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Sentinel Trilogy #2.5
Witchpin
Jessica Bell was five years old when she lost her mother to the blight. Now seventeen and working her fingers to the bone in the summer of 1589, Jessica dreams of escaping both the village of Orville and her father’s drunken rages – a dream that feels all-but impossible amid the daily grind of sewing and bed-making.
But then comes news of a girl afflicted with a deadly fever, and it seems the blight has returned to torment the women of Orville.
Amid rumours that the afflicted danced with the Devil, Jessica is recruited by the cantankerous Miss Isabel Hallow to seek a cure. Set on a dangerous path into the dark heart of Orville, Jessica is confronted with horror at every turn, and when witch hunter Matthew Bone arrives in the village, Jessica herself is targeted, with chilling consequences…
Set in the same world as the gripping Sentinel Trilogy, this fast-paced prequel delves into a world where magic can be deadly.
Praise for The Sentinel Trilogy
‘A wild ride’ – SciFiNow
‘A sort of Buffy meets Shadowhunters meets Morse! I liked this a lot’ – Elizabeth Corr, co-author of The Witch’s Kiss Trilogy
‘I wish there had been more books like this around when I was a teen. I would have devoured them all, one after another’ – The Eloquent Page
‘Solidly entertaining’ – Starburst
‘Not for the faint-hearted’ – The Book Bag
But then comes news of a girl afflicted with a deadly fever, and it seems the blight has returned to torment the women of Orville.
Amid rumours that the afflicted danced with the Devil, Jessica is recruited by the cantankerous Miss Isabel Hallow to seek a cure. Set on a dangerous path into the dark heart of Orville, Jessica is confronted with horror at every turn, and when witch hunter Matthew Bone arrives in the village, Jessica herself is targeted, with chilling consequences…
Set in the same world as the gripping Sentinel Trilogy, this fast-paced prequel delves into a world where magic can be deadly.
Praise for The Sentinel Trilogy
‘A wild ride’ – SciFiNow
‘A sort of Buffy meets Shadowhunters meets Morse! I liked this a lot’ – Elizabeth Corr, co-author of The Witch’s Kiss Trilogy
‘I wish there had been more books like this around when I was a teen. I would have devoured them all, one after another’ – The Eloquent Page
‘Solidly entertaining’ – Starburst
‘Not for the faint-hearted’ – The Book Bag
119 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 1, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 25, 2018
Excerpt from my review - originally published at Offbeat YA.
PLEASE NOTE - THIS IS A JOINT REVIEW FOR THE WHOLE SERIES
Pros: On the whole, a fast-paced, high-stakes adventure, with a strong ensemble cast and plenty of heart.
Cons: Slow start, tapping into your typical orphan-to-chosen-one trope. Book 1 also has a strangely quaint atmosphere.
WARNING! Contains many elements of horror and gore, plus nightmarish monsters.
Will appeal to: Those who like apocalyptic scenarios (in the truest sense), everyday heroes, surprises...and cats. Those who like seeing characters come of age under exceptional circumstances.
First off...DISCLAIMER: I was offered a review copy by the author, having previously reviewed another one of his books (Vicious Rumer). We also follow each other on Twitter. This didn't influence my opinion on the series.
HITTING THE STRIDE
Straight-up fantasy books are not my thing, but I'm drawn to urban fantasy from time to time, and I do enjoy my Supernatural 😊. That's why I decided to take a chance on this series. I won't lie - Book 1 left me a bit lukewarm. I understand that world-building is necessary and takes time, plus we see most events through Nicholas' eyes, while on the one hand he discovers a new, terrifying world, and on the other is smothered in secrets for his own protection (ha! the old excuse). But my main problem with Sentinel was that its atmosphere is oddly dated, and I couldn't help but feeling like I was reading a historical novel. Of course, old England plays a huge part in the series, with settings like Cambridge or Bury St. Edmunds, and it was indeed nice to be able to visit a world that doesn't come up often in YA - but I'm talking about something deeper here, that to me prevented the series to fully spread its wings. Not to mention, there were a few tropes in Book 1 that sounded too typical - recently orphaned and clueless kid destined to save the world, old mentor, secret room, you name it. Luckily, once I started Book 2, I got sucked up into the story: the author seems to find his feet in Ruins, (not only because most of the world-building and the secrets are out of the way), and Splinter is a poignant, strong finale - while the Witchpin novella, set in a distant past but tied to the events recounted in the trilogy, is a welcomed glimpse into a different era and the origins of a certain pivotal character. [...]
