Sterling (Mageri Series Book 1)

Like all sorts of supernatural characters? Well you are in luck if you decide to read this book and series. This is the first book in the excellent Mageri series that is one of the best paranormal series that I have ever read. Since that's mostly what I read, that is saying a lot! Zoe is an ordinary, late twenty something career woman that lives in a big city alone with her cat. Her best friend Sunny makes her come out to dinner with her one night. Extremely bad idea and the catalyst for the end of life as Zoe knows it. On her way home, she is attacked. And then she dies. This is just the start of the five book series and I should tell you that this book is not about a ghost. What she becomes is one of the most interesting and different supernatural characters that I have ever read about. From the very first line of this story, I knew I was in for something really different. It starts out humorous and moves on to horrific pretty quickly. And then it just gets really good as in knock your socks off good. To say I couldn't put it down is a major understatement. The author has the ability to suck you into her books and not let you go until she has wrung every emotion from you and then she manages to wring out even more then you even suspected you had in you-especially as the series moves on. Ms. Dark's supernatural world building is just phenomenal. It's Urban Fantasy at it's finest. The author writes about vampires and shifters but she also has come up with some extremely different, alternative characters that were new to me. Not all of them show up in this book; you meet more of them as you read the series. The good part for the reader that hasn't discovered this series yet, is that all five books are available now. Only three were available when I started the series and I was on pins and needles waiting for each book as they came out. When you finish the series, you realize just how well plotted each book is, in that little nuances from book 1( or book 2 or 3) are tied to things that happen in book 5. As far as romance goes with this series, I can safely say it was one of the best I have ever read. Since this is Urban Fantasy, I am not going to spoil it and say exactly when this happens. If you miss reading this series, you will miss out on one of the best alpha male characters I have ever read about. But even more then that, Ms. Dark has written a whole cast of characters that will enchant you and keep you reading to see what happens with each of them. Romance, suspense, supernatural characters, what more could you ask for in a paranormal series? Each of these books get better as you go. And it all starts with Sterling.(RabidReads.ca)

This book left with me mixed feelings for a number of reasons. I liked it because it was a different kind of paranormal unlike anything I have ever read and I always like something that takes me away from my comfort zone. First the summary: Zoe Merrick is a single female who lives alone with her cat and has a best friend named Sunny. In the beginning of the book Zoe doesn't have a man in her life nor does she really show interest in wanting one. We get to see a little bit of the original Zoe and I loved her after just the first two chapters. One night changes her life forever. She decides to go out for the night with Sunny and at the end of the night instead of driving her home, Sunny drops her off at the station. This is where she encounters a strange man who decides to take her life. He leaves her for dead...literally. You even get the idea that Zoe is in fact dead. A few days later Zoe wakes up in another stranger's house. A man by the name of Adam who has taken her in despite not knowing a thing about her. He watches as her physical being transforms and still cares for her. Yes, Zoe is no longer an image of herself. She's emerged even more gorgeous than before and a little taller too. Zoe and Adam have a weird connection and you get the idea they are both attracted to each other. That's about as far as it goes before Zoe runs into another stranger who challenges who she is and promises her a truth she'll have to embrace. He tells her what she truly is and despite not asking for this life, she has no choice. She knows the man who killed her is out there somewhere and she is terrified he'll come back. She wasn't suppose to live...or at least that's what she thought until she discovers his intent was not to murder her but to change her into a Mage. Yes, I said it...a Mage. And, not the kind that run around with little wands. So...now onto what I liked and didn't like about the book The likes: I liked Zoe in the beginning of the book. She's witty and independent. I also fell in love with all three guys that come into her life. Ironically, all three of these men want nothing more than to protect her. What I didn't like: The fact the independent Zoe turns not so much. Every time she's in a predicament she has to rely on one of the three men in her life to save her. It's like the author wanted to portray that Zoe was an independent female lead and then it just fell flat. I didn't like how boring some parts of the book got. Zoe found out who she was and then began training to protect herself for whatever reason. Not to fight..but to protect herself. I also didn't like how every man in the book falls for her...not just to get her in bed either. They all want an actual relationship with her. It was an unnecessary love triangle. What also bothered me is the fact that Zoe seems to like all three. I was hoping by her missing Adam she wouldn't just find herself in another man's arms but she does. Don't read further if you don't want to read the spoilers. This is where I go into detail about Zoe and this book. SPOILERS!!!! So...Zoe's attacked by a Creator which is another Mage capable of creating a human into what he is. In the Mage world he has rights to his creation (Zoe). We find out in the book she can no longer go by her former name so when her Creator (Samil) comes for her he renames her. Silver. No last name...just Silver. He takes her and beats her all while allowing some other guy to steal her light. Mage's carry a light force which is their energy basically. She's repeatedly beaten by Samil because Justus (the mysterious guy she meets who lays down the hard truth of what she is) only taught her to protect herself..not how to defend herself and fight back. She's like a whimpering dog getting beaten by its master. This disturbs me because she was presented to us as a strong female lead. Instead she's just like any other damsel in distress that we read about. Very aggravating. On top of that she goes from not really having an interest to a man to having an interest in THREE. Justus (her Ghuardian), Adam (the stranger who found her after Samil changed her) and Simon (Justus' friend). I mean, who wouldn't fall for these guys but playing all of their hearts seems sickening. Anyhow, at the end of the book Adam decides he wants to fight Samil so she can be set free. Samil must have his light removed so he can fight as a human. Adam of course defeats Samil but not without injuries. He is near death when one of the Council members decides he has potential to be a great Mage. This member just so happens to be a Creator. (Apparently not all Mage can create another Mage.) So....duh, Adam lives and becomes a Mage. END OF SPOILERS!!! All in all I loved Dannika's writing. I loved how she portrayed action scenes and I liked the start of the book. I didn't like how Zoe's weakness increased throughout the book and it irritated me. I also loved how the book can stand on it's own. You don't need to buy the other installments to find out what happens. The threat is gone and the book wraps up nicely. With this being said, I fully intend to get the second book because despite the ordinary of the story, I was hooked throughout and desperately wanted to know what happened. I am curious about this Mage world and hope it comes together in the other books. This world is confusing as hell so if you got confused by my review this is why. It's hard to explain. You just have to read it. I would definitely recommend this book to my friends and anyone else who wants to read.

****************SPOILER ALERT********************** * * * * * * * * *Ok, first things first I have never been SO on the sidelines in a book as much as I was when I read this book! I DREAMT about READING IT (no, not being in the book, or having fantasies about the hunks in this book, (of which there were quite a few to choose from... Adam being my FAV so far) but I dreamt the words on the page and actually READING the book) whenever I fell asleep reading because I was not able to find a "good stopping point" (as my best friend calls it) because THERE WASN'T A GOOD STOPPING POINT!!! I have never been laughing so hard from Page ONE in anything besides the Sunday comics as a kid... Might I just begin this all by saying.... Sterling is the first book in the Mageri series by Dannika Dark, and by far my reason for loss of sleep the last 2 days... That is right!! I read this book cover to cover in 2 days.. (I have a three year old mind you so she had to be cared for otherwise I am positive I would have finished it faster lol)We begin the story as Zoë in bed and after a short persuasive call from her BFF Sunny, they went out for a night out. At the end of their evening, Sunny drops Zoë off at a train station for her to make her way home on her own from there. Zoë's night however was not going to end as simply as she intended. On her way home Zoë is aprehended by force by a strange man who KILLS HER!!! That was what kept me reading!! The MAIN character of the book DIES in the first chapter!! I was shocked to say the least!! Hours pass and Zoë awakens in the back of an ambulance in a friggin body bag! She frees herself and manages to take off through the woods and comes across Adam Razor **swoon** who takes her back to his home and cares for her! When Zoë awakens she sees that her hair (originally red) was jet black and her eyes now bright vibrant green! Even her voice was different..! Zoë and Adam after a few small feats of whether or not to trust the dutiful hero come to a very warming relationship (platonic however since she ZAPPED him when he kissed her). Adam is a photographer and ex-military ends up getting a photography gig in Tennessee and brings Zoë along for the ride after realizing that that the man that killed her was hunting her down. While in TN, Zoë decides that being this far from her killer that she would be safe enough to go out to a bar and encounters Justus. From Zoë's description of Justus, he is a very well built brick sex appeal marinated powerhouse! While leaving the bar (accompanied by Justus as his chivalry begins to show just a bit) Zoë is approached by some men and while trying to protect her we learn that Zoë is not human, but Mage. Justus accompanies Adam(who by this time has not only found Zoë but managed to think she needed rescuing from Justus) and Zoë to Adam's hotel room where he tells the pair that the man that "killed" her was a creator of Mage and that Zoë was his creation. Justus warns Adam that she needs to be taught and that there are laws set in place by the Breed (basically anything non-human) that Zoë needed to learn and that Adam could not properly teach Zoë or protect her. So, having been given Justus' business card, Zoë calls him and is then taken by him to the council. (They are basically, the law-keepers.) Justus is made Zoë's Ghuardian (yessiree, I spelled it right.. ). Zoe, making great headway in her training with Justus and beginning to gain a grasp of the Mage history and laws, is rather abruptly introduced to Simon. Simon holds secrets himself as we come to learn later on that he too was forcefully made Mage as well. Simon is a breath of fresh air however when he gets Justus to let his guard down and allow the three of them to go out for a night on the town. but avast.... while out, Zoë(here on out called Learner as that is her title within the Mage, a new baby-like Mage... and learning... hence, "Learner") is attacked by a juicer(a Mage that for all intensive purposes seems like a light(Mage power) addict(much like a heroin addict). The learner is taken back to Justus' home by Simon and NEARLY succumbs to his allure and sex appeal but they are interrupted by the homecoming of Justus and that comes to a screeching halt. A little later on(this book is fast paced, you go from chapter to chapter and jump in time as you turn your page) we find out that the learner's creator has stepped forth in the eyes of the Council and intended to claim her (Mage law states your creator owns you until he decides you can be free...not my favorite part but her, you can't like everything in a book can ya? lol). Justus and Simon decide that this was not going to be left alone and upon awarding the learner back to her creator he gives the learner a name (since in the Mage law, you abandon your name and are GIVEN one by your creator) and her creator names her Silver. The Counsel decides that since Silver's creation was not common, that in a week the parties would return and someone could fight to have Silver. Then Samil(Silver's creator) takes her back to his house and puts her in a basement and literally beats her and tries to get her to beg to be healed... (oh forgot to mention that tidbit.... Mage are immortal... and heal faster... so Silver was not able to be killed per-se' and could heal faster than a human, but another Mage could heal her if he/she decided) Also, while down in her creator's basement Silver is pimped out for her light to a man that appears to be paying Samil to create Mage and sell to him. After the tables are turned on Samil by his dealmaker, Samil decides to go out and kill Silver to stop the dealmaker from having leverage or trying to take his cut basically. Samil hesitates and decides to "taste" Silver's light just the same as he was allowing his dealmaker to do daily and has a FAST change of mind and decides to KEEP Silver because we learn she is a Unique (not much known on this subject other than it a very VERY special Mage Type and is not seen often... Having given Simon and Justus her location (like how I did that hmm? didn't tell you when or how, just that she had..... wanna find out how?? read the book.. hehe) they come to her rescue just in the knick of time. While Silver had been away, Simon and Justus had contacted Adam and decided that HE would be the one to fight for Silver. Since the Council would level the playing field, this meant that Adam could get the revenge on Samil that he has been seeking for apparently a LOT longer that the night he met Silver(as Zoë). In the end of this all, the battle takes place with my on the edge of the couch cheering in dead silence at my Kindle for Adam to kick Samil's ass and Adam wins....barely. Adam retained a fatal wounding throughout the fight that he would have died from if another option had not been presented him by an unsuspecting member of the scene (Im not tellin... so there... :-P ) and Silver is placed back with her Ghuardian(Justus) and taken home. Like I said I loved this book!! If you are looking for a bunch of sex and erotica, keep moving because nobody has sex in this book.... a few close calls.... but nothing completed. BUT if you are looking for a new book, with twists and turns all along the way and moments that you are laughing your ass off one sentence and then gasping in shock and yelling at characters to do your bidding.... then this is the book for you!! I can not wait to read Twist and see what else happens in this series!! I give it 5 shields!!!! (I would give it 10 if it was an option!! lol but alas, I stuck with the 5 star rating method widely used by every site I have found!! lol Like I said I loved this book!! If you are looking for a bunch of sex and erotica, keep moving because nobody has sex in this book.... a few close calls.... but nothing completed. BUT if you are looking for a new book, with twists and turns all along the way and moments that you are laughing your ass off one sentence and then gasping in shock and yelling at characters to do your bidding.... then this is the book for you!! I can not wait to read Twist and see what else happens in this series!! I give it 5 shields!!!! (I would give it 10 if it was an option!! lol but alas, I stuck with the 5 star rating method widely used by every site I have found!! lol Like I said I loved this book!! If you are looking for a bunch of sex and erotica, keep moving because nobody has sex in this book.... a few close calls.... but nothing completed. BUT if you are looking for a new book, with twists and turns all along the way and moments that you are laughing your ass off one sentence and then gasping in shock and yelling at characters to do your bidding.... then this is the book for you!! I can not wait to read Twist and see what else happens in this series!!I give it 5 shields!!!! (I would give it 10 if it was an option!! lol but alas, I stuck with the 5 star rating method widely used by every site I have found!! lol

The story definitely pulled me in, I was hooked in the beginning. I initially felt that the story moved at a good pase, but it slows down and some times I found it a little boring. The story picks up and slows continually through the entire book. I really enjoyed the plot, it was rather unique. The book has a little of everything - evil/darkness, humor, a little romance, a little sex, a little magic. I would have liked a bit more magic. The ending provided closure to the overall story and I didn't feel left hanging, but I must say I was disappointed that the next book wasn't available, I would have definitely proceeded right to the next book. A lot of characters are introduced, but I had no problem following them. Also the world the author creates is easily understood, not too complicated. I read the Kindle edition and there were some spelling errors, not enough to turn me off. My biggest issue - lite spoiler follows: Another reviewer mentioned that there are "gaping holes" through out the story. I agree with this point and have to say this is my biggest issue with the author's writing. I find this particularly true regarding the beginning scenes with Adam and the introduction of his friend Knox. We never really find out about Adam's past regarding his `military' training and what exactly were Adam and Knox partners in??? It appears as if the conversations and scenes between Adam and Knox will have some meaning later in the story and are of importance. I kept waiting for Knox to reappear and maybe save the day. An example is when Knox references Zoe being in "the database" and how him and Adam were "wrong" about something in their past. Unfortunately that's it, you never hear of Knox again or what the "database" is or why Knox was outside Zoe's apartment - what is the connection?? Further disturbing is how Zoe hears bits of their conversations and never does she push for answers - which is odd for her character. Worse, is when Knox runs after Zoe's killer in the woods and that's it, you never hear what happen to Knox, if he caught the killer, Knox never comes back to report what he found, nobody looks for him, Adam and Zoe just go on a photo shot the next day !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

