Outlier

Sentry of the South #1

by Annabel Chase

My family's past threatens my future...

It's my second year training to become a Sentry of the South at Spellslingers Academy of Magic and I'm still fighting a reputation I don't deserve. It was my grandmother's addiction to magic that tarnished our family name--a grandmother I still love and adore. When she asks a favor of me, I can't refuse her dying wish...and it sets off a chain of events I never expected. With the help of a charming and sexy druid, I set out to locate a missing professor, but what we discover is far worse than we ever imagined.

A fight to restore my family's honor has become a fight for my life and the lives of everyone I hold dear. Will we be able to find the professor in time and preserve life in the quadrant as we know it?


Outlier : Spellslingers Academy of Magic, Sentry of the South (Book 1) is an urban fantasy mystery with humor, action and adventure, a powerful heroine, and an unlikely hero.

Don't miss the first trilogy in the Spellslingers Academy of Magic series--

Outcast, Warden of the West, Book 1
Outclassed, Warden of the West, Book 2
Outlast, Warden of the West, Book 3

Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Audiobook, Magic, Witches, Young Adult

216 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 12, 2018

About the author

Annabel Chase is the author of urban fantasy and cozy mystery novels. She would love to live in a magical town where she can shop at Ready-to-Were for the the perfect outfit, flirt with hot angels and vampires, and cook gourmet meals without exerting any effort. Visit her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Annabel-Chas... or on her website at www.annabelchase.com.

Reviews

[Princ3ss · Rating 2 out of 5]

I managed to finish this story but I will not be reading the next series. I realized after I started it that it is actually the 4th book in the series. While this can be read as a standalone, there were characters that were introduced previously so there was no background given. You don’t really get the group’s dynamic in this book that you can tell was forged in the first 3 books in the series. Aside from that, it didn’t really hold my interest. Dani was a little to arrogant for my tastes, again this goes back to not getting a full background because she was introduced in the previous series. I Amy have been able to like her but just coming into this story, she was nothing special to me.

I had to wonder why an academy student was on a rescue mission with someone she had just met. And then they pretty much solve the case on their own. It makes no sense coming in where I did. What makes them so special that they can attempt this when they’re just supposed to be students learning. I don’t have enough interest in the previous heroine to go back and read the first series.

[Jeanny · Rating 2 out of 5]

I quickly lost interest in the story. 2 stars.
I will not continue the Sentry of the South series.

[Anna Blood · Rating 2 out of 5]

J'aurais pu aimer, le livre réunissait tous les ingrédients. De plus, je ne suis jamais insatisfaite des livres publiés par bookmark mais cette fois, c'est malheureusement un non.

Tout d'abord je remercie les éditions bookmark pour le SP.

Maintenant, place à l'avis. Déjà, le très gros problème du livre et qui le gâche énormément, c'est le rythme. Si le tout tout début passe, le reste du livre a un gros problème de rythme. Les actions vont très vite, et les personnages aussi. Et ça ne s'arrange pas, notamment pour ce qui est de dévoiler les personnages.

Dani. Honnêtement, je ne sais même pas quoi dire à part le fait qu'elle a une droiture qui force le respect ainsi qu'une détermination sans faille. Toutefois, le passé de sa famille, contrairement à d'autres choses, continue d'être présent, mais il est quand même dévoilé très vite. C'est donc compliqué de s'attacher à l'héroïne tellement tout va vite.

C'est pareil pour Peter, le pp masc. La première chose qui m'a frappé, quand ils se rencontrent, c'est qu'il est tout bonnement incompréhensible. On sent que l'autrice a voulu faire de lui un gars qui taquine énormément. Mais il fait des blagues que je trouve forcés et il en fait tellement et à des moments si inopportun (par ex, quand il rencontre l'héroïne), qu'on comprend absolument rien à ce qu'il raconte. Ça s'arrange par la suite où ses blagues sont un peu mieux mais très franchement... À un moment, j'ai cru que c'était un alien. Même un secret du personnage aurait pu être intéressant, mais non.

Les personnages secondaires, j'en parle pas trop, vu qu'ils sont pas si développés que ça. Si les personnages principaux le sont plus, tout ça manque GRAVEMENT de développement. Je pense que c'est aussi parce que le livre est vraiment court. Mais du coup, c'est très dommage.

Je pensais mettre une notre très basse mais les dernières pages rattrapent un peu la chose. La mission des deux est quand même intéressante mais ça ne gomme malheureusement pas tous les problème du roman. Je ne parle même pas de l'attirance entre les deux personnages qui arrive comme un cheveu sur la soupe malgré les railleries des amies de Dani et les allusions de Peter (clairement intéressé mais là, ça fait peu naturel et...lourd 💀).

