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Wicca #7
The Calling
Morgan has finally discovered her heritage and is in love with Hunter, half-brother of the man who betrayed her, but now, following a powerful dream, she, Hunter, and their friends are headed to New York to face a danger she never expected.
189 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 29, 2001
196 people are currently reading
6475 people want to read
About the author
Cate Tiernan
104 books3,812 followers"was born in New Orleans, LA, in 1961. New Orleans is one of the most interesting American cities, and it has an incredibly rich and exotic culture that had a profound influence on me. Kids in other cities have lemonade stands; we sold voodoo gris-gris and made wax dolls in the likenesses of our enemies. It's a very beautiful city, and the constant heat and humidity make gardens grow out of control. There's an air of lassitude there, a general acceptance of eccentic or flamboyant behavior--the heat simply makes people do crazy things.
I went to school in New York, and after school went back to New Orleans. Then I went back to New York (Manhattan) and got a job in publishing and started writing. My first book, a young, middle-grade chapter book, was published in 1990.
Living in Manhattan was incredible, even though I didn't have a lot of money. There was so much to do and see, and so many interesting people to watch. There was a lot of frenetic energy there, and sometimes that felt very wearing and hard to live with. After eight years I was ready for a change, and my husband and I moved back to New Orleans. (Are you seeing a pattern here?)
(While I was in NY, I helped edit "The Secret Circle" by L.J. Smith. I thought it was great.)
We stayed in New Orleans five years. By the time we had two small children we knew we had to find someplace safer to live. I was glad my children were born in New Orleans--I had been born there, and my father had, and his father had, and his father had and so on. There was something about the connection of generations of blood coming from one place that I found very primal and important.
Now I live in a cohousing community in Durham, NC. This is the most suburban place I've ever lived, and it's very different from living right in the middle of a city. For one thing, there aren't enough coffee shops. However, it's incredibly safe, and the community is very important to me. There are a lot of strong women here, and I find them inspiring.
Am I a witch? Well, no. Even Wicca is too organized a religion for me. I'm much more idiosyncratic and just need to do my own thing, which is kind of new-agey and pantheistic. It's not that I don't work or play well with others, but I need to decide for myself when I do a certain thing, and how I do it. However, I can really relate to Wicca, and I so appreciate its woman-centeredness and its essentially female identity. I love those aspects, among others.
I have several favorite writers. Barbara Hambly has been the biggest influence on how I describe magic. She's an incredibly imaginative and empathetic writer with a gift for creating a rich, sensual world. I love Barbara Pym, an English writer whose books came out mostly in the fifties. She was a master at describing the thousand tiny moments that make up a woman's day; how the seemingly small and inconsequential thing can suddenly take on a huge emotional importance. I greatly admire P.D. James. She's one of the very few writers who makes me actually look up words in the dictionary. She has a beautiful, precise, educated command of the language that leaves me in awe. I love Philip Larkin's poetry. I read a lot of nonfiction and also have some favorite romance writers. Before anyone groans, let me say that these women write really well about women trying to achieve emotional fulfillment, and that's kind of what we're all doing, right? I also just like reading about sex. Anyway, Jennifer Crusie, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, and early Linda Howard are my faves.
And then of course there's my dark side, but more on that later.
" -Source
Cate Tiernan is a pseudonym for Gabrielle Charbonnet
I went to school in New York, and after school went back to New Orleans. Then I went back to New York (Manhattan) and got a job in publishing and started writing. My first book, a young, middle-grade chapter book, was published in 1990.
Living in Manhattan was incredible, even though I didn't have a lot of money. There was so much to do and see, and so many interesting people to watch. There was a lot of frenetic energy there, and sometimes that felt very wearing and hard to live with. After eight years I was ready for a change, and my husband and I moved back to New Orleans. (Are you seeing a pattern here?)
(While I was in NY, I helped edit "The Secret Circle" by L.J. Smith. I thought it was great.)
We stayed in New Orleans five years. By the time we had two small children we knew we had to find someplace safer to live. I was glad my children were born in New Orleans--I had been born there, and my father had, and his father had, and his father had and so on. There was something about the connection of generations of blood coming from one place that I found very primal and important.
Now I live in a cohousing community in Durham, NC. This is the most suburban place I've ever lived, and it's very different from living right in the middle of a city. For one thing, there aren't enough coffee shops. However, it's incredibly safe, and the community is very important to me. There are a lot of strong women here, and I find them inspiring.
Am I a witch? Well, no. Even Wicca is too organized a religion for me. I'm much more idiosyncratic and just need to do my own thing, which is kind of new-agey and pantheistic. It's not that I don't work or play well with others, but I need to decide for myself when I do a certain thing, and how I do it. However, I can really relate to Wicca, and I so appreciate its woman-centeredness and its essentially female identity. I love those aspects, among others.
I have several favorite writers. Barbara Hambly has been the biggest influence on how I describe magic. She's an incredibly imaginative and empathetic writer with a gift for creating a rich, sensual world. I love Barbara Pym, an English writer whose books came out mostly in the fifties. She was a master at describing the thousand tiny moments that make up a woman's day; how the seemingly small and inconsequential thing can suddenly take on a huge emotional importance. I greatly admire P.D. James. She's one of the very few writers who makes me actually look up words in the dictionary. She has a beautiful, precise, educated command of the language that leaves me in awe. I love Philip Larkin's poetry. I read a lot of nonfiction and also have some favorite romance writers. Before anyone groans, let me say that these women write really well about women trying to achieve emotional fulfillment, and that's kind of what we're all doing, right? I also just like reading about sex. Anyway, Jennifer Crusie, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, and early Linda Howard are my faves.
And then of course there's my dark side, but more on that later.
" -Source
Cate Tiernan is a pseudonym for Gabrielle Charbonnet
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 438 reviews
March 4, 2022
OH MY GOD! The ending of the sixth book was so intense and shocking!! Morgan and Alyce perform a tath meanma brach, because Morgan has so much to catch up with and her enemies are circling on the head of the list is Selen of course! Cal returns to hunt Morgan and tells her he still loves her but she discovers she loves Hunter and tells him so, at the end, Selen kidnaps Morgan's sister Mary K. to trap Morgan into meeting her when they start fighting and Selen sends a vapor to Morgan Cal jumps between them and... DIES!! No, that's not all!! Selen DIES after him!!! I mean, oh my God!
Heartbreaking book full of discoveries! So Morgan discovers she is a seer, she starts having visions about a coven of shapeshifting witches wearing masks, the darkest coven of all, led by the man who killed her parents. She, Hunter, and their friends go on a four days trip to New York in Bree's apartment. Morgan is looking for her mom's ex soulmate's watch left in their new york apartment. She finds herself losing her friends one by one as she gets more Woodbane, more powerful, and she is convinced (finally) that she and Hunter are soulmates. In the chapter Witch Dance, I wanted Morgan to actually dance!
Heartbreaking book full of discoveries! So Morgan discovers she is a seer, she starts having visions about a coven of shapeshifting witches wearing masks, the darkest coven of all, led by the man who killed her parents. She, Hunter, and their friends go on a four days trip to New York in Bree's apartment. Morgan is looking for her mom's ex soulmate's watch left in their new york apartment. She finds herself losing her friends one by one as she gets more Woodbane, more powerful, and she is convinced (finally) that she and Hunter are soulmates. In the chapter Witch Dance, I wanted Morgan to actually dance!
October 19, 2022
SWEEP III: Darkness. Passion. Revenge.
Book 7: The Calling
OH MY GOD! The ending of the sixth book was so intense and shocking!! Morgan and Alyce perform a tath meanma brach, because Morgan has so much to catch up with and her enemies are circling on the head of the list is Selene of course! Cal returns to hunt Morgan and tells her he still loves her but she discovers she loves Hunter and tells him so, at the end, Selene kidnaps Morgan's sister Mary K. to trap Morgan into meeting her when they start fighting and Selene sends a vapor to Morgan Cal jumps between them and... DIES!! No, that's not all!! Selene DIES after him!!! I mean, oh my God! Heartbreaking book full of discoveries! So Morgan discovers she is a seer, she starts having visions about a coven of shapeshifting witches wearing masks, the darkest coven of all, led by the man who killed her parents. She, Hunter, and their friends go on a four days trip to New York in Bree's apartment. Morgan is looking for her mom's ex soulmate's watch left in their new york apartment. She finds herself losing her friends one by one as she gets more Woodbane, more powerful, and she is convinced (finally) that she and Hunter are soulmates. In the chapter Witch Dance, I wanted Morgan to actually dance!
Book 8: Changeling
I knew Morgan was Ciaran's daughter since the first vision, it's obvious Selene's coven won't stop until they have her power. I was sad by the ending of the previous book when Morgan felt that her heritage and blood are evil and even knowing Hunter was her soulmate she broke up with him, I think Hunter should ignore that and teach her to choose her fate. So on her trip to NYC Morgan retrieves her mother's watch and learns about her mother's evil lover and her father Ciaran. She beings having vivid visions of a cult of witches with animal heads in a circle at an address she's not familiar with and they are trying to kill the young animal in the middle. The visions lead her to an address and she discovers that this cult coven is her father's people and the dark wave in which they steal powers from other witches, including hers. She also learns that her father, brother, and she could shapeshift into animals. At the end of the book when Morgan shapeshifts with her father as wolves and learns his true name she tells him evilly she will destroy him if he hurts her because now she owns him. She almost hunted Hunter!
Book 9: Strife
Obviously, Strife is about Killian because that's what his name means. The entries are by a woman called Sarah, I think she's Cirnan's wife, maybe? Mary K. isn't comfortable around her sister, but they are trying to mend their relationship, Hunter comes over to their house as her boyfriend for dinner and to meet her family, they love him!
Book 7: The Calling
OH MY GOD! The ending of the sixth book was so intense and shocking!! Morgan and Alyce perform a tath meanma brach, because Morgan has so much to catch up with and her enemies are circling on the head of the list is Selene of course! Cal returns to hunt Morgan and tells her he still loves her but she discovers she loves Hunter and tells him so, at the end, Selene kidnaps Morgan's sister Mary K. to trap Morgan into meeting her when they start fighting and Selene sends a vapor to Morgan Cal jumps between them and... DIES!! No, that's not all!! Selene DIES after him!!! I mean, oh my God! Heartbreaking book full of discoveries! So Morgan discovers she is a seer, she starts having visions about a coven of shapeshifting witches wearing masks, the darkest coven of all, led by the man who killed her parents. She, Hunter, and their friends go on a four days trip to New York in Bree's apartment. Morgan is looking for her mom's ex soulmate's watch left in their new york apartment. She finds herself losing her friends one by one as she gets more Woodbane, more powerful, and she is convinced (finally) that she and Hunter are soulmates. In the chapter Witch Dance, I wanted Morgan to actually dance!
Book 8: Changeling
I knew Morgan was Ciaran's daughter since the first vision, it's obvious Selene's coven won't stop until they have her power. I was sad by the ending of the previous book when Morgan felt that her heritage and blood are evil and even knowing Hunter was her soulmate she broke up with him, I think Hunter should ignore that and teach her to choose her fate. So on her trip to NYC Morgan retrieves her mother's watch and learns about her mother's evil lover and her father Ciaran. She beings having vivid visions of a cult of witches with animal heads in a circle at an address she's not familiar with and they are trying to kill the young animal in the middle. The visions lead her to an address and she discovers that this cult coven is her father's people and the dark wave in which they steal powers from other witches, including hers. She also learns that her father, brother, and she could shapeshift into animals. At the end of the book when Morgan shapeshifts with her father as wolves and learns his true name she tells him evilly she will destroy him if he hurts her because now she owns him. She almost hunted Hunter!
Book 9: Strife
Obviously, Strife is about Killian because that's what his name means. The entries are by a woman called Sarah, I think she's Cirnan's wife, maybe? Mary K. isn't comfortable around her sister, but they are trying to mend their relationship, Hunter comes over to their house as her boyfriend for dinner and to meet her family, they love him!
January 15, 2015
I gave 4 stars instead of 5 because the author ruined this book for me by giving major spoilers in description.... She's tells us how it ends!!!! What the heck????? I she gives so much spoiler info I could have just skipped this book and went to the next if I wanted.... Just NOT cool. Suggestion to author, redo that description so not to take away the discovery of all to come. Book Is too short to have such an in depth description.
Other than there being no suspense or mystery since I knew what would happen, it's a good series overall. If you plan to read this book and have not read description yet, DON'T read description, just read the book.
Other than there being no suspense or mystery since I knew what would happen, it's a good series overall. If you plan to read this book and have not read description yet, DON'T read description, just read the book.
January 21, 2021
That ending. WTH. I'm just not happy. It's not so much the big revelation, I saw that coming almost right away. In fact, I had my suspicions since like book 3 or so. No, it's Morgan's choices that annoy me. Not just at the end, although that one is super irritating, all throughout the book. I understand she is young and just had a bombshell dropped on her, but it's starting to become very 'woe is me' all the time with her.
Now to Bree. I know that Cal did some manipulating there and caused a wedge between her and Morgan, but that friendship was wrong way before he entered the picture. He just nudged it in a direction that I feel needed to go that way anyway. She is a HORRIBLE friend. She is used to getting her way and it shows. The one time someone chooses Morgan over her and she throws a fit and acts like a huge B. So no, I'm not rooting for a mended friendship here. In fact, Morgan is better off, so is Robbie for that matter. Cause being a sucky friend wasn't bad enough, she wants to try out for 'worst girlfriend'. But then I remember that Robbie is supposed to be her friend too and that explains it all, cause and I pointed out before, she is a HORRIBLE friend.
Now, Hunter, I love. He is caring, understanding, mature, and super hot. (no it doesn't matter that I never saw him) And I did love this book, and I LOVE this series, but this one was just irksome for me so I'm afraid it loses a star. But I will still be continuing the series and I have faith that all will be fixed. Except for Bree, I'm pretty sure by the end of this series she will have her friendship with Morgan and a relationship with Robbie and she doesn't deserve any of it.
Now to Bree. I know that Cal did some manipulating there and caused a wedge between her and Morgan, but that friendship was wrong way before he entered the picture. He just nudged it in a direction that I feel needed to go that way anyway. She is a HORRIBLE friend. She is used to getting her way and it shows. The one time someone chooses Morgan over her and she throws a fit and acts like a huge B. So no, I'm not rooting for a mended friendship here. In fact, Morgan is better off, so is Robbie for that matter. Cause being a sucky friend wasn't bad enough, she wants to try out for 'worst girlfriend'. But then I remember that Robbie is supposed to be her friend too and that explains it all, cause and I pointed out before, she is a HORRIBLE friend.
Now, Hunter, I love. He is caring, understanding, mature, and super hot. (no it doesn't matter that I never saw him) And I did love this book, and I LOVE this series, but this one was just irksome for me so I'm afraid it loses a star. But I will still be continuing the series and I have faith that all will be fixed. Except for Bree, I'm pretty sure by the end of this series she will have her friendship with Morgan and a relationship with Robbie and she doesn't deserve any of it.
November 8, 2011
Spoiler alert.
I ABSOLUTLY HATE WHEN CHARACTERS DO THIS SHIT! Hatehatehatehatehatehatehate. Maybe because it is so opposite my personality or i have zero restraint and say what im thinking 90% of the time. But its just a rule: Never leave your significant other, especially if your lucky and have a decent one, for a STUPID reason. Maybe its because ive been in that situation... i dont know. If you actually love someone dont screw it up... if you have to let them go for a short amount of time like in the saying because its something they want or they need time to think or discover themselves... ok thats fine... but i despise characters that do this shit and i will personally never write a charcter that stupid. But its a good thing taht it makes me mad... if i didnt care at all it would be bad and i would stop reading. But the intention was to create discord and upset the reader.
Also... this book was predictable. Just saying.
I ABSOLUTLY HATE WHEN CHARACTERS DO THIS SHIT! Hatehatehatehatehatehatehate. Maybe because it is so opposite my personality or i have zero restraint and say what im thinking 90% of the time. But its just a rule: Never leave your significant other, especially if your lucky and have a decent one, for a STUPID reason. Maybe its because ive been in that situation... i dont know. If you actually love someone dont screw it up... if you have to let them go for a short amount of time like in the saying because its something they want or they need time to think or discover themselves... ok thats fine... but i despise characters that do this shit and i will personally never write a charcter that stupid. But its a good thing taht it makes me mad... if i didnt care at all it would be bad and i would stop reading. But the intention was to create discord and upset the reader.
Also... this book was predictable. Just saying.
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October 9, 2020
15 year-old me had bad taste, y'all. This was just awful on all levels. Blergh.
November 22, 2011
This is my least favorite of this series and I admit I did peak at a extensive review of this book so I already knew what was going to happen, but even without my peak this was very predictable. Of course Morgan's father is actually Ciaron (I know it isnt spelled right) and not Angus. Of course Morgan freaks out that she's got evil blood and is destined for evil so in her right mind she breaks up with her wiccan soul mate-british hottie-Hunter...because who wouldn't!? The last scene of her breaking up with Hunter is absolutly hilarous! He tells her to look him in the eye and break up with him. She does and walks away with him saying something about choice over destiny. I'm getting a reading of the next book already. I didn't like New Moon and it took this series 7 books to make a New Moon edition. The only thing that Morgan and her real father have in common besides their eyes are their inability to be with the one they love, their wiccan soul mates.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 20, 2012
What do you do when your soul mates come together halfway through your series and you need to build sexual tension again? You employ a completely tired plot trick; make them both start hiding things from each other for no apparent reason, construct a mind-blowing revelation for one of them, then turn one (usually the female) into a completely self-absorbed, irrational
IDIOT
. "Oh, Hunter, I can't be with you because I'm just sooo dark! My inevitable evilness will probably hurt you in the future and even though I have absolutely no proof of this, I'm going to intentionally hurt you now to prevent an even bigger possible betrayal in the future!"
Dumb bitch. I hope a Woodbane bleeds her dry.
Dumb bitch. I hope a Woodbane bleeds her dry.
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April 30, 2023“The heart that loves must one day grieve.”
TW: animal death, body-shaming, bullying, death, fatphobia (unchallenged), fire/fire injury, human sacrifice, injury/injury detail, medical content, pregnancy, ritual abuse, violence, vomit.
Not rating this because this series doesn't really fit into any rating category. These are fun books, but this was definitely my least favorite so far. It was so heavy-handed with Morgan's internal struggle that I kind of just wanted her to shut up, which I realize is mean but! It is what it is.
I do recommend this series for something kind of fluffy and enjoyable (even with the heavier content), especially if you're okay not taking it too seriously.
TW: animal death, body-shaming, bullying, death, fatphobia (unchallenged), fire/fire injury, human sacrifice, injury/injury detail, medical content, pregnancy, ritual abuse, violence, vomit.
Not rating this because this series doesn't really fit into any rating category. These are fun books, but this was definitely my least favorite so far. It was so heavy-handed with Morgan's internal struggle that I kind of just wanted her to shut up, which I realize is mean but! It is what it is.
I do recommend this series for something kind of fluffy and enjoyable (even with the heavier content), especially if you're okay not taking it too seriously.
November 2, 2010
I hope you all know that these books already exist the author just put them into volumes to make them more modern and popular so no need to be waiting! All 15 books so far are out.
March 13, 2015
As I begin book #7 (The Calling), I am bombarded again with a recap of what Morgan has found out about her life so far and little things that have happened in past books. Why, oh why does the author and publisher continue this annoying little habit? I actually looked up the publication dates and the first seven books were published in 2001. I don’t think that people would forget that much in a month or two in between books. Please, let the madness stop!
Again, (this is another publisher issue), I do not like the font for Ciaran’s diary entries, or more specifically, I do not like the lowercase letter “d” that is being used.
The beginning of The Calling was very predictable.
Is Ciaran Morgan’s birth father?
I am finding Morgan to be very wishy-washy and inconsistent.
In the beginning, she insists that Cal is her muirn beatha dan over and over again but then she falls for Hunter and now he is her muirn beatha dan. Which one is actually true? For some reason, I don’t feel as though she actually knows what this means. She fell on love with Cal; she had to be with him, had to touch him, she always thought about him, raved on and on about his gorgeousness and then he tried to kill her. Very shortly after that, she started to have amorous feelings towards Hunter; she had to be with him, had to touch him, she always thought about him, raved on and on about his gorgeousness and then she discovers the darkness of her birth father so naturally, she has to break up with Hunter. I am finding her getting more and more childish and immature as the series progresses. She definitely seemed more mature in Volume 1. I wonder what happened to the author after those books were produced. Was someone else helping her write the rest of the series? People in the books are beginning to act out of character and although the story seems to be flowing well, the characters are the ones who are chopping it into bits.
Now I’m on book #7 (Changeling) and I am finding that I am starting to dislike Morgan Rowlands. All she is doing is harping on and on about her evil birth father and how she will have no choice but to turn out just like him. Ugh! Morgan is beginning to act like a stupid, weak, ridiculous female character that is throwing away good things in her life because she found out something that was not good. I was hoping that Morgan would be the one strong character that had been missing from paranormal books but sadly, I had hoped too much.
Killian seemed like he was just a filler to try and bring some excitement to the characters. He came into the story, had some fun, did some damage and then the author stopped writing about him. I have no idea where he went. One second, he was there and then the next second, he just stopped existing in Morgan’s world. The same thing happened with Ciaran. He was there, talking and working with Morgan and then he just disappeared.
I enjoyed the writing about Morgan’s transformation but it was quick and never explored again after it happened. I had so many questions afterwards: Is this something that is part of her? How was she able to do this? Is she able to do this whenever she wants? Do all Woodbanes have this ability? I see the connection from one of the diary entries regarding Nuala Riodan so does that mean that Morgan has this ability passed down to her from both her father and mother?
I also didn’t really see much of a purpose for Brother Sinestus Tor’s letters. Yes, they did introduce a few key parts to the plot but for the rest of the entries, I did not find answers to problems Brother Sinestus Tor posed in his letters. There was no explanation as to why he died at the day and time that he did and why he died with a burned scar of a star encircled on his shoulder.
I finished Strife (book #9) and I’m left feeling like it was just written to keep the series going. I really did not learn very much from it. The font from Alisa’s diary entries was annoying. The letter “t” was capitalized in every word, no matter if it was in the beginning, middle or end of the word. I did not enjoy looking at it, much less reading it.
Nothing really happened in this book. It was as if random things were thrown together and written down, hoping it would come together to make a cohesive book. It didn’t work. Morgan spent most of the time blaming Ciaran for all these odd things that were happening to her (not sure if it actually was Ciaran’s fault). Erin was a new character and she just seemed odd and suspicious. The author stopped writing about her before the book ended and I wasn’t sure if she was still in Widow’s Vale or if she left. Odd, telekinetic things started occurring towards the end of the book but there was no explanation to why they were happening to Morgan. Alisa’s illness and recovery weren’t even explained. The book ended uneventfully and it wasn’t even a great ending. It was blah and concluded like it was just the end of a chapter. These types of endings are really grating on me. Why, oh why does the author keep ending her books in the middle of a scene?? Who actually enjoys reading this way??
I felt like Alisa’s and Mary K.’s secret campaign to send information to a newspaper was just extra fluff the author included because that storyline wasn’t even properly developed. It was like, ‘here’s an idea, I’m going to mention it, bring out a little scare for the readers and then drop it like it was not worthy enough to continue writing about’. If the author didn’t find this part of the story to be important enough develop, why would the readers want to read about it? I think that entire idea should have just been chopped from the book (but then the book would not meet its intended word count so then the author would have to add more fluffy nonsense or repetitive information to the book. Sigh).
In Strife, a book called, On the Containement of Magick by Harris Stoughton was introduced, first by diary entries of a woman named Sarah Curtis (in 1971) and then it was personally given to Erin by Alyce in front of Morgan. We learn a little about that book’s author and see it being used both in 1971 and in the current time of the book but nothing really develops with it. Strange things are happening with and around Morgan but is it because of the book? I don’t know… it’s not actually looked into or addressed. The freaky events are first blamed on Morgan and then Ciaran. The book is then not mentioned in the present after that. Besides alluding to the fact that it could be Morgan causing these freaky events, what was the main purpose of introducing this book to the readers? Is this something that will be expanded upon in book #10? To be honest, aside from the readers speculating the meaning of On the Containement of Magick, I saw no real purpose of interjecting the book into Strife, nor did I see any real purpose of reading diary entries about Sarah Curtis (since the neither Sarah nor the book had any real impact to the story and the book was not in Morgan’s possession. Was the book only brought into existence to give an explanation to the freaky events? Freaky things happened to Sarah and Morgan but Sarah had possession and access to the book whereas Morgan did not. I still do not see any purpose for the freaky things to be happening and I see no real purpose for bringing On the Containement of Magick into Strife).
As for the freaky events that were happening, Morgan was immediately blamed for them. Then, Morgan pointed out that Erin was around when several of the events happened. Erin asked Morgan if those were the only times and Morgan admitted to the locker shooting papers out of it at school. Erin was not around at the time but Alisa was there. In fact, Alisa was with Morgan during the first event (at the circle), the event at the library and the weirdness that happened when Morgan and Erin were in Morgan’s room. Looking back through the book, I saw that Alisa was around for all of the events. Why didn’t Morgan and Erin notice this? I predict that Alisa is causing all of the freaky events because she is a blood witch. I think she inherited her witchness from her mother (who is conveniently dead so that Alisa cannot learn of her heritage from her but has to come to terms with it on her own).
I am still enjoying the story and I still want to read more to find out what will happen next but I am disappointed with the lack of interesting action that has started to take place. I felt like the author was just going through the motions with The Changeling and Strife – like she had to write a book but had no idea what to write so nothing major actually happened.
I have also gotten tired of reading repetitive information over and over and over again. Yes, we know Morgan’s back story. We know about all the previous events. This is a series and readers do not need to keep reading about this. I find it to be more of a filler, like the author has a word count and all this prior information helps her to reach it because she honestly has nothing else that is interesting enough to write about for these characters (at least in this volume).
I give Volume 3, 3.5 stars.
Again, (this is another publisher issue), I do not like the font for Ciaran’s diary entries, or more specifically, I do not like the lowercase letter “d” that is being used.
The beginning of The Calling was very predictable.
Is Ciaran Morgan’s birth father?
I am finding Morgan to be very wishy-washy and inconsistent.
In the beginning, she insists that Cal is her muirn beatha dan over and over again but then she falls for Hunter and now he is her muirn beatha dan. Which one is actually true? For some reason, I don’t feel as though she actually knows what this means. She fell on love with Cal; she had to be with him, had to touch him, she always thought about him, raved on and on about his gorgeousness and then he tried to kill her. Very shortly after that, she started to have amorous feelings towards Hunter; she had to be with him, had to touch him, she always thought about him, raved on and on about his gorgeousness and then she discovers the darkness of her birth father so naturally, she has to break up with Hunter. I am finding her getting more and more childish and immature as the series progresses. She definitely seemed more mature in Volume 1. I wonder what happened to the author after those books were produced. Was someone else helping her write the rest of the series? People in the books are beginning to act out of character and although the story seems to be flowing well, the characters are the ones who are chopping it into bits.
Now I’m on book #7 (Changeling) and I am finding that I am starting to dislike Morgan Rowlands. All she is doing is harping on and on about her evil birth father and how she will have no choice but to turn out just like him. Ugh! Morgan is beginning to act like a stupid, weak, ridiculous female character that is throwing away good things in her life because she found out something that was not good. I was hoping that Morgan would be the one strong character that had been missing from paranormal books but sadly, I had hoped too much.
Killian seemed like he was just a filler to try and bring some excitement to the characters. He came into the story, had some fun, did some damage and then the author stopped writing about him. I have no idea where he went. One second, he was there and then the next second, he just stopped existing in Morgan’s world. The same thing happened with Ciaran. He was there, talking and working with Morgan and then he just disappeared.
I enjoyed the writing about Morgan’s transformation but it was quick and never explored again after it happened. I had so many questions afterwards: Is this something that is part of her? How was she able to do this? Is she able to do this whenever she wants? Do all Woodbanes have this ability? I see the connection from one of the diary entries regarding Nuala Riodan so does that mean that Morgan has this ability passed down to her from both her father and mother?
I also didn’t really see much of a purpose for Brother Sinestus Tor’s letters. Yes, they did introduce a few key parts to the plot but for the rest of the entries, I did not find answers to problems Brother Sinestus Tor posed in his letters. There was no explanation as to why he died at the day and time that he did and why he died with a burned scar of a star encircled on his shoulder.
I finished Strife (book #9) and I’m left feeling like it was just written to keep the series going. I really did not learn very much from it. The font from Alisa’s diary entries was annoying. The letter “t” was capitalized in every word, no matter if it was in the beginning, middle or end of the word. I did not enjoy looking at it, much less reading it.
Nothing really happened in this book. It was as if random things were thrown together and written down, hoping it would come together to make a cohesive book. It didn’t work. Morgan spent most of the time blaming Ciaran for all these odd things that were happening to her (not sure if it actually was Ciaran’s fault). Erin was a new character and she just seemed odd and suspicious. The author stopped writing about her before the book ended and I wasn’t sure if she was still in Widow’s Vale or if she left. Odd, telekinetic things started occurring towards the end of the book but there was no explanation to why they were happening to Morgan. Alisa’s illness and recovery weren’t even explained. The book ended uneventfully and it wasn’t even a great ending. It was blah and concluded like it was just the end of a chapter. These types of endings are really grating on me. Why, oh why does the author keep ending her books in the middle of a scene?? Who actually enjoys reading this way??
I felt like Alisa’s and Mary K.’s secret campaign to send information to a newspaper was just extra fluff the author included because that storyline wasn’t even properly developed. It was like, ‘here’s an idea, I’m going to mention it, bring out a little scare for the readers and then drop it like it was not worthy enough to continue writing about’. If the author didn’t find this part of the story to be important enough develop, why would the readers want to read about it? I think that entire idea should have just been chopped from the book (but then the book would not meet its intended word count so then the author would have to add more fluffy nonsense or repetitive information to the book. Sigh).