'Dying isn't the hardest thing you'll ever do-living is. There are many choices that determine the direction of your life, but death only has one outcome. At least, that's what I used to believe.' That was BLOODY BRILLIANT!! Yes, apparently I turned British somewhere in the middle of this book, I blame Simon LOL. But seriously, Awesomesauce, I loved it. Really there's not much I can say about the plot, this is just one of those books you have to let unfold on its own, I could never fully explain it properly. Cliffnotes: Zoe is brutally attacked & murdered. Only, doesn't stay dead. That's when the rollarcoaster begins. This book lays the groundwork for a whole new world full of breeds & Mage, violence, blood & pure awesomeness. And Laughs!! Some really funny dialogue in there. 'There are few things in life that are worth waking up to: sex, the dark spices of freshly brewed coffee, and bacon.' 'Justus hovered, ordering me to do more, more, more. I mentally ordered him to die, die, die.' The characters were amazing & there are so sooo many to choose from. I'm just gonna talk about some of my favorites (otherwise we could be here all day). Zoe Winter Merrik (AKA Silver): This girl was funny, strong, feisty & all around kick-ass. I love her, I see sooo many big things in her future. Adam: He is the one who took Zoe in after her attack. Smokin' hott, awkward, cute & funny. Total alpha with some crazy secrets. Him & Knox were hilarious together, his banter with Zoe was a riot. Justus: He eventually takes Zoe under his wing. He's hot of course, but also a closed off loner at the same time a total playboy (yeah, figure that one out Lol). Smart, strong, kinda uptight alpha with crap table manners. Which brings me to his long time friend Simon.... Oh my sweet lord Simon: This guy was a banquet of fun!! Friggin hott & he knows it, outrageous flirt, closet geek, hilarious & definitely a fan of leather. Alpha in hiding with a temper. I just loved him!! But, for all the great characters, there were some truly horrific villains in here- just awful awful people. I don't know why I let this book sit on my Kindle for so long before reading it, but now that I've started I cant get enough. I'm totally addicted & cant wait for more!!!! "I think you know better than anyone that it is not the easy road that makes us capable of great things. It is the hard journey that leads to a greater destiny. You can never rise if you never have anything to rise above."

4.5 Stars Sterling is the first novel in Dannika Dark's Mageri series and boy did it start off with a bang! The blurb and other reviews do a great job summarizing the novel so I'm just going to jump right in with my review. This is the first book that I've read by Dannika Dark and man did she knock me out with her characterization. Zoë and the three sexy men introduced throughout were unique and interesting, requiring some definite *fanning* over here! I loved reading from Zoë's point of view. She is someone that women can easily relate to. She is tough but not unbelievably so. Experiencing what she experienced didn't immediately become inconsequential, instead, she had to heal emotionally and physically from her past and with each new incident. Simply put, she was a real woman dealing with bizarre circumstances at every turn. Now onto the men. Adam is the human male who found Zoë after that terrible night. Zoë has many reasons not to trust men but Adam is the first to really open her up to the possibility. Then, Zoë meets Justus. And although I love Adam, Justus and his pure honorability and alpha-ness made me love him just a *teensy* bit more. There is much more beneath his sexy and commanding exterior and even through the end of the book the reader doesn't know the half of it. Finally, there's Simon. And boy did he heat up the pages! A bad boy with a soft side, Simon has Zoë wanting to take a bite in no time. All three of these men added to the depth of the story and kept me reading late into the night. I also loved the creativity of the creatures in this story. Even the creatures that exist in most fantasy novels were purposed differently in some way with different abilities or names. Even with these unique changes, my favorite creatures were the new types that Dannika introduced. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next! Although I adored the voice of Zoë and appreciated her point of view, I felt like the pace of this novel was a little off towards the beginning. There were times that it moved very quickly and others when it slowed a bit too much. Honestly, this was small potatoes compared to how much I loved Sterling but it's what prevented the full 5 Stars. Wonderful and unique characters and creatures mixed with creative writing make Sterling and the Mageri series one to add to your to-read shelf.

