I saw a link for a free book on Facebook and it sounded interesting, so followed the link. Elementals: Prophecy of Shadows is the first book of the Elemental series by Michelle Madow.
I don't read a lot of which/majik type books. It pretty much caught my attention after the first chapter and kept it held throughout the book. Maybe because I normally read paranormals with weres and vamps and such. But the mythology and the 'powers' were interesting and different for me.
I really enjoyed getting to know the characters as I read. The characters held my attention, and were believable and likeable. A group of different people who have to work together to get things solved and all held together by Nicole. She gets a bit of a shock at the end, but that's for you to read and find out. It'll be interesting to see how the group grows in the next book as they work through things to come.
The book had a nice steady pace to it, and probably led just under half of it in three hours.
There's really no love scenes in the book, other than a couple kissing sessions, making this good for the under 13 crowd, little bit of violence when meeting up with the 'evil' creatures, but nothing worse than you'd see on an 8 pm TV show. The book is a good read for all ages, speaking to you as a 50-year old gal.
I don't read a lot of which/majik type books. It pretty much caught my attention after the first chapter and kept it held throughout the book. Maybe because I normally read paranormals with weres and vamps and such. But the mythology and the 'powers' were interesting and different for me.
I really enjoyed getting to know the characters as I read. The characters held my attention, and were believable and likeable. A group of different people who have to work together to get things solved and all held together by Nicole. She gets a bit of a shock at the end, but that's for you to read and find out. It'll be interesting to see how the group grows in the next book as they work through things to come.
The book had a nice steady pace to it, and probably led just under half of it in three hours.
There's really no love scenes in the book, other than a couple kissing sessions, making this good for the under 13 crowd, little bit of violence when meeting up with the 'evil' creatures, but nothing worse than you'd see on an 8 pm TV show. The book is a good read for all ages, speaking to you as a 50-year old gal.
When Nicole Cassidy and her family first moved to the small town of Kinsley, Massachusetts from sunny Georgia, she initially thought that the most unusual thing that she would have to deal with would probably be the sudden change in the weather. Well that, and the close proximity of Kinsley to the town of Salem. Of course, all that superstitious nonsense about witches and witchcraft just isn't real - no matter what the townspeople may believe. However, right from the first day at her new school, Nicole is in for a terrible shock - and is soon swept up into a secret world that she never knew existed.
Nicole believes that she is nothing more than a typical teenager. She has absolutely no special powers whatsoever - she's just an ordinary, average girl who has recently moved to Kinsley with her mom, dad and younger sister, Becca. However, according to her new teacher - who insists that she call him Darius - Kinsley is a town of many secrets...full of magic and extremely dangerous mythical monsters. As a matter of fact, Darius' own home room is a clever cover for a secret coven of witches.
Apparently, in the town of Kinsley, witches are absolutely real. They are actually superior beings who use their powers to shield themselves from ordinary humans and to protect humanity from danger. What Nicole doesn't realize about herself is that she actually does have some pretty extraordinary powers - powers given to her directly from the Greek gods themselves. Although she is doing her best to adjust to her newfound heritage, Nicole has no idea of how much that heritage will soon be tested.
During an evening magical practice session - cunningly disguised as a teacher-guided astronomy study session at Darius' house - the Olympian Comet shoots across the night sky. Darius' students are the only witnesses to a cosmic event that has been foretold through the words of an ancient prophecy. While the majority of the students under Darius' tutelage don't necessarily experience anything out of the ordinary, for Nicole and four other students: Chris, Kate, Blake and Danielle - their powers become subtly enhanced to include mastery over the five elements - Air, Earth, Fire, Water, and Aether.
While the five new friends struggle to control their newly-awakened powers, they can't even begin to realize that the words of the prophecy are being fulfilled in other ways as well. With the arrival of the comet, the walls of a multitude of different dimensions have been stretched to their very limits. In fact, the portal to a dimension that has kept the mythological creatures known as the Titans imprisoned for centuries, has been severely weakened. After an ancient monster escapes and attacks Nicole and Blake; it falls to them and the others within their circle to decipher the ancient prophecy and to follow the cryptic clues that are revealed in order to save their town...and possibly the entire world.
I must say that I have always enjoyed reading stories based on Greek mythology. Actually, The Prophecy of Shadows by Michelle Madow was just the sort of story that I frequently enjoy reading. I found that this story was intriguing, exciting and well-developed. It captured my attention right away, and I avidly wanted to know what would happen next to the characters. I look forward to reading more in this series in the very near future, and I would certainly give this book a definite A+!
Nicole believes that she is nothing more than a typical teenager. She has absolutely no special powers whatsoever - she's just an ordinary, average girl who has recently moved to Kinsley with her mom, dad and younger sister, Becca. However, according to her new teacher - who insists that she call him Darius - Kinsley is a town of many secrets...full of magic and extremely dangerous mythical monsters. As a matter of fact, Darius' own home room is a clever cover for a secret coven of witches.
Apparently, in the town of Kinsley, witches are absolutely real. They are actually superior beings who use their powers to shield themselves from ordinary humans and to protect humanity from danger. What Nicole doesn't realize about herself is that she actually does have some pretty extraordinary powers - powers given to her directly from the Greek gods themselves. Although she is doing her best to adjust to her newfound heritage, Nicole has no idea of how much that heritage will soon be tested.
During an evening magical practice session - cunningly disguised as a teacher-guided astronomy study session at Darius' house - the Olympian Comet shoots across the night sky. Darius' students are the only witnesses to a cosmic event that has been foretold through the words of an ancient prophecy. While the majority of the students under Darius' tutelage don't necessarily experience anything out of the ordinary, for Nicole and four other students: Chris, Kate, Blake and Danielle - their powers become subtly enhanced to include mastery over the five elements - Air, Earth, Fire, Water, and Aether.
While the five new friends struggle to control their newly-awakened powers, they can't even begin to realize that the words of the prophecy are being fulfilled in other ways as well. With the arrival of the comet, the walls of a multitude of different dimensions have been stretched to their very limits. In fact, the portal to a dimension that has kept the mythological creatures known as the Titans imprisoned for centuries, has been severely weakened. After an ancient monster escapes and attacks Nicole and Blake; it falls to them and the others within their circle to decipher the ancient prophecy and to follow the cryptic clues that are revealed in order to save their town...and possibly the entire world.
I must say that I have always enjoyed reading stories based on Greek mythology. Actually, The Prophecy of Shadows by Michelle Madow was just the sort of story that I frequently enjoy reading. I found that this story was intriguing, exciting and well-developed. It captured my attention right away, and I avidly wanted to know what would happen next to the characters. I look forward to reading more in this series in the very near future, and I would certainly give this book a definite A+!
