Cocktails and Books
Written on Oct 29, 2015
- ISBN10 0515156248
- ISBN13 9780515156249
- Publish Date 27 October 2015
- Publish Status Temporarily Withdrawn
- Imprint Berkley Books
- Format Paperback (US Mass Market)
- Pages 336
- Language English
Reviews
kimbacaffeinate
Written on Oct 21, 2015
I am tickled that I decided to read Autumn Thorns. Galenorn's books have a readability about them that allow the reader to slip into the stories she creates. She brilliantly described the town and provided a solid understand of the world all while dangling information about things to come. She cleverly weaved in Irish and Russian lore, magic, supernatural creatures and unique methods to create both the tone and the setting. The whole book had a spooky, creepy, otherworld vibe too it and I quickly fell under its spell.
Our protagonist is Kerris Fellwater. She has inherited her grandmother’s home and her gift. Her family has been charged with taking care of the dead/spirits. Kerris left Whisper Hollow for city life in Seattle, but signs began appearing telling her it was time to return home. With her grandmother's passing she must quickly assume her role as spirit shaman to protect the living from the dead. Secret societies, murder, prophecies, and dark unnatural things moving against Kerri added suspense and danger to this well-paced story.
Kerris is not going to be a pushover, and while she does not know all the rules involving her gift, she is quick on her feet and lets fact rule. I love how strong she is and imagine she will be a force to be reckoned with. Bryan is her mysterious neighbor and love interest. Bryan’s history is interesting and his role will be an important one. He is quiet, and protective. He does not strut around like an alpha unless necessary or during playful times making him quite swoony. I absolutely adored Kerris’s best friend Peggin. The girl has spunk, attitude and packs heat. We meet other key players, and those in power. We learn of our enemies and are giving hints of what to expect as we continue the series.
Autumn Thorns delivers a heated romance as it aligns Kerris with those who will strengthen her gifts. The romance was steamy but remained a side dish to the overall storyline. It had believability and their physical and emotional responses felt genuine.
Copy provided by publisher. This review was originally posted on Caffeinated Book Reviewer
EBookObsessed
Written on Oct 19, 2015
Yasmine Galenorn takes us to the town of Whisper Hollow, Washington. A place where everyone who lives there knows about the odd happenings about town. In fact, the children are raised saying the rules each morning like the pledge of allegiance.
1. If you hear someone call your name from the forest, don’t answer.
2. Never interrupt Ellia when she’s playing to the dead.
3. If you see the Girl in the Window, set your affairs in order.
4. Try not to end up in the hospital.
5. If the Crow Man summons you, follow him.
6. Remember: Sometimes the foul are actually fair.
7. And most important: Don’t drive down by the lake at night.
Kerris Fellwater left Whisper Hollow fifteen years ago. She loved her grandmother dearly, but her grandfather was a real bastard and she simply needed to get away from him. Deep down she knew she would have to return one day. Her family were children of the Morrigan and her grandmother was a Spirit Shaman, just like Kerris. A Spirit Shaman helps the spirits of the dead cross over the Veil. She will also round up the ones who refuse to stay there and help persuade them to go back.
A Spirit Shaman is helped by a lament singer and she usually given a shapeshifter protector. When Kerris returns to Whisper Hollow after the Lady of the Lake claimed her grandparents, she knew Ellia would help her by playing the spirits to rest with her violin but she didn't know if she would ever find her protector and if, like many of the Shaman/protector couples, he would be her soulmate.
Once Kerris returns, she finds that while the spirits need help finding their way, secrets in Whisper Hollow are buried much deeper. Kerris was always told that her father ran away when he found out her mother was pregnant and that her mother abandoned her and ran away to be with her father, but was that the truth? When Kerris see's her mother's spirit, she knows that stories told to her were just that...stories and lies. Her mother is dead and Kerris will do everything in power to dig up this ugly secret.
Kerris meets her very handsome, new next door neighbor, she finds he knows quite alot about spirit shamans and their protectors. Can it be too much to hope that the spark between them means more than neighborly attraction?
From the moment she arrives, Kerris is surrounded by old friends, but can they all be trusted and Kerris is going to keep as many secrets to herself until she is certain who is friend and who is not.
THOUGHTS:
This was very interesting world building and I have a feeling it follow the same lead as her other stories, although I have only read two others. My only critique here would be that as an introduction story to a new series, I would have liked to have focused more on getting to know more about a Spirit Shaman and to have gone along with Kerris to the cemetery more than we were able to do in this book.
Kerris's time was split between rekindling new friendships, making a new one with Bryan, next door, clearing out and searching her grandparents house for her grandmother's spirit shaman diaries and searching for her parents murder. There are some things which were only touched on in this story, such a while she met the gatekeeper of the veil, she never had her new-shaman-in-town meeting with Veronica, who controls the undead, and exactly why she is does that. We also don't really deal with who has been raising the spirits and stirring up the evil that lives in the woods. There was a lot to learn here and I feel like we only touched on it.
I think that we could have saved the whole Kerris sorting out her family secrets, or at least the murders, until the second book and we had a more sturdy foundation of Spirit Shaman, what they do and what kind of powers they hold.
We only get a glimpse of the possibilities of this series but it has a lot of potential and a lot of story plots to work with. I hope we will get to work with Kerris and understand Spirit Shamans a little more after Book 2.
Received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.