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Sera Chronicles #1
Leyla's Locket
Seraphinus (Sera) Ulric dreads the latest in a series of moves forced on her by her father's company. Their next stop is San Kristinese, a small town in the desert area of West Texas. Underneath the sleepy exterior lurks a hidden world where magic is real and things are not always what they seem.
When Sera's family moves in next to Cressida Hammund, events are set in motion that will change their lives forever. Within days of her arrival, Sera gets on the wrong side of a bully, receives an unexpected birthday present, and makes several new surprising friends. Together they must unlock the secrets of an ancient necklace in a race against time to save magic . . . and each other.
Sera must deal with the hope of finally having a permanent home while being drawn into a web of magic, danger, legends, friendship, secrets, and conflict that will draw on every ounce of her courage and wits to survive.
When Sera's family moves in next to Cressida Hammund, events are set in motion that will change their lives forever. Within days of her arrival, Sera gets on the wrong side of a bully, receives an unexpected birthday present, and makes several new surprising friends. Together they must unlock the secrets of an ancient necklace in a race against time to save magic . . . and each other.
Sera must deal with the hope of finally having a permanent home while being drawn into a web of magic, danger, legends, friendship, secrets, and conflict that will draw on every ounce of her courage and wits to survive.
255 pages, Paperback
First published June 30, 2009
1 person is currently reading
415 people want to read
About the author
Paige Jackson
21 books100 followersPaige has been a rabid reader for as long as she can remember. She didn't acquire her two new loves - writing and business - until much later in life. Paige always dreamed of writing Young Adult Fantasy novels (for ages 9 and up).
However it took becoming a victim of corporate downsizing to give her the nudge she needed to go out on her own. Paige took that negative event and turned it into one of the best things that had ever happened to her.
Working from home and owning her own business has been her reality for over 10 years and she has spent the last five years planning and researching writing about her two loves - business and fantasy.
Paige is living her dream of working from home and writing full time. With her step-by-step guides to starting and growing a home business, you can too!
Paige resides in San Angelo, TX. She has a degree in Business Administration and has worked from home for 11 of the last 16 years.
Fiction books (Fantasy):
http://www.paigejackson.com
http://www.leylaslocket.com
Nonfiction books (Work From Home):
http://www.fromsuitstosweats.com
http://www.create2sell.com
http://www.suits2sweats.com
You can find Paige on:
MySpace
http://www.myspace.com/paige_create2sell
Twitter
http://twitter.com/PaigeCreate2Sel
Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/paige.jackson
However it took becoming a victim of corporate downsizing to give her the nudge she needed to go out on her own. Paige took that negative event and turned it into one of the best things that had ever happened to her.
Working from home and owning her own business has been her reality for over 10 years and she has spent the last five years planning and researching writing about her two loves - business and fantasy.
Paige is living her dream of working from home and writing full time. With her step-by-step guides to starting and growing a home business, you can too!
Paige resides in San Angelo, TX. She has a degree in Business Administration and has worked from home for 11 of the last 16 years.
Fiction books (Fantasy):
http://www.paigejackson.com
http://www.leylaslocket.com
Nonfiction books (Work From Home):
http://www.fromsuitstosweats.com
http://www.create2sell.com
http://www.suits2sweats.com
You can find Paige on:
MySpace
http://www.myspace.com/paige_create2sell
http://twitter.com/PaigeCreate2Sel
http://www.facebook.com/paige.jackson
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 10, 2009
OMG! IF YOU HA VE NOT READ THIS BOOK YOU MUST!!! Just do it. i know times are hard but it won't be much. go beg your parents to get you the book and read it!!! You will not regret it! I promise! It is an amazing combination of magic, old history, legends, and all kinds of amazing new ideas!!!
August 21, 2009
Fantasy combination of a modern day Harry Potter and Star Wars. Good magic vs evil magic with a Dark Lord in Texas. "Two thumbs up" Can not wait to read all three.
August 22, 2009
Leyla's Locket started out slowly, but gained momentum in the middle. I wasn't drawn in by the choppy, mysterious beginning and had a hard time getting past the colorful writing to the characters and teen novel hidden within. Despite the beginning, by halfway through I was hooked.
As the book continued, I loved that the nature of each character was slowly revealed and that as the book went on, each character grew more complex and more intriguing. The characters drew me in and the plot kept me from putting the book down.
The novel being set in West Texas added a refreshing change of scenery and though many parts of the plot were typical teen fantasy, there were several interesting twists. I felt that the first book in the series set a very solid foundation for books to come. I would definitely read the next book in the Sera Chronicles.
As the book continued, I loved that the nature of each character was slowly revealed and that as the book went on, each character grew more complex and more intriguing. The characters drew me in and the plot kept me from putting the book down.
The novel being set in West Texas added a refreshing change of scenery and though many parts of the plot were typical teen fantasy, there were several interesting twists. I felt that the first book in the series set a very solid foundation for books to come. I would definitely read the next book in the Sera Chronicles.
July 21, 2010
When I was a boy, magic was real. Yes, I lived in the physical world - but just underneath the surface of everyday life lay another realm. This other reality was always peeking through; a glimpse of an alien face in a mirror, a tunnel through tall grass that would lead to another world: and - oh yes - the terror of darkness and the evil things that lurked in it! (In any magic story worth its salt, there must be a dark side).
In "Leyla's Locket," Paige Jackson has done a remarkable job of making that childhood perception of the everyday world, and the magical one, come alive.
