The Hidden Ones

A top secret organization dating back to ancient times is investigating an act of terrorism that could cripple the United States. It all hinges on one woman and the ‘stories’ she was told when she was a young girl. As the mystery unravels, we get to go back to where it all started and this is where it really gets interesting. I have to say I have never enjoyed history so much. I’ve never really subscribed to the myths about angels or demons, but this author had me doubting my own beliefs. It was that convincing. I was impressed with the logical, down to earth approach she took. I appreciated that the author doesn’t draw conclusions about what happened. She simply lets the eye witness accounts speak for themselves. A creature show more they called angels visited earth and mated with women, creating an entirely new race they called nephilim. And I was equally impressed with how the author tied in the demon myths with the nephilim souls. It was completely believable. My favorite part was the narrative of one of an angel called Azazyl. This should have been corny but it wasn’t. The historical parts stole the limelight for me, and I almost dreaded going back to the present. But the two were tied together so well that it worked. I ordered the second book in the series today and I am excited to start reading. According to the reviews, Power of Gods goes back to the time of Solomon. I can’t wait to get there. show less

Every now and then you stumble into a book that stands out above the rest. For me, that is a book that make me think. The Hidden Ones is that kind of book. It is interesting and flows effortlessly, even though it literally takes you through three historical landmarks thousands of years apart. It begins in the present, with a deadly attack about to happen any minute. An innocent woman, Nadia, is the suspect. She can’t believe what is happening but once she accepts the situation she begins telling them stories about a paranormal experience her grandmother had back in 1948. At first she’s just going along to save herself, but eventually she starts believing. And I was right there with her. Madore cleverly combines real historic events show more with fiction so seamlessly that I could not tell which of the historical was real and what was made up. Paranormal can sometimes make me want to toss the book out the window, but Madore writes with such authority you can’t help but take it seriously. For example, one of the chapters is a narration by the leader of the fallen angels. I don’t even believe in angels but it was so convincing it gave me chills. By the end of the book, Nadia can no longer tell which side is right and which is wrong. I felt the same way. All I can say is The Hidden Ones is a unique reading experience you shouldn't miss. I got a free kindle version on Amazon, but I would like the hard copy. show less

Helene Trevalyan, a British citizen, travelled with her father, Robert Trevelyan - an archeologist, to the Middle East in 1948. Her father and three other archeologists were searching for a Sumerian Book of the Dead and thought it might have been found in Qumran. Helene was only seventeen years old in 1948 and what she witnessed will forever impact not only her life but her offspring for generations. Helene bore witness to the resurrection of a Nephilim or djinn, the infamous Lilith.

Helene was unknowingly forced into marriage with an Arab and lived as a second-wife to Aabid in Saudi Arabia until her death. Helene and Aabid's daughter, Gisele, is allowed to leave as the wife to Helene's childhood friend, Edward Adeire. Edward and Gisele show more eventually wind up as residents of the United States and parents to a daughter, Nadia. Fast forward a few decades and Nadia is kidnapped and taken to Saudi Arabia. Why? Because her kidnappers believe that she is the key to capturing Lilith and averting a worldwide disaster. Nadia insists she knows nothing about this impending disaster and that she never even met her grandmother. The only thing she does know are the stories told to her by her mother, as they were told by her grandmother. Little does she know that these stories hold the key to the myths and reality of the Nephilim and Lilith. But will she realize the truth in time to save the world from the machinations of the Nephilim?

First, let me say that although I enjoy watching the occasional science fiction television show or movie, I'm not real big on speculative science fiction reads. However, Ms. Madore has deftly woven ancient myths, folklore and religious views into an intriguing read. The stories of Lilith, Asmodeous and the other Nephilim from ancient times was quite interesting. I found it a little farfetched that Nadia would be able to recite their stories and incorporate dialogue verbatim, but that's a relatively minor issue. Ms. Madore goes to great lengths to even try and explain how the notion of these Nephilim became distorted over time and might be the root of the vampire myths. There's a lot of historical information woven into The Hidden Ones but it does become difficult to separate history from myth if one isn't familiar with either. At times it was hard to decide who the bad guys were in this story. The kidnappers are out to save the world from outside influence and are willing to do whatever it takes to do so. But isn't this the same rationale used by extremists around the world? As a Muslim, I had difficulty with some of the behaviors exhibited by the so-called Muslims in the story, specifically with Aabid and his family. (I found their behavior to be based more on cultural traditions that have been subsumed into regional religious practices rather than religious dictates.) Yet I must say that their behavior is probably not too far removed from cultural traditions at that time period. Nadia and Helene are presented as strong women that endure quite a bit at the hands of men, but both emerge victorious. The physical attraction between Nadia and one of the kidnappers is initially explained away as Stockholm Syndrome but is later built upon as a relationship. It took me awhile to get into this story, primarily because of the subject matter and secondarily because of numerous migraine headaches, but once I got halfway through I was hooked and had to know how it would end. Unfortunately, this is just the first in a series so I may never know how it really ends. This wasn't an easy or quick read for me due to the genre but it was an interesting and different read. If you enjoy speculative science fiction mixed with history and touches of romance and adventure, then The Hidden Ones may be just the read for you. show less

The author sent this to me in exchange for an honest review.

The whole Watchers trilogy was a mixture of science fiction/fantasy/romance set mainly in contemporary times; I couldn't pigeonhole it into one definite genre. Any historical fiction/fantasy was based on the Lilith/Nephilim legends; they attracted me in the first place. Nadia, the heroine, CEO of a charitable nonprofit, BEACON, is kidnapped one day and taken to Saudi Arabia where she tells her kidnappers, members of a group called the Raphaelians, of her grandmother's stories and the legend of Lilith, who is trying to bring catastrophe on the world. They try to prevent it: a pandemic. We are taken back and forth from present time; to when her grandmother--the unwilling wife of show more a Saudi--was living; and back to the ancient days in Mesopotamia for the story of the djinn Lilith, one of the Nephilim as mentioned in the Old Testament, and her race. I did like reading about some of the Muslim culture but I fear much was negatively stereotypical. I appreciate the author's efforts and from so many positive comments I see on the reviews, I am sure there are many others who would like her trilogy, but it is not really of my interest. I had no complaints about the writing style: a yeoman effort with minimal proofing errors. I couldn't connect with any of the characters. The love interest subplot was strange. I could only read Book 2 partway then abandoned it. I understand Vol. 2 will take readers to the time of King Solomon and ancient Israel. I never even tried Book 3. I'm not interested enough to find out how the story finishes. show less

This book was a mixed bag for me. The historical details and explanations were amazingly detailed and accurate, but this did lead to several moments of “info dump” where the reader is told rather than shown, and that did cause the plot to lag. While I appreciate the depth of research into several elements, providing so much information and managing the intertwining stories of the 3 generationally distanced female characters required several moments where I had to stop and contemplate who was where, and what was happening. I also found myself stopping or struggling with conversations, particularly moments where dialog was being written with the ‘attempt’ at an accent. This is a particular gripe of mine: if you find a need to show more ‘write’ an accent or patois into a character’s conversation, understand that many readers will find that difficult to process. Unfortunately there were particular characters that were bordering on caricature in their conversation, I do think an editor should have questioned that continued inclusion.

When the story was moving forward, it was quite engaging and there were so many different elements coming into play: action, romance, old grudges and mythology. Keeping it all straight from a plotting perspective is a Herculean task, and the effort was evident. For me, however, the sheer volume of information to process made this a good, not great read.

I received an eBook copy from author for purpose of honest review for the Indie Authors Rock promotion at I am, Indeed. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility. show less

This was a very unique kind of book. It starts out when Nadia is kidnapped and taken to a strange place, where she is forced to tell stories of her grandmother's past. Then it flashes back to the grandmother's life, then again ever further back in time to a woman in ancient times. Each story is even more fascinating, though all of them face their share of sadness, especially Nadia's grandmother, Helene. The whole point behind all this is to stop a terrorist attack that is about to happen in a matter of days.

I really liked the way this was written, the characters, everything. It kept me wondering the whole time. I think I learned a lot too, lol. There is history and a great story and great writing. I give this book 5 out of 5.

This certainly was an interesting story, delving into historical myths. The initial concept is intriguing and held my attention. Still, I couldn't quite get into this book. Truthfully, I think it's my fault. I'm just not that into urban fantasy, especially the idea of angels and demons. Nadia's character is relatable, but the sections involving her interrogation tend to be rather, well... boring.

This author has much potential and I'm interested to see what the sequels have in store once I get to them. This is well worth reading. I'm grateful for being requested to read and review.