In Strife, a book called, On the Containement of Magick by Harris Stoughton was introduced, first by diary entries of a woman named Sarah Curtis (in 1971) and then it was personally given to Erin by Alyce in front of Morgan. We learn a little about that book’s author and see it being used both in 1971 and in the current time of the book but nothing really develops with it. Strange things are happening with and around Morgan but is it because of the book? I don’t know… it’s not actually looked into or addressed. The freaky events are first blamed on Morgan and then Ciaran. The book is then not mentioned in the present after that. Besides alluding to the fact that it could be Morgan causing these freaky events, what was the main purpose of introducing this book to the readers? Is this something that will be expanded upon in book #10? To be honest, aside from the readers speculating the meaning of On the Containement of Magick, I saw no real purpose of interjecting the book into Strife, nor did I see any real purpose of reading diary entries about Sarah Curtis (since the neither Sarah nor the book had any real impact to the story and the book was not in Morgan’s possession. Was the book only brought into existence to give an explanation to the freaky events? Freaky things happened to Sarah and Morgan but Sarah had possession and access to the book whereas Morgan did not. I still do not see any purpose for the freaky things to be happening and I see no real purpose for bringing On the Containement of Magick into Strife).
As for the freaky events that were happening, Morgan was immediately blamed for them. Then, Morgan pointed out that Erin was around when several of the events happened. Erin asked Morgan if those were the only times and Morgan admitted to the locker shooting papers out of it at school. Erin was not around at the time but Alisa was there. In fact, Alisa was with Morgan during the first event (at the circle), the event at the library and the weirdness that happened when Morgan and Erin were in Morgan’s room. Looking back through the book, I saw that Alisa was around for all of the events. Why didn’t Morgan and Erin notice this? I predict that Alisa is causing all of the freaky events because she is a blood witch. I think she inherited her witchness from her mother (who is conveniently dead so that Alisa cannot learn of her heritage from her but has to come to terms with it on her own).
I am still enjoying the story and I still want to read more to find out what will happen next but I am disappointed with the lack of interesting action that has started to take place. I felt like the author was just going through the motions with The Changeling and Strife – like she had to write a book but had no idea what to write so nothing major actually happened.
I have also gotten tired of reading repetitive information over and over and over again. Yes, we know Morgan’s back story. We know about all the previous events. This is a series and readers do not need to keep reading about this. I find it to be more of a filler, like the author has a word count and all this prior information helps her to reach it because she honestly has nothing else that is interesting enough to write about for these characters (at least in this volume).
I give Volume 3, 3.5 stars.
October 29, 2010
In the books so far we've seen Morgan delight in her powers. She's discovered both the great and horrible things that can be done with powers. She's been horribly betrayed by someone she loved and she's discovered a great new love that should last her throughout her entire life. She's lost friends and regained them.
In this book Morgan has a dream of animals and a young wolf cub being sacrificed before many different animals. When the Council decides that this could be a potential vision of the future, they send Hunter to New York to investigate a mysterious sect of dark witches. Tagging along for the ride is Morgan & her friends. Morgan is going partially because she doesn't want to be separated from Hunter & partially because her mother's Book of Shadows details her life in New York & Morgan is hungry to discover more about the mother she never knew. Once there, Morgan finds out that not only is she in danger of misusing her powers but also finds that she may be attracting the wrong type of attention...
I really did like this book & I was glad that *finally* Morgan is starting to realize that some of the things she's using her powers for (or is tempted to use them for) is borderline dark magic. (Remember her wanting to sic the dark thingies on the guys who were tormenting her aunt?) The ending of this book is shocking in it's own way, although I do have to say that considering the revelations in this book it's not that unexpected for Morgan to react that way. Reading this book, the only thing I can think is "with all the teen series turned movie/tv shows nowadays, why hasn't this one been optioned?"
In this book Morgan has a dream of animals and a young wolf cub being sacrificed before many different animals. When the Council decides that this could be a potential vision of the future, they send Hunter to New York to investigate a mysterious sect of dark witches. Tagging along for the ride is Morgan & her friends. Morgan is going partially because she doesn't want to be separated from Hunter & partially because her mother's Book of Shadows details her life in New York & Morgan is hungry to discover more about the mother she never knew. Once there, Morgan finds out that not only is she in danger of misusing her powers but also finds that she may be attracting the wrong type of attention...
I really did like this book & I was glad that *finally* Morgan is starting to realize that some of the things she's using her powers for (or is tempted to use them for) is borderline dark magic. (Remember her wanting to sic the dark thingies on the guys who were tormenting her aunt?) The ending of this book is shocking in it's own way, although I do have to say that considering the revelations in this book it's not that unexpected for Morgan to react that way. Reading this book, the only thing I can think is "with all the teen series turned movie/tv shows nowadays, why hasn't this one been optioned?"
November 25, 2023
I love and will always love this series so, so much <3
story 5/5
characters 4/5
writing 5/5
audio/paper Papier.
reread? Yes.
Recommend it? Yes!
Ik houd zo veel van deze serie, en dat zal ik altijd blijven doen <3
Verhaal: 5/5
Karakters: 4/5
Schrijfstijl: 5/5
Papier/audio? Papier.
Herlezen: Ja.
Aanrader? Zeker
story 5/5
characters 4/5
writing 5/5
audio/paper Papier.
reread? Yes.
Recommend it? Yes!
Ik houd zo veel van deze serie, en dat zal ik altijd blijven doen <3
Verhaal: 5/5
Karakters: 4/5
Schrijfstijl: 5/5
Papier/audio? Papier.
Herlezen: Ja.
Aanrader? Zeker
November 1, 2017
Ich wollte wirklich keine 3 Sterne vergeben, aber ich muss mal.
Die Spannung ist in diesem Buch wieder angestiegen. War wieder ein richtiger Pageturner.
Mit den Charakteren wächst man immer mehr zusammen und schließt sie immer mehr ins Herz.
