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Descendants of the Curse #1
Descendants of the Curse: Jessie's Awakening
Jessie Mason is a normal junior in high school with a boyfriend, a lead part in the school musical, and straight A’s.
But on her seventeenth birthday, her parents reveal her true lineage—that she descends from the first ever immortal human race—the Community that drank from the Fountain of Youth millennia ago and unleashed mortality into the world. As the daughter of two original immortals who drank, her genes determine her path and Jessie learns she, too, will live forever. But there is a cost.
The Fountain of Youth must replenish its life-giving stores and to do so, it turns those who benefit from the waters into killers, demanding lives as payment for the eternal life it grants.
Paired with Tyler, another (cute) immortal descendant of the cursed waters, Jessie learns to hear and tame the water’s bloodthirsty voice, channeling her murderous impulses toward the Community’s more…productive use of her killer instincts.
As she leans into her new identity and grapples for control, she can’t help but feel drawn to Tyler, who may be the only person capable of understanding the sacrifices demanded of her. But someone else knows about her and is threatening to reveal her secrets, or worse…
Can Jessie keep those she loves safe by embracing the directives of the beast within? Or will the water’s call get the better of her, destroying not only who she is, but hurting everyone she cares about?
But on her seventeenth birthday, her parents reveal her true lineage—that she descends from the first ever immortal human race—the Community that drank from the Fountain of Youth millennia ago and unleashed mortality into the world. As the daughter of two original immortals who drank, her genes determine her path and Jessie learns she, too, will live forever. But there is a cost.
The Fountain of Youth must replenish its life-giving stores and to do so, it turns those who benefit from the waters into killers, demanding lives as payment for the eternal life it grants.
Paired with Tyler, another (cute) immortal descendant of the cursed waters, Jessie learns to hear and tame the water’s bloodthirsty voice, channeling her murderous impulses toward the Community’s more…productive use of her killer instincts.
As she leans into her new identity and grapples for control, she can’t help but feel drawn to Tyler, who may be the only person capable of understanding the sacrifices demanded of her. But someone else knows about her and is threatening to reveal her secrets, or worse…
Can Jessie keep those she loves safe by embracing the directives of the beast within? Or will the water’s call get the better of her, destroying not only who she is, but hurting everyone she cares about?
246 pages, Paperback
Published May 11, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 19, 2020
4 Cranky Stars
Jessie Mason is a typical high schooler, falling in love for the first time and doing what she loves best: performing onstage in a musical. After a great surprise party for her seventeenth birthday, her world comes crashing down around her. Her parents tell her that she is the descendant of an immortal race, one which drank from the Fountain of Youth centuries ago. . "Enjoy whatever is still normal for you now, Mason, because life as you know it is almost over."
Hey, being immortal isn't so bad, but in order to live forever, there is a cost. Once a month, Jessie will have to commit murder as payment for the eternal life granted by the waters. "You are the hands, the water personified, and it has to feed."
And another thing....Jessie has to break up with her boyfriend, abandon her best friend, and give up her starring role in the musical To make things even harder, her parents tell her that she is betrothed to another Immortal named Tyler Emmanuel. Can things get worse?
Of course they can! Jessie starts training to be able to live with the voice that she begins hearing. Maybe she is going insane? Or, maybe her parents are the insane ones. Jessie thinks that she can control the waters, but after several excruciating attempts to do so, she learns that it is not possible. "There's freedom in surrender." As she starts to surrender control, the voice seems to be pacified (at least for a while).
The Community of Immortals has devised a way to take care of the bloodlust of the voice while at the same time ridding society of some of the worst criminals. Jessie must come to terms with the fact that in order to live, she must commit murder. "I mean, who wants to be a ruthless murderer?" She also learns that there is a group of people who are trying to eliminate the Immortals. After receiving several threatening notes, Jessie doesn't know who she can trust. "I know what you are. I'm watching. You try to hurt anyone and you're dead."
I found this book to be a quick and enjoyable read. The story was well-written and the concept was unique. There is a little romance sprinkled in for fun and several great scenes of conflict between Jessie and her friends and younger sister. I look forward to continuing Jessie's journey as she comes to terms with her new normal.
