Check out my stop on the Mirror Bound (The Witchling Academy #2) blog tour!
by Monica Sanz
Genre: YA Paranormal/Mystery & Suspense
Release Date: September 2019
Entangled Teen
Summary:
Conspirator. Failure. Murderer.
Seraphina Dovetail is used to being called all these things. As the seventh-born daughter to a witch, and the cause of her mother losing both her powers and her life, Sera has always felt isolated. Until Nikolai Barrington.
The young professor not only took an interest in Sera—he took her into his home, hired her for his moonlighting detective agency, and gave her the one thing she’d always dreamed of: a chance. Under Barrington’s tutelage, Sera can finally take the School of Continuing Magic entrance exam to become an inspector and find her family. Now if only she could stop her growing attraction to her maddening boss—which is about as easy as this fiery elementalist quitting setting things on fire.
But when ghosts start dragging Sera into possessions so deep she can barely escape, and then the souls of lost witches and wizards appear trapped in mirrors, these two opposites will have to work together to uncover a much deeper secret that could destroy the Witchling world…
Mirror Bound has all the ingredients to make another pulse-racing read. The seventh born are the key to the story and Sera is on track to get everything she wants.
The mystery is spine chilling and kept me guessing at every turn.
I like this book I truly did I just expected it to blow me away. The story is good and the elements fit. I loved bits of the journey but struggled with other slower parts. If you keep an open mind when going into this you will enjoy it.
4 stars out of 5. This is a continuous series. The books need to be read in order. I recommend the unique adventure and look forward to more.
Book One:
Seventh Born (The Witchling Academy #1)
Summary:
Abomination. Curse. Murderer. All names hurled at eighteen-year-old Seraphina Dovetail. As the seventh-born daughter to a witch, she’s the cause of her mother losing her powers and, in turn, her life.
Abandoned as a child, Sera dreams of becoming an inspector and finding her family. To do that, she must be referred into the Advanced Studies Program at the Aetherium’s Witchling Academy. Her birth order, quick temper, and tendency to set things on fire, however, have left her an outcast with failing marks…and just what Professor Nikolai Barrington is looking for.
The tall, brooding, yet exceedingly handsome young professor makes her a proposition: become his assistant and he’ll give her the referral she needs. Sera is quickly thrust into a world where witches are being kidnapped, bodies are raised from the dead, and someone is burning seventhborns alive. As Sera and Barrington grow ever closer, she’ll discover that some secrets are best left buried…and fire isn’t the only thing that makes a witch burn.
Abandoned as a child, Sera dreams of becoming an inspector and finding her family. To do that, she must be referred into the Advanced Studies Program at the Aetherium’s Witchling Academy. Her birth order, quick temper, and tendency to set things on fire, however, have left her an outcast with failing marks…and just what Professor Nikolai Barrington is looking for.
The tall, brooding, yet exceedingly handsome young professor makes her a proposition: become his assistant and he’ll give her the referral she needs. Sera is quickly thrust into a world where witches are being kidnapped, bodies are raised from the dead, and someone is burning seventhborns alive. As Sera and Barrington grow ever closer, she’ll discover that some secrets are best left buried…and fire isn’t the only thing that makes a witch burn.
The
outlines of ghosts appeared all around her. She cast Barrington a frantic gaze,
but, consumed by his lecture, he didn’t notice her panic. But even if he did,
he wouldn’t see the phantoms moments away from materializing, their presence
lingering about the room like fog. Only seventhborns were burdened with the
cursed second sight.
Go
away, Sera thought
to herself desperately. The dead had no say in the realm of the living. They
had to listen to her. Yet a spirit emerged in a burst of mist, a girl with pale
skin and dark circles under her eyes. Her gray dress and once-white apron were
both drenched in dirt and blood.
Barrington gestured to something on
the brush, and his hand moved near the protection dome.
The ghosts reached for Sera. Show you…
Cold
fingers wrapped around Sera’s forearm, and she screamed. Wild flames shot to
her fingertips in a manic gust, and savage flames roared from her wand,
consuming the dome and Barrington’s hand.
He cursed and jerked back, clasping
his burned hand in the other. The dome over their experiment vanished, and
plumes of toxic smoke twisted into the air. Barrington gripped Sera’s wrist
with his good hand and hurried them out into the hall. With a wave of his arm,
he forced the windows open, and the poisonous smoke was sucked out into the
moors.
He gave her a once-over, as though
to ascertain her well-being with a single look. “Are you all right?”
She nodded, though her pulse
thundered within. Not only had she seen a ghost, but it had touched her…or at
least she’d felt frigid fingers on her skin, a cold sensation that lingered
painfully on her arm. But the dead existed on an entirely different plane; it
was impossible for them to touch the living.
Had she been mistaken somehow?
Perhaps, but she would have to think on it later.
Moving to Barrington’s side, she
sought to inspect his injury, but it was already enveloped in a thin coating of
his magic. Within moments, the burn lessened, until only a slight pink tinge
remained. His sleeves, however, were charred.
“I’m fine. It was nothing,” he
assured her, though the thin sheen of sweat over his brow told her it was
anything but. “I must have miscalculated the amount of poison oak.”
Sera shifted back against the wall.
She knew as well as he did that she’d been the reason for the accident. “I’m
sorry—”
She winced and squeezed her eyes
shut. The hallway felt as if it was spinning and swaying, and a headache
throbbed with each pulse, the pain a constant scream drowning out all sound.
Barrington’s hands came upon her
shoulders, and he brought her closer. “Ghosts?”
Sera nodded, unable to lie. Not
here in his arms.
He weaved his hands into her hair.
Their nearness was dangerous, but the moment his musk of sandalwood filled her
nose and his cold hands found the nape of her neck, she rested her head against
his chest, lost to him.
Seraphina Dovetail wants to become an inspector. She works hard at her magic, but her temper sometimes gets the best of her. Her past is painful and she doesn't remember her family. Her hopes lie with the witchling school, where she is a scholarship student. She is a seventh-born and people tend to avoid her or make fun of her. Her teachers are cruel and she has to be on her best behaviour at all times. Unfortunately, it isn't easy for Sera to stay out of trouble. The word seems to follow her around. She has a secret best friend who she loves dearly and she tries to keep her head down. Unfortunately, she isn't very successful and becomes a target. She attracts the attention of the cruel boy, Whittaker but also the most desirable boy, Timothy and her Professor.
Professor Barrington is in need of an assistant and after seeing Sera display of anger he approaches her. He offers to help her with her studies and recommendations, in exchange for her help with some murders. This unlikely friendship becomes a bond Sera never imaged she would have.
Timothy Delacort is from a respectable, powerful family. He is destined for great things. Unfortunately, they are not what he wants. Sera catches his eye and he hopes for a chance with her. He doesn't care his family will not approve. Sera doesn't really know what to do with Timothy affections, especially since her best friend Mary has a crush on him. Her friend means the world to her and she doesn't want to do anything that may upset her.
The murders are brutal rituals and the victims suffered a painful death. The authorities are clueless. They cannot link the victims together. It's up to Sera and Professor Barrington to solve the case.
This book is excellent and I was hooked on every word. Luckily there is more to be added to this series. Seventh born is a full-length novel which you can really sink your teeth into. It is dark and Sera becomes the light. She isn't perfect but her actions are understandable. She has had a tough life and she still fights for what she wants. She's a powerful witch in training but not everyone sees the good in her.
There are also some great supporting characters in this book and the plot came together nicely. It can be read as a standalone but the door is left open a slither for more. Seventh born is a fantastic gripping story. It's imaginative and creates a believable world with magic. I could easily read this book again which is unusual for me. A modern-day fantasy Sherlock Holmes. 5 + stars out of 5. Very highly recommended.
*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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