What do you think?
Rate this book
Before The Echo
The supernatural world has ruptured. On the horizon looms a battle from which there is no return.
A powerful band of deadly supernaturals has united, ready to reveal their existence to the natural world, and prepare to take their place at the head of humanity.
By force.
It will mean immediate and swift destruction of every society across the world.
All that stands in their way is a small cadre of supernaturals from the Louisiana Bayou who have yet to be fully trained.
To successfully make their stand, the novice supers will need to call on other paranormal beings who live in and around Savannah; allies from the darkest corners of the paranormal world.
As lives are lost and the balance of power starts to tip, the young paranormals and their supernatural counterparts must dig in for a war that could change everything.
When supers turn against supers, only the powerful will survive.
A powerful band of deadly supernaturals has united, ready to reveal their existence to the natural world, and prepare to take their place at the head of humanity.
By force.
It will mean immediate and swift destruction of every society across the world.
All that stands in their way is a small cadre of supernaturals from the Louisiana Bayou who have yet to be fully trained.
To successfully make their stand, the novice supers will need to call on other paranormal beings who live in and around Savannah; allies from the darkest corners of the paranormal world.
As lives are lost and the balance of power starts to tip, the young paranormals and their supernatural counterparts must dig in for a war that could change everything.
When supers turn against supers, only the powerful will survive.
247 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 29, 2020
5 people are currently reading
7 people want to read
About the author
Alex Westmore
42 books146 followersAlex Westmore lives in the oven called Palm Springs, where she rescues desert tortoises, lizards, and a snake or two. One tortoise, Fancy Pants, is nearing 80 pounds and is eating Alex out of house and home! Havig travelled around the world to get closer to the action, she has spent time with Voodun in New Orleans, medicine men in the Southwest, and a Shaman in the Amazon. She has travelled to Galway, Ireland where her pirate captain, Grace O'Malley lived, ridden on the back of an elephant on safari, and raced an ostrich. Her adventures both keep her OUT of trouble as well as put her INTO trouble.
Alex is also a five-time award winning author of several series, from zombies to demons to empaths, oh my! When she isn’t writing, she’s thinking about writing and imagining where her next great adventure will take her, often, it takes her out onto the backroads of Southern California on her awesome beast of a Harley.
Spice up your life! Join Alex on her next amazing adventure… you will be so glad you did.
aka Linda Kay Silva
Blog
Alex is also a five-time award winning author of several series, from zombies to demons to empaths, oh my! When she isn’t writing, she’s thinking about writing and imagining where her next great adventure will take her, often, it takes her out onto the backroads of Southern California on her awesome beast of a Harley.
Spice up your life! Join Alex on her next amazing adventure… you will be so glad you did.
aka Linda Kay Silva
Blog
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
January 5, 2021
It's good to get a glimpse of the 'secondary' characters in a series.
Too bad there are no new Echo books to follow this one.
Too bad there are no new Echo books to follow this one.
September 1, 2020
I really liked the concept of this book. The story is unique and interesting. However, there were alot of characters with alot of different powers and I did get confused often trying mind map them.
Overall, it was a refreshing read because its not "like every story". There is alot of action, interesting powers, and snarky characters.
Overall, it was a refreshing read because its not "like every story". There is alot of action, interesting powers, and snarky characters.
August 14, 2020
I was sent this book in exchange for an honest review. I was told it's meant to be a prequel to one of the author's series, although it can be read as a standalone.
I really like the idea behind this book (and I guess the series). It takes place in a world where "supers" exist secretly in a world of "naturals," or normal people. These supers have powers such as telekinesis, teleportation, and necromancy. I love superheroes and sci-fi stuff like this, so when I read the blurb I was really interested. But as soon as I started reading I was confused. There were too many characters, too many superpowers, and not enough world building. *However, I may have been confused because I haven't read the series, which is why I gave the book 3 stars instead of 2. I don't want to rate it as a standalone if it wasn't meant to be one.*
The book started way too abruptly in my opinion. I felt like I was jumping into a movie that was already ten minutes in. I didn't know what was going on, or who I should be focusing on, or what I should be worried about. Everything moved too quickly and not enough explanation was given. I didn't entirely understand what Tomas and Frankie (two of the protagonists) were sent to do, and I didn't realize why they were trying to find Ebony (another super) until I was like ¾ of the way done with the book.
There also didn't seem to be much of a plot. Here's my summary of the book from what I understood of it:
There are supers killing supers (because they're not powerful? An embarrassment to their name? I didn't really get that-it didn't relate at all to the plot except for giving Tomas and Frankie a reason to leave the bayou) and they want to take over the world. There's a group of supers from the bayou that don't want that because the naturals aren't ready to accept supers and they fear they'd be studied or killed. The evil supers want Ebony because she can teleport and I guess that's useful to them. The good supers are investigating the dead supers when they somehow hear about Ebony and decide to try to find her.
The fight scenes were pretty cool because you get to see all the different powers in action, but that doesn't entirely make up for the lack of plot. I didn't really care about any of the characters and I wasn't super invested in the story.
Overall, kind of confusing and not a super strong plot, but a cool idea and exciting fight scenes. I wouldn't really recommend the book unless you've read the series because it's just a bit too confusing at the beginning without any background knowledge.
I really like the idea behind this book (and I guess the series). It takes place in a world where "supers" exist secretly in a world of "naturals," or normal people. These supers have powers such as telekinesis, teleportation, and necromancy. I love superheroes and sci-fi stuff like this, so when I read the blurb I was really interested. But as soon as I started reading I was confused. There were too many characters, too many superpowers, and not enough world building. *However, I may have been confused because I haven't read the series, which is why I gave the book 3 stars instead of 2. I don't want to rate it as a standalone if it wasn't meant to be one.*
The book started way too abruptly in my opinion. I felt like I was jumping into a movie that was already ten minutes in. I didn't know what was going on, or who I should be focusing on, or what I should be worried about. Everything moved too quickly and not enough explanation was given. I didn't entirely understand what Tomas and Frankie (two of the protagonists) were sent to do, and I didn't realize why they were trying to find Ebony (another super) until I was like ¾ of the way done with the book.
There also didn't seem to be much of a plot. Here's my summary of the book from what I understood of it:
There are supers killing supers (because they're not powerful? An embarrassment to their name? I didn't really get that-it didn't relate at all to the plot except for giving Tomas and Frankie a reason to leave the bayou) and they want to take over the world. There's a group of supers from the bayou that don't want that because the naturals aren't ready to accept supers and they fear they'd be studied or killed. The evil supers want Ebony because she can teleport and I guess that's useful to them. The good supers are investigating the dead supers when they somehow hear about Ebony and decide to try to find her.
The fight scenes were pretty cool because you get to see all the different powers in action, but that doesn't entirely make up for the lack of plot. I didn't really care about any of the characters and I wasn't super invested in the story.
Overall, kind of confusing and not a super strong plot, but a cool idea and exciting fight scenes. I wouldn't really recommend the book unless you've read the series because it's just a bit too confusing at the beginning without any background knowledge.
August 18, 2020
I was sent this book in exchange for an honest review. I was informed it is meant to be a prequel to one of the author's series, although it can be read as a standalone.
I really enjoyed this book and had a hard time putting it down. I love stories that have characters with super powers and I loved some of the abilities highlighted that you don't always see in other books (Bailey's probably being my favorite ability). There are several characters that you meet along the journey, but I never had a hard time differentiating them or confusing their abilities as others have mentioned in their reviews. I am used to reading stories with several characters that you have to juggle. There was maybe one character where I couldn't remember exactly which power they had (Sebastian), but other than that I didn't have a problem.
I felt like the world was believable and enjoyed diving into it. I liked the diversity in characters with gender, sexual orientation, and race. I haven't read any of the author's previous work but from other reviews I can see there are character types they like to include in their stories and I really liked that aspect, learning about it after the fact. Even though Tomas is the main character, and the story is revolving around him, I really like that all the female characters, on each side of the fight, were strong characters who were funny, intelligent, witty, opinionated, assertive, physically and mentally strong, etc. It's always refreshing to see.
I wasn't ever confused by the plot either and I am somewhat surprised that this came up a few times in other reviews. Even though I hadn't read the first book of this series, I was able to jump right into the world. Maybe I just automatically fill in some blanks with my own imagination until the author fills them in for me? I'm not sure.
I also loved a lot of the setting of this book being in New Orleans and the bayou. I watched the Originals and other films/tv that highlight the bayou and the grave yards in New Orleans...and so I could transport myself there. I especially liked that about this book, because shows like that are so close to my heart, that it made reading the story that much more fun and exciting.
I certainly going to be reading the rest of the series, as well as look into the Denny Silver books since this character made an appearance. I loved the story behind this Demon Hunter and would love to learn more about her origins and adventures. Sometimes these types of stories are not for everyone, but if you like adventures with supernatural characters, I'd think you'd enjoy this one!
I really enjoyed this book and had a hard time putting it down. I love stories that have characters with super powers and I loved some of the abilities highlighted that you don't always see in other books (Bailey's probably being my favorite ability). There are several characters that you meet along the journey, but I never had a hard time differentiating them or confusing their abilities as others have mentioned in their reviews. I am used to reading stories with several characters that you have to juggle. There was maybe one character where I couldn't remember exactly which power they had (Sebastian), but other than that I didn't have a problem.
I felt like the world was believable and enjoyed diving into it. I liked the diversity in characters with gender, sexual orientation, and race. I haven't read any of the author's previous work but from other reviews I can see there are character types they like to include in their stories and I really liked that aspect, learning about it after the fact. Even though Tomas is the main character, and the story is revolving around him, I really like that all the female characters, on each side of the fight, were strong characters who were funny, intelligent, witty, opinionated, assertive, physically and mentally strong, etc. It's always refreshing to see.
I wasn't ever confused by the plot either and I am somewhat surprised that this came up a few times in other reviews. Even though I hadn't read the first book of this series, I was able to jump right into the world. Maybe I just automatically fill in some blanks with my own imagination until the author fills them in for me? I'm not sure.
I also loved a lot of the setting of this book being in New Orleans and the bayou. I watched the Originals and other films/tv that highlight the bayou and the grave yards in New Orleans...and so I could transport myself there. I especially liked that about this book, because shows like that are so close to my heart, that it made reading the story that much more fun and exciting.
I certainly going to be reading the rest of the series, as well as look into the Denny Silver books since this character made an appearance. I loved the story behind this Demon Hunter and would love to learn more about her origins and adventures. Sometimes these types of stories are not for everyone, but if you like adventures with supernatural characters, I'd think you'd enjoy this one!
August 15, 2020
I was glad I read the other book in this series first, because I knew a little more about the way the powers work and who Melika and Tomas were. Tomas acted a lot differently in this book than later in his timeline. The trauma and grief that he faces I guess shows how he became who he was in the other book, but he seemed a lot more reactive than I expected. He was also a lot more judgmental and rude, which was disappointing. Later in the book, when he outs another character and immediately states that he doesn’t want to tell other people’s stories.. I found that to be very hypocritical and sad.
Near the beginning, two of the supers discuss the powers of other supers. It’s probably supposed to be exposition but it’s done in such a negative way that it makes them seem like bigots, even though they are supers themselves. I thought it was a pretty odd way to introduce the other powers in this world. Through a basically racist lens that makes them seem prejudice against their own kind, as if they don’t understand the powers that they already know to exist.
There’s a lot of new superpowers in this book and I started getting confused about what power was what about halfway through. I wish they had been explained a little more in depth. By the end, I was also a little confused about names and who was on what side.
This book had a much more linear story structure and plot line with more action sequences that were fun to read. But I felt like it still lacked nuance and detail in some places.
Near the beginning, two of the supers discuss the powers of other supers. It’s probably supposed to be exposition but it’s done in such a negative way that it makes them seem like bigots, even though they are supers themselves. I thought it was a pretty odd way to introduce the other powers in this world. Through a basically racist lens that makes them seem prejudice against their own kind, as if they don’t understand the powers that they already know to exist.
There’s a lot of new superpowers in this book and I started getting confused about what power was what about halfway through. I wish they had been explained a little more in depth. By the end, I was also a little confused about names and who was on what side.
This book had a much more linear story structure and plot line with more action sequences that were fun to read. But I felt like it still lacked nuance and detail in some places.
August 8, 2020
I’ve read many books by Alex Westmore and this one has her trademark action and adventure. It’s a fun romp. For everyone who reads her fiction with lesbian leads, this features a man as the main protagonist, although there is an incidental lesbian protagonist with less page time. If you’re looking for lesfic, this isn’t it, although Denny Silver from the Silver Legacy series does make an appearance. I love her character, even if it’s just a cameo.
In this tale of people with supernatural abilities, like clairvoyance, telekinesis, telepathy and so on, Tomas is the hero. He has to become a leader, which he does not want to be. He has some sidekicks, like Bailey who can call animals to do her bidding. There are a lot of players on both sides, but I didn’t have any trouble keeping them in my head although I didn’t always remember their abilities.
I enjoyed the book for what it was – a paranormal action story with a little humor inserted occasionally and some tragedy. I liked how the women kept putting Tomas in his place. I would have liked to have known more of the other characters and their histories, but this is really Tomas’s book. This series is not aimed at me, so I probably won’t read the rest of the series, but I will be revisiting the Silver Legacy soon.
I received an ARC for an honest review.
In this tale of people with supernatural abilities, like clairvoyance, telekinesis, telepathy and so on, Tomas is the hero. He has to become a leader, which he does not want to be. He has some sidekicks, like Bailey who can call animals to do her bidding. There are a lot of players on both sides, but I didn’t have any trouble keeping them in my head although I didn’t always remember their abilities.
I enjoyed the book for what it was – a paranormal action story with a little humor inserted occasionally and some tragedy. I liked how the women kept putting Tomas in his place. I would have liked to have known more of the other characters and their histories, but this is really Tomas’s book. This series is not aimed at me, so I probably won’t read the rest of the series, but I will be revisiting the Silver Legacy soon.
I received an ARC for an honest review.
August 6, 2020
Received a copy from The Inspired Quill. Here's the blurb:
"The supernatural world has ruptured. On the horizon looms a battle from which there is no return.
A powerful band of deadly supernaturals has united, ready to reveal their existence to the natural world, and prepare to take their place at the head of humanity.
By force.
All that stands in their way is a small cadre of supernaturals from the Louisiana Bayou who have yet to be fully trained. To successfully make their stand, the novice supers will need to call on other paranormal beings who live in and around Savannah; allies from the darkest corners of the paranormal world.
As lives are lost and the balance of power starts to tip, the young paranormals and their supernatural counterparts must dig in for a war that could change everything.
When supers turn against supers, only the powerful will survive."
TRIGGER WARNINGS FOR: violence, drug abuse
I had a hard time getting into this book. There were so many characters instantly thrown at you without the benefit of world building. I appreciate the diversity of the characters but none of them felt fully fleshed out. It was a fun story but I would not read again. I’m probably not the target audience being a “mature” reader but high school aged kids might enjoy it more.
"The supernatural world has ruptured. On the horizon looms a battle from which there is no return.
A powerful band of deadly supernaturals has united, ready to reveal their existence to the natural world, and prepare to take their place at the head of humanity.
By force.
