Secrets of The Tally

Secrets of the Tally #1

by Halie Fewkes

Meet Allie: she's just woken up in an empty forest with blood on her hands and everything she's ever known wiped from her mind. In her survival-oriented world, people are hunted by vicious predators and it quickly becomes clear that they are specifically hunting her.
Allie's friends and sister have no insight as to why she's a target, and her only clue is a list of tally marks she finds tucked away, detailing how many lives she's saved and how many deaths she's caused. Judging by the amount of ink slashed across the page and the fact that nobody seems to know about it, Allie knows she used to have secrets that need to be recovered.
Without knowing whom to trust, she finds herself drawn to a new stranger in the caves they call home, and even though he won't talk about his own past, he's ready to help Allie recover hers.
The problem now is that Allie's instinct to survive is the only thing strong enough to bring her memories back. Flashes of her old self will only surface to save her from life threatening danger, so if she wants to avoid living as an echo of her former self, danger is what she must seek.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Magic, Amazon

Hardcover

First published August 21, 2015

Reviews

[Dorothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

MY FULL REVIEW IS ON MY BLOG! Check it out at http://dorothyrequina.wixsite.com/boo..., thanks! :)

3.75 stars! This book was sent to be by the author in exchange for an honest review, and an honest review you shall have!

I had so much fun with this book! It was a fast-paced quick read that felt almost “middle grade”-ish. And when I say fast, I do mean FAST. After the initial foundation of characters and the world were laid down, it was a breeze of heightened suspense and fighting and escaping. The magic system makes sense and I didn’t get lost in a whole much of hoo-hah explaining every single magical power and how mages come to be, they kind of just are and always were. It was refreshing especially because all that information wouldn’t have been necessary considering the kids in this story are still finding their powers. Fewkes also has a writing style that appeals to me. She is quite clever in her word choice and expression of things. Also, who can resist the badass fighter she created Allie to be. Love a good swords-woman. I only have a few things that I didn’t like. This story wasn’t really lined up with the synops. Rather than Allie experiencing danger to scare to memories back into her brain, her memories are really found through some digging. So my first impression and actual impression of this book do not match. Then, I also had a lot of difficulty with picture things, occasionally feeling like details were missing. Altogether though, I enjoyed this book! That ending was riddled with reveals that and cliffs that make me want to pick up Catching Epics, the sequel to Secrets of the Tally, right away.

[Laura Waxman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hope to do a proper review of this on my blog but just in case i don't... this was such a fun read with plenty of twists and turns throughout. I do want to read more of the series!
Allie was an interesting MC although there were at times in the beginning especially i got a little annoyed with her decisions. But then, I'm not a seventeen (?) year old with memory loss in a country at war. So. Archie kept me guessing as to who he really was and Leaf was a sweet addition to the story.
All in all, this was such a fun read in the midst of chaotic days. The only part I felt I got bogged down in was the big battle but, since the story is geared for teens, it didn't bother me all that much.
Definitely recommend this as it's full of adventure and fun and free of anything at all questionable.

[Chiara | wordsbychiara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fun read! The plot was very interesting and well layed out. My attention was peaked through the entire book and I was so concetrated trying to find the little clues to unravel the main character's identity that I completely missed the things that were right in front of my eyes. There were several plot twists--one that completely blew my mind away!
The characters in this book were very easy to relate to. None of them were perfect, and that was something that I liked about them a lot. They were real, and all of them unique in their own way.
The writing style was also very good. It was not too complicated and it was easy to follow. This is definitely an author to keep your eyes on. I can't wait to read Allie and Archie's future adventures!

[Lindsey Lynn (thepagemistress) · Rating 3 out of 5]

review to come soon

[Isabel (The Reader & The Chef) · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can also find this review at The Reader and the Chef. Huge thanks to the author for the review copy!