Jessie Mason is a typical high schooler, falling in love for the first time and doing what she loves best: performing onstage in a musical. After a great surprise party for her seventeenth birthday, her world comes crashing down around her. Her parents tell her that she is the descendant of an immortal race, one which drank from the Fountain of Youth centuries ago. . "Enjoy whatever is still normal for you now, Mason, because life as you know it is almost over."
Hey, being immortal isn't so bad, but in order to live forever, there is a cost. Once a month, Jessie will have to commit murder as payment for the eternal life granted by the waters. "You are the hands, the water personified, and it has to feed."
And another thing....Jessie has to break up with her boyfriend, abandon her best friend, and give up her starring role in the musical To make things even harder, her parents tell her that she is betrothed to another Immortal named Tyler Emmanuel. Can things get worse?
Of course they can! Jessie starts training to be able to live with the voice that she begins hearing. Maybe she is going insane? Or, maybe her parents are the insane ones. Jessie thinks that she can control the waters, but after several excruciating attempts to do so, she learns that it is not possible. "There's freedom in surrender." As she starts to surrender control, the voice seems to be pacified (at least for a while).
The Community of Immortals has devised a way to take care of the bloodlust of the voice while at the same time ridding society of some of the worst criminals. Jessie must come to terms with the fact that in order to live, she must commit murder. "I mean, who wants to be a ruthless murderer?" She also learns that there is a group of people who are trying to eliminate the Immortals. After receiving several threatening notes, Jessie doesn't know who she can trust. "I know what you are. I'm watching. You try to hurt anyone and you're dead."
I found this book to be a quick and enjoyable read. The story was well-written and the concept was unique. There is a little romance sprinkled in for fun and several great scenes of conflict between Jessie and her friends and younger sister. I look forward to continuing Jessie's journey as she comes to terms with her new normal.
October 5, 2020
What would you do if, on your seventeenth birthday, your parents informed you of a family secret….that you’re immortal and, oh, just that you’re destined to become a killer?
Jessie’s world is turned upside down in every possible way. This is a story like none I’ve read before and I really enjoyed it. I was captivated from the first page. Poor Jessie, I had no idea how she was going to handle all the obstacles suddenly in her way and I felt for her, for what she had to do, and what was happening with her friends and sister. She struggles but navigates and powers through like a champ. I love her and Tyler’s friendship and loved watching their relationship blossom and grow. I loved how Tyler helps her find her strength and how they power through this together. I really enjoyed this story!
Descendants of the Curse is an energized story that I couldn’t put down and I can’t wait to see what’s next!
Jessie’s world is turned upside down in every possible way. This is a story like none I’ve read before and I really enjoyed it. I was captivated from the first page. Poor Jessie, I had no idea how she was going to handle all the obstacles suddenly in her way and I felt for her, for what she had to do, and what was happening with her friends and sister. She struggles but navigates and powers through like a champ. I love her and Tyler’s friendship and loved watching their relationship blossom and grow. I loved how Tyler helps her find her strength and how they power through this together. I really enjoyed this story!
Descendants of the Curse is an energized story that I couldn’t put down and I can’t wait to see what’s next!
June 24, 2020
I don't usually read Urban Fantasy, let's get that out of the way first. So I am unaware of cliches, stereotypes, and tropes that may be overused in this genre.
I won this in a giveaway, and the lovely C S Kendall signed my copy for me! 🙂
This book is also a follow-up to another series by C S Kendall, which I have not read. For this reason, some of the things I disliked about this book may not be valid, as they may have been explained in the previous books and I'm just big dumdum for reading this one first 😅
Let's get those dislikes outta the way first, yeah?
