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Gathering Shadows
Deep in the heart of Moravia, a plane of existence separate from the one you know, rests Four Covens of Witches and Warlocks. The greatest of these is the Blood Coven. When the Earth Coven attacks the Blood Coven, they break not only ancient oaths, but steal magick, one witch from the Blood Coven is determined to exact revenge. Dirika Bloodfire searches Moravia for assistance and finds it in an unlikely place. Not all is as it seems. A powerful and vengeful Goddess has been unleashed once again to Moravia, a threat the Covens thought was far behind them. As the Covens, their Mothers, and the members push back against the threat, Dirika is forced to make a choice between love and power. Ancient powers whisper their secrets to her from hidden places, tongues as silvered as serpents, driving Dirika to make one desperate choice. Is a sacrifice enough? Is power greater than love? Dirika may have things figured out, but the Witch Gods play by their own rules.
335 pages, Paperback
Published June 18, 2021
18 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 25, 2021
Reading a debut from a close friend is such a weird experience, and I definitely feel like I'm going to come through as biased when writing this because I just want to celebrate my friend writing a book. However, I will approach this review from an outsiders POV and try to do it justice.
So... Gathering Shadows is the story of a witch trying to save her world from the gods that abuse their power.
It's a story of lose, love, and finding the power inside of yourself.
What did I love about this? The writing, first and foremost. Was it a bit rough at times? Yes. But that's to be expected in a book completely made by the author. It showed a lot of raw talent, though, and really worked well with the story. I also loved the characters. They were all amazing. So tough, yet so soft. My heart cries for the pain some of them experienced. The world is not something I fully understand yet, but it's a great fantasy setting and I am so excited to get more in a sequel. We also got chapters from so many characters POV's. It really made this book stick out, since Dirika was the main character, but we also saw through the eyes of whoever was most important at that point. It gave more insight into the story and the characters.
What was I more iffy about? Well, I am very lenient with indie authors and the format of their books because I have done it myself and it is a pain in the butt. This book definitely suffers from that. There are pages half empty for no apparent reason, the words are all closer to the one side of the page, and the paragraphs have some weird spaces. So my critiques are all just physical things and not anything that stops the story from being enjoyable. If that is something that really bothers you, this might not be the book for you.
I am giving this either a 4 or a 4.5... I don't really know yet.
So... Gathering Shadows is the story of a witch trying to save her world from the gods that abuse their power.
It's a story of lose, love, and finding the power inside of yourself.
What did I love about this? The writing, first and foremost. Was it a bit rough at times? Yes. But that's to be expected in a book completely made by the author. It showed a lot of raw talent, though, and really worked well with the story. I also loved the characters. They were all amazing. So tough, yet so soft. My heart cries for the pain some of them experienced. The world is not something I fully understand yet, but it's a great fantasy setting and I am so excited to get more in a sequel. We also got chapters from so many characters POV's. It really made this book stick out, since Dirika was the main character, but we also saw through the eyes of whoever was most important at that point. It gave more insight into the story and the characters.
What was I more iffy about? Well, I am very lenient with indie authors and the format of their books because I have done it myself and it is a pain in the butt. This book definitely suffers from that. There are pages half empty for no apparent reason, the words are all closer to the one side of the page, and the paragraphs have some weird spaces. So my critiques are all just physical things and not anything that stops the story from being enjoyable. If that is something that really bothers you, this might not be the book for you.
I am giving this either a 4 or a 4.5... I don't really know yet.
June 20, 2021
BESSSSTTT BOOOOK EVER
January 9, 2022
This book pleasantly surprised me. The story was solid and kept me interested, and I even cried towards the end. Something I really enjoyed about this book, was that the plot twists weren't clearly predictable and kept me guessing which direction the story was going to take.
As to be expected with a self published debut novel, there were some flaws in the writing and I would have loved to see more in depth world building, as I was initially struggling slightly to imagine the world and magic system. I was worried at first that I wouldn't grow attached to the characters because of this, however by the end of the story I was really rooting for them. The characters all had fantastic development throughout the story, and it was really refreshing to read a fantasy where the love interest didn't end up consuming most of the storyline.
Overall I am really excited to see where this author takes her writing, and in the meantime I am eagerly awaiting book 2!
As to be expected with a self published debut novel, there were some flaws in the writing and I would have loved to see more in depth world building, as I was initially struggling slightly to imagine the world and magic system. I was worried at first that I wouldn't grow attached to the characters because of this, however by the end of the story I was really rooting for them. The characters all had fantastic development throughout the story, and it was really refreshing to read a fantasy where the love interest didn't end up consuming most of the storyline.
Overall I am really excited to see where this author takes her writing, and in the meantime I am eagerly awaiting book 2!
July 11, 2022
Yes Im the author and I recognize the space my book has to be better. But its a read that feels like a cup of tea with a shot of whiskey. Comforting and shocking. Im so proud of my book.
August 22, 2024
Loved the book hope there’s another can’t wait to see what’s next to come.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews