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Ending in Cadence #1
Ending in Cadence
Growing up, Ash Bane and his sister had one rule to follow when they visited their grandma: never enter her art studio.
An odd rule, if you asked Ash, but when he finds himself staring at the painting his sister vanished into, it doesn’t seem all that odd.
Determined to save her, Ash and his best friend follow her through the painting.
But travelers are not welcome in this new world, and they must find a way home before the villainous lord has them executed for trespassing.
Emma Delaney, a fierce and spunky scrapyard worker native to this new land, holds the key to their return. An ancient card game filled with mysterious riddles will lead them to a hidden portal, but only if they’re brave enough to play the game.
Solving life threatening puzzles, fighting magical beasts, and running from the lord’s patrol, may be the least of Ash’s concerns when his heart betrays him, and Ash Bane and Emma Delaney find a love that spans worlds.
Are you ready to play Ending in Cadence?
Let’s begin.
An odd rule, if you asked Ash, but when he finds himself staring at the painting his sister vanished into, it doesn’t seem all that odd.
Determined to save her, Ash and his best friend follow her through the painting.
But travelers are not welcome in this new world, and they must find a way home before the villainous lord has them executed for trespassing.
Emma Delaney, a fierce and spunky scrapyard worker native to this new land, holds the key to their return. An ancient card game filled with mysterious riddles will lead them to a hidden portal, but only if they’re brave enough to play the game.
Solving life threatening puzzles, fighting magical beasts, and running from the lord’s patrol, may be the least of Ash’s concerns when his heart betrays him, and Ash Bane and Emma Delaney find a love that spans worlds.
Are you ready to play Ending in Cadence?
Let’s begin.
- GenresFantasy
Paperback
Published April 21, 2022
3 people are currently reading
1145 people want to read
About the author
Catherine Downen
11 books178 followersCatherine Downen is the author of The Markings series. She recently graduated from Bradley University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. She has always had a love for writing and a passion for telling stories. Currently, Catherine is working as a Sustaining Engineer in St. Louis MO by day, while continuing to write on the side.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 11, 2022
Overall it was a good book. I think it is a book I really might have enjoyed back in middle or high school. There was a quick and engaging story line (I started last night, finished it early today) that wrapped up nicely with a happy ending - at least for now, who knows what will happen in the sequel. I knew this was a young adult book, but this book is for a younger audience than I realized until getting into it as the summary doesn't point too clearly at the target age. However, it was still a book an adult can enjoy as long as you are looking for an easy read for your down time.
What knocked the stars down for me is the lack of world building. The characters are transported to another world and then the book barely skims over the general political and power system as it is understood by a fellow teenager who lives there. It doesn't go into much detail about the sewer people outside of one quick incident, the Patrol (military/police force), or the vainders (main enemy, nocturnal, live outside the wall) other than to say you don't want to cross them. Though I do think part of this issue could be due to me being older than the target audience. I am not often satisfied with "These guys are called this, don't mess with them and don't go out at night. That's how it works here."
Spoiler alert!!!
Some of the plot points I got a bit stuck on:
Professor Sim not giving them more information or indicating she believed them other than giving them a card game.
Their surprise that there were wanted posters of them around town. They literally went door to door in the market asking everyone where they were while still in denial about having left Earth.
The vainders - they are cyborg wolves but couldn't find four sweaty, dirty teens because they were in a tree? The pack was scared away by one girl with a sharp stick that miraculously didn't break when she stabbed one? They heal themselves using special purple light bulbs that they leave in an unprotected shed above ground while they all live in a series of below ground catacombs?
The monkeys in the maze. Their venom makes you hallucinate your entire past clearly and they just want to throw you in a cage that is somewhere within said maze where your friends can follow them to. I feel like this could have been just the monkeys attacking, biting Ash, then being killed. Ash still gets the special memory back and they know not to let the light go out. The cage scene was unnecessary.
What knocked the stars down for me is the lack of world building. The characters are transported to another world and then the book barely skims over the general political and power system as it is understood by a fellow teenager who lives there. It doesn't go into much detail about the sewer people outside of one quick incident, the Patrol (military/police force), or the vainders (main enemy, nocturnal, live outside the wall) other than to say you don't want to cross them. Though I do think part of this issue could be due to me being older than the target audience. I am not often satisfied with "These guys are called this, don't mess with them and don't go out at night. That's how it works here."
Spoiler alert!!!
Some of the plot points I got a bit stuck on:
Professor Sim not giving them more information or indicating she believed them other than giving them a card game.
