Spectral (edition 2012)

Spectral is the debut novel of author Shannon Duffy. This young adult paranormal romance offers us a delightful looks at witches, covens and the power of celestial events. This was a beautifully written, fast paced tale that kept me engaged. Spectral is sure to delight fans of paranormal, suspense and mystery as we travel from a small town in the Midwest, to Russia and Italy.

The tale begins with Jewel and her family moving yet again. Jewel and her family are in the witness protection program and she along with her seven year old brother Jayden have moved with her parents just about twice a school year. There are those who wish to harm them, and it’s never safe. She was just starting to make friends at her old school when her Dad whisked her away in the middle of class. When they arrive, they pick new names and head off to their new school…but not before their parents go over the rules. 1. What are your names? 2. Our names? 3. Where did you moved from and 4. The biggest rule of all for Jewel; let no one see your scar! The tale that unfolds was engaging and suspenseful as Jewel begins to discover things about who she is.

The characters in Spectral were interesting. Whether I loved them or hated them they felt genuine. Jewel is a typical seventeen year old, who adores her brother and tries for their own safety to obey her parents. I questioned why she didn’t demand more information about why they had to keep running, but the human mind is complex and I know plenty of people who choose to ignore the pink elephant in the room. Despite this, I liked Jewel; she was brave, sweet and loyal. This novel presents a love triangle. Ugh! However Jewel does indicate her choice, but we all know that could change with the stroke of a pen. First we have Chase, school athlete, tall and gorgeous he befriends Jewel and makes his intentions known. Then there is dark and mysterious guitar carrying Jacob. He knows about Jewel and her family; he has been tracking them. Both boys are completely swoon- worthy and I adored them both. I will leave you to decide which team you will join. Now the characters I loved to hate…you will meet a snotty, stuck-up female bully and an Aunt straight from the movie Matilda. A Grandma that reminded me of Raymond’s mother Marie from Everyone Loves Raymond. She was all sweet and gooey on the outside and sour in the middle.

The world-building was exciting in Spectral. I loved Duffy’s take on witches, the covens and of course Jewel. At times it had elements that reminded me of the DaVinci Code and I loved it. While I am so not a fan of love triangles, Duffy did a great job with it. To complicate matters she mixed in a little insta-love and forbidden romance! I know by now you are seriously scratching your head but all of these elements are present and it was believable. While the plot leaves room for sequels, this book would work well as a standalone.
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Spectral is the debut novel of author Shannon Duffy. This young adult paranormal romance offers us a delightful looks at witches, covens and the power of celestial events. This was a beautifully written, fast paced tale that kept me engaged. Spectral is sure to delight fans of paranormal, suspense and mystery as we travel from a small town in the Midwest, to Russia and Italy.

The tale begins with Jewel and her family moving yet again. Jewel and her family are in the witness protection program and she along with her seven year old brother Jayden have moved with her parents just about twice a school year. There are those who wish to harm them, and it’s never safe. She was just starting to make friends at her old school when her Dad whisked her away in the middle of class. When they arrive, they pick new names and head off to their new school…but not before their parents go over the rules. 1. What are your names? 2. Our names? 3. Where did you moved from and 4. The biggest rule of all for Jewel; let no one see your scar! The tale that unfolds was engaging and suspenseful as Jewel begins to discover things about who she is.

The characters in Spectral were interesting. Whether I loved them or hated them they felt genuine. Jewel is a typical seventeen year old, who adores her brother and tries for their own safety to obey her parents. I questioned why she didn’t demand more information about why they had to keep running, but the human mind is complex and I know plenty of people who choose to ignore the pink elephant in the room. Despite this, I liked Jewel; she was brave, sweet and loyal. This novel presents a love triangle. Ugh! However Jewel does indicate her choice, but we all know that could change with the stroke of a pen. First we have Chase, school athlete, tall and gorgeous he befriends Jewel and makes his intentions known. Then there is dark and mysterious guitar carrying Jacob. He knows about Jewel and her family; he has been tracking them. Both boys are completely swoon- worthy and I adored them both. I will leave you to decide which team you will join. Now the characters I loved to hate…you will meet a snotty, stuck-up female bully and an Aunt straight from the movie Matilda. A Grandma that reminded me of Raymond’s mother Marie from Everyone Loves Raymond. She was all sweet and gooey on the outside and sour in the middle.

The world-building was exciting in Spectral. I loved Duffy’s take on witches, the covens and of course Jewel. At times it had elements that reminded me of the DaVinci Code and I loved it. While I am so not a fan of love triangles, Duffy did a great job with it. To complicate matters she mixed in a little insta-love and forbidden romance! I know by now you are seriously scratching your head but all of these elements are present and it was believable. While the plot leaves room for sequels, this book would work well as a standalone.
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My take on SPECTRAL
Well, I just loved the cover. It is hauntingly beautiful.
The characters left a bit to be desired. Couldn't relate to any of them.
The plot, however, was just amazing, and more than made up for the lack of personality with the characters.
Shannon Duffy has a unique writing style. Even without any great love for the main characters, I was able to enjoy this book. I'm looking forward to more by Shannon ( )

Fantastic Book!!!!! ( )

Jewel and her family are in hiding. She has believed that they are running because her father is part of the witness protection program. Every couple of months, they relocate to a different city. She never is able to put down roots, make good friends, or become comfortable with her surroundings. She wishes more than anything to be a normal girl, able to participate in normal teenage activities.

