Ariana Knight

Sarah knows there's something up with her family, but she would never have guessed exactly how un-ordinary they all are until she starts to seek out her estranged grandmother...

I loved the mystery as Sarah tries to figure out what's going on, and the way her relationship with everyone in her family changes as she learns more. The slow build of learning and the way knowledge brings her closer to others is beautifully written.

My one complaint is that after all this build up and preparation, show more the action at the end felt almost forced, and I didn't like how it resolved and then un-resolved for a cliff-hanger. Why not just cut before they're fully resolved if you want to pull us along to the next book? The perils of chopping a long story into several volumes, I guess!

But despite not loving the way book 1 ended, I enjoyed the story, loved the characters and I'm looking forwards to more discovery and action in the next volume. show less

I really liked reading this novel despite the fact that there were a few things that caught my attention, it makes me excited to read the rest of the novels that follow this one and hopefully after I finish my review books, I will be able to get the rest of the books. It makes me excited to post this review for the fact that I enjoyed this story.

The main character of this novel, Sarah, is a great asset with all of her flaws but can be also a hindrance to the story. Her greatest flaw as a show more person in this story is the fact that she believes that she is ordinary because of how everyone views her and what everyone tells her. This is what makes her relatable and lovable because everyone can see themselves in her throughout her struggles. But in writing, the main character is supposed to be larger than life and in that, take you away from all of your problems that surround you. So, honestly, it depends on the reader and I honestly enjoy a bit of both.

Secondly, I enjoyed the minor characters including the bad guys and people like her best friends. I start with the bad guys. The way that they are portrayed within the story is uniquely interesting because unlike in most stories where the bad guys are obviously bad, you are forced to call into question everyone and every relationship she has. Now with the minor characters, I enjoyed the diversity in their attitudes and attributes. I liked that her best friends were so completely different and that not everyone got along.

The dialog was lacking though. It was at times hard to follow and seemed disjointed from the narrative, making some of it seem childish. What the dialog lacked, the narrative made up for it.

Now, I am a sucker for a good family life within a novel whether it gets better through out the novel or starts that way and ends differently. So when I began this story I was saddened to find another family who is broken, another teen mistreated by the parents who swore to protect her at birth. As the story progressed, I was glad to see a growing relationship between her father and herself because it is rare to find any story in the YA genre with that ingredient.

Lastly, this is not really a bad thing because I really wish that this story was longer because I felt that some key parts were barely grazed. The thing I really wished had been put into greater detail was the time spent with her grandma because I would’ve loved to read what she learned about. Like what was it like when she did her first potion or when she first did something wrong?

All and all, a great read. Worthwhile for anyone who likes the YA genre. show less

A cute story about an awkward, self-conscious girl who finds out she is a lot more than she believed herself to be. After reuniting with an estranged grandmother, she is embroiled in a battle of good and evil that may involve the whole world. Many of the issues that are raised in this story are topics that tweens and young teens can relate to, from family problems to making the correct, but not always easy, decision. Some of the plot is predictable, but it does have some twists that were not show more expected. I enjoyed the story line.

The title says it is book 1 of a trilogy. While I can see a story that spans 3 books easily, I really hope the author gets a good editor or a writing coach to smooth out numerous grammatical issues that really detract from an enjoyable reading flow. Regardless of the target age, the reader deserves that much! That is what is keeping me from giving the book 4 stars.

Reviewed for the Member Giveaway Program. show less

Sarah knows that she is nothing special. Everything about her is average and she feels like the human equivalent of the color beige. She has what seems like the perfect family life, but always is left feeling inferior to her Mother and sister Jenny. All Sarah wants is for something new and exciting to happen. She also wants to find out once and for all why her Father is keeping her from her Grandmother and lying to her about where she is, leading Sarah to believe that her Grandmother is show more mentally ill. But Sarah gets more than she bargained for when she finds Lily and learns that she really is more than ordinary. It turns out that witchcraft runs in the Wishart family bloodline and Sarah is destined to be a great warrior for the white witches in a war against the dark practitioners. It will be up to Sarah, who has been without virtually any training to save the world as they know it. With the help of her friends Matt and Aurora, can Sarah defeat those who would destroy her? Especially after two devastating blows hit her one after the other. This book has a sweet and simple story to it that is interesting. I liked it, but it felt like the writing and characterizations were stilted and unrealistic. The follow-through felt very young and I think this book would do well for a pre-teen audience more so than younger teenagers. It was not one that I fell in love with and I don't think that I will read the next one. That said, it was NOT a waste of my time. It was cute and worth it.

VERDICT: 3/5 Stars

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the author herself, via LibraryThing. No money was exchanged for this review. The publication date of this book was November 11th, 2011.* show less