I was pleasantly surprised by this! I don't usually enjoy contemporary fantasy, but this book made me rethink that. It was captivating and grabbed my attention so quickly that I couldn't put it down.

I throughly enjoyed this novel. In fact, it’s one of the few lately that has held my attention throughout the entire story. While I could see a few things coming, I never felt like rushing though it. I would definitely recommend it to friends.

The Nine: Origins is a contemporary fantasy where Blake Wilder, who has always seen snatches of people's futures is brought into the society of people with magical gifts; the Nine. When she starts seeing premonitions of murders, Blake is dragged into a dangerous world where she doesn't know who to trust and her life is on the line.

Ok, good bits:
The cover, it's proper lush and was one of the reasons why I wanted to read this book.
The world building is unique and intriguing. I love the idea of the society that protects those who have a gift and all the political intrigues that go along with it. However, I could do with a lot less of 'XXXX famous person was an enchanter too". That got dry rather quick.
The plot was well paced and kept me page turning to the end, and I'm keen to continue this series.

The bits I hope improves:
The MC. She's pretty dull and I hate it when the MC is surrounded by people who bang on about how clever they are when they're obviously not. Blake has potential, I love how she starts to find her own voice and stand up for herself later on, but there's not much else to her. She's beautiful, but doesn't see it and she's not like other girls (really???)
The other characters appeared to be a stereotype of where they came from; Nicholas, being British, only drinks Earl Grey and can't understand the American's obsession with coffee. Jessie, appears to the the Texan guy from the Simpson's, only hotter. I get that in a big cast of characters they need distinguishing features but I hope there all toned a bit in the next book.
That said, I found this a fun, fast paced read. Thank you so much to the publishers and Net galley for an Arc in return for an honest review.

Blake can see visions of the future and the past. She meets Nicholas who tells her she is a Voyant, and that she belongs with the Nine, people presenting one of the nine gifts. There is conflict in this secret society, with each side trying to get her to join them. Then Blake starts to get premonitions of murders. She must discover the murderer, who is clearly a Nine, before she becomes a victim herself.

Taking place in a modern-day setting this book is extremely readable. The first-person POV is a combination of acerbic and sassy. Blake is instantly likeable, strong and vulnerable, her emotions and thoughts shining through the narrative. The chemistry between her and the potential love interests is sizzling and genuine, their humorous exchanges very entertaining. Nicholas is charming and Jessie is naughty fun.

A fascinating mythology which thankfully we learn about without any info dumps, rather gradually and organically in the story. The pacing is exactly what is needed to get you into the story and keep you engaged. I really enjoyed the details of the chapters being named and all the historical figures mentioned with their supposed gifts. I also liked how the vision were described, continuing the flow of the story.

I know this is a series but I would have liked to learn more about the various gifts in the 1st installment. The premise to have been developed more. Also some things were discovered too quickly or easily in my opinion and some 'surprises" were cookie-cutter predictable and just didn't have the impact they should have. Thankfully other twists and revelations make up for that by being exciting and unexpected.

This tale examines the concept of the common good and if people can actually forgo self-serving agendas to support it. It is about loyalty and trust.

Mystery, power machinations, suspense and laugh-out-loud moments deliver the promise of an even better sequel and a promising series.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publishers and tge author for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC. This is my honest review.

This is the first book in a new YA paranormal fantasy series. It moves at a fast pace and has good world building. A fast, likeable read.

My criticism concerns the lack of character backstory. The MC and secondary characters have potential but need to be fleshed out.

Additionally the underlying the plot, while enjoyable, is predictable. Freshening it up would help.

At any rate, I will definitely read the next book.

This book had so much good in it. It has history, secret talents, powers, love, and so much more! Although this book wasn’t a 5 star read, it was still good and I can’t wait to see where this world goes in the next books as I feel it can only get better from here!

This was a good start to a new series by Kes Trester. It's entertaining and an easy read with good pacing. The characters are a bit flat, and the story is predictable, but it has potential and I may pick up the next book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book in a new series. Accordingly, it must include the reader in the building of characters and communities. The back story is an original one, or at least original to me. A young woman must hide her ability to see into the future. Her ability becomes public when she rescues a class mate. With her future in question, she learns of an organization of people like her, their abilities differ but they all are looking for guidance on how to best use their gifts for good.

This story centers on the life of this one young woman. It looks as if future books will center on other members of this organization. The series is off to a great start.

Thanks to NetGalley and Owl Hollow Press for the ARC.
The premise of the books was captivating. I enjoyed the idea and the building of the magic system, it was quite innovative.
However I felt like the pacing of the book was a bit off, things were happening too fast and without a proper preparation to arrive from A to B. I also had some trouble trying to empathize with the MC she was lacking a personality. Last but not least, the love interest(s) and the relationship with them was weird like out of nowhere bum a couple.
In conclusion, it was a good book to introduce a new world but it could have been better.

I don't normally quit out of a book quite this quickly, but this one was just not working for me. The dialog felt clunky, and believable conversations are pivotal for me to get into a cast. Blake feels drawn from a grab bag of "strong female protagonist" tropes. She's slight, tough, used to hiding her feelings, and a perpetual outsider. But her reasons for all of her toughness don't make sense. Her family respected and listened to her ability to see the future, so why does she hate herself for it? Nicholas is an obvious romantic lead, starting off smarmy and abrasive. I don't want anyone to fall for him, because stalking is never an adorable quirk.

The Nine: Origins is a YA sci-fi book about a teen named Blake Wilder who has special powers. Her powers have caused people to take notice of her and she is approached by a group called The Nine. The plot was similar to a lot of other YA plots with the whole girl having special powers and being the one needed to save humanity deal. It does have great characters and I thought the abilities the people had were very cool. I loved Blake's power to see the future, very handy. All in all, I enjoyed this and look forward to the next book.

DNF at 10%. I always give a book a few chapters to hook me, but unfortunately I didn't feel compelled to continue with this one. In the first few chapters it failed to strike me as a unique story with interesting characters -- it felt a lot like many other books. However, this might be for you if you want a light, easy YA fantasy with a young narrative voice and chosen-one vibes.

(3.5 stars)

Many thanks to NetGalley, Kes Trester and Owl Hollow Press for the ARC.

This was an entertaining coming-of-age story of Blake, who has struggled for years with odd visions and premonitions. This book follows her as she learns what her skills really mean.

Tons of magical realism, set in a contemporary college background, make this a fun first book in the series. There’s a whodunnit, some shady characters but also plenty of beauty and a bit of romance. And some unanswered questions, as you’d expect.

I would have preferred some more acknowledgment/description of the darker sides of the story, but the book is well-written and a good quick read. I’ll definitely be looking out for the next release.

I really enjoyed this book and will be recommending it to my teenage grandchildren, who will be annoyed that I did not share it with them while I was reading it ! Obviously the beginning of a series - that we will be following as I really want to know what happens to blake as she develops her powers and grows more confident in her place in the world.

3.5 stars rounded up
The Nine: Origins caught my attention with its beautiful cover and intriguing synopsis, and I enjoyed reading it.
I liked the plot and the pacing: the story is fast-paced and the chapters are on the shorter side, making it a gripping and action-packed read. While I found the characters and the magic system interesting, I would’ve liked to see more from both: I’d love to see more character development in the next book, as the characters sometimes felt a little flat, and more worldbuilding.
All in all, this book is a solid start to a new series, and I recommend it to YA Fantasy lovers.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review

A big thank you to Net Galley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Blake Wilder discovers that rather than being alone with her supernatural powers, there are others out there. The Nine:Orgins focuses for Blake finding her way through this new social/political world, in a game that she doesn't know the rules to.
The characters were really likeable and I felt like the story was told really well, there always seemed to be something to focus on and the story always kept my attention.
Will definitely be reading the other books in this series as I feel like this was a good opener which had to set up a lot of things. I liked it I just wasn't completely in love with it, yet!!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Kes Trester and Owl Hollow Press for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, To the point that I read it in one night. I loved how we learnt the world being opened up to Blake as she learnt it herself. I was thrown between who to trust and still am conflicted on what Blake should do. (It has been a while since I got this invested in a character)

My main issue is the roommate and her diet which is minimal in the book but being that it is aimed at an age bracket that thinks body size is end game goals it is unnecessary or relevant to the story. But aside from this I can't wait for book 2 to see what happens next.

A great weekend read.

thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review

a fantastic book with great characters and plot! I can not wait for more in this series

Amazon summary
Eighteen-year-old Blake Wilder usually hides her ability to see pivotal moments in other people’s pasts and futures, but when a premonition compels her to save a classmate’s life, she’s drawn into a centuries-old paranormal society on the brink of civil war.

When she witnesses a series of bizarre murders that have not yet occurred, it’s not long before the killer learns of her visions. Blake must decide whether to trust her head or her heart in a race to unmask the murderer before she is the next to die.

My Review
I love this book, it has a really great plot, Characters I loved and fantastic world building. I couldn’t put it down! My only complaint is I now have to wait for the next book to come out.

The glorification of her friend's eating disorder was triggering especially considering it is directed toward a YA audience. The emphasis on using a restrictive diet to obtain a body men envy is not a message that should be supported. It also adds nothing to the story. The story also lacked a clear concise timeline, and seemed that there were more events than hours in the day.