Of course, I am not the target market for this book: I am male, and three or four times the age of what I imagine the ideal reader of Leyla's Locket would be.
That said, I do have qualifications to review this book! I cut my readers' teeth on the Narnia Stories, followed by the Lord of the Rings, written by those two great and fast friends, C.S. Lewis and J.R. Tolkien. They set a high standard, and led me to explore thousands of other worlds magically contained in books.
More importantly, I am the father of a daughter. From her earliest days, I read to Tara out loud. We ate through the books mentioned, and many more, including the Shannara fantasy series by Terry Brooks.
I can tell you this - anywhere between the ages of 10 and 24 (the present), Tara would have loved "Leyla's Locket!" No doubt she would be eagerly awaiting the next in the "Sera Chronicles."
"Leyla's Locket" is well written! Paige Jackson can rub words together, make scenes spring to life, and magic, to dance! "Leyla's Locket" will deliver you up from the last page, eager for more.
The author's depiction of magic is much like mine when I was young: it is not an arcane realm of spells and potions. Instead, these are believable, real people, living in a part of the world the author conjures with a fine eye for accuracy and detail. Magic is simply part of her world - and the way it shows up in the story is credible, and consistent.
Well done, Paige Jackson! The highest praise I can offer is to say that I am about to pass my copy of "Leyla's Locket" to my daughter.
In "Leyla's Locket," Paige Jackson has done a remarkable job of making that childhood perception of the everyday world, and the magical one, come alive.
Of course, I am not the target market for this book: I am male, and three or four times the age of what I imagine the ideal reader of Leyla's Locket would be.
That said, I do have qualifications to review this book! I cut my readers' teeth on the Narnia Stories, followed by the Lord of the Rings, written by those two great and fast friends, C.S. Lewis and J.R. Tolkien. They set a high standard, and led me to explore thousands of other worlds magically contained in books.
More importantly, I am the father of a daughter. From her earliest days, I read to Tara out loud. We ate through the books mentioned, and many more, including the Shannara fantasy series by Terry Brooks.
I can tell you this - anywhere between the ages of 10 and 24 (the present), Tara would have loved "Leyla's Locket!" No doubt she would be eagerly awaiting the next in the "Sera Chronicles."
"Leyla's Locket" is well written! Paige Jackson can rub words together, make scenes spring to life, and magic, to dance! "Leyla's Locket" will deliver you up from the last page, eager for more.
The author's depiction of magic is much like mine when I was young: it is not an arcane realm of spells and potions. Instead, these are believable, real people, living in a part of the world the author conjures with a fine eye for accuracy and detail. Magic is simply part of her world - and the way it shows up in the story is credible, and consistent.
Well done, Paige Jackson! The highest praise I can offer is to say that I am about to pass my copy of "Leyla's Locket" to my daughter.
March 13, 2011
I received a review ebook copy a while back and gave Leyla's Locket a try. Judging from the horrendous cover, I probably wouldn't have bought it myself. The reason I'm saying horrendous is that it's rather muddy and doesn't quite give any hint plot wise.
The plot:
Sera is a little girl who moves with her parents to Texas, but things aren't quite as they seem. There's magic everywhere, both the good and bad kind. With the help of an ancient necklace, it is now Sera's duty to save magic and the realm beyond from the clutches of bad magic. But there isn't much time when her whole family's life is at stake.
There were a few good and bad points I feel compelled to mention. First, the book uses a lot of description and colorful language that got in the way of the plot. At times I felt a strong need to skim to get to the point, which slowed down the pace and kept me from really falling in love with the story.
However, the plot was original enough to make me want to read on. I was torn between four and five stars, but ultimately decided to give it five for three reasons:
- the premise was interesting enough
- formatting and grammar were good
- the characters were interesting
The language was suitable for 12 to 14 year olds, maybe early YA. I hope the writer will cut down on the colorful language and description in the sequel. All in all, a good read, though expensive.
The plot:
Sera is a little girl who moves with her parents to Texas, but things aren't quite as they seem. There's magic everywhere, both the good and bad kind. With the help of an ancient necklace, it is now Sera's duty to save magic and the realm beyond from the clutches of bad magic. But there isn't much time when her whole family's life is at stake.
There were a few good and bad points I feel compelled to mention. First, the book uses a lot of description and colorful language that got in the way of the plot. At times I felt a strong need to skim to get to the point, which slowed down the pace and kept me from really falling in love with the story.
However, the plot was original enough to make me want to read on. I was torn between four and five stars, but ultimately decided to give it five for three reasons:
- the premise was interesting enough
- formatting and grammar were good
- the characters were interesting
The language was suitable for 12 to 14 year olds, maybe early YA. I hope the writer will cut down on the colorful language and description in the sequel. All in all, a good read, though expensive.
June 16, 2010
Leyla's Locket by Paige Jackson
I really liked this book and can't wait for the 2nd book - Leyla's Legend to come out. This is more of a "tween" book than teens and maybe that's part of why the story grabbed me from the beginning. I think all of us wished for magic powers when we were not quite teens.
Fun, quick read, and yes, young.
I really liked this book and can't wait for the 2nd book - Leyla's Legend to come out. This is more of a "tween" book than teens and maybe that's part of why the story grabbed me from the beginning. I think all of us wished for magic powers when we were not quite teens.
Fun, quick read, and yes, young.
Want to Read
July 16, 2009I'm excited to read this! The author is on goodreads and seems very nice... the book sounds like a lot of fun.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews