Five – Out of the Dark (Five #1) by Holli Anderson
Published by: Curiosity Quills Press
Publication date: August 20th 2013
Genres: Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, Young Adult
Published by: Curiosity Quills Press
Publication date: August 20th 2013
Genres: Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, Young Adult
Five teenagers who’ve recently discovered they have magical powers and
are living in the Seattle underground feel it’s their
responsibility to protect unsuspecting humans from otherworldly foes.
Things are going well until Johnathan, their unofficial leader and the
boy sixteen year old Paige is in love with, is bitten by a changeling –
the venomous saliva causing him to metamorphose into a ravening beast
with each full moon. Paige vows that, no matter the cost, she will find a
way to cure Johnathan of the evil that has embedded itself in his soul.
Johnathan’s monthly transformation and daily personality roller coaster isn’t the only problem they have to deal with. The Five are also gearing up to face their toughest and most dangerous enemy yet—a powerful and ruthless Warlock who will go to any means, including high school, to build his Dark Army.
Johnathan’s monthly transformation and daily personality roller coaster isn’t the only problem they have to deal with. The Five are also gearing up to face their toughest and most dangerous enemy yet—a powerful and ruthless Warlock who will go to any means, including high school, to build his Dark Army.
Different!
When Paige first discovers her power, she doesn't realize how the world around her was going to change. Being a preacher's daughter, her father believed she was practicing Dark Arts and tried to have her taken away. Devastated she makes a run for it and is discovered by Johnathan. The two quickly learn that both are magic users and that there are three more of them like it out there. As the pace of the story quickens, we meet all Five within a few pages. The teens take on the task of learning their magic while living underground on limited food sources. Unfortunately when Johnathan their leader gets bitten by a changeling, it not only transforms his personality but also turns him into a beast with each full moon.
Ah okay. The story was cute. It took off very fast and I mean fast. It had my head in a spin for a first few pages. I was really glad that it finally did slow down and developed it's slowly much slower so we got to experience it a bit better.
Paige was an interesting character. Thought the book was from her POV, I had a really hard time connecting with her. She was a bit possessive over Johnathan right away and there is a bit of insta-love going on here, since the first half of the story happens so rapidly. I did enjoy seeing her character slowly grow by the end of the book, but I still had a hard time connecting with her. I think I would have liked a dual point of view, or maybe Johnathan telling the story because he was one of my favorite characters. I liked that despite his change, he still had a lot of heart and I thought at the beginning of the book with the way he took these kids in made him a great leader.
The story itself is filled with a lot of different paranormal creatures. Thought I enjoy paranormal and always love my creatures, it felt a little crammed. There was a lot of different ones mentioned at the beginning of the book that I think would have made other people feel kind of intimidated with the amount of information. The book itself is endearing but takes on a tone more for MG kids over Young Adults. I thought some monsters felt a bit silly to me. If taken the darker elements out of it, it would have been a better fit for the much younger crowd.
I did enjoy the story. It was a welcoming relief from the much intenser stuff and I did like the addition of the warlock and the darker side of magic. It be interesting to see if Paige continues to grow and of course I always want more of Johnathan!
AUTHOR BIO
Holli Anderson has a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing—which has nothing to
do with writing, except maybe by adding some pretty descriptive injury
and vomit scenes to her books. She discovered her joy of writing during a
very trying period in her life when escaping into make-believe saved
her. She enjoys reading any book she gets her hands on, but has
a particular love for anything fantasy.
Along with her husband, Steve, and their four sons, she lives in Grantsville, Utah—the same small town in which she grew up.
Along with her husband, Steve, and their four sons, she lives in Grantsville, Utah—the same small town in which she grew up.
Open internationally
-A signed copy of Five Out of the Dark, a bookmark, a poster, and a mug.
It sounds like there is a lot going on very quickly, maybe too quickly and it was a bit of a mess.
ReplyDeleteHopefully the next book will even itself out and not be so chaotic.
This sounds like a fun read, even though there seems to be a lot going on! Great review!
ReplyDeleteTeresa @ Readers Live A Thousand Lives
Oh, this cover ir creepy for some reason :D The premise sounds actually pretty darn cool. While I like how when a story starts off fast, I need some slower parts as well for it to make an imprint on my mind and connect with the story and characters. I'm glad you liked Jonathan's character and I hope that you'll get a lot more of him in the next book :)
ReplyDeleteI like how it sounds. The cover looks like a movie poster.
ReplyDeleteGreat review
Ruty@Reading...Dreaming
Great review, Lily! It's always hard when you don't really connect with the MC, but it's good that she goes through good character growth throughout the story. This sound like a pretty good read, overall, though! Sometimes these lighter, cute read!
ReplyDeleteI think I'll be skipping this one. If I can't connect with a character from the start, then the novel usually winds up failing to "wow" me. Plus, the multiple creatures seem to be a rather severe disappointment, which is unfortunate. Thanks for such an honest review, though, Lily! :)
ReplyDeleteSounds like a very good start to a series. Each book should pick up from here with the ground work in place now. :)
ReplyDeleteThe premises and cover are great, it sounds like too much is happening and when you don't connect it makes it harder. I love paranormal creatures but it sounds like they may have overrun the plot. Great review!
ReplyDeleteThis one seems to have a lot going on. That is good for those who love an intense plot. I'm glad you liked Out of the Dark, despite sone of the issues!
ReplyDeleteHmm, I actually don't mind the fast start, books with a slower start make me more likely to drop the book. Glad it balanced out for you!
ReplyDeleteHaven't heard of this one, but it sounds like a fun and creative story! I usually like my stories told in dual POV too, I just like the different perspectives it give you on the story.
ReplyDeletemaybe... not sure about this one. I remember seeing it as a galley but I didn't ask for it. It sounds nice but not sure about the heroine. And well it's a big point.
ReplyDeleteI was actually wondering about this one. Sounds pretty fun.
ReplyDeleteI like the cover! Curiosity Quills usually has some interesting cover art. While I'm not a fan of insta-love, this definitely has an interesting premise.
ReplyDeleteGlad I wasn't the only one whose head was spinning at the beginning of this book (I literally used those words in my review too!). I enjoyed the book once I got past the first third or so, but I was REALLY worried at the beginning.
ReplyDeleteNicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
The insta love doesn't sound so good to me. :( And if it's too fast at the beginning it can get confusing. I just DNF'd a book like that. I just didn't have a clue what was happening. It's hard for authors to get that perfect balance where it's not too fast, but not too slow. The concept of this sounds pretty good though!
ReplyDeleteI haven't heard of this one, but I do like the lighter sound and that it helps with the different para creatures
ReplyDeleteI could actually see some of my way younger cousins enjoying it with all the dark elements. :) I may have to recommend this one to them. Great review!
ReplyDeleteI like Curiosity Quills. They have some good stuff. I may have to check this one out.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds pretty good. I like MG as well as YA, so I might look into it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for taking part in the blog tour!
ReplyDelete