- sometimes it felt like there was a lot of telling instead of showing, though this was partially due to the first person narrative, which I don't usually read
- in addition, some of the characters' reactions felt...forced? Idk
- the world building and explanation for the immortality stuff felt shaky, but as I said, this is a follow-up story so maybe that's why
Likes:
- the relationships between the characters is amazing. The sisterly relationships between Jessie and her sisters, the relationship between her and her parents, the boyfriend, her bff...it's great, I loved that
- I loved Talia, Jessie's middle sister, and how their relationship formed and changed and blossomed. It was just...Y E S
- there was one plot twist (not gonna spoil) that I didn't see coming. Or at least, I didn't see the person's identity coming, and that was great
Overall, this was a solid story and I'm gonna try and find the original series, along with following the rest of this one.
I won this in a giveaway, and the lovely C S Kendall signed my copy for me! 🙂
This book is also a follow-up to another series by C S Kendall, which I have not read. For this reason, some of the things I disliked about this book may not be valid, as they may have been explained in the previous books and I'm just big dumdum for reading this one first 😅
Let's get those dislikes outta the way first, yeah?
- sometimes it felt like there was a lot of telling instead of showing, though this was partially due to the first person narrative, which I don't usually read
- in addition, some of the characters' reactions felt...forced? Idk
- the world building and explanation for the immortality stuff felt shaky, but as I said, this is a follow-up story so maybe that's why
Likes:
- the relationships between the characters is amazing. The sisterly relationships between Jessie and her sisters, the relationship between her and her parents, the boyfriend, her bff...it's great, I loved that
- I loved Talia, Jessie's middle sister, and how their relationship formed and changed and blossomed. It was just...Y E S
- there was one plot twist (not gonna spoil) that I didn't see coming. Or at least, I didn't see the person's identity coming, and that was great
Overall, this was a solid story and I'm gonna try and find the original series, along with following the rest of this one.
December 7, 2020
DESCENDANTS OF THE CURSE: JESSIE'S AWAKENING IS BOOK 1 IN THE YOUNG ADULT SERIES BY C.S. KENDALL. WOW WHAT AN EXCELLENT START TO A NEW SERIES. I LOVE THE UNIQUE STORY LINE THAT THE AUTHOR CREATED AND THE WELL DEVELOPED AND LIKEABLE CHARACTERS. JESSIE LEARNS A FAMILY SECRET ON HER 17TH BIRTHDAY THAT SHE IS IMMORTAL, WHOSE ANCESTORS DRANK FROM THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH. NOW IN ORDER TO SURVIVE, SHE HAS TO FEED WHATS INSIDE OF HER BY BECOMING A KILLER.
THIS STORY DID NOT DISAPPOINT AND YOU WERE HOOKED FROM THE VERY FIRST PAGE. I LOVE WATCHING JESSIE DEVELOPING INTO A STRONG WOMAN ALONG WITH THE HELP OF HER FRIEND, TYLER AND HER PARENTS. THIS MY FIRST BOOK BY AUTHOR, C.S. KENDALL AND WILL NOT BE MY LAST. I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO READING MORE BOOKS IN THIS SERIES. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS SERIES AS IT IS TRULY UNIQUE AND ORIGINAL AND WILL HAVE YOU GUESSING UNTIL THE VERY END. A MUST READ FOR YOUNG ADULT FANS OR EVEN FANS OF PARANORMAL.
THIS STORY DID NOT DISAPPOINT AND YOU WERE HOOKED FROM THE VERY FIRST PAGE. I LOVE WATCHING JESSIE DEVELOPING INTO A STRONG WOMAN ALONG WITH THE HELP OF HER FRIEND, TYLER AND HER PARENTS. THIS MY FIRST BOOK BY AUTHOR, C.S. KENDALL AND WILL NOT BE MY LAST. I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO READING MORE BOOKS IN THIS SERIES. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS SERIES AS IT IS TRULY UNIQUE AND ORIGINAL AND WILL HAVE YOU GUESSING UNTIL THE VERY END. A MUST READ FOR YOUNG ADULT FANS OR EVEN FANS OF PARANORMAL.
May 17, 2020
C.S. Kendall has done it again. Jessie’s story is a fascinating twist on the cursed water from “The Killing Cure” trilogy. This book will keep you hooked from beginning to end.