Their surprise that there were wanted posters of them around town. They literally went door to door in the market asking everyone where they were while still in denial about having left Earth.
The vainders - they are cyborg wolves but couldn't find four sweaty, dirty teens because they were in a tree? The pack was scared away by one girl with a sharp stick that miraculously didn't break when she stabbed one? They heal themselves using special purple light bulbs that they leave in an unprotected shed above ground while they all live in a series of below ground catacombs?
The monkeys in the maze. Their venom makes you hallucinate your entire past clearly and they just want to throw you in a cage that is somewhere within said maze where your friends can follow them to. I feel like this could have been just the monkeys attacking, biting Ash, then being killed. Ash still gets the special memory back and they know not to let the light go out. The cage scene was unnecessary.
December 3, 2022
Delightful, Original, Emotional, Action Packed and Oh So Good!
By: Catherine Downen
Narrated by: Lillian Yves, Vincent Lee Grayson
Overall: 5 of 5 stars Performance: 5 of 5 stars Story: 5 of 5 stars
Reviewed: 12-03-22
When is a painting not a painting? When you’re pushed into one, and a portal opens transporting you into another world! Ash Bane, his sister Jenny, and best friend Renn find THAT out the hard way when a playful shove in his grandmother’s attic goes horribly wrong! What follows is “Ending in Cadence”, the beautifully original, dynamically written, adventure of a lifetime! The characters are fully representative of the good the bad and the ugly! All are fully described and fully developed. Close your eyes and you can SEE them, you can FEEL them, I swear in a few cases I could smell them. The dialogue flows smoothly and is completely believable. The scene setting is done beautifully and serves to cohesively move the story forward while making certain the listener is never left in the dark and is never left with unanswered questions. The plot is phenomenal! The story is unique, well thought out, interesting and action packed! I have to confess, I was completely taken by surprise by the ending. No spoilers, I don’t want to ruin anything for anyone but I must say, tears aside, I LOVED it! All of this is brilliantly brought to life through absolutely stunning narration! I think I felt every emotion possible while listening to this story because every emotion possible was truly present, and beautifully expressed in the performance of this audiobook! The pace is perfect, every word is clear, and every emotion on point! I don’t want to give anything away but I’ll confess, I walk while listening and I got a few looks for giggles and a few more for tears! THIS story is not one to be missed. Five fabulous stars!
By: Catherine Downen
Narrated by: Lillian Yves, Vincent Lee Grayson
Overall: 5 of 5 stars Performance: 5 of 5 stars Story: 5 of 5 stars
Reviewed: 12-03-22
When is a painting not a painting? When you’re pushed into one, and a portal opens transporting you into another world! Ash Bane, his sister Jenny, and best friend Renn find THAT out the hard way when a playful shove in his grandmother’s attic goes horribly wrong! What follows is “Ending in Cadence”, the beautifully original, dynamically written, adventure of a lifetime! The characters are fully representative of the good the bad and the ugly! All are fully described and fully developed. Close your eyes and you can SEE them, you can FEEL them, I swear in a few cases I could smell them. The dialogue flows smoothly and is completely believable. The scene setting is done beautifully and serves to cohesively move the story forward while making certain the listener is never left in the dark and is never left with unanswered questions. The plot is phenomenal! The story is unique, well thought out, interesting and action packed! I have to confess, I was completely taken by surprise by the ending. No spoilers, I don’t want to ruin anything for anyone but I must say, tears aside, I LOVED it! All of this is brilliantly brought to life through absolutely stunning narration! I think I felt every emotion possible while listening to this story because every emotion possible was truly present, and beautifully expressed in the performance of this audiobook! The pace is perfect, every word is clear, and every emotion on point! I don’t want to give anything away but I’ll confess, I walk while listening and I got a few looks for giggles and a few more for tears! THIS story is not one to be missed. Five fabulous stars!
March 29, 2022
I was delighted to get to be a Beta reader of this book.
I really didn't know what to expect as I've never read portal books before.
I found it to be very interesting and also exciting.
The other world that the portal is connected to reminds me of earth about 120 years ago.
Very low tech, but as the story progresses you see that there are other higher forms of technology going on here... some quite dangerous.
This is also a private world where outsiders are not welcome.
Ash and Emma...Ash is from earth and Emma is from the other world and when you
get to the end of this fast paced book you will find yourself wanting to see more of Ash and Emma.
Catherine just twists them around your heart, and you just naturally don't want to say good bye to them.
So I was thrilled to find out that this was a first book of a Duology!
I really didn't know what to expect as I've never read portal books before.
I found it to be very interesting and also exciting.
The other world that the portal is connected to reminds me of earth about 120 years ago.
Very low tech, but as the story progresses you see that there are other higher forms of technology going on here... some quite dangerous.
This is also a private world where outsiders are not welcome.
Ash and Emma...Ash is from earth and Emma is from the other world and when you
get to the end of this fast paced book you will find yourself wanting to see more of Ash and Emma.
Catherine just twists them around your heart, and you just naturally don't want to say good bye to them.
So I was thrilled to find out that this was a first book of a Duology!
May 9, 2022
When I first read a synopsis for this novel, it seemed right up my alley:
Set in another world ✅️
Characters solve riddles to find their way home ✅️
Subplot romance ✅️
This book was a quick and easy read with a fun and engaging storyline. The characters did not annoy me (which often happens with YA fantasy novels), and I enjoyed reading the growing friendships/relationships amongst the four main characters. Overall, I really enjoyed the book and am excited to read the sequel.
There were a couple things, however, that took away a star for me. First, I felt that there could have been a bit more world building. Example: the author introduces an interesting enemy to the people of Artmith, but outside of a couple quick descriptions, there isn't much said about them. It would have been nice to understand the world of Pintura more. Second, and this will likely play out more in the second book (and slight spoiler), there is a plot point based on the fact that the world of Pintura moves faster than Earth (I calculated it to be about 54x faster). Great. Cool. I'm down with it...but then somehow a person that would have been old on Earth (like 70s/80s, I'm guessing), is somehow still alive in Pintura. My mind couldn't suspend belief for this, so I'm hoping the author further explains this in the second book.
Overall, I really did enjoy the book and can't wait to read the sequel. The book felt like it was written for slightly younger teens, so if you are looking for something light and easy to read, this could be a good choice for you.
Also, thank you to the author for giving me an ARC to write an honest review.
Set in another world ✅️
Characters solve riddles to find their way home ✅️
Subplot romance ✅️
This book was a quick and easy read with a fun and engaging storyline. The characters did not annoy me (which often happens with YA fantasy novels), and I enjoyed reading the growing friendships/relationships amongst the four main characters. Overall, I really enjoyed the book and am excited to read the sequel.
There were a couple things, however, that took away a star for me. First, I felt that there could have been a bit more world building. Example: the author introduces an interesting enemy to the people of Artmith, but outside of a couple quick descriptions, there isn't much said about them. It would have been nice to understand the world of Pintura more. Second, and this will likely play out more in the second book (and slight spoiler), there is a plot point based on the fact that the world of Pintura moves faster than Earth (I calculated it to be about 54x faster). Great. Cool. I'm down with it...but then somehow a person that would have been old on Earth (like 70s/80s, I'm guessing), is somehow still alive in Pintura. My mind couldn't suspend belief for this, so I'm hoping the author further explains this in the second book.
Overall, I really did enjoy the book and can't wait to read the sequel. The book felt like it was written for slightly younger teens, so if you are looking for something light and easy to read, this could be a good choice for you.
Also, thank you to the author for giving me an ARC to write an honest review.
June 23, 2022
An easy and enjoyable read! I'm usually a pretty slow reader but whizzed through this one while on holiday with family. Definitely has Jumanji vibes, and although I thought the puzzles and adventures themselves could have had higher stakes in the beginning, the end twists really hooked me in. Intrigued to see where the second book will take us.
August 11, 2022
Incredible book!! I first saw it on Instagram and immediately preordered it when I saw that it was similar to Narnia, and I’m so glad I did!! I absolutely loved it. Amazing plot, stellar characters, sweet romance, etc. highly recommend!
December 4, 2022
Absolutely fantastic book I throughly enjoyed listening to this book,
Thanks to all involved in it, for doing an absolute amazing work.
I do hope there's more in the series.
Thanks to all involved in it, for doing an absolute amazing work.
I do hope there's more in the series.
February 21, 2024
Super cute ya fantasy romance
December 12, 2022
This was a GoodReads giveaway book. Imagine falling through a painting and finding yourself in a completely different world. That's exactly what happens to Ash, Jenny, and Wren. They fall through a painting at Ash's grandmother's house and find themselves in Pintura. There they meet Emma. The four of them end up completing a game to get to Earth. In the process, Ash finds himself falling for Emma and vice versa. She comes to Earth with him, but unfortunately can't survive there. She has to return to Pintura to survive. Ash follows her, surprising her with his choice. I cried happy tears. This book is so good!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews