I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Seventh Born reminded me of a watered-down version of Harry Potter. There’s the Snape-like teacher named Barrington that’s mysterious and investigating the murders of wizards. Barrington enlists a seventh born, Sera, to help solve these murders. In exchange for her help, Barrington agrees to write her a recommendation to the job she wants to work, an Inspector.
I had trouble trying to understand why there was this segregation towards seventh borns. I also had trouble understanding what exactly a seventh born was. All of this confusion was on top of the fact that I was overloaded with too much information that didn’t really make sense. Having too much information and still not understanding key facts and the basis of the society is contradicting. I feel like the excessive amounts of information that was confusing and long-winded often caused me to lose interest throughout the story. Overall, this longwinded story that reminded me of Harry Potter fan-fiction was not for me.

I received an ARC of this from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was so much better than I expected it to be. There's a few great mysteries going on simultaneously, there's a love triangle, murder, mayhem, and magic. I really enjoyed the story and I adore the characters, specifically Sera and Barrington. I absolutely cannot wait for the next book in the series since I have so many unanswered questions and I want to know more about Sera and Barrington's pasts.

Really good quick read.

Seventh Born is the first book of The Witchling Academy series. It is a fascinating read about a seventh born witch, Sera, and the trials she faces as a result of her birth. She wants nothing more than to be an inspector but is looked down upon and treated poorly by those around her. When Professor Barrington offers a position working as his assistant, she isn't sure what to think at first. He wants her help on a case where witches are being kidnapped and seventh borns are being burned. Will they be able to figure out what is going before it's too late?

The world building and character development was a little lacking but I still enjoyed this book. Sera was an interesting character and though I didn't care for the push towards a student/teacher relationship, I found myself looking forward to her interactions with Barrington. The ending kept me guessing and I really enjoyed it. I look forward to continuing this series.

Wow, wow, wow!

Going into this book I didn't know what to expect. It had everything I love about paranormal fantasy. Fast pace, dangerous magic, action and with deadly out comings. Toss in a brewing hot love interest and you got at the making for a epic, entertaining read.

I have to say I loved this book more then I first thought, because it did sound like any other of it's type, and I've never been a big "witch MC" fan. But this was, wow, juts so much wow. I love how dark the MC was. She wasn't your normal and it really made the story unique.

I highly recommend you get your hands on the outstanding read. You will not be disappointed!

Happy Reading

-E.A. Walsh

This was a great read! I read this in one sitting! The building of surroundings could of used work but besides that very enjoyable! Thank you netgalley for the free arc in exchange for an honest review!

Not sure why but I didn't click well with liking this book. It started out promising but sort of threw me off with the wands thing, which made me think of Harry Potter, which made me make comparisons. And lets be honest, nothing compares to the Harry Potter novels. The romance was a bit strange, yet easily predicted. Timothy and the professor were both a bit boring and the story got lost on me about 45% into it.

First, I really loved the cover if this novel. Black and the various shades of blue work well together. Seeing a woman (Ms. Dovetail) in a spellcasting circle instantly lets you know what type of story this is. Though I like the cover, it is part of what made me skeptical. It has an armature vibe but really hides a story with good bones that needs some work.

Things I didn't like:

Lack of world building
I felt lost at the beginning of this book. The reader is not told where this academy is located or even what time period the story is taking place in. It was almost as if the academy was the only place that existed...until further into the story. Give me at least something!! Heck, Harry Potter had more than simply Hogwarts! Smaller towns are mentioned here, but only in passing. It was really frustrating to have no idea where this was taking place.
No background information about magic
I wanted to know more about how the magic was used, where it came from...what was it? I was given nothing. The story really leaves a reader having to take what they are given without leaving room for questions to be asked. Are there those that are only partly magical? I just need so much more here. Again, I just feel it was lacking development.
Why so many kids?!?!
I just have to ask...how common is it to have SEVEN kids?! I have two and love them to pieces but I do not think I could handle seven. Maybe with magic...but knowing the consequences of having a seventh child wouldn't you avoid that? Why have a child for them to live that kind of life? In this magical realm, is there no condoms or other forms of birth control? Why are people not taking precautions? I mean if they are withces, why not cast a spell to prevent pregnancy? I would have loved more background on this. I think it would have fit the story better if it was rare to have a seventh child or something along those lines. Kind of how "mudbloods" were treated poorly in Harry Potter.

Things I liked:

Well written
I really enjoyed the writing style of this book. It was the perfect October read! Spooky and engrossing. I mean honestly, what is better for October than dead bodies, witches, graveyards, etc...
Characters
Sera
Now...I really enjoyed Sera. The fact that she has no memories of her past makes her a mystery that I simply must solve! She is strong-willed, she does not take being bullied. She takes advantage of her affinity for fire and it is amazing. She doesn't even need a wand!! How amazing is that, though it is frowned upon to use magic with no wand...
Barrington
Oh man! Talk about the older man trope. He is swoon-worthy. Mysterious but also smart and protective, he is everything a young woman would look for. And he is not reeeeaaally her professor, or that much older. Sera is 18 and he is 25, seven years apart is less than the ten my husband and I are. I really love that their interactions have not turned into an instant love romance. They slowly learn to trust one another as their affection grows but they have shown no specific romantic interest as of yet.
Plot and pacing
I really enjoyed the underlying plot. Mystery, magic, handsome men...what more do you want? The ending of the story leaves the reader knowing there is more to come and I am looking forward to it. As far as pacing goes, I only felt my reading was slowed when I had no barrings...no idea where this was all taking place. Once more things began taking place, the pace picked up and never really came back down.

Final Thoughts

In the end, I really was surprised by how much I enjoyed this story. I was really hoping it wasn't going to become a cheezy witch story. It was the complete opposite. If you are looking for a wonderful witchy read for October...or maybe for SCAREtober BINGO (hint hint) be sure to check out this book. It is the first in the series and I really hope the author expands the world building in the sequel.

First off - thank you so much for letting me read Seventh Born. Sera is a new favorite witch of mine :D My review (shown below) will be posted on my blog www.bookslaying.com and Goodreads, as well as shared on Twitter and Facebook, on 10/13/18.

Witches have always been my favorite supernatural being. Some of my favs being: cackling, child-stealing Sanderson sisters, wise-cracking Sabrina, fierce, and fabulous Charmed ones, and scary, and badass Manon. So therefore when Entangled Teen offered me an ARC of Seventh Born, I jumped at the offer!
I really liked the Seventh Born world because it was dark, unforgiving, and had a cool steampunk vibe. It also had the awesome kind of magic that didn’t come easy to the practitioner. You needed words and ingredients, and had to study and practice a lot. There was a lot of room for error so you had to be very precise.

I liked Sera’s fiery temper, and her strong desire to prove herself. She was also fiercely determined to unveil the secrets of her past, and refused to back down. I respected her and was awed by her.

Even though Barrington had a huge ego, often was an ass, and pissed me off a lot, I really liked him. Because of his alluded to tragic past, and tightly hidden his emotions, I was very eager to discover his secrets.

There were a few other characters, like Sera’s best friend Mary, and a handsome classmate named Timothy, who didn’t really stand out to me. In fact, I often forgot they existed.

There was a teeny bit of romance in this book, and even though I personally would have liked more, because I love, love, I understood why there wasn’t. The author wanted to focus more on building Sera’s character, which was phenomenal.

The pacing wasn’t the greatest in Seventh Born. I put this book down a few times because I got bored. The last 70 pages though – wow! Towards the end I was glued to the pages. The ending was O_O and I can’t wait to learn more about Sera’s world in book two.

My rating is 3.5 stars, but I will be rounding it to 4 on Netgalley, Goodreads, Amazon and B&N.

Review: A story any Slytherin would die for. This darkly delicious stale explores a magical school from the perspective of the outcast. Sera is the seventh daughter. A magical child who drains their mother of all her magic and her life force. Once hunted down in an event akin to the witch-hunts of the eighteen hundreds, they are still feared, discriminated against and seen as lower class citizens.

Abandoned, Sera is fortunate to be sent to a prestigious magical school to learn her craft. Despite the modern-day push toward reform, the cards are stacked against the stubborn Sera. Bound by rules, false assumptions, and poor treatment, she struggles to achieve the grades she needs to gain her dream job. Alone in a sea full of people who should understand her best, Sera faces a number of challenges.

When you throw in a mystery, and a professor who’s not what he seems to be you have a turn paging tale. I liked that Sera was human. She broke, made mistakes, and doubted herself. It kept her from being too perfect, or all powerful. Sanz kept me on my toes with her secret reveals, and plot twists. I loved the universe she created, and the darker tone of the story. This is a must-read for fans of Urban Fantasy.

Received in exchange for a honest review.

This is a good October read. We have necromancy, dark magic, evil evil people, twists and turns, broody characters, a forbidden romance maybe and a strong female character who goes through so much.

Characters: Sera, Timothy and Nicolai are my favorite.

Sera: main female lead. She is a seventh born and the stigma with this is horrible. They are strong magic users but hunted down and treated like crap. She ignores it all though and does her thing. She is great in that respect. She becomes a assistant to her professor and that begins a great relationship that is complicated and has some forbidden aspects.

Timothy: sweet guy. He goes against everyone when he shows his interest and kindness to Sera. He is in a position he doesn’t want to be in and when he learns the history of the seventh born and his family we see that he becomes a hero in so many ways. Great supportive character who doesn’t deserve what he goes through.

Nicolai: broody professor trying to prove something. I love his side job and how he is with Sera. He isn’t always nice but he does help Sera so much. They fit together for both are outsiders trying to prove themselves. I felt for him with his past and all he went through and is fighting within himself.

The plot: dark, twisted and really addictive. People dying and trying to find out why. history of the seventh born and what is going on with them is exposed and you just learn so much about the darkness within some and what people will do for power. We have betrayals and power hungry people. We have forbidden associations and so many dark moments with some seriously dark magic and we see the consequences as well.

Writing: well written and really has you feel you are in the story.

Overall: Addictive and really well written. A story that keeps you in the moment and guessing for there are many twists and turns. Growth in characters is seen as well as wonderful building of the past to help understand the here and now and what is going on. Great October read and anytime read as well for really good and fascinating with it’s plot and concepts.

Here we go guys. A new TERRIBLY AWESOMELY addictive YA that you need to grab right now.

I KNOW that your TBR is as bad as mine, trust me, I know, but this book needs to jump it. It was so new and fun and a read that you won’t want to put down. I swear page after page I was uncovering the clues just as the main character was and she was fantastic.

This book also had the most epic secondary character and had so many twists that I had no clue where it was going. This book was SO GREAT! I know I am rambling and sound like a 13 year old writing this, but I feel a little fangirl-y over it. I fell for the main protagonist and from that moment I shipped this book HARD.

I wanted to uncover all of the secrets that were hiding and I couldn’t wait to see where the mystery ended up.

PLUS THAT ENDING! I can’t wait to read the next novel from this author because like I said, ADDICTED.

I enjoyed learning about the world and the characters in SEVENTH BORN.

Seventh born's are treated like the scum of the earth. As a seventh born, Sera is used to being bullied and treated like a nuisance by both the students and staff of the Aetherium Witchling Academy. It was easy to like Sera and feel for her circumstances. We learn that her current troubles aren't even the worse things she has gone through in her life and we still have a lot to learn about her that wasn't revealed in SEVENTH BORN.

I wasn't sure how I felt about Professor Barrington when he was first introduced. I didn't immediately like him, but he grew on me as the story unfolded. There is still a ton of mystery to his character, but his bond with Sera grew a lot in SEVENTH BORN and I have some hopes for them in future books.

I had no trouble getting into the story. I felt that the characters were well rounded and I enjoyed watching their personalities and growth unfold. The world was interesting and well built. The mysteries involved in SEVENTH BORN were gripping. I'm not sure where the author plans to take everything, but I'm adding this series to my watch list.

* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This was definitely one of the best dark fantasy novels I have read in a long time. Even though it was fairly long, I finished it all in one day in about 2 sittings. It was just that addictive!

For starters, let me talk about Sera. She has been through a lot as a seventhborn and has traumatic memories from some of the things that she went through earlier in her life. This is also discussed throughout the story, as she has to come to terms with some of these horrible memories. She meets Professor Barrington and is not sure whether or not she wants to help him. Soon, she is drawn into the world of witches being drained and used to raise others from the dead, and some of the links seem to trace back to her school, the place where she has felt trapped for several years of her life. She wants to be able to avenge the witches who had been killed, but she is afraid of getting close to Professor Barrington. What if his intentions aren’t as pure as she thinks that they are? She must learn to trust again before she can enhance her skill and make sure that no other witches are killed.

I was astonished by how detailed this universe was. The seventhborns were considered as less than human by certain groups, but the poor sometimes envied the seventhborns who were sometimes supported by the government so that they wouldn’t be killed. Then, there were extremist groups who wanted to kill all seventhborns without any remorse. This world seemed to be so alive, and each person in the book had their own unique backstory and their own unique personality.