This book is fantastic! First of all, I fell in love with the book cover, it's so beautiful. The story is entertaining and it's action-packed right from the very first pages, making it fast-paced and incredibly easy to read. Also, Secrets of the Tally has mystery and intrigue which makes you pay close attention to small details to try to figure out what's going on before the main character. Unfortunately, I was unsuccessful! :(

What I liked:

Gosh, where should I begin? Well, I already said that it is full of mystery and intrigue and the book summary says that Allie, the main character, suffers from memory loss since the beginning of the book. She somehow has to find her way back home, but worry not, she finds it pretty soon after, meeting cool friends along the way. These characters are so amazing and I loved them. However, most of the acquaintances that Allie makes were people that she already knew but, thanks to her memory loss, she had to learn about them all over again. It was a fun way to get to know them!

I enjoyed reading this book so much because it reminded me of the old YA books that I used to read a few years back. Secrets of the Tally has a certain charm that makes me not want to stop babbling about. I don't even know what exactly makes me believe that, other than it's a mix of factors and small details like the cool friendships and the incredible world building inside it.

Also, there are some plot twists inside the book that I must admit I didn't see coming. Why, Halie Fewkes, WHY?! It completely caught me off guard! I guess I was too focused on getting Allie's memory back that I wasn't paying attention to other things. And BAM! Plot twist. Well played author, well played...

Ah! And have I mention how much I liked the main character? Allie is so cool. I genuinely think she is such a good character. It was so much fun hanging around with he and while I sometimes felt she acted a bit off, I gave her some space because she did lose her memory and that's not a small thing.

What didn't do it for me:

Does the fact that I don't have the second book to continue this story count as a negative thing to say? No?... Okay, then I have nothing to say.

Final Verdict:

Secrets of the Tally is AMAZING! I loved it and I must do anything in my power to get my hands on the second book. It's already out, I believe! Now if you excuse me, I will go fawn over this incredible book. days.

[Natasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I really enjoyed reading this book. Allie woke up without any memories, with a secret that neither her friends or family know anything about, and not knowing who she can trust is forced to try to survive in a world she knows hardly anything about. And it seems putting herself in danger is the only way to try to help get her memories back. 

I was swept away into the world within the pages of this book, and was desperately trying to figure out what was going on along side Allie- and when i thought i figured something out; it turned to be something completely different than i thought. I found myself putting trust and faith into people that Allie trusted, and disliking those she disliked- without much to go on. 

In Allie's world they are divided in two between the Humans and the Escalis- which are predators that are almost human in appearances. There are Mages- which are those that have magical abilities, but they usually only have one power per person. And there are Epics- those who have ALL of the abilities- and there is only one per generation, on both sides Humans and Escalis. And things aren't always as they seem...

Besides Allie who was a strong female character, despite her memory loss, I also really liked Archie- even when he turned out to not be what i expected. And I don’t want to give too much away, because it was such fun to have the mystery aspect to it while reading, and learning things at the same pace as the main character, and don’t want to take that away from anyone else. 

But i give this book 5 stars out of 5 stars i absolutely loved it, and already ordered Catching Epics- book 2, and cant wait to find out ehat happens next with our characters and their world! 

Thank you So much Halie Fewkes for writing, & sending me this great book. And i recommend it to anyone who likes books with magic, adventure, some mystery, & friendship. 



you can find my full review: https://winterwonderlandbooks.wordpre...

[Korpiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well! First book of the series is off to a pretty good start! I will admit, when I first picked up this book, I strangely found it hard to read at first? I think that was due to burnout from too many books in one sitting, but with everything that has been going on, I did find myself slacking in the finishing books department. However, I managed to sit myself down and finish it, and I’m glad I did! The story follows interesting characters is a just as interesting world. It even took a turn I didn’t expect! I absolutely was thrown off guard! I have the next books already with me, so I’m excited to start them as soon as I can! I definitely would check these books out if you’re looking for a new world to get lost into and characters to fall in love with. Be careful with who you get attached to, characters in this book are not always who they seem! Absolutely amazing read overall!

[Mary Woldering · Rating 4 out of 5]

When we meet Allie: she had just awakened alone and with blood on her hands. She has survived someone pursuing her but has no memory of why she woke where she did. In flashes her memory returns. There is a list of tally marks. She must discover what these are about in order to fully understand who she is and why she is now hunted. There are monsters, that list, and a stranger who seems to want to help, but can she trust him?
This book is the first of four and is not a stand alone. The end of the book doesn’t resolve much but will lead an eager reader to go for the next book. It’s a well-paced read and is suitable for middle-grade or junior readers who enjoy books about magic, dragons and wizards. A very entertaining read.

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to come as I gather my thoughts!

[Carrie Weston · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderfully enchanting tale full of adventure- twists and turns. A young girl with no memory who she is turns out to be one amazingly interesting character!
Highly recommend

[Kim McBride · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really fun read. I can usually figure out the plot twists but on this one kept me guessing. Really enjoyed reading this book and excited to read the next one

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

   I first heard about The Secrets of the Tally at the Baltimore Book Fest last year (2018), and thought it sounded like an interesting series when Halie Fewkes, the author, presented it to me at her table. I finally got around to picking it up last week, and found it overall an enjoyable read.

   Allie, our main character, wakes up in the woods with no memory (only some knowledge) of the world around her and herself, and she must quickly learn to survive and who to trust if she is going to figure out who she is and what she is supposed to be doing. More importantly, so she can figure out what her role is in the conflict between the Humans and the Escali of her world. I found the presentation of her memory loss done well, so that it explained how she knew the basics of life and surviving in the world, while simultaneously cutting her off from most every bit of information about who she was before the memory loss.

   Along the way, she meets energetic characters like Leaf, enigmatic ones like Archie, powerful ones like Sir Avery, loving ones like Liz, and friendly ones like West, Michael, and many others. But she also meets people out to hurt her and the ones she is coming to care about, such as the Escalis Sav and Gat. The people who surround her at the Dragona will play an important role in helping Allie stay on her feet as she finds – or rather, puts – herself in one dangerous situation after another to try to get her memories back. Along the way, she’ll discover some important things about herself, but will it ever be enough for her to find who she was and who she is supposed to be?

   The conflict between the Humans and Escali seems cut-and-dry at first, but the more we follow Allie and the more she learns, the more shades of gray come out. While I appreciated that there was a complexity to the conflict – as any conflict is never simple, always complex – I did find that the conflict itself, at least for what we learn of it, is pretty straight-forward. Without giving too much away, it’s the type of conflict that we’ve seen repeated again and again throughout history with stories of invaders and colonists. So far, I haven’t seen too much to make it much different than a “standard” story of that type. I’m hoping that upcoming books will reveal more depth to the conflict, and make it more unique to this particular fantasy world.

   As the story progresses, Allie makes some startling discoveries about herself and the conflict she was apparently so involved in. These revelations were done well, and with quite a few surprising tricks. While these discoveries don’t do much to bring back her memory, they do help her formulate who she is now, and that will help guide her in making important decisions.

   Which leads me to my biggest gripe about this book: the amount of confidence people show in her and how much they rely on her when it comes to assigning important, top-secret missions, even though they know that she has no memory of who she used to be or what she used to do. They assign her to these missions like she still has all her memories, putting leadership on her not-at-all-ready shoulders. Thankfully the people she has come to find herself surrounded with do a good job of stepping up and filling in various amounts of blanks and duties, but that cannot really justify the amount of trust put into Allie. People in positions of real leadership and power often go so far as to tell her in great detail about the defensive plan they have in place for an upcoming big battle, and then it is up to her, relying heavily on Archie, to determine how much to keep to herself and how much to share. I found it simply unbelievable the amount of trust they put in Allie for such important matters, knowing that she is pretty much not at all who she was, when clearly someone else will do just as fine a job making those decisions in her place. It puts Allie in a position where she and we are supposed to believe that she is fully capable of taking the best courses of action and is the best person to make the relevant decisions (and where we all know better, Allie included), but at important moments she (naturally and) inevitably ends up looking to someone else for leadership, which rather undermines the setting up of her as leader-material, past or present.

   In all, I’d say the first 2/3 or so of the book are the best, as they focus mostly on Allie trying to get her memories back and struggling with figuring out her relationship with those around her and who she can trust and how far. She has an interesting story, and the story in the world around her is interesting too. The interplay between the two, however, is rough to the point where parts become unbelievable even within the context of the book’s universe. Though it did lead to some pretty big revelations towards the end, which give us some good hooks to lead us into reading the next book, to see what they will mean for Allie, Archie, Liz, and the others. While this is marketed as a young adult novel, I think it reads equally well as a middle-grade novel, and have shelved it as such.

Favorite quotes:
The decisions you make… they’ll hurt you more often than you want, but that doesn’t mean they were wrong. – page 164-165/326

Losing hope is always the first step in losing everything. – page 166/326

Typos:
…before she collided barreled into me, ---page 31/326 – remove either “collided” or “barreled”

…was accompanied by tinkling of metal on the… -- page 39/326 – should be “by the tinkling”

…onto her shoulder to leave. I’ll keep trying to get a mind mage… -- page 78/326 – missing opening quotes before I’ll

…I asked, “Is your ankle alright.” – page 84-85/326 – closing punctuation should be a question mark instead of a period.

…cleaned the entire wreck in the dead of the night. – page 89/326 – “wreck” is supposed to be “Wreck” since it refers to the place, not the state of the place

I asked dropping the Escali with… -- page 117/326 – add comma after “asked”

…but talking to her was a little dry. – page 224/326 – missing closing quotation mark

…how to proceed when time of the battle arrived. – page 275/326 – should be, “when the time of”

…held for him marked his as an exceptional leader. – page 276/326 – “his” should be “him”

I see every last one of the Dragonan mages, quite a few warriors from Tabriel Vale, I’m also seeing a lot of… -- page 276/326 – should be, “mages and quite a few warriors from Tabriel Vale.” – breaking it up into 2 sentences works better.

The sounds of outside’s battle clearly filtered… -- page 285/325 – should be either “of the outside’s battle” or more traditionally, “of the battle outside”

This would be the end my secret. – page 293/326 – should be, “the end of my secret.”

Even with my Tally eyes… -- page 295/326 – seems SO strange to hear Allie referring to her abilities as related to her status as a Tally, so this is more of a ‘sounds weird’ to the point of throwing me out of the story a bit than an actual typo

…I had already had the [thistleweed] fever and was immune to it. – page 302/326 – Except, how can she know that for sure, that having gotten the antidote would now make her immune to it? Nothing in the text has indicated that thus far. Plus, going back to the description Archie gives us of thistleweed: “If you touch so much as one leaf, you come down with a delusional fever for three days and die.” (page 137/326) No mention or even allusion to the possibility that there is a remedy, and Mizelga didn’t exactly make it seem like the remedy is hard to come by/to make. Not to mention all the other people with immunity to it in Dincara – seems to me like thistleweed really shouldn’t be such a big deal, if it’s seemingly so easy to get the remedy which then ensures immunity.

Gyr voiced his opposition to having something tied to his leg, and he bit and clawed until Archie was bleeding, but finally done with the knot and already healing from the scratches. – page 306/326 – overall awkward wording in this sentence, plus how can Gyr hurt Archie when nothing can touch Archie through his shield? Only Archie can make the contact, and I doubt that him holding Gyr to tie him up would bring down his shield to allow Gyr to retaliate. Suggested revision: “…until Archie was bleeding. By the time he was finally done with the knot, he was already healing from the scratches.”

[Erika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Find more of my reviews at my blog Books and Stars.

**I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion in any way**

4.5 stars!

I wasn't sure what to expect with this book, but holy cow, it was good. It's a classic fantasy, filled with tons of likeable characters, unexpected plot developments and reveals, creatures, magic, and tons of action. Also, the hardcover is GORGEOUS. Like, it's nothing I've ever seen: shiny and smooth with a glossy feel. It is beautiful, with an equally amazing story folded between its pages.

This story is about Allie, a girl who wakes up with no memory and possessions expect a mysterious sheet of paper. One side reads Lives I've Saved and the other Deaths I've Caused, and both have tally marks on either side. Gaining back her memory isn't as easy as it seems, especially when it becomes apparent Allie had quite a lot of secrets to keep, none which she can remember anymore.

The system of the world's denizens was simple but unique: there were Humans (like you and me), and the Escali (evil quasi-humanoid creatures). Amongst the Humans were mages, the only people who can fend off Escali. Each mage only has one ability, except for the Epic, who is an extremely powerful being in possession of all the magical abilities. There are only two Epics: one Human and one Escali, and they thus lead the ever-constant battle between the two races.

For the first bit of the book, I found Allie's search for her lost memories a bit typical. Though her frustration and determination worked to set up her strong personality, I felt her beginning very similar to other amnesia character story arcs. However, everything changed once the plot picked up, and my like for Allie grew exponentially. She quickly came to accept there wasn't much she could do, and stopped trying to live a shadow version of herself, focusing on what she could do and not what she couldn't. I was so glad the plot wasn't revolved only around Allie regaining her memory; rather, Allie's memory lost was just a state of being, nothing more or less. Everything was bigger than her, which Allie recognized, putting the greater good of others first. That's a hero right there, and I loved her for it!


"I was done trying to identify with Old Allie, trying to make decisions she would have made. I was New Allie now, and I had to choose what I wanted to do, not for the sake of recovering who I used to be, but for the sake of moving on."


Can we talk a bit about how excellent the identities were done in this book? Not once was I ever able to successfully guess the true identities of people. The author did extremely well in leading me onto believe someone was of one identity, only to later reveal something completely mind-boggling and unexpected. And in my opinion, that made the story all the better, because this revelation happened to more than one character, constantly keeping me on my toes!

There is simply so much more to this world than it seems. Scratch that--there is simply so much more to the book than it seems. The instant the pacing and plot picked up, the book had me utterly engrossed, and I can tell the author isn't done with these twists. There are tons of secrets left to uncover, and if the first book has been any indication, those secrets are going to be nothing like what I'm expecting them to be. I am very much looking forward to the next book and to seeing what new and exciting revelations will occur!

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75/5!

Let me start off by saying that this is 100% the type of book I would write; Awesome Avatar-like magic, dragons, rival kingdoms, sea monsters, fluffy romance, mysteries and misunderstandings everywhere!

Secrets of The Tally follows Allie after she wakes up in the middle of a forest with no memory of herself, only a list of the apparent lives she's saved and the deaths she's caused. The story follows her on a journey back to the Dragona (basically Hogwarts for mages) in order to discover who she was and what she was doing in that forest in the first place. As secrets of her past life are revealed, Allie discovers that there's much more to her world and the people in it than what she thought!

There are so many things I love about this book:

1. First of all, it is incredibly fast-paced! There is never a dull moment!
2. The Escalis, these feral, almost werewolf-like creatures are both terrifying and intriguing and really help make this world stand out.
3. While the magic system isn't terribly unique or structured, (basically anyone can have any power ever) the way that the humans and Escalis both only get one epic, literally an Avatar, to protect them from the other race, is a really cool way to keep balance and add tension!
4. Archie and Allie's flirtship/friendship is SUPER cute. Wow they're adorable! JUST FALL IN LOVE ALREADY
5. Arguably my favorite part of this book is the major plot twist in the middle. It completely caught me off guard and threw what I thought I understood about the world to the wind! REALLY well done!

It's weird for me to say that I really don't have many critiques for this story! Other than that I always (oops) want more romance, Secrets of the Tally is an extremely solid introductory book that I highly recommend to anyone who wants to go on a fantastical adventure and learn a little bit about the dangers of prejudices and keeping secrets!
This book also is very appropriate for younger readers as there isn't any profanity or crude themes!

[Noelle Salazar · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the opening sequence to the epic battle of Dincara between Human vs. Escali, to the quiet ending leaving you and Halie Fewkes' beautifully written heroin melancholy but excited for a journey clearly just begun. Fast-paced, several mysteries woven throughout, and wonderful characters you can't wait to know more about. A fantastic first novel (a fantastic novel PERIOD). Summer of 2016 and the sequel can't come soon enough.

[melissa starheim · Rating 4 out of 5]

in all honesty i give this book a 4.5 stars, unfortunately i can't give half stars on the website but that's not to big of a deal. but i would say that this book is. i really enjoyed this book and can't wait to read the second book. now lets dive a little deeper into what i liked about this hidden gem.

so right off the get go this book takes off putting you right into the action. the best way i can describe it it that it is like the first couple minutes of a supernatural episode and i'm okay with that. then fro there on out there is action, there is no dull moment in this book and even better is that it flows smoothly.

another thing that i found really well done was the training and fight scenes, they are well written. as someone who has personal experience with hand to hand i found these scenes very well done and easy to follow. i could imagine everything really well while reading.

okay so i have never really read to many books with the main character having memory loss for the whole book. following Allie's journey as she discovers herself was incredible, i really enjoyed the fact that as you are finding this out about her she is doing the same thing. i also feel like this makes for very interesting character development for not just the main character but also the supporting characters as well.

this book also doesn't fall into any sort of love triangle, i mean don't get me wrong i do love my romance dilemmas and drama, but it is refreshing to have a book that doesn't have to rely on that. this is a great fantasy with mystery and action that doesn't drive itself with romance to move the story along.

okay so here comes my one downfall that i found with the book. throughout the book there were some scenes that i felt like they abruptly ended like they weren't quiet finished. this din't happen with every scene mind you, but i just felt like some parts that could of just been added to by just a couple of sentences.

so all in all this book was amazing and if you enjoy your fantasies and mystery i would grab this book as it will keep you on the edge of your seat the hole time.

[Amna the_book_witch_of_hogwarts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Allie, a strong female protagonist. (I love it when author’s give importance for women!!) I liked everything about her character! Sacrificing, dedicated, strong willed and caring! She’s perfectly perfect!!

Archie… I’ve just got one question… Why the fictional guys are so good? I loved Archie’s character! Though he gave me a mini heart attack at a certain moment, I loved the character!

Escalis… A different type of villains again! Umm…. Should I call them Villains? Nah…. I’ll leave my suspense for the next book. But I admired this different creation! The darker side of humans, the animals within the human beings were portrayed through Escalis! But there were nice ones too. Better Escaliis who were helping Allie and Archie. Every bad thing has some good in it. Isn’t it?

Ohh!! I almost forgot! The book has dragons in it!! I repeat! Dragons!! My love for dragons!!!

Talking about the book, it was fast phased and very interesting! The read was enjoyable and adventurous! Loved the setting! It was hilarious at times. A happy read it was!

A perfect plot! The author had been maintaining the curiosity from the beginning to the end! Definitely this book was full of surprises and this book got me! That means… I’m already planning to read the second book, “Catching Epics” soon!! I can’t wait to know what happens next!

A super-duper read for fantasy lovers like me!!! Of course! I recommend it to all of you! Grab the book and sit in your reading nook guys!! You’re going to love it too! Just like I did!!!!

[Amna the_book_witch_of_hogwarts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Allie, a strong female protagonist. (I love it when author’s give importance for women!!) I liked everything about her character! Sacrificing, dedicated, strong willed and caring! She’s perfectly perfect!!
Archie… I’ve just got one question… Why the fictional guys are so good? I loved Archie’s character! Though he gave me a mini heart attack at a certain moment, I loved the character!
Escalis… A different type of villains again! Umm…. Should I call them Villains? Nah…. I’ll leave my suspense for the next book. But I admired this different creation! The darker side of humans, the animals within the human beings were portrayed through Escalis! But there were nice ones too. Better Escaliis who were helping Allie and Archie. Every bad thing has some good in it. Isn’t it?
Ohh!! I almost forgot! The book has dragons in it!! I repeat! Dragons!! My love for dragons!!!
Talking about the book, it was fast phased and very interesting! The read was enjoyable and adventurous! Loved the setting! It was hilarious at times. A happy read it was!
A perfect plot! The author had been maintaining the curiosity from the beginning to the end! Definitely this book was full of surprises and this book got me! That means… I’m already planning to read the second book, “Catching Epics” soon!! I can’t wait to know what happens next!
A super-duper read for fantasy lovers like me!!! Of course! I recommend it to all of you! Grab the book and sit in your reading nook guys!! You’re going to love it too! Just like I did!!!!

[Stacia | stacialovestoread · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️
Our story opens with 2 kids running to help an injured girl. Unfortunately...that’s the end of the 2 kids but the beginning of Allie!

So it’s revealed that Allie has recently lost her memory and as such doesn’t know who she is or where she’s going or anything. After the raptor Escali attack, Allie makes friends with some people who say they’re going toward Dragona, a major city in this world. She catches a ride and meets her sister who has been worried about her.

Fast-forward a few weeks and Allie is settling back into her life at the Dragona. She still doesn’t have any memories of her past self but the new-Allie is content with where she’s at.

Our love interest/guide, Archie turns out to be a traitor and reveals that Allie is too! They go to Traitor Headquarters™️ and meet others in their squad and hatch a plan to take down The Man.

A big fight between the Good Guys and the Bad Guys results in death on both sides and some peeps being taken as prisoners. Allie is distressed and distraught but soon finds allies to fight the fight against the enemy.

~~~~~~

Halie has an amazing way with writing fight scenes: realistic and exciting! Her descriptions of locations are amazing too, which makes up for lackluster descriptions of characters; Allie is blonde, but is she tall or short? Muscular or curvy? Archie has red hair but is it is a dull red or strawberry blonde or orange-ish? Overall, I think this was a good tale. It’s a slow start but once the action starts and the first secret is revealed, everything really picks up!

[Reese · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such an amazing book with a surprising and clever mystery. The plot and story dive even deeper as you get into the series and have lovable characters. Of course there are the character you hate and the characters you want to hate but can't. I loved this series and would say its a must read to any of my friends. I only gave it 4 stars because I loved its sequel even more and had to say this one isn't as good even though its amazing.
I started reading the book just to see what it was about. I thought it would be ok but not fall into my favorites category. I was pleasantly surprised and found that this series made it to my top 3, only falling short of Harry Potter and Wheel of Time series.
This series and the story behind it, with the self publishing author from a small town inspired me to write even more. Since I live in the same town and have been working on my own book this series really has helped pushed me to create my own characters who are hopefully as lovable as the Tally's and Epics.

[Melissa Vinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story follows Allie, who wakes up in a forest covered in blood, and with no memory of herself. As Allie makes her way back to the Dragona, a training camp of sorts for young magical folk, she tries to uncover the secrets of her past, but it seems that the only way she can regain her memories is through imminent danger to herself.

This book is full of action from the very beginning, and it had my complete attention from start to finish. It felt more like a middle grade read than a young adult to me, and I enjoyed it tremendously. Middle grade/young adult fantasy seems to be my cup of tea! Secrets of the Tally is a fast paced, action packed adventure with magic, mages, dragons, sea creatures, relatable characters and plot twists. It’s full of secrets, mystery, and intrigue, and I can’t wait to continue this amazing story in the second book, Catching Epics.

[🦇demo🦇 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, so this book was amazing and terrible at the same time. The author started this book at 12, and it took her a long time to finish it. I could see the low quality in the beginning, so at first I was like ‘gah, just get through this’. Then, as it got more complex at the later parts, I found myself looking forward to reading it each day. It’s hard to explain, but it wasn’t about the characters, or the plot, it was about picking pieces of the story apart, examining, and just hacking your way through the length of the book. It was a great read. If you start reading it, don’t give up on it because of the beginning, because the book is actually really good. I really loved the concept of the sand in the box part, that was cool. I also loved Liz. Definitely recommend, look forward to reading the rest of the series!!!

[HIJXS DEL COSMOS · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual Rating (4.5/5 stars)
Dayum, what a book! Since the very beginning I was HOOKED to the story. The author managed pretty well the fact of maintaining some suspense in the story, something I very much appreciated! I love everything regarding mages, dragons, kingdoms, powers; fantasy in general, and this book HAD ALL THAT AND MORE! The characters were indeed one of the favorite things from the book. Each one of them was exclusively unique, with awesome personalities, specially Archie and Allie, those were my faves! The plot twists were pretty awesome as well. I am SO looking forward to reading the next book!

[Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I give this story a strong 3.5/5 stars! the vocabulary is expansive while still suitable for young readers, the focus on platonic relationships over romantic are fitting for the tone of the novel + always welcome, and the heroine’s journey emphasizes a woman’s ability to handle herself while simultaneously forced to confront her own prejudice and loyalties. Halie does an excellent job of setting up all the twists and turns while still providing each character their own voice. overall, I would definitely recommend it if you like world-built ya stories to the tune of percy jackson or similar. I for sure will be fitting the second one (CATCHING EPICS) among my expansive tbr.

[Maddy · Rating 5 out of 5]

My name is Maddy. My mom bought me this and the second book at a book signing somewhere in Pennsylvania I think? Maybe in Maryland, I don’t know. Anyways, I’ll just get to the point. I am in middle school, so I understand that some adults might not want a review from a kid and that’s okay. But I just want to thank the author Halie Fewkes for writing such an amazing book. The plot twists and challenges the characters face make the book fun and you never know what’s around the corner. I definitely recommend reading this book. I just finished it and I can’t wait to start reading the second one.

Ps: I love the map included in the front of the book. It was very helpful.

[Chessca (poodles.ponies.peonies) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book in exchange for an honest review and was thrilled to find that I loved it! Not only is the hardback absolutely gorgeous, but the story is completely gripping too. With a strong female lead, magic, dragons and adventure, it really is a page turner. Although I did find the beginning a little slow as it took time to set the scene, I soon found myself fully invested in the mystery. I was unable to put this book down and absolutely can't wait for the next instalment in this series.

[Daphne Paige · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5 ⭐

Secrets of The Tally is a great beginning to a surely EPIC fantasy series.
Fewkes brought the characters to life on the page. The relationships between all of them were excellently developed, and the entire book was non-stop action.
The plot twists were incredibly twisty, and I found myself sitting up and saying "No way" after I discovered a particular secret.
A small problem I had with this book (very small) was the periodical confusion on who was speaking or the difficulty with imagining a place that was described.

[Nathaniel Falls · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Secrets of The Tally is an adventure/Fantasy book where you follow the main character as she tries to remember her life and overcome her mysterious amnesia. The author takes you on wild adventures involving magic, wonder and amazement. It is really neat because I actually got to meet the author and have her sign a copy for me as she is a local author. I would definitely have this book as well as the entire series (which I soon hope to read) in my classroom library highlighting the author was directly from the PNW.

[Kaedyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I met the author at a local fair, and she is DARLING. She was so excited to share her story, and meeting her made reading it even more enjoyable. I love people's passion projects—she's been developing this series since she was 12!
I think this is a super fun YA/NA fantasy if you want to feel major nostalgia about Percy Jackson, Warriors, Bridge to Terabithia...definitely a similar vibe. I EASILY want to read the rest of the series, but I might have to wait until they're added to my local library due to, well, me being broke asf.

[Dawn • The Littlest Book · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received Secrets of the Tally in exchange for an honest review and found the book to be a great read. The book gives you mages, dragons, mermaids, and an epic battle between two warring people, and in the midst of it all is Allie who wakes up with no memory of her past but soon realizes that she holds some vital secrets that others want very badly. The story follows her as she tries to find a way to get those memories and secrets back. This book quickly picks up speed and throws some unique plot twists at you along the way. There is also a hint of possible romance but the story stays focused on the action which was refreshing to see. Some of the storyline wraps up by the end but it still leaves some things unanswered for the second book, which I need to go read now.
It was a story I definitely enjoyed and also see my daughter enjoying as well.