Abra Ebner

I'd been eager to read this book since I first discovered it on the author's website a few months back. The gorgeous cover drew me in first and when I finally cracked the book open, I was anything but disappointed! What a fantastic, whirlwind of a story! This book was told chapter by chapter, alternating between the points of view of the four main characters: Jane, her younger sister Emily, their lifelong friend Wes, and the mysterious new guy Max. This was the perfect format for this story. show more Because there was so much going on with each character, it really gave you a good sense of connection with each one. I have to say, I loved all four of them. Each of their relationships between eachother was complicated and real. The story was exciting and moved fast, with little pieces of the plot falling into place with every turn of the page. You feel the love and the confusion, the danger and the helplessness against the enemy, the wonder at all the magick...definitely not one to be missed!

The second of this series is due out this summer and I'm so excited to see what happens next! show less

Ms. Ebner has created a brilliant story with strong characters that tug at your heart.
While this has fantasy elements, the real story is Sam's journey to happiness, acceptance and ultimately, peace. She has a fire within her, and it burns, good or bad, with her emotions, and even though she is shunned by even her own father, she finds acceptance with two others, a teacher and a mysterious boy, that the town as a whole has labeled as odd and one not to closely associate with.
The ending show more managed to completely take me by surprise, which doesn't happen a whole lot... it was a twist that I never thought of! But it fits the story so well.
I also like the symbol and presence of the ladybug (ladybird) in this story. It is really original, and I loved how it played into the plot and guided Sam's journey. show less

Max, Jane, Emily, Wes, Greg, and a few new characters are all thrown right back into action in this second installment. Ebner continues her unique writing style with multiple character point of views. It's not a style that would work for most authors, but Ebner hits it on the mark.

We see a lot of change and growth in the main characters this time around. Max exposes his past, and it's not all pretty. Jane makes an effort to get out of her emo-ness. Wes really stepped up in this one for me. I show more really like how well he handles the situation between Emily and Jane. It's not easy to date your best friend's younger sister, especially if you used to have feelings for that friend, but Wes handles it nicely. Emily still remains my favorite character. She seems the most fleshed out of the characters, or maybe I just relate to her more. Greg still remains the same in his evil ways, but it's working for him.

My biggest problem with the first book in this series, Book of Love, was the lack of the "world". It was there, lingering in the background, I just wanted more of it up front. I do get more of it in Book of Revenge. More questions are answered about the magick. The images are more "there" in the descriptions, and I found myself getting hooked in.

My minor complaints would be, some story drags a little. A few scenes would be better sped up, but it wasn't enough to discourage me from continuing on in the story. And I still think the story would be fine by sticking to the main four POVs. They were the ones I wanted to know the story from. But once again, it wasn't enough to derail me from the story.

The story ends in a big cliffhanger that leaves me no choice but to read the next installment. Book of Revenge is a good, strong sequel. I think with Ebner's character driven story telling, along with all the awesome supernatural elements woven in, Book of Revenge is bound to satisfy it's readers. show less

I actually spent the last two minutes trying to remember what it was this book was called, and the author and everything, because my brain is already trying to forget it. I thought the premise to how the first half of the novel was set up was genius, the absence of emotion and ability, the destructive explosion of the two magnets, the background....and then the culmination of the lead-up was just so entirely lacking.

But Edgar, like most centuries old characters, gave me hope to hang on even show more after his spoilerific thing at the end happened. Maybe because I already had book two there waiting on me, too. show less