Great beginning - can't wait to see how it goes!

by Katy Sozaeva
(Athens, GA, USA)

Disclosure: I received a free special eBook version of this series, including all four books in one, from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Synopsis Book 1: Moonstone: A sickly mom. A tiny house trailer. High school bullies and snarky drama queens. Bad-guy dudes with charming smiles. Allie has problems. And then there's that whole thing about fulfilling a magical prophecy and saving the world from evil. Geez. Welcome to the sad, funny, sometimes-scary world of fifteen-year-old Allie Emerson, who's struggling to keep her and her mom's act together in the small-town world of Peacock Flats, Washington. An electrical zap from a TV antenna sets off Allie's weird psychic powers. The next thing she knows she's being visited by a hippy-dippy guardian angel, and then her mysterious neighbor, the town "witch," gives her an incredible moonstone pendant that has powers only a good-hearted "Star Seeker" is meant to command. "Who, me?" is Allie's first reaction. But as sinister events begin to unfold, Allie realizes she's got a destiny to live up to. If she can just survive everyday life, in the meantime.

My Thoughts: I know it is hard to handle a mom that is sick all the time – my mom was chronically ill when I was growing up. But I should point out that fibromyalgia is a real illness and very debilitating – while Faye does take herself more seriously than is perhaps warranted, the occasional hints that Faye really isn’t that debilitated rubbed me the wrong way - I have fibromyalgia, and it is very debilitating. Anyway, that’s just a minor issue.

This was a fun book, and one I quite enjoyed. Fast-paced with interesting characters and ideas, weaving in Gypsy legends, an ancient prophecy, and palm reading. Of course the idea of the Trimarks, who have an inverted pyramid on their hands, amused me greatly - I challenge everyone to take a close look at their right palms, and I think the majority of people will find an inverted pyramid on their palms – personally, I have several of them. Anyway, this was a fun start to the series and I think I will quite like the rest of what I have, which is the currently available four works. I’m not sure if there are any more planned or not. Recommended for fans of YA paranormal fiction and urban fantasy. 5 out of 5 stars.