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Echoes Of Eternity #1
Nightwish
The night Serena Sykes learns she has limited magical powers, she meets the family she never knew existed, a powerful coven of witches who plan to fill the planet with monsters. With only 48 hours before they destroy the world, Serena needs to rely on a vampire who is as much friend as foe, as well as trusting the wisdom of her dementia-ridden grandmother to defeat the trio while keeping the supernatural world from society. No one said saving the world would be easy!
- GenresParanormalFantasy
270 pages, Paperback
First published August 9, 2015
30 people are currently reading
159 people want to read
About the author
Kirk Kilgrave
29 books24 followersLibrarian Note: Also writes under the pen name Sydney Bristow.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
October 3, 2015
Once again, rules, curses and family secrets take someone by the neck and rattle that cage of consistency they have always known. Not only has Serena found long, lost family, but she has also discovered who and what she really is. Just as her life begins that long tumble off a steep cliff, she will also face loss, danger and the discovery that she really has no idea who she can trust! The supernaturals have been dying off, or were their deaths planned? Serena, the mother, twin sister and niece she never knew are the last witches on earth, now that her grandmother, who raised her has passed on and Serena is left alone and clueless as to what her powers are, how to control them and that bodyguard, the last vampire, he took off, so she cannot count on him. Welcome to Serena’s world, welcome to Nightwish by Sydney Bristow…
The first witch in her family tree has cursed her descendants and they must bear the burden of bringing her across the veil of death. Too bad Zephora isn’t coming for tea, if she is set free; all hell will break loose as every creature of your worst nightmare could roam the earth again. And you thought your life could be a mess, Serena only has so much time to learn her powers, stop Zephora and deal with a witch of a mother and sister who are far more powerful than she. What of her niece? Is her heart as dark as the rest of them? Does she have any powers yet? Will she go over to the dark side, too?
Do you like your heroines with some attitude, spunk and true grit? Tired of the angst when the shock of learning your life has been a lie? You are going to love what author Sydney Bristow has done with Serena! Actually, you will love every character that comes from Ms. Bristow’s creative cauldron. No two are alike, some are a little quirkier than others, some are a heck of a lot scarier, but each is memorable and full of personality. Great dialogue, a race against time and a newbie witch determined to beat the odds and save the world from evil. The sands of the hourglass are running out, a love interest has just walked in and Mommy Dearest and Sister Skank are like a tag team of doom as they come at Serena from all angles, even on her own turf.
From start to finish, scene to scene, and dialogue to dialogue, I’m thinking this series is a winner!
I received this copy from Sydney Bristow in exchange for my honest review.
Series: Echoes of Eternity - Book 1
Publication Date: August 9, 2015
Publisher: Sydney Bristow
Genre: N/A Parnormal
Print Length: 262 pages
Available from: Amazon
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com
The first witch in her family tree has cursed her descendants and they must bear the burden of bringing her across the veil of death. Too bad Zephora isn’t coming for tea, if she is set free; all hell will break loose as every creature of your worst nightmare could roam the earth again. And you thought your life could be a mess, Serena only has so much time to learn her powers, stop Zephora and deal with a witch of a mother and sister who are far more powerful than she. What of her niece? Is her heart as dark as the rest of them? Does she have any powers yet? Will she go over to the dark side, too?
Do you like your heroines with some attitude, spunk and true grit? Tired of the angst when the shock of learning your life has been a lie? You are going to love what author Sydney Bristow has done with Serena! Actually, you will love every character that comes from Ms. Bristow’s creative cauldron. No two are alike, some are a little quirkier than others, some are a heck of a lot scarier, but each is memorable and full of personality. Great dialogue, a race against time and a newbie witch determined to beat the odds and save the world from evil. The sands of the hourglass are running out, a love interest has just walked in and Mommy Dearest and Sister Skank are like a tag team of doom as they come at Serena from all angles, even on her own turf.
From start to finish, scene to scene, and dialogue to dialogue, I’m thinking this series is a winner!
I received this copy from Sydney Bristow in exchange for my honest review.
Series: Echoes of Eternity - Book 1
Publication Date: August 9, 2015
Publisher: Sydney Bristow
Genre: N/A Parnormal
Print Length: 262 pages
Available from: Amazon
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com
January 15, 2016
I received this book in an exchange for an honest review
It's been a while since I have done review, no wonder I felt as if a part of me was missing! :(
There is only one word I would use to describe this book, mysterious. I am not sure if the author intended for the book to be depicted that way but that is how I see this book. Serena is a very grounded character who finds out one day that she is witch, however compared to her sister; her power and capabilities are very limited. What I like most about this book was how power is not represented just with magic but other in forms too such as the perseverance of someone or their strength (Serene definitely had those two).
The Grandma in this book was definitely a strong, intelligent character who loved her Granddaughter very much and protected her till the very last breath. I love how the bond between these two are so strong even after the Grandma passes away (sad times), she really taught Serena with strong values.
I personally loved Darius, maybe cos I love vampires? Not sure, but I loved the edginess he brought to the story which made it even more interesting. I cannot say the same about Alexis who is very malicious and spiteful to her sister. I mean come on, how is it Serena's fault that they were separated? Does she really need to be that mean? I don't think so! (same with their mother). Celestina is my fav in the entire book, I love how her nature and personality is preserved and not tainted by her mother or Grandma!
It's been a while since I have done review, no wonder I felt as if a part of me was missing! :(
There is only one word I would use to describe this book, mysterious. I am not sure if the author intended for the book to be depicted that way but that is how I see this book. Serena is a very grounded character who finds out one day that she is witch, however compared to her sister; her power and capabilities are very limited. What I like most about this book was how power is not represented just with magic but other in forms too such as the perseverance of someone or their strength (Serene definitely had those two).