All that stands in their way is a small cadre of supernaturals from the Louisiana Bayou who have yet to be fully trained. To successfully make their stand, the novice supers will need to call on other paranormal beings who live in and around Savannah; allies from the darkest corners of the paranormal world.
As lives are lost and the balance of power starts to tip, the young paranormals and their supernatural counterparts must dig in for a war that could change everything.
When supers turn against supers, only the powerful will survive."
TRIGGER WARNINGS FOR: violence, drug abuse
I had a hard time getting into this book. There were so many characters instantly thrown at you without the benefit of world building. I appreciate the diversity of the characters but none of them felt fully fleshed out. It was a fun story but I would not read again. I’m probably not the target audience being a “mature” reader but high school aged kids might enjoy it more.
August 31, 2020
One of the things I love about books written by Alex Westmore is that she pulls you into her story from the very first sentence, she grabs you and the journey is off and ‘Before the Echo’ certainly does just that. This prequel to the Echo series is an excellent read with lots of action and characters you actually care about. One of the best parts about Wesmoore books is that she makes her super natural world believable, something I find a lot of other sci-fi writers struggle with. Her characters have strengths, weaknesses and wit, and whether good or evil they are written in a way that we can identify with them. This book falls well into the echo series and I highly recommend it.
August 25, 2020
Before the Echo by Alex Westmore is meant to be a prequel to the Echo Branson series. It could be read as a standalone too. Honestly, I am glad that I read Scattered Echo first. It gave me a clearer idea of who Melika and Tomas were and the background of the Bayou. I think it would be a little confusing otherwise. The plot wasn’t as strong as Scattered Echo but the fight scenes were fun to read. It was a fun paranormal action packed story that kept me entertained.
Thank you to Inspired Quill for a free advanced reader copy in exchange for a honest review.
Thank you to Inspired Quill for a free advanced reader copy in exchange for a honest review.
September 6, 2020
This is a story of a band of characters with super abilities, who remain hidden from people they refer to as “naturals.” War is breaking out among them because some of them want to come out in the open and take over the world. So there’s constant action and clever fights between people with a wide, novel array of powers. The large cast made it hard for me to become strongly attached to any individual character at first, but by the second half of the book, Tomas emerges as the central focus, and I became more engaged.
January 14, 2024
A gripping story that you can’t put down
Alex Westmore has a gift of writing books that draw you in. Once you start you can’t stop reading. The stories are intricate and intriguing and you in some ways feel a part of it. The imagination of the writer makes anything and everything possible. Can’t wait to read more!
Alex Westmore has a gift of writing books that draw you in. Once you start you can’t stop reading. The stories are intricate and intriguing and you in some ways feel a part of it. The imagination of the writer makes anything and everything possible. Can’t wait to read more!
September 3, 2020
Thank you to the publisher and author for a copy of the book. A review will follow when I have more time, but I would like to say that I enjoyed this series prequel and am interested in reading more by the author.
Thanks!
Thanks!
Read
January 23, 2024Great Series
September 4, 2020
I received an arc from the inspired quill. I was immediately enthralled with the characters and need to see what happened next. It reminds me of a cross between shadow hunters and X-men even with the battle of good versus evil supers playing out and the need for vengeance. And what family is to the characters and the lengths they will go to protect their family. The powers these supers have are incredible. There were plots within plots and kept you guessing until the end about what was goi g to happen.
July 18, 2021
The inspired quill offered this novel to me prior to the release for an unbiased review.
Here is the summary as given by the publisher,
"The supernatural world has ruptured. On the horizon looms a battle from which there is no return.
A powerful band of deadly supernaturals has united, ready to reveal their existence to the natural world, and prepare to take their place at the head of humanity.
By force.
All that stands in their way is a small cadre of supernaturals from the Louisiana Bayou who have yet to be fully trained. To successfully make their stand, the novice supers will need to call on other paranormal beings who live in and around Savannah; allies from the darkest corners of the paranormal world.