May 14, 2020
Descendants of the Curse: Jessie's Awakening is the first book in the young adult fantasy series by C.S. Kendall. The Descendants of the Curse series is a spin off series to Kendall's original series, The Killing Cure. I have not read The Killing Cure yet, but I found that I did not need to in order to enjoy this book. Descendants of the Curse: Jessie's Awakening is the story of Jessie as she turns 17 and learns of her families role with the fountain of youth. I thought the origin story of how life was when the fountain was discovered was fascinating. It was part magical society and part pandora's box/garden of eden. Life was basically a Utopia until someone broke the forbidden rule of drinking the fountain's waters. It was an interesting setup that I have not seen explored in young adult fantasy yet. (let me know in the comments below if you have any other fountain of youth book recs for me!)
Jessie is our main character in this tale. I liked Jessie. She is just an ordinary girl who loved participating in school plays until her parents turn her life upside and dumped her true role- as a descendant of an original immortal who drank from the Fountain of Youth. In order to maintain her immortality the fountain demands a payment in the form of lives. To make things more complicated, there are also a group of descendants of the families that did not drink from the fountain that are trying to restore balance by eliminating all of the immortals and their descendants. I thought the concept for the story was really great. And I loved Jessie and Tyler's relationship. He really stepped by big time with everything that was going on
The plot was my favorite aspect of the story. I was annoyed at Jessie and her parents at times. Jessie is a full blown teenager- prone to extreme dramatics and she has a tendency to bury her head in the sand when she doesn't want to deal with something. I get that this whole situation was a huge shock for her but I do wish she stepped up and took charge a little sooner. And don't get me started on her parents. I have never been a fan of parents keeping their kids in the dark with some big family secret in fantasy novels. I think it always leaves the kids ill prepared to face the new scary adventure that is thrust on them, and I think that was exactly the case here. I wish her parents would have let her and her sisters in on the deal early on, which would have helped with her training and helped her to implement their "iron clad plan" that they have in place for the urges to kill that the fountain was going to impose upon them. You would think they would want their kids to have as much of a fighting chance, but no they decide the time to tell her is about 1 day before the urges start. It just never makes much sense to me to keep everyone in the dark until the last minute. But once I got past that pet peeve of mine, the story was really great. I can't wait to continue on with the series. I am hoping for some good character growth in the second book, and I also want to read the original Killing Cure series because I think I will learn more about the Fountain of Youth in that series.
Bottom line: This was a solid start to a series. The premise is fresh and interesting. I did have a few annoyances with the main character and her parents, but overall I enjoyed the plot of Descendants of the Curse: Jessie's Awakening and I am interested in finding out where the series will go next.
Jessie is our main character in this tale. I liked Jessie. She is just an ordinary girl who loved participating in school plays until her parents turn her life upside and dumped her true role- as a descendant of an original immortal who drank from the Fountain of Youth. In order to maintain her immortality the fountain demands a payment in the form of lives. To make things more complicated, there are also a group of descendants of the families that did not drink from the fountain that are trying to restore balance by eliminating all of the immortals and their descendants. I thought the concept for the story was really great. And I loved Jessie and Tyler's relationship. He really stepped by big time with everything that was going on
The plot was my favorite aspect of the story. I was annoyed at Jessie and her parents at times. Jessie is a full blown teenager- prone to extreme dramatics and she has a tendency to bury her head in the sand when she doesn't want to deal with something. I get that this whole situation was a huge shock for her but I do wish she stepped up and took charge a little sooner. And don't get me started on her parents. I have never been a fan of parents keeping their kids in the dark with some big family secret in fantasy novels. I think it always leaves the kids ill prepared to face the new scary adventure that is thrust on them, and I think that was exactly the case here. I wish her parents would have let her and her sisters in on the deal early on, which would have helped with her training and helped her to implement their "iron clad plan" that they have in place for the urges to kill that the fountain was going to impose upon them. You would think they would want their kids to have as much of a fighting chance, but no they decide the time to tell her is about 1 day before the urges start. It just never makes much sense to me to keep everyone in the dark until the last minute. But once I got past that pet peeve of mine, the story was really great. I can't wait to continue on with the series. I am hoping for some good character growth in the second book, and I also want to read the original Killing Cure series because I think I will learn more about the Fountain of Youth in that series.