Gah! Why did I wait so long to read this?!? I'm ever so grateful my friend, Lexxie, from (un)Conventional Bookviews, kept raving about this series. I've been meaning to read it for ages because I knew if Lexxie loved it, I would love it. And guess what? I thoroughly enjoyed my introduction to the world of the Mageri! Ms. Dark did some fine worldbuilding in Sterling. The world of the Mageri is rather complex, the characters even more so. It's the mark of great craftsmanship, in my opinion, when the world and people come to life so vividly. And the characters were very vivid for me - to the point of having defined accents and vocal inflections. Zoë Merrick is an average 29 year old -- a stable job, a great best friend and a sweet cat. One night, on her way home, all that changes. Zoë is brutally attacked and wakes up in a body bag. Once she makes her way out of that, she's running for her life. And literally runs into Adam Razor. Adam is a kind and gentle man. He's nurturing by nature and takes it upon himself to care for Zoë. He's protective and demonstrative in his feelings for Zoë. And he's hot! When he takes her on a business trip, Zoë happens upon Justus. Justus knows what Zoë now is. He can answer her questions and teach her about her new life. And he can protect her which, as it turns out, is something Adam, as a human, can't do. Justus then takes over as caretaker for Zoë. He's stoic and serious - especially regarding his responsibilities to Zoë. Oh, and he's hot!. While with Justus, Zoë meets Simon, whom she has connection with. Simon is quick-witted and intelligent, and hot! All three of these men want to take care of and protect Zoë. But Zoë has never been take care of. She's tough, spirited and independent because she's always taken care of herself. Funny, once she's no longer human, she manages to end up with three caretakers. And although Zoë likes the feeling security, she doesn't necessarily want to be taken care of. The story revolves around Zoë's initiation into her new life and world, as well as her new friends' attempts at keeping her away from the man who has claim to her. There are lots of details - all necessary - in creating Zoë's world. The story never gets bogged down though. I was flying through it. All the characters have incredible depth. And the interaction between Zoë and all her men is full of snarky banter and genuine feeling. Well-drawn characters, richly defined worldbuilding, a kick-ass heroine, lots of snark, and more hot guys than you can shake a stick at, all make for excellent reading! I absolutely loved it! My only regret after finishing Sterling, besides not having read it sooner, is that I can't sit down with the entire series immediately! :)

This whole book was amazing! Extremely well written, a completely new world that made sense little by litte, and intriguing and very likeable characters! Zoë was a normal 29-year-old until one night she decided to take a short-cut home, where she was attacked and thought she died. She woke up in a body bag - completely panicked, after getting out of the bag and the ambulance, she ran like the devil was after her, until Adam found her. Adam and Zoë formed a tentative friendship, although she woke up looking completely different from what she looked before. There was also a whole lot of great humour, I laughed so hard in many places, I need to go through my status updates to get some of those quotes! Zoë finds out she's a mage, and Justus takes over her guardianship, until the bastard who made her comes back to claim her - only to use her and abuse her. Luckily, both Justus and his friend Simon were keeping tags on her, and were able to save her again. Some very detailed fight-scenes, some sexy build-ups and an ending that was mind-blowing! I completely and utterly loved this book, and really look forward to reading another installment. This world is dark, but still full of hope, and with some of the twists that happened, there is more than enough to let me read more about it all.

Zoe Merrick lebt nach dem Auseinanderbrechen ihrer Partnerschaft ziemlich zurückgezogen mit ihrem Kater Max. Nur für ihre Freundin Sunny macht sie eine Ausnahme und läßt sich zu einem Abend in einer Bar überreden. Auf dem Heimweg wird sie von einem Fremden mit einem Messer angegriffen und wacht blutüberströmt in einem Leichensack wieder auf. Auf der Flucht trifft sie den Ex-Soldaten Adam Razor, der sich um sie kümmert und auch die Veränderungen toleriert, die mit ihr vor sich gehen: Zoe wächst, bekommt dunkle Haare und grüne Augen, bis sie niemand von früher mehr wiedererkennen würde. Sie entwickelt aber noch andere Fähigkeiten, die schwer zu kontrollieren sind... STERLING stellt das Fantasy-Debut von Dannika Dark dar, das sich seit vielen Wochen weit oben in den Bestsellerlisten hält, was man anhand der Kurz-Zusammenfassung nicht unbedingt erwarten würde. Auch die Kindle-Leseprobe offenbart nicht, was in der Geschichte steckt; der Anfang wirkt eher zäh. Der Angriff auf die Heldin und ihre Verwandlung würde auf zahllose Vampir-Geschichten passen, die gerade in Umlauf sind, und ihr Eintauchen in eine übernatürliche Welt und die zahlreichen atraktiven männlichen Charaktere um sie herum sind ebenfalls weit verbreitet. Zunächst wirkt sie nicht übermäßig sympathisch, ihr Retter Adam ist unerwartet tolerant und schluckt die unerklärlichen Veränderungen, die mit ihr vor sich gehen, ohne mit der Wimper zu zucken. Wer an dieser Stelle das eBook aus der Hand legt, hat eine bemerkenswerte Geschichte verpaßt, denn danach wird es immer spannender: Zoe wurde nämlich nicht in einen Vampir verwandelt, sondern in einen Mage, und gehört damit einer übernatürlichen Art an, die neben Vampiren und vielen anderen seit Jahrhunderten vor den Menschen verborgen lebt. Bei den Mageri ist es üblich, daß der Schöpfer den jungen Mage ausbildet, den er geschaffen hat; da Zoe gegen ihren Willen verwandelt wurde, kümmert sich ein anderer Mentor um sie - Justus de Gradi. Der sieht zwar gut aus und wirkt auf Frauen fast unwiderstehlich, ist aber zugeknöpft, unnahbar und furchtbar altmodisch und versucht Zoe in Watte zu packen; entprechend schlecht vorbereitet ist sie auf alles weitere, was auf sie zukommt. Aus den eher klassischen Zutaten, die gut zu einer Vampirgeschichte passen würden, macht die Autorin etwas ganz Eigenes; besonders die Art der Magie, die im Vordergrund steht und mehr wie Energiemanipulation als Zauberei wirkt, macht zusammen mit den Hauptcharakteren den Reiz der Geschichte aus. Zoe wird im Lauf der Geschichte immer sympathischer; daß gleich 3 männliche Wesen darum ringen, sie beschützen zu dürfen, tut der Story dabei keinen Abbruch. Dabei geht es nicht immer nur rosig zu; was ihr widerfährt, würde reichen, um einen Menschen zu brechen, und sie beweist ihre Kämpfernatur und daß sie sich nicht unterkriegen läßt. Der Schluß des Plots wird geradezu nervenzerfetzend spannend und gibt einen zufriedenstellenden Abschluß des aktuellen Konflikts, ohne daß alle offenen Fragen gelöst wären. Auf die Fortsetzung kann man sich jetzt schon freuen.

I really got into this book. The story was refreshingly different to anything i've read lately- which is becoming a little difficult in the Urban Fantasy genre. Fantastic ideas that are well developed, not too fluffy, lots of action, a dose of sexiness and to top it off, all the characters are great! By the end of the book, there are three love interests, and i cant decide who to root for! Bring on book two to see what happens next. So much more than a kick ass love story though, im very intrigued as to where this series is going to take us...

This book - and yes it is a book not a novella - is a great debut novel. I found that the characters were believable, had depth and were at times very entertaining. The author took a stance introducing her main character that was new to me, we meet Zoë when she is human and find out about the paranormal world with her, rather than from her. This also means we see her develop as Mage and don't meet her after she has been a Mage for a long time - and in this world six months is a long time for a Mage out there on their own. So down to the nitty-gritty, what is the general plot, well although this certainly isn't a mystery book too much would spoil the ending. Suffice to say that when Zoë meets Adam her life has changed dramatically and when she then meets Justus her world is rocked again. Zoë goes through numerous trials, meets friends, allies and enemies and gets rid of a few in the process. Zoë is a strong woman who understands that while she may need guidance she doesn't want to give up all her freedom. This is the kind of book that I love for after I read it the first time I couldn't help but imagine what might happen next. It is also great as when I read it a second and third time I spotted details that I hadn't noticed before. I strongly recommend this book and know I will come back to this series again and again.

Great read, its new story line of mages and other supernatural beings . It's nice to read about supernatural powers that I've not read before ... I've read the whole series and could continue to read more about these great characters and their unusual family ties .

I loved the plot. A young woman is attacked on her way home and is certain she is dead however she goes through a transition instead. She’s something other entirely. Zoe will have to navigate her new life with no knowledge of what she is until she meets another like her. However the characters just kind of fell a bit sure. They were a big underdeveloped or something. But it’s a solid 3 star read in my opinion. I won’t continue the series but I can see others nay love it.