Es passieren in jedem Band neue und interessante Dinge. Man hat kaum das Gefühl dass ein Thema langsam genug behandelt ist. Man freut sich auf jedes Kapitel bzw jedes Buch.
Nun zu meinem 2 Sterne Abzug: Morgan ist einfach so dumm und naiv. Ich kann das mal in einem Band ignorieren. Vielleicht auch in 2. In diesem Band toppt sie aber alles und konnt ich mich nur noch aufregen. Der ganze Schreibstil und ihre Art die Wicca Welt zu erzählen macht das wieder wett. Das Buch zieht einen trotzdem in den Bann und man saugt es trotzdem in sich rein. Aber es tut einem für den Charakter, den sie erschaffen hat, einfach leid und ich halt es nicht mehr aus. So dumm kann man doch nicht sein.
Band 8 erscheint in deutsch leider nur noch als E-Book. Band 9-15 nur noch in englisch. Ich würd trotzdem gern wissen wies weiter geht und bleib erstmal dran.
Die Spannung ist in diesem Buch wieder angestiegen. War wieder ein richtiger Pageturner.
Mit den Charakteren wächst man immer mehr zusammen und schließt sie immer mehr ins Herz.
Es passieren in jedem Band neue und interessante Dinge. Man hat kaum das Gefühl dass ein Thema langsam genug behandelt ist. Man freut sich auf jedes Kapitel bzw jedes Buch.
Nun zu meinem 2 Sterne Abzug: Morgan ist einfach so dumm und naiv. Ich kann das mal in einem Band ignorieren. Vielleicht auch in 2. In diesem Band toppt sie aber alles und konnt ich mich nur noch aufregen. Der ganze Schreibstil und ihre Art die Wicca Welt zu erzählen macht das wieder wett. Das Buch zieht einen trotzdem in den Bann und man saugt es trotzdem in sich rein. Aber es tut einem für den Charakter, den sie erschaffen hat, einfach leid und ich halt es nicht mehr aus. So dumm kann man doch nicht sein.
Band 8 erscheint in deutsch leider nur noch als E-Book. Band 9-15 nur noch in englisch. Ich würd trotzdem gern wissen wies weiter geht und bleib erstmal dran.
October 23, 2022
Things are really starting to heat up on this 15-book adventure! Book 7 starts as most of them do now, with a little recap of what has happened to Morgan, Cal, Hunter, and the gang thus far.
Now we meet Circian who ends up being someone you wouldn't have thought at the beginning, and I know it won't be the last time we see him again.
As for the romance side of this, it's a bit teenagy for me. There's a constant back and forth between I love him but I can't trust him, he's also my soulmate, but also love always hurts you so I can't allow myself to love and be loved. UGH, it's a bit much. But I'm sure Morgan will grow up more as she continues to learn about her true self underneath all of the magical powers and inheritance of powerful abilities.
Now we meet Circian who ends up being someone you wouldn't have thought at the beginning, and I know it won't be the last time we see him again.
As for the romance side of this, it's a bit teenagy for me. There's a constant back and forth between I love him but I can't trust him, he's also my soulmate, but also love always hurts you so I can't allow myself to love and be loved. UGH, it's a bit much. But I'm sure Morgan will grow up more as she continues to learn about her true self underneath all of the magical powers and inheritance of powerful abilities.
October 12, 2020
3 1/2 stars
January 7, 2024
Tellement prévisible mais tellement bon 🤭✨
September 21, 2024
3.5 stars
The change of location to NYC was interesting, but Morgan's tendency to attract trouble remained unchanged. She was too arrogant—definitely had a stick up her ass. The thing is, there are no coincidences, so why, oh, why did she not connect the dots? She's seriously a dumb girl with too much power. She still doesn't know what to do with it.
The change of location to NYC was interesting, but Morgan's tendency to attract trouble remained unchanged. She was too arrogant—definitely had a stick up her ass. The thing is, there are no coincidences, so why, oh, why did she not connect the dots? She's seriously a dumb girl with too much power. She still doesn't know what to do with it.
August 18, 2022
Great ending, but slow until that point. I'm excited to continue the series.
July 11, 2023
5 🌟
Glad that Morgan found out the identity of her father.
Glad that Morgan found out the identity of her father.
April 5, 2015
*Read in September 2011*
This series has been a secret fave of mine for a long time. I tend to read the series sporadically, and every now and then when I can bother to get a new book, I seem to enjoy it so much that I can’t put it down until I’m finished. There’s nothing exceptional about the writing; in fact it’s very simple, but I love the story and the characters every time I pick one of the books up. Cate Terinan writes in a way that allows you to get into the characters heads and I really feel what they’re feeling when I read one of these books.
I really enjoy reading about Morgan. She’s so flawed as a character and always seems to face massive hardships and things that no one her age should really have to. And yet she manages to hang in there each and every time and manage to come out on top. Morgan often makes mistakes, but she learns from them each time. She’s brave and yet vulnerable at the same time. She’s a powerful witch but inexperienced and is often in situations that are out of her hands and difficult for her to deal with. She continues to grow so much and learn both who she is as a person and who she is as a witch. It’s nice seeing a character slowly come into their own as they find their feet, however things are never simple for Morgan as so many things happen that constantly threaten to tear her world apart.
Alrightie, so I love Hunter---but that really shouldn’t come as a surprise. Hunter’s one of those male leads that simply make you swoon and you can’t help but love. I really feel the connection between him and Morgan and the moments when they’re together and interact are so sweet and deep. The relationship between the two of them is so intense and passionate and I love it. It’s so enjoyable to read about and it doesn’t ever seem like their relationship has fizzled out now that they’re a couple and we’re not just seeing the tension we saw before they got together. They truly are soul mates and it comes across with each moment they’re with the other.
One of the things I love about reading the bind ups is that each book seems to end with a cliff-hanger of some sorts and with the bind up I can go straight into the next book without having to be distraught that a certain character has broken up with Hunter---ahhh, I mean another character.
I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series and recommend this series for anyone who loves witches or an intense, action packed, romantic tale.....
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 23, 2016
This volume is one of my least favorite I think by far. Morgan is whiny and thinks everything is her fault, or revolves around her. I loved her in the first two volumes and I loved the twist with what happened between Cal and Hunter. Though, this volume, the protagonist, Morgan Rowlands was the least interesting to me. I absolutely love Alisa, Bree, Sky, Erin, Hunter and Robbie. The secondary characters have more of a personality than she does. Morgan's just like "oh I'm powerful and I'm a witch dating Hunter, and I miss Cal even though he tried to kill me..." kind of thing. There were grammatical errors as well in the book which drove me nuts because whomever edited the original drafts didn't really care to change it
at all. I also felt that they could of delved more into the story with Ciaran. I DIDN'T like the fact that practically into the second book of this volume the author deliberately left Killian out. Morgan's adopted parents wanted to spend more time with her and felt she was falling away from them but what about Killian? It's like she completely forgot the character existed at all. Which is why I gave 3 out of 5. Hoping the next book will be more interesting since it starts in Hunter's POV and we can get a break from Morgan's teenage whininess.
at all. I also felt that they could of delved more into the story with Ciaran. I DIDN'T like the fact that practically into the second book of this volume the author deliberately left Killian out. Morgan's adopted parents wanted to spend more time with her and felt she was falling away from them but what about Killian? It's like she completely forgot the character existed at all. Which is why I gave 3 out of 5. Hoping the next book will be more interesting since it starts in Hunter's POV and we can get a break from Morgan's teenage whininess.
July 12, 2011
I was so excited about the release of Sweep: Volume 3 on Feb. 3 and I wasn't disappointed.
I truly enjoy Cate Tiernan's writing style. She makes it easy to get into the players (in this case, Morgan, Hunter, Robbie, Bree, Sky and others, along with the introduction of Erin Murphy) and weaves many strong visuals into the story.
Tiernan also has a knack for writing Young Adult stories that are easily appealing to older readers, such as myself.
I look forward to reading the rest of this series, starting with Seeker, Origins and Eclipse. Volume 4 won't be released until July 7 and I can't wait that long to find out what happens next. So, I'll buy the single books instead.
Note: My daughter and I went to Barnes & Noble the day Sweep: Volume 3 was released and I was amazed that they didn't have it. I was deeply disappointed since I had planned ahead to get the book the day it became available. However, on the way home we decided to stop at Wal-Mart to see if I could find it there -- and I did!
Merged review:
Expected publication for Vol. 3 is Feb. 3, 2011.
Worth the wait!
And now for the next nail-biting wait.
Sweep Volume 4 will be released Jul 7, 2011.
I truly enjoy Cate Tiernan's writing style. She makes it easy to get into the players (in this case, Morgan, Hunter, Robbie, Bree, Sky and others, along with the introduction of Erin Murphy) and weaves many strong visuals into the story.
Tiernan also has a knack for writing Young Adult stories that are easily appealing to older readers, such as myself.
I look forward to reading the rest of this series, starting with Seeker, Origins and Eclipse. Volume 4 won't be released until July 7 and I can't wait that long to find out what happens next. So, I'll buy the single books instead.
Note: My daughter and I went to Barnes & Noble the day Sweep: Volume 3 was released and I was amazed that they didn't have it. I was deeply disappointed since I had planned ahead to get the book the day it became available. However, on the way home we decided to stop at Wal-Mart to see if I could find it there -- and I did!
Merged review:
Expected publication for Vol. 3 is Feb. 3, 2011.
Worth the wait!
And now for the next nail-biting wait.
Sweep Volume 4 will be released Jul 7, 2011.
February 11, 2010
Cate Tiernan's done it again. She has woven thoughts, emotions,and storylines, into a very perplexing, fluid, and intense peice that makes the magick within this book seem almost tangible. This book bent my heart nearly in two...Morgan experiences so much grief, all culminating to an intense climax..pieces of a perplexing puzzle finally come together, forming an intricate story that shows Tiernan's amazing talent at writing. I couldn't wrench my eyes from the pages...Meager ratings could only be incredibly understated, as this series goes beyond the worth a few gold stars.
December 3, 2020
Een hele fijne jeugdserie over wicca. Tijdens het verhaal over liefde, zoektocht leer je veel over natuurlijk wijzen van leven. Leest heel vlot en is moeilijk weg te leggen. Na Harry Potter is dit de tweede serie die ik al verschillende malen heb gelezen.
July 15, 2008
i love this whole series
September 2, 2020
This hurt just as much the second time around...
My poor, broken, heart.
My poor, broken, heart.
February 26, 2013
My all time favorite book series.
August 7, 2020
These are so cheesy but nostalgic,and I have zero regrets about re reading my teenage crap.
May 29, 2025
Giving 3 stars because Morgan is an idiot and it irritates me, lol. I read this entire series several times in my late teens/early 20s and absolutely LOVED IT. I am now reading it as a 37 year old and Morgan is so stupid. I realize now that she's just being a teenager, and teenagers don't often do the smart thing (I myself was also a very stupid teenager), and of course she's looking at things exactly like a short-sighted, inexperienced teen would, but MAN is it hard to read. In the final chapters of this book I found myself talking aloud to the book, about how ridiculous Morgan was being.
I obviously plan to finish out the series, but I'm just so annoyed, lol.
I'm also going to echo many other reviews in saying that having large chunks of the first few chapters of every single book retell everything that's already happened is getting so annoying. WE KNOW! This is a series! No need to retell the entire series in every single book.
I also realized that most of these first 7 books ended in the middle of a scene. It gives the impression that this entire 15 book series could have probably been condensed into a really tightly woven trilogy. There's a lot of boring filler that seems to just be there to make the books longer. Or rather to make the series longer.
I obviously plan to finish out the series, but I'm just so annoyed, lol.
I'm also going to echo many other reviews in saying that having large chunks of the first few chapters of every single book retell everything that's already happened is getting so annoying. WE KNOW! This is a series! No need to retell the entire series in every single book.
I also realized that most of these first 7 books ended in the middle of a scene. It gives the impression that this entire 15 book series could have probably been condensed into a really tightly woven trilogy. There's a lot of boring filler that seems to just be there to make the books longer. Or rather to make the series longer.
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