Bottom line: This was a solid start to a series. The premise is fresh and interesting. I did have a few annoyances with the main character and her parents, but overall I enjoyed the plot of Descendants of the Curse: Jessie's Awakening and I am interested in finding out where the series will go next.
May 15, 2020
This was a delightful quarantine companion. It kept adult-me turning the pages quickly, enjoying the suspense, but I think teenage-me would have especially loved it!
I read and enjoyed the Killing Cure trilogy, and the premise of that trilogy and this new series is really intriguing. Through all these books, the water of the fountain of youth is skillfully developed as a dangerous and alluring character that interacts with the humans it possesses and those around them.
Jessie’s emotional development through the book is one of the gems of this story. She is wrestling with many normal teenage emotions and dramas, but suddenly with a new layer of learning she is immortal. And not only immortal, immortal with a specific burden of murderous water inside her.
I as the reader struggled alongside Jessie, wanting her to fight the murderous water as much as she wanted to fight it. But it raises good human questions for us - when do we fight impulses and when do we submit to them? I think there would be some great discussion in a book club about some of these themes.
All good books, fiction and non-fiction, lead us to ask important questions. This one certainly did. For another example, the “villain” in this story was the victim of tragic circumstances (ie abandonment and abuse as a child) that led him to do terrible things. The protagonist was the victim of tragic circumstances (ie family curse) that led her to do terrible things. Does one deserve to die more than the other?
Perhaps I’m looking a little too deep here - mostly I really enjoyed the entertainment value of a well-woven page turner! I look forward to meeting more descendants of the curse through future books in this series.
I read and enjoyed the Killing Cure trilogy, and the premise of that trilogy and this new series is really intriguing. Through all these books, the water of the fountain of youth is skillfully developed as a dangerous and alluring character that interacts with the humans it possesses and those around them.
Jessie’s emotional development through the book is one of the gems of this story. She is wrestling with many normal teenage emotions and dramas, but suddenly with a new layer of learning she is immortal. And not only immortal, immortal with a specific burden of murderous water inside her.
I as the reader struggled alongside Jessie, wanting her to fight the murderous water as much as she wanted to fight it. But it raises good human questions for us - when do we fight impulses and when do we submit to them? I think there would be some great discussion in a book club about some of these themes.
All good books, fiction and non-fiction, lead us to ask important questions. This one certainly did. For another example, the “villain” in this story was the victim of tragic circumstances (ie abandonment and abuse as a child) that led him to do terrible things. The protagonist was the victim of tragic circumstances (ie family curse) that led her to do terrible things. Does one deserve to die more than the other?
Perhaps I’m looking a little too deep here - mostly I really enjoyed the entertainment value of a well-woven page turner! I look forward to meeting more descendants of the curse through future books in this series.
May 10, 2020
On Jessie Mason's seventeenth birthday, her parents sit her down and tell her a horrible secret: thanks to an age-old curse brought about by a fountain of youth, she's immortal....but she's also destined to be a killer.
I've read every one of Ms. Kendall's books she has released so far, and I think this one is my favorite. It helps if you've read her Killing Cure series before you read this one, to get the full picture of what happened with the Fountain in the past, but it's not absolutely necessary.
I received a free advance copy from the author. My review is voluntary.
I've read every one of Ms. Kendall's books she has released so far, and I think this one is my favorite. It helps if you've read her Killing Cure series before you read this one, to get the full picture of what happened with the Fountain in the past, but it's not absolutely necessary.
I received a free advance copy from the author. My review is voluntary.
August 4, 2020
Teen years are hard to begin with. Now Jessie is handed another hardship to bear. Thankfully her friendship with Tyler is where he can help her through this unexpected and unexcusable time from her parents. This interesting and exciting story was intriguing and fun and left me wanting to read more about these complex characters. Good read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
May 27, 2020
I really enjoyed this book. It’s very well written with a great flow and characters. The story grabs your interest from the start and pulls you in. This is a first for me by this author and I look forward to reading more. I would recommend reading.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews