Pat Esden

A Hold of Me was an interesting take on the fantasy/supernatural genre.

This book goes in many different directions, and leads you to places you wouldn't expect. It's definitely not your cookie cutter fantasy novel, but it definitely did not wow me.

I found the plot was very wavy - I wasn't exactly sure where it was going or why certain scenes were involved at all. Half of the book could have been removed and I would have gotten to the same ending. There were many useless scenes that left me confused.

Our main character is interesting and not a weak character. She has a great background story and definitely has layers. Her loyalty towards her family is clear, and she holds onto her values regardless of the situation. She is headstrong and believes in herself, which is great for a main character.

Some of our cast of characters is kooky and interesting - they leave you wanting to know more about them. I would have liked if these characters were built more upon in this story instead of involving useless, silly party scenes to prove that this is for the young adult genre.

Pat Esden does a miraculous job creating the location and scenery of the novel. It was very spooky and interesting. Her descriptions are wonderful, and if anything I would give that specific part of the novel five stars. Her ability to create an intriguing setting is superb!

Our author definitely includes themes in this novel - family loyalty and good vs evil. I assume this will be continued upon in the next novel. The author did make sure this book ended to create a second book, as there were many doors left open.

The book's pace is very slow. I got bored several time and had to keep putting it down and picking it up again to be able to read it. As fantastic as the writing itself is, the author needed to include more action or drama to keep it moving.

I did like this book, don't get me wrong! It is a fantastic fantasy novel, but it was not aimed directly at me. I like fast paced books with drama, romance and action. This novel had those, but not at a fast pace.

Two out of five stars - based off the slow pace that left me wanting to put the book away several times.

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.… (mais)

Find this review and others at Carlene Inspired.

Chloe Winslow wants a fresh start in Vermont, an opportunity to be the version of herself she knows she can be, all while studying medicine in hopes of righting the wrongs of her past. As a witch who is unaware of her true strength, Chloe is invited to the mysterious Northern Circle Coven, with their high priestess offering her the chance to harness her powers. Chloe finds herself crushing on fellow coven member, Devlin, with her lust for him and her desire to learn glossing over her common sense. When the coven attempts to awaken Merlin himself they find that not every member's motive is for good and Chloe must trust blindly and put her faith behind her untrained power to discern good from evil.

The foggy Vermont shores are meant to be an escape for Chloe, a place for her to learn how she can combine her power and medicine, but it soon becomes a fight to not drown in the dark magic that calls to her as the coven unearths the shade of Merlin. A classic new adult character, Chloe easily allows her emotions to get the better of her, allowing the story to be a mix of romance and gothic witch drama. She discovers that trust, while easy to give at first, can be tested too many times, and that power can be intoxicating even when thought to be used for good. I enjoyed Chloe's naivety and felt it really allowed the story to progress with significant character development. I was intrigued by her past and her future hopes, especially as she joined the coven and fell for the promise of power. Her romance with Devlin, though brief in their interactions, happens very quickly, which really highlighted Chloe's youthfulness. However, she builds a strong friendship with another local witch and I loved them as friends, their dialogue was so fresh and entertaining.

His Dark Magic was the perfect story to introduce a new series, especially with the format of the Northern Circle Coven series where each is told from the perspective of different characters. While the setting, general character personalities, and the overarching plot line of light versus dark magic is obvious, there was little detail given on the rest. I wanted to understand the characters and their ties to the coven more, in fact I wanted to understand the coven more in general. We aren't given enough information and while the characters are fiercely protective of it we don't understand why. On top of that, we aren't given motives behind why some of the characters have chosen to go dark. It's a very large part of this first novel and I think it could have been explained further. I am, however, looking forward to exploring the dark versus light side of the characters in the future novels, especially now that lines have been drawn and characters have chosen sides.

His Dark Magic is a stunning fantasy and paranormal release from Pat Esden that introduces a new series that I am very much looking forward to reading. It reminded me of the books I used to read about witches in the early '00's that I enjoyed so much. I enjoyed the characters, the overarching theme of good and evil, the friendships, and I loved the contemporary setting that the coven managed to somehow still fit into. I recommend His Dark Magic to fans of new adult paranormal/fantasy reads.

ARC provided.… (mais)

I received an ARC in exchange for review through Xpresso Book Tours.
See more about this book and other reviews on my blog, Carlene Inspired. Giveaway going on right now!

Annie is taking her father back to his home where his sister and father await to help care for him. After years of being on their own, traveling the world and picking out artifacts, coming back to a family she knows her father hates will be hard. When the shadows on the walls point out a more sinister past, Annie begins to investigate what is going on with her father and the past that stole her mother from her when she was young.

A Hold on Me was not at all what I expected, while I had an idea there would be some fantasy paranormal to it, I definitely didn't expect the extent. Pat Esden does a phenomenal job of setting the scene with the spooky location, the mythological history, and the strange secondary characters. The concept, without giving anything away, was very unique for me and I really enjoyed the arabian themes mixed with witchcraft. I enjoyed Annie as a character, though at times I was annoyed with her. She was caring of her father, intrigued by her unknown family, and dedicated to her future and her current hobby of knowing artifacts. The secondary characters stole the show for me, from Chase the groundsman to Kate the suspicious aunt, and even the secretive cousins, all brought a lot more to the story than the main character did. I felt like we saw glimpses of the story over time, but none of it ever gave away the twists. The themes of loyalty and good versus evil were very prominent and I enjoyed the impact they made on Annie as a character.

While A Hold on Me was well-paced and included all the details for a perfect paranormal novel, I felt like some of the plot lines could have been more explored. At times Annie seemed fine with receiving very little information and other times demanded more, and as a reader what Annie was told was all we were told as well. I didn't feel the chemistry between Annie and Chase either, which makes for a huge part of the book. I think it was just personal feelings though and others would definitely get behind them. While their histories were well developed, they didn't mesh for me and Annie's fear from her past I would think would play a huge part in who she dates in her future and Chase just wasn't it for me.

A Hold on Me is a unique book in the new adult paranormal genre, with mixes of horror and suspense, this one will grab your attention and hold on tight. If you're anything like me, you'll want to read it with the light on. There are tons of twists and it was impossible to guess what was coming next.… (mais)

Esden wraps up her Dark Heart trilogy with this satisfying book that's part New Age paranormal romance and thriller. The second book ended in disaster, with Annie's mother and her beloved Chase trapped in the realm of djinn. Annie is a strong young woman and she's easy to relate to, as she yearns to know the mother who vanished when she was five and to save her future with half-djinn Chase.

For a while, I was afraid the book was developing a love triangle--I really don't like those--but to my relief, the plot took a very different and welcome twist.

Seek out this series if you want contemporary paranormal that steps beyond the over-done tropes of fairies and European mythology. It's refreshing to read about djinn (if you read the actual mythology, whoa, they are seriously creepy, and Esden uses that well) and Annie is a great, down-to-earth heroine.… (mais)