La résolution de l'intrigue dans ce premier tome est aussi rapide, ce qui rend la chose un peu dure à comprendre.

Je ne recommande donc malheureusement pas ce roman.

[Emmalynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dani is arrogant, condescending, hypocritical and just not nice. It’s easy to see the pressure she puts on herself because of her family situation, but that makes her so unlikeable when she has no empathy towards others in the same situations.

[Catriona Kupper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quirky little story to pass away an afternoon

[It's Me - Yvette · Rating 3 out of 5]

And we’re off to a decent start! Likeable characters.

[k.eleanor.s]

If I left a star rating, it would be unkind. This book reads too much like a sequel to be a “book one.” I can only hope that reading the entire universe of books beforehand would have made this one enjoyable. A lot of other authors have corresponding series that you don’t need to read in publication order. THIS IS NOT ONE. It was just okay. There was next to no world-building or explanations about anything. The characters referenced past events that I knew nothing about and it was very distracting and annoying. I kept finding myself flipping to the cover and making sure it said “book one,” just to remind myself that I didn’t accidentally skip something, but that the author just left out huge chunks of information.
Chase writes fun brain candy stories, but it will be a while before I’m ready to revisit Spellslinger Academy- I was just that annoyed.

[James Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another in the books about the Spellslingers Academy, this set dealing with a future Guarding of the South. Dani already has problems dealing with the reputation of her family and her grandmother getting near death. Then one of the professors ends up disappearing and she encounters, a guy named Peter who is a smuggler but who also hides incredible powers of his own.

Then there's a political shift in things as it turns out some of the supernatural beings have a bone to pick with the others and a massive, perhaps unwinnable war is on the horizon.

So, a second-year trainee now has the job of finding a missing professor, dealing with the upcoming death of her grandmother, dealing with her families reputation and perhaps even saving the world. Talk about pressure!

[Chroniques_de_Siobhan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dans ce roman, nous découvrons les aventures de Danielle Montrose Degraff - Dani pour les intimes. La jeune femme est en deuxième année à l’Académie Lancesort ou elle s’entraîne à devenir une Sentinelle du Sud. Le passé de sa famille, et plus particulièrement les actions de sa grand-mère, a tendance à se mettre en travers de sa route. Cependant elle ne tient pas trop rigueur de cela à sa grand-mère, alors quand cette dénièrent adresse une ultime requête à Dani sur son lit de mort, Dani ne peut pas lui refuser. Cependant, en tentant d’accomplir cette requête, Dani va se retrouver mêlée à une situation particulière avec un jeune druide : en plein cœur de l’enquête concernant la disparition d’un de ses professeurs. Dani parviendra-t-elle à compléter la demande de sa grand-mère ? Quelle est d’ailleurs cette demande ? Dani et Peter parviendront-ils à comprendre la situation et à retrouver le professeur ?

J’ai beaucoup aimé découvrir cet univers et particulièrement le personnage de Dani. Sa volonté d’apprendre, de toujours faire mieux et de redresser la réputation de sa famille la rendent vraiment attachante et agréable à suivre. Peter de son côté est fort mystérieux au départ, on ne sait pas vraiment qui il est ou ce qu’il est. Il conserve longtemps une certaine part de mystère. Les petites piques et blagues entre eux deux étaient chouettes à lire. J’ai aussi beaucoup aimé la dynamique avec le groupe d’amis de Dani même si on ne les découvre pas en détail dans ce tome mais je n’ai pas lu la série précédente dans cet univers, ce que je vais maintenant m’empresser de faire afin de mieux les cerner eux et l’univers car il n’y a pas beaucoup de world building dans ce tome, ça a probablement été fait dans l’autre saga. Au niveau de l’intrigue, j’ai bien aimé l’enquête ainsi que les rebondissements. J’ai donc passé un chouette moment de lecture et je découvrirai la suite avec plaisir.

[NyxShadow · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5
Je suis plusieurs séries de l'autrice, mais je reconnais que je n'avais pas lu ses séries "YA".
En particulier, ce premier tome de la série sur Dani Degraff se déroule dans l'univers de la série Bryn Morrow. Je n'ai pas lu cette série ci, mais rassurez vous ce n'est pas un problème ! Cela peut se lire de manière tout à fait indépendante.
Au final on se retrouve sur une lecture très "consommable" : vite lu, vite oubliée.
Ce n'est pas désagréable, mais c'est du "jetable". Les personnages sont finalement peu développés, l'histoire est rapide et si on y réfléchi un peu, pas très crédible (des étudiantes qui vont se lancer dans une mission périlleuse avec l'aval de tout le monde parce que les autorités sont...lentes ?).
Pourtant ça fonctionne bien.
Certes, ce ne sera pas une lecture mémorable, un coup de cœur ou un incontournable. Mais ça reste distrayant, avec des personnages plutôt bien pensé (même si on aurait aimé un peu plus de consistance). Pas vraiment adapté en collège, malgré des personnages "jeunes", une lecture qui je pense sera plus à destination d'un public adulte aimant ce genre que pour réellement des adolescents.
Je lirai peut être la suite de la série, mais sans urgence, de même que l'autre série du même univers.
Mais je lis l'autrice sur des séries qui ont, un peu, les même défauts quoi qu'à destination d'un public plus adulte, alors je ne la met pas de côté !

[Blake · Rating 3 out of 5]

(FYI I tend to only review one book per series, unless I want to change my scoring by 0.50 or more of a star. -- I tend not to read reviews until after I read a book, so I go in with an open mind.)

Read back to back years ago with the other books in the Spellsingers series, decided to split by lead character.


First time read the author's work?: No

Will you be reading more?: Yes

Would you recommend?: Yes


------------
How I rate Stars: 5* = I loved (must read all I can find by the author)
4* = I really enjoyed (got to read all the series and try other books by the author).
3* = I enjoyed (I will continue to read the series)
or
3* = Good book just not my thing (I realised I don't like the genre or picked up a kids book to review in error.)

All of the above scores means I would recommend them!
-
2* = it was okay (I might give the next book in the series a try, to see if that was better IMHO.)
1* = Disliked

Note: adding these basic 'reviews' after finding out that some people see the stars differently than I do - hoping this clarifies how I feel about the book. :-)

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has the feel of what would be called a light novel in Japan. It's entertaining with enough side characters to pique most people's interest, though the world-building and magical system aren't earth shattering. I found the main character to be somewhat annoying, since she's "supermodel pretty," as is mentioned frequently by the author, as well as good at everything. What makes me less annoyed is that she is good at everything because she is not only hugely magically talented, but because she has put her nose to the grindstone to improve, partially in an attempt to redeem her family's name. She also loves her grandmother, and I'm always a sucker for stories with grandmas. Having described the main character, the story is a familiar one that we often see about second and 1.5 generation immigrant children, except with a tall hot blond supermodel in a fantasy setting.

P.S. I didn't realize that this was the first book in the second trilogy that takes place in this universe, so I will probably go back and read the first book of the first trilogy.

[Dharia Scarab · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since I don't normally write reviews unless I have something specific to say, here's the break down of how I rate my books...

1 star... This book was bad, so bad I may have given up and skipped to the end. I will avoid this author like the plague in the future.

2 stars... This book was not very good, and I won't be reading any more from the author.

3 stars... This book was ok, but I won't go out of my way to read more, But if I find another book by the author for under a dollar I'd pick it up.

4 stars... I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be on the look out to pick up more from the series/author.

5 stars... I loved this book! It has earned a permanent home in my collection and I'll be picking up the rest of the series and other books from the author ASAP.

[Amanda Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dani Degass

Dani has faced a life of rejection from everyone except her family following her grandmother's abuse of her powers. Losing the family wealth and descending the Degass line into the position of pariah's Dani's grandmother had her powers removed, Dani is the only one who shows her grandmother any compassion, but as granny is dying she asks Dani to obtain one last potion throwing Dani into a quandary.

Obtaining the potion needs to be done in absolute secrecy, as she tries to track it down she meets Peter Zilla, a druid smuggler, who's suspected of abducting the new potions teacher at Spellslingers Academy. Instinctively Dani knows that he is innocent and fights to help him prove it but Peter's hiding his true self can they overcome the truth about his nature.

[Beebee Bonsai · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sadly the story is mundane and predictable. The situations in which the characters find themselves lack credibility as their involvement in resolution of those situations is devoid of imagination. In addition, they come across as idiots because a potion maker goes missing but they hardly think to consider that the kidnapping is because of a potion needed for nefarious purposes.

Danny is haughty. It makes her less relatable and likeable. Her reaction when Peter’s hidden power is revealed is incredibly disappointing and points to her haughtiness and the fact that her lifelong experiences with being judged by her grandma’s actions have not taught her anything. An incredulous reaction.

[Laurel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second series set at the Spellslingers Academy. This series is focused on Dani, a side character from the Warden Of The West. In it, Dani, who is due to be the future Guardian of the South, is already dealing with the reputation of her family and her grandmother who is nearing death. When one of the professors ends up disappearing and Dani meets Peter, a smuggler with secrets, who is also the prime suspect in the disappearance.

This book was perhaps my least favorite. I just didn't connect to the characters the way I did in the previous books. It might be a me thing, I'm going to take a break from this series and maybe try again to continue later.

[BookwormMomma7 · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love reading Ms. Chase’ stories, them you know she always have characters with all kinds od attitudes, that need to go through some refining and this Sentry of the west is one of them, if you already read the Guardian of the West trilogy then you already met Dani, there are some parallels with her and Bryn and like Bryn Dani has to get out of the shadows and become comfortable with her life. I do not find her so arrogant, more self assured of what she knows but she does know her limitations. Read through the book is enjoyable and like Bryn’s the first in a trilogy, so just the start of the journey.

[Tameka · Rating 4 out of 5]

She is branished by the sins of her grandmother. Now she has to walk a mile in someone elses she and she is determined to prove them wrong. When one of her professors goes missing and her grandmother passes on, it is painful, but dear, old granny proves more helpful than she realizes. She does hate putting on this front, but wanting to bring back the family's name is really worth all the hassels she has to endure? The one person she thought she could trust and is falling for is the one who is holding on to the biggest secret. Will it destroy their friendship and budding romance?

[Emilye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spellslinger4;SOTS1

So Dani gets a shot at being front and center. We see her home life, and meet her grandmother.


Then a professor goes missing, Dani needs a potion, and lines intersect.

Both Dani and Bryn share types of power reserves that people in their families misused in costly ways. Abuse of power is a fear for both girls. And therefore, both girls need companions that encourage the testing and flexion of their abilities. Bryn has Gray, and now Dani has met Peter.

Let the games begin!

[Jacquelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

While some of the elements of the story was enjoyable, I couldn’t get the idea out of my head that these characters have been played with by the author before. I read a couple of other reviews and found out that this is actually a fourth book in the same world, which kinda disappointed me. It would’ve been nice if this felt a little more complete, but it was okay. This definitely isn’t something that can stand as a series separate from the other books of this author’s creation.

[Merhlynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hmmmm

I was thrown off with this book; the fourth book in the story, but the first in this series if that makes sense. Coming out of the last series with Badass Bryn as a protagonist, by book three I was really liking it. Then bam! Switched gears to Dani. Not that she isn’t great, but I was just thrown and it seemed like it took until the end of the book for my brain to switch gears… still good though.

[Dawn Gee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read

This is the second series of Spellslingers Academy. It's a fun nd exciting series. Dani was one of my favorites from the first series. Dani is very likeable and interesting. Peter is a new character. He has some secrets he wants to keep hidden. Dani and Peter are good for each other. I don't like Dani's family though, they're selfish.

[Deeann Pullman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book

The story of dani and Peter meeting and then becoming friends to help clear Peter's name after the schools teacher goes missing and all the stuff they go threw to find the teacher and the. Dani falling in love with Peter is perfect I loved it and cant wait to read more

[Marissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's Dani's turn to take the spotlight, and it's nice to get a better understanding of her background and the challenges she's been facing, beyond the usual school and training items. This book also reveals more about the world and gives us a better grasp of the history and experiences of various groups in the magical sphere, and caps off the case with quite the showdown.

[Avid · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved the first three books in this series and was eager to see what was next for them, but I was seriously disappointed. I just didn't like Dani. She's just blah, and so I couldn't get into this novel. Peter was kinda cool, but not enough to hook me. I might skip Dani's books and see whether the other characters excite me as much as the first.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m genuinely confused by the high ratings. I like idea of the book, but right from the beginning the characters aren’t believable. This man Danielle just meets earns her complete trust and faith without actually providing any justification. I couldn’t get into the book. I gave it the first 6 chapters to catch my interest. Sorry. Like I said I love fantasy. I really wanted to like this book.

[Trudy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dani is a young woman struggling to find out who and what she is outside of her family name which has been darkened by her Grandmother's mistake. She ends up stepping in to the middle of a mystery kidnapping and an unlikely partner. They embark on an exciting journey that is fun, at times funny, and helps her grow.

[Mike Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining series

Great story with a great cast of characters. But number two in this exciting new series of books. Four different authors writing about four which is in a new magical world.
The first two books in the series are out now check them out entertaining and fun read

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Need to read

Like all of Annabel M. Case's books this one will grab you from the first chapter and keep you until the end. It can stand alone but I recommend you start with Outcast.

[Jackie Bach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome

It was really interesting to see a book from Dani’s perspective. I thought she was interesting in Bryan’s series so it was cool to see her in more detail. I can’t wait to see what happens next!!!