Whole review here.
PLEASE NOTE - THIS IS A JOINT REVIEW FOR THE WHOLE SERIES
Pros: On the whole, a fast-paced, high-stakes adventure, with a strong ensemble cast and plenty of heart.
Cons: Slow start, tapping into your typical orphan-to-chosen-one trope. Book 1 also has a strangely quaint atmosphere.
WARNING! Contains many elements of horror and gore, plus nightmarish monsters.
Will appeal to: Those who like apocalyptic scenarios (in the truest sense), everyday heroes, surprises...and cats. Those who like seeing characters come of age under exceptional circumstances.
First off...DISCLAIMER: I was offered a review copy by the author, having previously reviewed another one of his books (Vicious Rumer). We also follow each other on Twitter. This didn't influence my opinion on the series.
HITTING THE STRIDE
Straight-up fantasy books are not my thing, but I'm drawn to urban fantasy from time to time, and I do enjoy my Supernatural 😊. That's why I decided to take a chance on this series. I won't lie - Book 1 left me a bit lukewarm. I understand that world-building is necessary and takes time, plus we see most events through Nicholas' eyes, while on the one hand he discovers a new, terrifying world, and on the other is smothered in secrets for his own protection (ha! the old excuse). But my main problem with Sentinel was that its atmosphere is oddly dated, and I couldn't help but feeling like I was reading a historical novel. Of course, old England plays a huge part in the series, with settings like Cambridge or Bury St. Edmunds, and it was indeed nice to be able to visit a world that doesn't come up often in YA - but I'm talking about something deeper here, that to me prevented the series to fully spread its wings. Not to mention, there were a few tropes in Book 1 that sounded too typical - recently orphaned and clueless kid destined to save the world, old mentor, secret room, you name it. Luckily, once I started Book 2, I got sucked up into the story: the author seems to find his feet in Ruins, (not only because most of the world-building and the secrets are out of the way), and Splinter is a poignant, strong finale - while the Witchpin novella, set in a distant past but tied to the events recounted in the trilogy, is a welcomed glimpse into a different era and the origins of a certain pivotal character. [...]
Whole review here.
March 22, 2018
I had the great pleasure of reading an early draft and the story did not disappoint. It was really fun to dig into the backstory of Josh Winning's fantastic Sentinel series.
August 13, 2023
Tbh I was quite dissapointed with this book, I was looking forward to reading about the events that triggered Jessica to be as fragile as she is in The Sentinel Trilogy but instead we were given her story from when she became a witch and her meeting with Isabel. Which wasn't necessarily a bad thing, just unexpected.
As such, its hard for me to link the past Jessica in this book and the present Jessica. In this book she was originally very headstrong, determined, and driven whereas in the sentinel trilogy she is frail and cowardly. I'd have liked another novella of her life perhaps set a bit later to create that link and to see the events that altered her personality.
Overall though it was an easy and enjoyable read.
As such, its hard for me to link the past Jessica in this book and the present Jessica. In this book she was originally very headstrong, determined, and driven whereas in the sentinel trilogy she is frail and cowardly. I'd have liked another novella of her life perhaps set a bit later to create that link and to see the events that altered her personality.
Overall though it was an easy and enjoyable read.
July 29, 2020
Great read, fast paced, likeable characters. A nice story about young girls, a village, Witches and the Devil( demon). Probably suited more for teenagers but an enjoyable read whatsoever. Would of liked to have read part one first but didn’t need to and got into the book before noticing as this was part 2.5.
4/5 for me. Enjoyed didn’t put it down and it was around 300 pages.
4/5 for me. Enjoyed didn’t put it down and it was around 300 pages.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews