but man was it young.
Now the author might not have been intending this to be YA but it most definitely is. I've read 950 books over the past 2 years and this is the ONLY book I've read where 1 character repeatedly (16 times!) calls another dork. It's the only book I've read where a parent told their 18 year old to watch their language after saying the word damn. It's the only book I've thought to myself, "my boys would have liked this when they were 14".
If this had been written for adults, it could have been fantastic. It has the bones and the story arc and a compelling MMC, but man was it young.
February 28, 2018
Excellent
This is a beautifully paced story, written and edited well, with great characters. The dialogue is good, the action is good, and the plot nicely handled. What could have been a dull rendering of a common trope is instead a fresh, funny, and even heartfelt urban fantasy novel. I especially enjoyed all the little gestures and behaviors each character has, often defusing the action with a grin. Even so it’s not all humor and bad things do happen to good people, so the drama is also well done. Bottom line: a very good story in a promising series. Definitely recommended.
This is a beautifully paced story, written and edited well, with great characters. The dialogue is good, the action is good, and the plot nicely handled. What could have been a dull rendering of a common trope is instead a fresh, funny, and even heartfelt urban fantasy novel. I especially enjoyed all the little gestures and behaviors each character has, often defusing the action with a grin. Even so it’s not all humor and bad things do happen to good people, so the drama is also well done. Bottom line: a very good story in a promising series. Definitely recommended.
March 24, 2018
A great book
At the end of the book the author wrote:
"Obviously, Orson (and the follow-up books) are not classical literature, but that's okay because I did not set out to write classical literature. My only goal is to tell a fun, exciting and engaging story and hopefully, you agree that I've succeeded in that endeavor."
This book was a one night read. I had just finished (stopped) a different book because it felt like I was reading it just to read.
I am thrilled I picked up this book on Kindle unlimited. No dull moments some things were a bit over the top but it made it a great story.
No "adult" situations, brief violence.
At the end of the book the author wrote:
"Obviously, Orson (and the follow-up books) are not classical literature, but that's okay because I did not set out to write classical literature. My only goal is to tell a fun, exciting and engaging story and hopefully, you agree that I've succeeded in that endeavor."
This book was a one night read. I had just finished (stopped) a different book because it felt like I was reading it just to read.
I am thrilled I picked up this book on Kindle unlimited. No dull moments some things were a bit over the top but it made it a great story.
No "adult" situations, brief violence.
January 20, 2020
LOVED it!
This book did what no other shifter story has done. It described , in detail, the exact feelings of a brand new shifter as they transform from a normal college age guy in California to an unknown animal or monster(don't want to ruin it for you). Plus the other family members point of views are also given as he changes for the first time. The little practical things like what about clothes after you shift or what about money? This book explained it all! The protagonist is Orson, soon not just a regular college student but a were-being capable of doing things no other wereanimal has in a millennium. One of the best paranormal wereanimal books I've ever picked up!
This book did what no other shifter story has done. It described , in detail, the exact feelings of a brand new shifter as they transform from a normal college age guy in California to an unknown animal or monster(don't want to ruin it for you). Plus the other family members point of views are also given as he changes for the first time. The little practical things like what about clothes after you shift or what about money? This book explained it all! The protagonist is Orson, soon not just a regular college student but a were-being capable of doing things no other wereanimal has in a millennium. One of the best paranormal wereanimal books I've ever picked up!
February 9, 2020
I enjoyed this book and thought the pacing was well done. The characters were interesting and the story was compelling. Orson is a sharp-witted teenager (mostly) and I enjoyed his internal dialogue. Elyse's parents are portrayed as willing helpers with reservations, which is believable. The biggest conflict I had was that character attributes and plot were exceptionally similar to John Conroe's Demon Accords series. Normal dude introduced to supernatural world through supernatural girl, he's something exceptional, quantum physics are addressed in shifting, a dark side he must control, silver hinders the creatures, family/clan type issues with him. The parallels are many.
March 12, 2018
Somebody edit this - please
I could have enjoyed this book. I WOULD have enjoyed this book. I liked the plot, the characters, the pacing was good.....but the sheer number of errors just ruined it. Missing commas, extra commas, tense agreement problems, missing words, random paragraph beginnings and endings, etc. Don't people have editors any more? That's it for me and this series - if you can't be bothered to be sure your book's presentation is up to par, don't expect me to spend money on it.
I could have enjoyed this book. I WOULD have enjoyed this book. I liked the plot, the characters, the pacing was good.....but the sheer number of errors just ruined it. Missing commas, extra commas, tense agreement problems, missing words, random paragraph beginnings and endings, etc. Don't people have editors any more? That's it for me and this series - if you can't be bothered to be sure your book's presentation is up to par, don't expect me to spend money on it.
May 21, 2018
It’s a fast, light-hearted read. The writing style flows well, although through the second half there were a lot of grammatical errors (words like ‘a’ and ‘the’ were missing in sentences and plurals were dropped).
The story is interesting and the attention to detail about Orson’s new powers were cool. I felt like the end of the story, with its open-ending, was a bit rushed though. Lots of action and jumping around, which left me feeling a little behind the curve at times. But it was fun and enjoyable!
Rating: 5/5
The story is interesting and the attention to detail about Orson’s new powers were cool. I felt like the end of the story, with its open-ending, was a bit rushed though. Lots of action and jumping around, which left me feeling a little behind the curve at times. But it was fun and enjoyable!
Rating: 5/5
May 27, 2018
A Twist?
I stumbled across this book by accident and decided to give it a try. I immediately began enjoying the book and originally thought, “same story, cool twist.” That would’ve been enough. It is so much more. I am excited to continue reading this series to see just how much more! The story is so well written, it was a joy to read. Sometimes you can have a great story, but the execution is so poor it is difficult to get through it. Not this time. Great story. Wonderful execution. I’m sold. Kudos, Mr. Delaney.
I stumbled across this book by accident and decided to give it a try. I immediately began enjoying the book and originally thought, “same story, cool twist.” That would’ve been enough. It is so much more. I am excited to continue reading this series to see just how much more! The story is so well written, it was a joy to read. Sometimes you can have a great story, but the execution is so poor it is difficult to get through it. Not this time. Great story. Wonderful execution. I’m sold. Kudos, Mr. Delaney.
March 9, 2019
So Goodreads ate my review. hmm
Orson Reid the main character is a good guy who just started dating this great girl. Elyse, as it turns out, is a shape-shifter. This has an effect on Orson who after showing he has superpowers during an accident at Costco. Is told he has also become a shape-shifter. But not an ordinary one. He is the mythical one, one made not born. They even have a name for him, Ollfeist. Now Orson is running for his life at the same time he is learning about his new powers.
Great read and fun introduction to what looks to be a worthwhile series.
Orson Reid the main character is a good guy who just started dating this great girl. Elyse, as it turns out, is a shape-shifter. This has an effect on Orson who after showing he has superpowers during an accident at Costco. Is told he has also become a shape-shifter. But not an ordinary one. He is the mythical one, one made not born. They even have a name for him, Ollfeist. Now Orson is running for his life at the same time he is learning about his new powers.
Great read and fun introduction to what looks to be a worthwhile series.
June 4, 2019
Teen Super Fantasy (spoilers)
Remember when you were a teenager wishing you a witch with supernatural powers, a werewolf, could fly, read minds, etc? For Orson, that fantasy becomes a reality after finally kissing the girl he’s been crazy about for years. Turns out she’s not so normal herself! The changes that kiss initiates have some amazing benefits and devastating consequences for Orson. This novel has been an awesome start to a promising series. Can’t wait to continue reading!
Remember when you were a teenager wishing you a witch with supernatural powers, a werewolf, could fly, read minds, etc? For Orson, that fantasy becomes a reality after finally kissing the girl he’s been crazy about for years. Turns out she’s not so normal herself! The changes that kiss initiates have some amazing benefits and devastating consequences for Orson. This novel has been an awesome start to a promising series. Can’t wait to continue reading!
March 4, 2018
A quick, enjoyable read.
I've found myself reading a good of this type of book lately. This author seems to have found the right balance of action and humor, (and even a somewhat chaste romance.) Mr Delaney seems to get that page after page about how magic works, (spell casting, use of power etc) is not terribly interesting and sticks to what is needed to advance the plot. I quite enjoyed meeting Orson and will follow his adventures.
I've found myself reading a good of this type of book lately. This author seems to have found the right balance of action and humor, (and even a somewhat chaste romance.) Mr Delaney seems to get that page after page about how magic works, (spell casting, use of power etc) is not terribly interesting and sticks to what is needed to advance the plot. I quite enjoyed meeting Orson and will follow his adventures.
March 23, 2018
Fun read ,good story and funny
It's exactly how I put into the summary up there , good story and fun read ,very fluid and it had a lot of funny parts , the characters are well thought up and the way it doesn't take itself to seriously is great , the author did a great job of making this book memorable and I for one found another series that I get to enjoy , so give it a chance and have fun reading this great book
It's exactly how I put into the summary up there , good story and fun read ,very fluid and it had a lot of funny parts , the characters are well thought up and the way it doesn't take itself to seriously is great , the author did a great job of making this book memorable and I for one found another series that I get to enjoy , so give it a chance and have fun reading this great book
June 19, 2018
2.5 stars. This book was unique. At the same time it felt incomplete, like there was no climax or resolution really. All of the many many many modern day nerd culture references were a little overkill but endearing at certain times. I really felt like the book was lacking depth of characters and feelings. Maybe a little lighthearted for what’s actually occurring in the story. Either way it wasn’t a bad read it was just missing some “muchness.”
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