Her family makes a move to a new location just before her seventeenth birthday. She finally makes a friend and has a couple of love interests when her life implodes. She finds that her family has been protecting her all of these years. There are many who would like her dead, she is a witch who has the potential of being the most powerful witch. To others she is a tool to increase their own power and influence. Some covens want her and others want to destroy her.

Can she live until her birthday? Who can she trust? These are the questions that she must learn the answers too.

This story is quick to catch your attention. Jewel really is a likable character. She cares deeply and is not fully able to comprehend the predicament that she finds herself in. She is genuinely confused, she is loyal, and she is kind.

There were a few moments in the middle where the story seemed to lag a bit for me. I also had a hard time with her feeling betrayed and quickly jumping to another guy. I guess it could be realistic. I just felt uncomfortable with that part of the story.

The story is well written, I found a few grammatical errors that were not seriously problematic.

This is a story with action, love triangle, friendship, revenge, jealousy. It's brimming with activities to pull the reader in. I must say that the butterfly metamorphosis is one of my favorite aspects of the story. ( )

This was a very interesting book. It has two hunky guys for Jewel to hook up with. One of them, Chase, is a very popular jock. The other one, Roman, comes across as a bad boy. Jewel has never been in one place long enough to have a close friend, let alone a boy friend.
Now she has a best friend named Taylor and two boys who are trying for her attention. With her past experiences with people chasing them, who can she trust when strange things begin to happen?

There is a well rounded cast of characters. Jewel has a definite connection with her younger brother. To say she would do anything for him is an understatement. Their relationship reminded me of my son and daughter. She has an aunt that you just want to kill. I felt tension the minute she entered the story. I just knew she had to be up to no good. Then we meet the grandmother. Jewel and her brother are thrilled to see her. The author does an excellent job of making you think you one thing then throwing a twist at you that you could not possibly see coming. This was a great read. ( )

This book is fascinating. I loved the whole idea of the book along with the characters.

What I adored most about this book is the great plot. We have a young girl who has been hidden as to what she is. I liked that everything about her is a lie. As she learns who she really is, who her real parents are, is makes for an exciting plot that never ends. I swear that each chapter you find out more and more and it just entices you to keep reading!

The characters are amazing. Especially Jewel. Her character is well written and had great growth to her. I like that despite what lies she has been told, she keeps moving forward to find her real life. The fight for her mysterious power, the search for what she can really do is awesome. This book reminded of another book similar is Once a Witch. If you love that type of book then you will love this one.

Spectral is an amazing read of fantasy, powers, and wars. The search for the ultimate witch with the ultimate power illuminates a world that no reader can resist to enter. Spectral is a beautiful story grows richly powerful with each new chapter. ( )

Review:

First-off, I must acknowledge Spectral's amazing cover art - the color palette is ethereal and alluring to the senses! It is one of my favorite covers of 2012, as is the story-line. This paranormal romance is anything but ordinary, with more page-turning thrills and hunky heart-throbs then the usual offerings of the supernatural genre. Chase, Stefano and Roman can "guard" me any day! Speaking of the characters, Jewel is one of my favorites, her devotion to family and her inner strengths really spoke to me. I felt like I related to her and Roman the most, particularly when they were at their most vulnerable points. Every character has a distinct personality, which is sometimes hard to pull off, but Shannon Duffy does a tremendous job with character development - there were only two characters I didn't like, and it was more about the "annoyance" factor. The dialogue is spot on, high-school with a little bit of "grown-up" thrown in; however I wish certain words wouldn't have be used so often to describe "the guys". Plot-wise, I loved the unexpected twists and turns - especially towards the end, (no spoilers!), and I thought that the characters acted realistically when faced with certain dilemmas. The level of romance was medium, I would have liked to see a lot more build up to Jewel's relationships, not just high school "crush" material, but overall it worked. I enjoyed the ending, but I hope that Shannon Duffy is not done with these characters yet. Sometimes I like when authors tie all the loose ends, and other times I just want MORE! This is one of those times. My only reading regret is not taking more time to savor it. Recommended to teens through adults with a penchant for the paranormal; and a little romance too!

Rating: On the Run (4/5)

*** I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. ( )

MY REVIEW

I really like the cover of the book with the use of the butterfly. The Butterfly represents the painful transformation that Jewel with have to go through to become her new and powerful self in the book.
Now to the book, initially I got straight into it, then the pace seemed to almost stop at around 24%, and I thought hmm am I going to enjoy this book, but the pace picked up and hooked me back into the book right until the climatic ending of the book.
Jewel believes her family is the witness protection program, that they are running from the mob. So Jewel is shocked to realise that its not the whole family in danger, just her and that they are not running from "the mob" in fact they are running from extremely dangerous dark forces.
Jewel has to face many revelations about whom she thought her family were. No one is telling Jewel the truth she is snooping and investigating the issues herself with some help from a guy named Roman who started school the day after she did. Roman is a dark, mysterious figure who always seems to be around when Jewel is in danger but can she really trust Roman. In fact Jewel has to wonder quite a lot throughout this book whom she can and cannot trust around her. The book has some twists and turns within it that keep you interested to the end. I loved the relationship Jewel has with her little brother, the loving moments they share are depicted and described so well they make you feel warm and fuzzy inside.
The ending of the book is done in such a way as it could be the end of the story, all the loose ends of the plot are tied up. however I would say the book has piqued my interest that I wonder what could happen in the future to the characters as well as wondering the further, future directions the plot could take.
Did I enjoy the book? Yes Would I read more in this series/by this author? Yes Would I recommend? Yes, you just need to be patient around the 24% and not want to rush the book! ( )