The Grandma in this book was definitely a strong, intelligent character who loved her Granddaughter very much and protected her till the very last breath. I love how the bond between these two are so strong even after the Grandma passes away (sad times), she really taught Serena with strong values.
I personally loved Darius, maybe cos I love vampires? Not sure, but I loved the edginess he brought to the story which made it even more interesting. I cannot say the same about Alexis who is very malicious and spiteful to her sister. I mean come on, how is it Serena's fault that they were separated? Does she really need to be that mean? I don't think so! (same with their mother). Celestina is my fav in the entire book, I love how her nature and personality is preserved and not tainted by her mother or Grandma!
December 8, 2015
**I received this book for free from AUTHOR in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.**
*Genre* Paranormal
*Rating* 2.5-3
*My Thoughts*
Nightwish is the first installment in author Sydney Bristow's Echoes of Eternity series. Bristow's protagonist is 21-year old Serena Sykes who recently graduated from college, and suddenly finds out that she is a witch. What's even more perplexing for Serena is that her biological mother Delphine, twin sister Alexis, and niece Celestina all make an appearance after she encounters her first demon. Serena was raised by her grandmother Lorraine, and never told that she was part of a family of witches which is descended from the most powerful witch of them all, Zephora.
*Full Review Posted 12/08/2015*
http://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/201...
Published August 9th 2015
*Genre* Paranormal
*Rating* 2.5-3
*My Thoughts*
Nightwish is the first installment in author Sydney Bristow's Echoes of Eternity series. Bristow's protagonist is 21-year old Serena Sykes who recently graduated from college, and suddenly finds out that she is a witch. What's even more perplexing for Serena is that her biological mother Delphine, twin sister Alexis, and niece Celestina all make an appearance after she encounters her first demon. Serena was raised by her grandmother Lorraine, and never told that she was part of a family of witches which is descended from the most powerful witch of them all, Zephora.
*Full Review Posted 12/08/2015*
http://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/201...
Published August 9th 2015
January 13, 2016
Review posted here - http://bookpassionforlife.blogspot.co...
Nightwish is the first instalment of the ‘Echoes of Eternity’ series and we’re in for some witchy shenanigans.
In Nightwish we meet Serena Sykes, recent graduate from college with big ideas for her Grandmothers shop. Her world is rocked completely when she discovers that her Grandmother hasn’t totally been honest with her….. for a start – her mother is very much alive, she has a twin sister an also a niece but to top it all off … they are all witches with lineage traced back to the Salem witch trials. As Serena tries to come to terms with this knowledge, she realises that her grandmother is not quite herself, could the dementia be getting worse at a faster rate? She needs answers and the old womans mind is in no fit state to give them and considering she is the only one who can give them – Serena is lost. When a mysterious ‘vampire’ turns up and tells her that he must protect her, she has to learn who to trust on her own but when events begin to escalate and all hell threatens to let loose – it’s up to Serena to master her abilities and save them all.
So, I really enjoyed this book and found it easy to read and become involved with the characters. Serena was easy to route for as we follow her in her new discoveries. I liked her outlook on life and how she handled all of the revelations that came her way especially when she finds out that her mother kept her twin sister and left her behind – that has to do something to a persons self esteem – thank goodness for her Grandma though who loved her enough that it counted. I enjoyed seeing her powers manifest and how she used them, I have a feeling she will be very powerful. She has a love interest that definitely brought the heat to her life but that wasn’t really delved into here, it was more about the discoveries. I have to mention that her mother is a class A b*tch and her sister is one of those characters that you can see has hidden depth that needs coaxing out of her and her niece is adorable, at least the niece is happy to have Serena in her life and she balanced out the other influences.
The storyline was a very good start, definitely a getting to know you and your world scenario but with plenty of twists and turns to keep you on your toes. Not only do we discover Serena’s new family, we discover her heritage and her power – I liked that we discovered everything at the same time as the character, it endears me to her more as I imagine how I would react too. Her heritage was very interesting and plays a big part in the story – so pay attention – I always liked stories about witches. Her powers are different, they aren’t cut and dried like usual witches and there are limits to who gets what in the family hierarchy – for instance, the oldest always gets more power and that is a plot thread here to. It’s hard to know who to trust throughout the book, there are so many people with agendas that it always has you on edge and I really liked that I couldn’t trust people 100%. I think this book just shows the tip of the iceberg of what potential it has as a series and I can’t wait to find out what happens next.
Thank you to Sydney Bristow for giving me the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review.
Nightwish is the first instalment of the ‘Echoes of Eternity’ series and we’re in for some witchy shenanigans.
In Nightwish we meet Serena Sykes, recent graduate from college with big ideas for her Grandmothers shop. Her world is rocked completely when she discovers that her Grandmother hasn’t totally been honest with her….. for a start – her mother is very much alive, she has a twin sister an also a niece but to top it all off … they are all witches with lineage traced back to the Salem witch trials. As Serena tries to come to terms with this knowledge, she realises that her grandmother is not quite herself, could the dementia be getting worse at a faster rate? She needs answers and the old womans mind is in no fit state to give them and considering she is the only one who can give them – Serena is lost. When a mysterious ‘vampire’ turns up and tells her that he must protect her, she has to learn who to trust on her own but when events begin to escalate and all hell threatens to let loose – it’s up to Serena to master her abilities and save them all.
So, I really enjoyed this book and found it easy to read and become involved with the characters. Serena was easy to route for as we follow her in her new discoveries. I liked her outlook on life and how she handled all of the revelations that came her way especially when she finds out that her mother kept her twin sister and left her behind – that has to do something to a persons self esteem – thank goodness for her Grandma though who loved her enough that it counted. I enjoyed seeing her powers manifest and how she used them, I have a feeling she will be very powerful. She has a love interest that definitely brought the heat to her life but that wasn’t really delved into here, it was more about the discoveries. I have to mention that her mother is a class A b*tch and her sister is one of those characters that you can see has hidden depth that needs coaxing out of her and her niece is adorable, at least the niece is happy to have Serena in her life and she balanced out the other influences.
The storyline was a very good start, definitely a getting to know you and your world scenario but with plenty of twists and turns to keep you on your toes. Not only do we discover Serena’s new family, we discover her heritage and her power – I liked that we discovered everything at the same time as the character, it endears me to her more as I imagine how I would react too. Her heritage was very interesting and plays a big part in the story – so pay attention – I always liked stories about witches. Her powers are different, they aren’t cut and dried like usual witches and there are limits to who gets what in the family hierarchy – for instance, the oldest always gets more power and that is a plot thread here to. It’s hard to know who to trust throughout the book, there are so many people with agendas that it always has you on edge and I really liked that I couldn’t trust people 100%. I think this book just shows the tip of the iceberg of what potential it has as a series and I can’t wait to find out what happens next.
Thank you to Sydney Bristow for giving me the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review.
October 28, 2015
original review @ JC's Book Haven.
“Quiet again?”
“Well, you kinda just threw my world into a tailspin, so I think I’m entitled a few minutes to freak out.”
He glanced at the time on the dashboard. “Okay. Three minutes starting… now!”
The Good
For starters Serena is witty and sarcastic. Her use of sarcasm to roll with the punches had me smiling through most of the story. Then the vampire Darius (who for some odd reason I picture as Spike from Buffy) seems to have an attitude problem. His personality fits for me as he wants to be taken seriously and expects people to respect his experience. Some of the magic and how it's governed feels fun and fresh, while a few of the non humans that pop up give me hope for where the series is headed.
The Bad
My only real issue so far is how easily everyone just accepts the paranormal world. I get that it's all around us on TV and in books but dang. She tells people she's a witch and no one bats an eye.
The Romance
Lets start with Serena's friends Kendall and Brandon. She loves him and he's clueless to the fact. So she seems to constantly runs him down whenever another woman comes up. Then Serena ends up having strong chemistry with a Nolan Hart. but while he seems to be interested in her they are in a band together. So they do what they can to keep each other off limits.
Conclusion
I'm really glad I gave this one a chance. I like the magical history, the creatures and the personalities that have been shown so far. I also really have hopes for her sister Alexis to turn it around and not be such a turd in the punch bowl. This one is definitely worth reading if you enjoy paranormal stories with fun little twists.
“Quiet again?”
“Well, you kinda just threw my world into a tailspin, so I think I’m entitled a few minutes to freak out.”
He glanced at the time on the dashboard. “Okay. Three minutes starting… now!”
The Good
For starters Serena is witty and sarcastic. Her use of sarcasm to roll with the punches had me smiling through most of the story. Then the vampire Darius (who for some odd reason I picture as Spike from Buffy) seems to have an attitude problem. His personality fits for me as he wants to be taken seriously and expects people to respect his experience. Some of the magic and how it's governed feels fun and fresh, while a few of the non humans that pop up give me hope for where the series is headed.
The Bad
My only real issue so far is how easily everyone just accepts the paranormal world. I get that it's all around us on TV and in books but dang. She tells people she's a witch and no one bats an eye.
The Romance
Lets start with Serena's friends Kendall and Brandon. She loves him and he's clueless to the fact. So she seems to constantly runs him down whenever another woman comes up. Then Serena ends up having strong chemistry with a Nolan Hart. but while he seems to be interested in her they are in a band together. So they do what they can to keep each other off limits.
Conclusion
I'm really glad I gave this one a chance. I like the magical history, the creatures and the personalities that have been shown so far. I also really have hopes for her sister Alexis to turn it around and not be such a turd in the punch bowl. This one is definitely worth reading if you enjoy paranormal stories with fun little twists.
February 29, 2016
Firstly I would like to thank the lovely Sydney Bristow for kindly providing me with a copy of "Nightwish" to read and review.
I am more than thrilled and looking forward to reading the next instalment of this, little-cherry-on-top-of-the-tree-book, I totally FLOVE anything paranormal - winner winner, chicken dinner :)
In Nightwish we meet Serena Sykes, a graduate who recently finished her degree from college and was brought up by her grandmother (who unfortunately more recently was diagnosed with Dementia) due to her real mother high-tailing it out of there when Serena was just a baby...tut tut tut
But what happens when the life you thought you lived wasn't the complete truth?
What happens if you find out the one person you trust the most has betrayed you deeply?
And what happens when you find out that there is more to your life than you new?
Serena just got a boat load of information thrown at her.
She now has powers, she has a family, her family is a long line of witches, and things are just going to get complicated.
As Serena tries to come to terms with this knowledge, she realises that her grandmother is not quite herself, could the dementia be getting worse at a faster rate?
Or could it be foul play supernaturally?
I found Serena to be a tad naive and lost, but hey if I had my world turned upside I think I'd be the same.
Wouldn't you?
Serena only has so much time to learn her powers, stop Zephora and deal with a witch of a mother and sister who are far more powerful than she.
The storyline was a very good start, definitely a getting to know you and your world scenario but with plenty of twists and turns to keep you on your toes.
I am more than thrilled and looking forward to reading the next instalment of this, little-cherry-on-top-of-the-tree-book, I totally FLOVE anything paranormal - winner winner, chicken dinner :)
In Nightwish we meet Serena Sykes, a graduate who recently finished her degree from college and was brought up by her grandmother (who unfortunately more recently was diagnosed with Dementia) due to her real mother high-tailing it out of there when Serena was just a baby...tut tut tut
But what happens when the life you thought you lived wasn't the complete truth?
What happens if you find out the one person you trust the most has betrayed you deeply?
And what happens when you find out that there is more to your life than you new?
Serena just got a boat load of information thrown at her.
She now has powers, she has a family, her family is a long line of witches, and things are just going to get complicated.
As Serena tries to come to terms with this knowledge, she realises that her grandmother is not quite herself, could the dementia be getting worse at a faster rate?
Or could it be foul play supernaturally?
I found Serena to be a tad naive and lost, but hey if I had my world turned upside I think I'd be the same.
Wouldn't you?
Serena only has so much time to learn her powers, stop Zephora and deal with a witch of a mother and sister who are far more powerful than she.
The storyline was a very good start, definitely a getting to know you and your world scenario but with plenty of twists and turns to keep you on your toes.
dnf-gave-up-on-gave-away
August 14, 2015DNF
I just can't do it.
I picked "Nightwish" up because I was an Alias fan, and and the authors' name caught my eye...but the writing just doesn't work for me, and the heroine irritated the crap out of me...First she's attacked, then learns that demons/vamps/shifters and other Para creatures exist, and finally that she's been lied to for years by the most important person in her life, and that she has a secret family all the while she thought she was all on her lonesome...and through it all, she's totally and completely chill... she barely freaking reacts! she's sorta snarky, and sarcastic, but otherwise she barely responds to world altering news...so yeah, i'm too annoyed to read any more.
I just can't do it.
I picked "Nightwish" up because I was an Alias fan, and and the authors' name caught my eye...but the writing just doesn't work for me, and the heroine irritated the crap out of me...First she's attacked, then learns that demons/vamps/shifters and other Para creatures exist, and finally that she's been lied to for years by the most important person in her life, and that she has a secret family all the while she thought she was all on her lonesome...and through it all, she's totally and completely chill... she barely freaking reacts! she's sorta snarky, and sarcastic, but otherwise she barely responds to world altering news...so yeah, i'm too annoyed to read any more.
April 21, 2018
Kirk Kilgrave is a new author to me, as I’ve only read one other book by him, Salem’s Curse. Well, he’s 2 for 2 now and based on his Nightwish, first in his The Echoes of Eternity series, I’m promising myself that we will become well acquainted. As the book’s blurb notes, “No one said saving the world would be easy” but with characters like Serena Sykes I’ve no fears. This novel truly is the fantastic urban fantasy and is, quite simply, wonderful. This tale had just what I wanted and was well written and with a great plot and great cast of characters. Serena is perfectly crafted and her supporting cast (vampire who is as much friend as foe, dementia-ridden grandmother, and even the witch coven foes) is also superb.
But for the fact that I’m literally dictating this review to my husband from my hospital bed I could go on and on with praises - the book definitely deserves it. Since I can’t do that I will simply note that the book is most definitely one to read, it is easy to highly recommend and I’m definitely looking forward to book 2.
But for the fact that I’m literally dictating this review to my husband from my hospital bed I could go on and on with praises - the book definitely deserves it. Since I can’t do that I will simply note that the book is most definitely one to read, it is easy to highly recommend and I’m definitely looking forward to book 2.
February 26, 2016
DNF. Over the last few months, I've seen many posters say they feel bad about writing a negative review of a book. I can see where that would sometimes be true, but in this instance, where the author is self-publishing and it's obvious she really, really could have used an editor, I'm going to give my comments.
The first thing that I thought was crazy about this book (and admittedly, I didn't finish it, so this is what I noticed several times in the first 1/3 or so of the book), is that it appears she wrote it all down, decided to move things around once, then published it. Done. The result is that numerous times a character makes a statement that you realize is supposed to be referring to a fact already established in the book, but it wasn't there. The first time I noticed it was the main character making an observation about the guy she was with doing something (that I realized) was consistent with being a vampire, but that had never come up. Then a few pages later she said he was a vampire. And no, it's not because I wasn't picking up on the astuteness/subtlety of the main character's observation. It's that her observation was out of left field, and then she established that fact later.
Another example: the main character sets eyes on the Love Interest for the book. He plays guitar. As another reviewer said, there were pages and pages describing his guitar solo, his hotness, etc. Without spoiling why, each thigh of Guitar Guy's pants catch on fire during the guitar solo. He doesn't notice (because his eyes were closed, according to the author). He opens his eyes after like a 10-page (on my Kindle) solo, and realizes he's on fire. He never puts it out. Nope. I kept waiting. He keeps playing, goes over to talk to the main character, walks off, etc. For all the reader knows, he stayed on fire until he took a shower, or it rained. Seems like an important detail to follow through on, but the author didn't. I kept feeling like the author needed to edit her book again to make sure everything held together.
Regarding my other observations, THE FOLLOWING ARE SPOILERS. STOP READING IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW. The reason I gave up on the book is that the main character appeared to have pathological attention deficit disorder. I've seen other authors do this, but this was one of the most consistently glaring examples I've seen. The main character keeps having shocking/frightening things happen to her, but she very rarely responds as if something shocking or frightening has occurred. First example: her grandmother, who has raised her and who the main character states is her only family and means everything to her, tells the main character that she's almost out of time (it wasn't clear if she was saying she would die, or disappear, or what), but Grandma knows she's going to be gone any minute, and she wishes she would have told the main character more about her background. Does the main character start trying to get as much information a.s.a.p.? No, she keeps interrupting Grandma to make [not very funny] jokes. We get a few paragraphs of info from Grandma - offered around repeated interruptions from main character - and then the author tells you they "got on a one-hour bus ride" to go home. Did they talk during the one hour bus ride when no one was distracted by things like having to drive and pay attention to the road? Apparently not.
Then, later, we find out Grandma is gone because an evil spirit has taken over Grandma's body. Grandma/evil spirit is in the same house as the main character. The main character figures this out because she's developed a new ability to astral travel, and goes into Grandma's room and the evil spirit in Grandma's body recognizes the main character is there in astral form. The evil spirit takes off to main character's bedroom, where main character's body is sitting there unprotected. The main character says she has a "feeling" the evil spirit won't hurt her while she's not in her body, so she takes off to do some exploring. Good grief.
After that, the main character comes back to her body and decides to flee through the window. What does she do? Goes to a bar where her two best friends are, and after telling the reader that she tells her friends all of the weird stuff that just happened to her, a significant chunk of the book is spent talking about the main character's band, and picking a new band member, and the hotness of the new band member, and a discussion of the merits of various heavy metal bands, etc. Boring tangent.
I'm pretty sure the main character would, in nature, be the gazelle eaten by a lion because she doesn't seem to have an ability to focus on what's important.
Last, the other thing that drove me nuts was the main character's TSTL moments, which partially were the above ADD problems, but this example was more glaring: about a chapter or so into the book, her Grandma first appears. For context, Grandma appears, in book time, about 1/2 to 1 hour after the main character first saw a demon possessing someone else's body and forcing said person to the demon's will. So the main character gets in a car and ends up seeing Grandma for the first time in the book. Grandma is acting BIZARRE. SCARY bizarre. The main character keeps justifying this because Grandma had been showing signs of Alzheimer's, but apparently the author doesn't understand Alzheimer's. Grandma would suddenly have moments of intense, scary focus and sound like she was talking in a manner from another century. That's not Alzheimer's, main character. That's demon possession. Remember the demon possession you witnessed about an hour ago? Ringing any bells? That was when I started losing interest in the book. I kept reading, it got more disjointed, and I quit.
The first thing that I thought was crazy about this book (and admittedly, I didn't finish it, so this is what I noticed several times in the first 1/3 or so of the book), is that it appears she wrote it all down, decided to move things around once, then published it. Done. The result is that numerous times a character makes a statement that you realize is supposed to be referring to a fact already established in the book, but it wasn't there. The first time I noticed it was the main character making an observation about the guy she was with doing something (that I realized) was consistent with being a vampire, but that had never come up. Then a few pages later she said he was a vampire. And no, it's not because I wasn't picking up on the astuteness/subtlety of the main character's observation. It's that her observation was out of left field, and then she established that fact later.
Another example: the main character sets eyes on the Love Interest for the book. He plays guitar. As another reviewer said, there were pages and pages describing his guitar solo, his hotness, etc. Without spoiling why, each thigh of Guitar Guy's pants catch on fire during the guitar solo. He doesn't notice (because his eyes were closed, according to the author). He opens his eyes after like a 10-page (on my Kindle) solo, and realizes he's on fire. He never puts it out. Nope. I kept waiting. He keeps playing, goes over to talk to the main character, walks off, etc. For all the reader knows, he stayed on fire until he took a shower, or it rained. Seems like an important detail to follow through on, but the author didn't. I kept feeling like the author needed to edit her book again to make sure everything held together.
Regarding my other observations, THE FOLLOWING ARE SPOILERS. STOP READING IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW. The reason I gave up on the book is that the main character appeared to have pathological attention deficit disorder. I've seen other authors do this, but this was one of the most consistently glaring examples I've seen. The main character keeps having shocking/frightening things happen to her, but she very rarely responds as if something shocking or frightening has occurred. First example: her grandmother, who has raised her and who the main character states is her only family and means everything to her, tells the main character that she's almost out of time (it wasn't clear if she was saying she would die, or disappear, or what), but Grandma knows she's going to be gone any minute, and she wishes she would have told the main character more about her background. Does the main character start trying to get as much information a.s.a.p.? No, she keeps interrupting Grandma to make [not very funny] jokes. We get a few paragraphs of info from Grandma - offered around repeated interruptions from main character - and then the author tells you they "got on a one-hour bus ride" to go home. Did they talk during the one hour bus ride when no one was distracted by things like having to drive and pay attention to the road? Apparently not.
Then, later, we find out Grandma is gone because an evil spirit has taken over Grandma's body. Grandma/evil spirit is in the same house as the main character. The main character figures this out because she's developed a new ability to astral travel, and goes into Grandma's room and the evil spirit in Grandma's body recognizes the main character is there in astral form. The evil spirit takes off to main character's bedroom, where main character's body is sitting there unprotected. The main character says she has a "feeling" the evil spirit won't hurt her while she's not in her body, so she takes off to do some exploring. Good grief.
After that, the main character comes back to her body and decides to flee through the window. What does she do? Goes to a bar where her two best friends are, and after telling the reader that she tells her friends all of the weird stuff that just happened to her, a significant chunk of the book is spent talking about the main character's band, and picking a new band member, and the hotness of the new band member, and a discussion of the merits of various heavy metal bands, etc. Boring tangent.
I'm pretty sure the main character would, in nature, be the gazelle eaten by a lion because she doesn't seem to have an ability to focus on what's important.
Last, the other thing that drove me nuts was the main character's TSTL moments, which partially were the above ADD problems, but this example was more glaring: about a chapter or so into the book, her Grandma first appears. For context, Grandma appears, in book time, about 1/2 to 1 hour after the main character first saw a demon possessing someone else's body and forcing said person to the demon's will. So the main character gets in a car and ends up seeing Grandma for the first time in the book. Grandma is acting BIZARRE. SCARY bizarre. The main character keeps justifying this because Grandma had been showing signs of Alzheimer's, but apparently the author doesn't understand Alzheimer's. Grandma would suddenly have moments of intense, scary focus and sound like she was talking in a manner from another century. That's not Alzheimer's, main character. That's demon possession. Remember the demon possession you witnessed about an hour ago? Ringing any bells? That was when I started losing interest in the book. I kept reading, it got more disjointed, and I quit.
April 18, 2018
**I voluntarily received an Advance Reader Copy of this book. **
This girl has a very eventful birthday. To sum it up, she graduates comes into some supernatural powers, and finds out she has a mother and a twin sister all the same day. The story is fascinating. It really builds up to something epic. Book one, I am sure is just the warmup.
I was introduced to some interesting characters and a couple of characters that seemed rather random. I feel that the random characters presents is significant, but I am not sure the part they play yet.
I am looking forward to reading book 2, and having some of these questions answered. This is a very intriguing paranormal story. Definitely lots of drama and suspense.
This girl has a very eventful birthday. To sum it up, she graduates comes into some supernatural powers, and finds out she has a mother and a twin sister all the same day. The story is fascinating. It really builds up to something epic. Book one, I am sure is just the warmup.
I was introduced to some interesting characters and a couple of characters that seemed rather random. I feel that the random characters presents is significant, but I am not sure the part they play yet.
I am looking forward to reading book 2, and having some of these questions answered. This is a very intriguing paranormal story. Definitely lots of drama and suspense.
August 24, 2017
I was given a free copy of this book for an honest review... I have to say the book grabbed me right from the beginning and I was hooked! This book reminded me of three books I have read: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia, Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness, and The Line by J.D. Thorn. If you have liked ANY of these books, then you'll like this short series of books!!!
Normally if I can't get into a book by the first few pages, I don't read it.
By the first page I felt I was dragged into Serena's world. I had a hard time putting the book down. I CANNOT WAIT for the next series!!! I hope you enjoy this series a much as I did!!!
Normally if I can't get into a book by the first few pages, I don't read it.
By the first page I felt I was dragged into Serena's world. I had a hard time putting the book down. I CANNOT WAIT for the next series!!! I hope you enjoy this series a much as I did!!!
April 20, 2018
Night Wish by Kirk Kilgrave is book 1 in the series and for me a 3.5 star read.
Serena Sykes is just a normal girl heading out for the night to celebrate her graduation and her 21st birthday but before she knows it she’s attacked by a demon, saved by a vampire and finds out she has a whole family she knew nothing about.
This book actually kept me interested from the first page to the last BUT it really confused me, there was a lot going on but some of it didn’t make any sense and I wanted to stop reading but the reader in me just had to know how it ended and because of this I WILL read the next book and probably the one after that too.
I voluntarily reviewed a gifted copy of this book.
Serena Sykes is just a normal girl heading out for the night to celebrate her graduation and her 21st birthday but before she knows it she’s attacked by a demon, saved by a vampire and finds out she has a whole family she knew nothing about.
This book actually kept me interested from the first page to the last BUT it really confused me, there was a lot going on but some of it didn’t make any sense and I wanted to stop reading but the reader in me just had to know how it ended and because of this I WILL read the next book and probably the one after that too.
I voluntarily reviewed a gifted copy of this book.
May 6, 2018
I liked the way Kirk Kilgrave's characters struggled to handle and understand their new lives once they discovered who they truly were and what powers they truly had. Well, at least some of them did, but no spoilers here folks. The tone of the book is very of course very dark, suspenseful, and full of questions to obviously be answered in the next books of the series. This is a voluntary review of an Advanced Reader Copy of this book from Hidden Gems Books.
April 19, 2018
I really wanted to like this book and just could not get into it. I found myself going back to try and see if I missed parts. The story could be good but there are to many holes. I got the feeling that the writer had his mind ahead of his fingers in writing and it left holes. This is an arc review.
April 23, 2018
This. Was. An. AWESOME book! Action started very quickly and just kept going throughout the book. The story ended at a point that wasn’t a cliffhanger, but left no doubt that there would be more to Serena’s story. I loved it! I want more!
April 25, 2018
Reviewed by Roxanne
Serena has got alot going for her. She is leader of a band. Her life is about to change in ways she never could imagine the day she turns 21. She finds out she is a witch. A must read. I was hooked from the first page.
Serena has got alot going for her. She is leader of a band. Her life is about to change in ways she never could imagine the day she turns 21. She finds out she is a witch. A must read. I was hooked from the first page.
March 10, 2017
This book was extremely difficult for me to get into. I typically devour books that are based around the paranormal, but this one's been the exception.
The book follows Serena, a woman who's just graduated from college and celebrates her 21st birthday on the same day. While on her way home from the bar she's attacked by an old man with superhuman strength and eyes that flash to black. She doesn't realise it but everything she's known about the world, her family and herself has been a lie.
A vampiric, Damien, introduces her to her mother, sister and niece - people she didn't even knew existed. Suddenly they hate her, you've no idea why, the author doesn't let you know that little tidbit until you're well into the novel.
She learns that when she turned 21 she inherited her powers. But she doesn't know what they are or how to use them. It's all quite boring. It doesn't help that both the narrative for the main character and her inner dialogue is probably one of the most annoying characters I've ever come across. I couldn't find a reason to like her. I just kept thinking to myself, can she really be this thick? But she was.
For the first time in my life, I know there are additional novels in this series, but I won't be looking them up. I couldn't get past all the plot holes in this one to even remotely like it.
Disclaimer: I would like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
The book follows Serena, a woman who's just graduated from college and celebrates her 21st birthday on the same day. While on her way home from the bar she's attacked by an old man with superhuman strength and eyes that flash to black. She doesn't realise it but everything she's known about the world, her family and herself has been a lie.
A vampiric, Damien, introduces her to her mother, sister and niece - people she didn't even knew existed. Suddenly they hate her, you've no idea why, the author doesn't let you know that little tidbit until you're well into the novel.
She learns that when she turned 21 she inherited her powers. But she doesn't know what they are or how to use them. It's all quite boring. It doesn't help that both the narrative for the main character and her inner dialogue is probably one of the most annoying characters I've ever come across. I couldn't find a reason to like her. I just kept thinking to myself, can she really be this thick? But she was.
For the first time in my life, I know there are additional novels in this series, but I won't be looking them up. I couldn't get past all the plot holes in this one to even remotely like it.
Disclaimer: I would like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
April 16, 2018
I really enjoyed this book. I’ve always been drawn to paranormal books, and this one has it all - witchcraft, vampires, demons, etc. I can’t wait to read the other books in the series!
April 19, 2018
I really enjoyed this book. It's the first i have read of the author and I have already one-clicked book 2.
If magic, witches, curses, and secrets are your thing, then you will enjoy this for sure.
If magic, witches, curses, and secrets are your thing, then you will enjoy this for sure.
April 25, 2018
This book could be good but it really needs an editor. The story is all over the pace with numerous plot holes. I had a hard time finishing it
February 13, 2022
A good and solid read with well developed characters and a strong plot.
October 7, 2016
Major plot hole; incomprehensible story
So Serena comes into her powers as a witch on her 21st birthday unbeknownst to her. Then a demon tries to kill her and a "vampire" saves her. From that moment she learns that she's been lied to about her family her whole life and gets to meets them. From there it goes downhill. For both the MC and the reader.
Here's what I liked: the cover, the first chapter was interesting, and the idea behind the book
Here's what I didn't like: Weak characters and obstacles placed in front of the MC; weak reasoning behind the hostility with Alexis and Delphine. So here's the deal with the powers: The first born is the most powerful and come into their powers after they have their first period. The other witches by the same witch wait until they're 21 for their powers and they're 1/3 weaker. So. Serena chats up with her mother and sister on her 21st birthday. She and her sister are Identical twins. They don't know who was born first other than Alexis has been able to use her powers for 15 years. (I feel sorry for a kid who gets their first period at 6) Yet with this knowledge of coming into your powers is well known, and they discuss openly they have no idea who the first born is and so they fear the MC is the more powerful witch, logic tells you that it's Alexis because she's been using her powers since she was 6. Serena and Grams know that she's the weaker witch, but they're able to keep that from Delphine and Alexis. It takes a long time in the book for them to admit they know she's not the firstborn.
*Terrible sentence structure
*Typos and misuse of words - it really needed to be proofread
*The other supernatural entities - they felt made up on the fly
*There was no thought put into confrontation with the MC. She'd try to talk to her family, then it would digress into shouting about being given up on, you're not my real mother, no one wanted you, you're weak, but we can't kill you until we know what your powers are and if you're stronger than us. There was a lot of screeching in this book.
*The band they have is .. I don't know. The way Serena talks about it is lame
*everyone in the book is a special snowflake.
I was compelled to finish reading this book simply because I felt the need to warn others that this is not some gritty urban fantasy. It reads like a first draft and has unlikable characters I was unable to connect with.
So Serena comes into her powers as a witch on her 21st birthday unbeknownst to her. Then a demon tries to kill her and a "vampire" saves her. From that moment she learns that she's been lied to about her family her whole life and gets to meets them. From there it goes downhill. For both the MC and the reader.
Here's what I liked: the cover, the first chapter was interesting, and the idea behind the book
Here's what I didn't like: Weak characters and obstacles placed in front of the MC; weak reasoning behind the hostility with Alexis and Delphine. So here's the deal with the powers: The first born is the most powerful and come into their powers after they have their first period. The other witches by the same witch wait until they're 21 for their powers and they're 1/3 weaker. So. Serena chats up with her mother and sister on her 21st birthday. She and her sister are Identical twins. They don't know who was born first other than Alexis has been able to use her powers for 15 years. (I feel sorry for a kid who gets their first period at 6) Yet with this knowledge of coming into your powers is well known, and they discuss openly they have no idea who the first born is and so they fear the MC is the more powerful witch, logic tells you that it's Alexis because she's been using her powers since she was 6. Serena and Grams know that she's the weaker witch, but they're able to keep that from Delphine and Alexis. It takes a long time in the book for them to admit they know she's not the firstborn.
*Terrible sentence structure
*Typos and misuse of words - it really needed to be proofread
*The other supernatural entities - they felt made up on the fly
*There was no thought put into confrontation with the MC. She'd try to talk to her family, then it would digress into shouting about being given up on, you're not my real mother, no one wanted you, you're weak, but we can't kill you until we know what your powers are and if you're stronger than us. There was a lot of screeching in this book.
*The band they have is .. I don't know. The way Serena talks about it is lame
*everyone in the book is a special snowflake.
I was compelled to finish reading this book simply because I felt the need to warn others that this is not some gritty urban fantasy. It reads like a first draft and has unlikable characters I was unable to connect with.
November 16, 2015
Well, this was one was a surprise. I wasn't expecting to like this one as much as I did, because I loved it ;) Family can make you crazy and curses can kill you. When Serena meets her mother, sister, and niece, she didn't understand everything that came with them. He wonderful loving grandmother is losing her mind, literally, to Alzheimer disease, and there's so many secrets and lies, and oh, have I also told you that there's all kind of supernaturals hanging about. And so the learning begins that Serena needs to learn about her powers and her past. And she needs to figure out how to save not only herself but a whole lot of other people. And man oh man is this a heart wrenching one.
Serena is a a little naive and lost at first. She's trying to get her balance, and then she has the rug pulled out from under her and is thrown off a cliff. She has her two best friends who are humans and part of her band. There's only Serena and her family left of witches in the whole world. Everyone else was killed off. And there's something brewing that could unleash the rest of the paranormal world on the unsuspecting human world if things are fixed. Oh and she meets the man of her dreams, but he's off limits and she has a bodyguard vampire who is not trustworthy and then she has a twin sister that she's not sure if she loves or wants to kill. HA! I loved Serena's BFFs and their combustible relationship with each other. I absolutely fell in love with her niece and I am flat out cheering for Serena.
The world building and the climatic crazy of Serena's family and the bad witch was fantastic. I am still a little shocked with how it all played out. The characters are all well developed, and you're going to love to hate the not so nice ladies. And you're gunna fall for that hawt guy. And I must say, I am seriously pumped to read book two. There's an excellent pace that made it feel like a quick read, and never missed a beat. There's some fun times, some sad times, some beautiful moments and a suspense that will keep you on your toes. And the good will always overcome the evil, sometimes, hopefully :) I am impressed and I want book two!! 4.5 MAGICAL PAWS!!!
Serena is a a little naive and lost at first. She's trying to get her balance, and then she has the rug pulled out from under her and is thrown off a cliff. She has her two best friends who are humans and part of her band. There's only Serena and her family left of witches in the whole world. Everyone else was killed off. And there's something brewing that could unleash the rest of the paranormal world on the unsuspecting human world if things are fixed. Oh and she meets the man of her dreams, but he's off limits and she has a bodyguard vampire who is not trustworthy and then she has a twin sister that she's not sure if she loves or wants to kill. HA! I loved Serena's BFFs and their combustible relationship with each other. I absolutely fell in love with her niece and I am flat out cheering for Serena.
The world building and the climatic crazy of Serena's family and the bad witch was fantastic. I am still a little shocked with how it all played out. The characters are all well developed, and you're going to love to hate the not so nice ladies. And you're gunna fall for that hawt guy. And I must say, I am seriously pumped to read book two. There's an excellent pace that made it feel like a quick read, and never missed a beat. There's some fun times, some sad times, some beautiful moments and a suspense that will keep you on your toes. And the good will always overcome the evil, sometimes, hopefully :) I am impressed and I want book two!! 4.5 MAGICAL PAWS!!!
December 18, 2015
Exciting and mysterious tale¡
This is the tantalizing beginning to a new Urban Fantasy Series by author Sydney Barrow. This is a new author to ME, and I was greatly entertained! The book was such an effortless read, as if I was relaxing and riding on autopilot! Serena is a kick ass heroine, just what this Urban Fantasy demands! At the beginning, she doesn't know she's a powerful witch! Never having known her mother or twin sister, Serena suddenly encounters them at age 21. They are as dark as she is light. Completely untrained in magic, life is rough for Serena. Add a vampire, demons, shapeshifters, magical energy and action-- AND an evil Ancestress... The action is nonstop. The plot is tight. The story does NOT end on a horrible cliffhanger, BUT leaves you longing for more! Yay! Good job, Sydney Barrow.
This is the tantalizing beginning to a new Urban Fantasy Series by author Sydney Barrow. This is a new author to ME, and I was greatly entertained! The book was such an effortless read, as if I was relaxing and riding on autopilot! Serena is a kick ass heroine, just what this Urban Fantasy demands! At the beginning, she doesn't know she's a powerful witch! Never having known her mother or twin sister, Serena suddenly encounters them at age 21. They are as dark as she is light. Completely untrained in magic, life is rough for Serena. Add a vampire, demons, shapeshifters, magical energy and action-- AND an evil Ancestress... The action is nonstop. The plot is tight. The story does NOT end on a horrible cliffhanger, BUT leaves you longing for more! Yay! Good job, Sydney Barrow.
March 31, 2016
Serena Sykes has just discovered that not only does she have supernatural abilities but the family she didn’t know existed does as well and to prevent them from triggering a supernatural wasteland she must learn to control hers in this urban fantasy. I was quite intrigued with the events and the overall world but I kept waiting for the story to come together and for Serena to become this kick butt heroine but I think the dialogues between the different characters was a bit circular, which left me a bit confused and Serena was a bit slow in accepting everything (understandable) but I’m sure that Serena will continue to grow as the series unfolds and that everything will come together in a more concise manner.
“Copyright Night Owl Reviews”©
See my full review at:
https://www.nightowlreviews.com/v5/Re...
“Copyright Night Owl Reviews”©
See my full review at:
https://www.nightowlreviews.com/v5/Re...
August 13, 2016
This was an action packed book that was a good set up to a new trilogy. I could have used a little less sarcasm since there were times I found myself thinking okay I get it enough already, but the premise and the story kept me going. Serena and her best friend Kendall are great, the male supporting characters could use a bit of work, they all seemed a bit too flawed with the exception of Nolan who was flawed in other ways but I hope to see more of him in future books.
People who like the Sookie Stackhouse books and even Janet Evanovich's number series would appreciate this book. The monsters and supernatural element combined with the newbie inexperience lead to some interesting interactions.
People who like the Sookie Stackhouse books and even Janet Evanovich's number series would appreciate this book. The monsters and supernatural element combined with the newbie inexperience lead to some interesting interactions.
February 12, 2016
In dire need of proof reading and editing
It's disjointed, jumpy, sentences are blatantly out of place and spelling errors are rife. All this conspires to make it an incredibly difficult read, which is a shame as the idea is great and the characters have enormous potential.
It's disjointed, jumpy, sentences are blatantly out of place and spelling errors are rife. All this conspires to make it an incredibly difficult read, which is a shame as the idea is great and the characters have enormous potential.
October 11, 2016
Great book
I thought it was a pleasure to read and wishing I had the rest of the series. I hope to read the rest.
I thought it was a pleasure to read and wishing I had the rest of the series. I hope to read the rest.
December 26, 2018
Dnf'd at about 20%. What can I say about it...story has been done better with less irritating characters
April 15, 2018
rcvd a copy for giving my two cents. we meet serena, who celebrated university grad and her 21st bday only to be attacked by a demon, saved my vampire and learn she has a mother twin sister and a niece. whoda thunk it. the day only gets stranger and stranger. on top of it all she learns shes a witch. well then. gram is acting strangely and it makes things worse. next thing she knows her gram is sitting in her room without a body to learn that the oldest witch is inhabiting her body...could things get stranger. astral projection, fights to th4 death, a curse and a sword make an interesting family tale.
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