The only thing that I felt wasn’t explained was why women chose to have seventh children. If they knew that having a seventh child would kill them and leave their families motherless, why would the family not just stop at 6? I’m sure there is probably some sort of reason behind this, but I might have just missed it as I was reading the story.

I enjoyed the romance that was in this story, even though there wasn’t that much of it. I felt that it allowed the readers to focus more on Sera’s character rather than who she wanted to be with. She was such a strong character that I just wanted to read about her without too much distraction.

I hope that there is going to be a sequel to this book, I need to know more about Sera and Professor Barrington ASAP! I have officially fallen in love with the both of them and I want to see more of their future adventures.

Also, I didn’t notice this until I saw the author, but even though Sera looks “white” on the cover, her ethnicity isn’t really specified in the book. This definitely makes it easy for readers of all ethnicities to related to her and enjoy this book even more!

I would recommend this book to lovers of NA/upper YA fantasy novels with detailed universes and strong female main characters.

I received an advance copy of this book and this is my voluntary review.

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review!

What I say: In Seraphina's world being a seventh born daughter comes with the terrible curse and stigma of being a magic stealer and mother killer. Yeah, yeah, us rational people know a baby cannot help being born, but Sera's society is less forgiving. Seventh borns are basically regarded as the scourge of society. She is considered lucky to have been allowed to exist - nice huh?!

The seventh borns have been admitted onto a special programme at school but they are still treated as inferior just because of their birth. Sera was used and abused by the devious Noah and is hesitant to trust anyone other than her friend Mary.

It is only the enigmatic and young, Professor Barrington who sees potential in Sera. He offers to support her application to become an inspector if she helps him on a murder case. Without giving anything away, I can honestly say I was never entirely sure whom to trust, and had my doubts about pretty much everyone at the school at one point or another.

The story is dramatic, sort of twisted and fun. The world building is descriptive and clever. Whenever Sera would face a new ghost I felt like I was there experiencing it all with her.

I kept expecting the story to take a bit of a forbidden romance turn, which is always a bit controversial. I'll leave it to you to find out if this happens.

I'm looking forward to seeing what comes next for Sera and the seventh borns...

4 Stars in my Sky!

Seventh Born was everything I was hoping for and more. The depth of the mystery of the case that Sera & Barrington investigate went far beyond what I was expecting. I really enjoyed the twists and turns of the story but keeping track of the Brotherhood and Sisterhood and their convoluted history was confusing a couple of times. It didn't take away from my reading experience though.

Sera was a very likable and relatable character. She is kind of impulsive and has this act-first-think-second attitude.

**Breaking things was much easier than fixing them.

I honestly don't blame her though. She is heavily scorned just for things that are beyond her control. Being a seventh born has made her a social pariah. Seventh Borns steal their mothers' lives. Seventh Borns aren't allowed to make mistakes. Basically Seventh Borns are told to "keep a low profile & be happy you are alive." That doesn't work out well for Sera. She is outspoken and takes up for herself when she is bullied, which happens a lot. And when a school administrator intervenes, Sera is always the one who is punished; never the actual bully.

It's during one of these "interventions" that we first encounter Barrington. Nikolai Barrington to be exact. He's the youngest professor at Sera's school and has the weight of family scandal on his shoulders. He is also ostracized by a lot of the faculty because of his late father & brother's actions. He has been asked to secretly investigate the mysterious and horrific murders of witches and proposes a deal with Sera to get her to work with him. In exchange for working as his assistant, he will write her recommendation letter for the Aetherium entrance exam which is key to Sera fulfilling her dreams of becoming an inspector (basically a magical detective/police official). There's also a specific reason why he sought out Sera instead of any of the other students at her school: Seventh Borns have the ability to see death.

In order for Sera to assist Barrington efficiently, he begins to train her how to harness her magic, which has always been difficult for her to control. Sera has a bit of a temper on her and it makes her difficult to utilize her magic to the best of her ability. I can't blame her for having a temper after everything she has been through. She is bullied and shunned by her peers, plus she was tortured for an extended period of time, at least over a year, by a warlock. She has a fear of unfamiliar touch and has turned her feelings inward, letting them fester...which leads to her erratic magic.

**"Because your magic has always been your shield, it is tightly bound to your emotions, which in turn leads to...well, mishaps."

Now let's get to my favorite part of the story: Nikolai Barrington. *swoon* He's broody, handsome, mysterious, a bit sarcastic, and almost annoying confident.

**"I'm not only smart and charming but quiet strong as well."

I loved the amount of respect and patience he had for Sera. He could tell from early on that she had a lot of pain in her past and did everything he could to put her at ease and express to her that she was safe when she was with him. He never pushed her to face her fears but rather taught her skills that she could use to defend her self and encouraged her to be brave in her own time. The very slow budding relationship between Barrington and Sera was entertaining and frustrating (not to mention completely unattainable). Sera couldn't make sense of her feelings for him at first. She liked him one minute and then despised him the next.

**...when he looked at her, it was as if she'd fastened her corset too tight.

**"He's a gloomy, annoying, humid night where it won't stop raining and your hair frizzes."

**...he was more of an angel, fallen and hurting and so devastatingly beautiful.

**They were more alike than she cared to admit, and his pain affected her more than she wished it did.

The story focused heavily on the magic aspects and solving the murder, but I constantly sat on edge waiting for these little gems of interaction between Sera and Barrington that didn't have to do with the case.

**"Nothing about you is small and worthless - on the contrary, you are a brilliant witch."

**"I would rather lose a chance than lose you, Miss Dovetail."

**"Be a little mad and trust me, Miss Dovetail."

At 400 pages, you would think I ended reading this book satisfied, but I didn't. I want more. So much more. I need to stop reading new releases because then I have forever to wait until the next book comes out. I'll just go curl up on my couch and wallow in self-pity until book 2 comes out.

I love books about magic and witches and Seventh Born did not disappoint! I love the fact that this book also has a murder mystery! I really enjoyed the writing style . I though the characters were all interesting and well written. This book is full of suspense and magic and murder! I couldn't recommend this book more! I can't wait to read book 2!

Seventh Born by Monica Sanz is a well written and highly enjoyable novel that will bewitch readers with its tangible characters, murder mystery and haunting ambiance.

Eighteen year old witch Serephina Dovetail is an outcast amongst her people. As the seventh daughter born and the cause of her mother’s death at her birth, Sera is used to being seeing as cursed. She been called an abomination, ostracised and treated with cruelty but as a student of the Aetherium Witchling Academy, Sera is determined to get into the Advanced Studies Program and become an inspector. Yet to do so, she needs a referral and given how people perceive her, Sera is sure no one will take a chance on her. Until she is approached by Professor Nikolai Barrington, a young, handsome but brooding teacher at the Aetherium Witchling Academy who approaches Sera with a proposition; he will give Sera the referral she so desperately craves in exchange for her assistance on a case he is working on. Faced with no other options, Sera agrees but as she and Professor Barrington delve into the case of murdered seventh born women, painful memories of her past begin to resurface and soon Sera will have to accept that the monsters that haunt her may not be as dead and buried as she thought….

I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed Seventh Born. I’m not sure exactly what I was expecting when I began this novel but whatever it was Seventh Born definitely exceeded my expectations. Beginning the novel, I was immediately entranced by this magical world of mystery and discovery that was set in a Victorian-era-esq world. Though author Monica Sanz never mentions the specific time period in which the story is set, her use of language and propriety paints a clear picture of what society is like when Seventh Born takes place.

Mixing elements of mystery, magic and danger, I really liked the world Monia Sanz has created within Seventh Born. I found the concept of seventh born witches to be intriguing and feel Sanz went into the perfect amount of detail to describe the persecution and treatment they had experienced throughout the years. I do feel like we’ve only discovered the tip of the iceberg where the Aetherium Witchling Academy was concerned although I did really like what I’ve seen so far.

Seventh Born is depicted through the vivid voice of protagonist Serphina “Sera” Dovetail, someone I really enjoyed following. Monica Sanz makes it clear early on in the novel that Sera has painful secrets about her past and as the novel progresses the atrocities she experienced are revealed. Sera is a scared individual, both figuratively and literally, but I do feel this actually gives her so much more substance as a character. Sera is a determined and capable young woman and I felt for her as she struggled to harness her abilities. Sera has been treated so cruelly by so many people and as a result her ability to trust are lacking. I highly enjoyed seeing her begin to come into her own though and can't see where she does.

The driving force of the storyline is the series of gruesome murders Sera and her Professor Barrington investigate and while I appreciated the way this was explored and depicted, I’d be lying if I didn’t acknowledge the relationship that is developing between Sera and Barrington. They are adorable! Theirs is the kind of slow burning romance that is a subtle undertone to the overall story that burns through the novel. Barrington is gruff and brooding but the soft moments of tender touches and kind gestures really make me swoon. Sera and Barrington really have such potential to soar and as things hopefully continue to heat up and develop, I for one can wait to see where their relationship progresses to.

Building to an exciting and thrilling ending that leaves me dying for more, Seventh Born was a very promising start to what I’m sure will be a wonderful series. Moncia Sanz has very much piqued by interest with this series and I cannot wait for more of Sera and Barrington. I’m already hankering to get my hands on their next tale!

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have always been a fan of magical and witchy books, throw in some proper suspense, mystery, and crime solving and I am quite the happy reader. When it comes to novels that involve these elements I tend to go one of two way, I either love it or I hate it, there was never really an in between.

I was cautious when I agreed to review Seventh Born because I knew there would be the chance that I would not enjoy it at all. Thankfully, that was not the case. Seventh Born is a great story about Seraphina Dovetail, a seventh born witch who is judged, persecuted, and abused simply because of who she is…a seventh born. Even with though it is a constant struggle she works hard so that she can become an investigator in the hopes of one day finding her family.

I found Seraphina very relatable for one simple reason, she is flawed. She is gifted and caring but she is also hot-headed and impatient. I like characters who don’t have it together all the time, it makes them appear more real. There is more to her I could discuss but I will let you find that out for yourself.

The world building was lacking but the story itself was wonderful. I am hoping we get more detail in book 2 because I have some lingering questions that I would like answered. Then was have the bits of romance thrown in (I mean come on, don’t act surprise). I am not sure where I stand yet involving the particular romance options involved but I look forward to seeing how it progresses in throughout the series.

All-in-all this was a great book and I really enjoyed reading it. There is room for improvement but nothing is perfect and I feel that can be remedied in the coming books.

Fantastic read, well written with a great plot and characters. I was engrossed from start to finish. Sera is a 7th born....which is the order of her birth, because she is a 7th born she is not preferred by the witch acadamy. She is accepted in to the academy and winds up caught by her professor using her wand. Instead of turning her in she becomes his assistant. Really hoping there is another book. Absolutely loved this book. I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book from Netgalley.

Witch books are usually hit or miss with me, but I absolutely loved Seventh Born. I stayed up half the night reading the book, and I was so glad when I checked online and found out it is part of a series because I am not ready to say goodbye to these characters or this world yet. Sure, there are tons of books out there about ostracized witches and outcasts and betrayal, etc., etc. This book stands out, though... it has feeling. On top of that, it has a murder mystery that is actually well done! Add that to well-developed characters and top of the line world-building, and you have Seventh Born. This novel completely captivated me.

The heroine, Seraphina Dovetail (her friends call her Sera), can't remember her past. On top of that, she has PTSD from the past that she can remember, which results in her having issues controlling her magic if she feels threatened or has a flashback, so she kind of sets a lot of things on fire. Her PTSD reactions are really spot-on, though. I know that everyone handles things differently and PTSD presents itself differently in everyone, like all illnesses, but it was easy to believe that Sera has PTSD. It's not diagnosed as such in the book (I think this was set in the Victorian era... or a similar equivalent for the world Sera and co. live in), but it's pretty obvious. Sera is a wonderful leading lady, and so empathetic, even though she has walls up and trusts no one. It's clear she is a good person from the beginning. In addition to Sera, we have a full cast of well-developed secondary characters, including her best friend Mary, the popular boy Timothy, and Professor Barrington. None of these characters are what you'd expect, though. There are no cookie cutter or filler characters in these novels. I felt like I got to know everyone Sera interacted with, at least as well as she knew them, and that is a rare find.

The world building in this novel was fantastic. I could clearly picture the world that Sera lived in, and I understood the rules of the world. That's always difficult to do in a fantasy style novel. There were no info dumps, though. Everything was paced out nicely. Sanz wrote beautifully, too. I absolutely loved a lot of the lines in the book. The plot was complex, and the "big reveal" actually surprised me, and that doesn't happen often. It was still believable, though. While we found out around the middle of the book who was doing the killings, we get a nice big betrayal at the end that I didn't see coming at all. The ending tied this book up nicely and leaves room for a sequel.

Overall, I'd recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy/paranormal novels that are set in alternate realities/historic type worlds with strong leading ladies and wonderful writing. Give this book a try. You won't be sorry.