As lives are lost and the balance of power starts to tip, the young paranormals and their supernatural counterparts must dig in for a war that could change everything.
When supers turn against supers, only the powerful will survive.”
I’m the beginning I had a hard time understanding the characters and the different abilities and types of supers being presented. I felt like I was being thrown into the action without really having to me to understand the problem or the characters but once I got into the conflict I found that I was emotionally invested in the waging battle and the characters well-being. While I enjoyed the book I don’t think I can put it on my middle school classroom selves due to the language but would recommend for high school age and up.
Here is the summary as given by the publisher,
"The supernatural world has ruptured. On the horizon looms a battle from which there is no return.
A powerful band of deadly supernaturals has united, ready to reveal their existence to the natural world, and prepare to take their place at the head of humanity.
By force.
All that stands in their way is a small cadre of supernaturals from the Louisiana Bayou who have yet to be fully trained. To successfully make their stand, the novice supers will need to call on other paranormal beings who live in and around Savannah; allies from the darkest corners of the paranormal world.
As lives are lost and the balance of power starts to tip, the young paranormals and their supernatural counterparts must dig in for a war that could change everything.
When supers turn against supers, only the powerful will survive.”
I’m the beginning I had a hard time understanding the characters and the different abilities and types of supers being presented. I felt like I was being thrown into the action without really having to me to understand the problem or the characters but once I got into the conflict I found that I was emotionally invested in the waging battle and the characters well-being. While I enjoyed the book I don’t think I can put it on my middle school classroom selves due to the language but would recommend for high school age and up.
August 2, 2024
The story we heard bits about but never knew.
Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2024
I loved reading the tie-ins from Silva/Westmore's other series! I hope they'll come together again, like they did in _Sidekicks_, but for different reason(s). I recommend reading the Silver Legacy books prior to this one and then starting the Echo Branson Investigations series. I'm not sure when to read the Bailey McBride series because it is sort of simultaneous with Echo's. It would be awesome to get a timeline with the chronological occurrence of all of the related series.
Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2024
I loved reading the tie-ins from Silva/Westmore's other series! I hope they'll come together again, like they did in _Sidekicks_, but for different reason(s). I recommend reading the Silver Legacy books prior to this one and then starting the Echo Branson Investigations series. I'm not sure when to read the Bailey McBride series because it is sort of simultaneous with Echo's. It would be awesome to get a timeline with the chronological occurrence of all of the related series.
September 2, 2020
Another awesome book
This is an absolute favorite series of mine. As always the plot is action packed from start to finish. A lot of the characters are already integrated into the series, so it was a fun to go back and learn more about their history. I loved the crossover of another series by Alex Westmore. Reading this prequel makes me want to go back and reread all the Echo Branson books. Well done Alex Westmore, well done.
This is an absolute favorite series of mine. As always the plot is action packed from start to finish. A lot of the characters are already integrated into the series, so it was a fun to go back and learn more about their history. I loved the crossover of another series by Alex Westmore. Reading this prequel makes me want to go back and reread all the Echo Branson books. Well done Alex Westmore, well done.
September 15, 2020
Super natural lovers, come hither....
I LOVE this story. The characters are so intriguing. What an emotional rollercoaster Tomas must endure on his journey for justice while keeping their world hidden from the human race. If you enjoyed the show The Boys, you'll LOVE this book! The combination of Supers and Naturals battling each other is exciting and the story telling is riveting. Flew right through it! Can't wait to read more! More, more more please!!
I LOVE this story. The characters are so intriguing. What an emotional rollercoaster Tomas must endure on his journey for justice while keeping their world hidden from the human race. If you enjoyed the show The Boys, you'll LOVE this book! The combination of Supers and Naturals battling each other is exciting and the story telling is riveting. Flew right through it! Can't wait to read more! More, more more please!!
September 18, 2020
Gosh that was good! I'm gonna have to re-read the entire Echo Branson series now. No hardship ;)
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews