Debra Kristi

All Ana has known from her peers growing up are jeers, cruel pranks and spite....we open at a dance where once more Ana is the subject of cruelty. For once in her life a young man (Jeremy) saw the real her and invited her to said dance. After whisking her out of the nightmarish incident, her evening takes an even darker turn. Who would've thought a tree could cause so much pain...but indeed it does as it's the cause of death to the one person to show her kindness. Distracted momentarily, Jeremy and Ana collide with a massive tree.....upon waking to Ry (a guy she knows from school) trying to get her out of the wreckage...she refuses to believe nothing can be done for Jeremy, but it's too late for her savior and friend. Always the outsider thanks to her unique eyes and odd facial birthmark in the shape of a starfish. Goodness knows she's NEVER felt normal either....at night she's plagued with dreams on another sister (Kaia) in a strange world. Her evenings spent training and talking with Kaia....so up in waking she's exhausted and confusd. Can these people, events and things she sees be real? Or are they all a figment of her imagination? Her best friend Ry is like family since becoming her rescuer the night of the tree accident. He's a constant presence at her house with her beloved sister Crystia and their mother. As the days go by though, Ana is convinced there's far more to these dreams than just mere dreamscape. Ry and her mum seem to be extremely familiar for a peer of hers with her mother....and they seem to be keeping confidences. Crystia shares that she too has these dreams of their "sister" and as the days go by they sometimes see the same things. Add that together with why Ryan and her mother seem to be pushing her in martial arts training and other techniques....she's suddenly much faster in the pool, and can stay underwater far longer than is normal....she's healing super fast....what the heck is going on??? And who do the mysterious green eyes belong to from her faceless stranger that seems to be appearing more frequently in her odd dreams. Ana is CONVINCED that something is definitely going on. Either that or she's totally losing her mind. Take the ride with Ana as she slowly unravels the secrets and mysteries....how she becomes stronger within and begins to come into her own. Will she discover her heritage, and learn what she's truly up against? This book.lays the brilliant groundwork for this series! I for one cant wait to see what's next....and what kind of blood courses through Ana you wonder...is it fae, immortal, supernatural....or is she just a normal growth issues and an active imagination? All shall be revealed as we take the journey of the Balance Bringer. Note:one unexpected side effect from reading this amazing book is it DEFINITELY makes me more grateful for family. Remember to let your loved ones know ow NOW what they mean to you.… (mehr)

A great introduction to the series. Miri, her younger sister Belle and big brother Michael live with their mum at their grandmother's home outside the French Quarter in New Orleans. Raised hearing stories of their supposed magickal bloodline from grandma, Miri sides more with their mother that it's more myth than reality. Everything in her world changes in an instant when their mother informs grandma they're moving out that night to live with her boyfriend Caleb. For some bizarre notion, her mother suddenly believes he'll be a great father figure and they'll become a strong family unit. Where her mother got this notion suddenly she's no clue. Caleb barely knows them, yet suddenly he's made their mother believe they're meant to be a strong family unit? Miri has no memory of her father or why he's never been in her life, but she doesn't need Caleb to fill this void. After hearing her entire life of how unsafe the Quarter is for her family from grandma, the last thing she needs is to live in the heart of the Quarter with a moment's notice. Ripped from her school and friends, and the comfort of her grandmother all to live with this stranger? Things get decidedly worse when her brother finds out. She notices odd people watching them, and very odd things start to happen. None of her siblings trust Caleb, and her mother just seems off. Slowly Miri takes the blinders off. Learning more about her family history, and what's really going on. It looks like she and her siblings will have to grow up far sooner than expected. Who can she trust? What's really going on? It seems secrets have surrounded her for years without her even knowing. Can her heart survive the betrayal to come? Will she rise from the ashes of her life and soar like she's meant to? I love how fiercely loyal she is to those she loves. Miri has a warriors heart, and I think those who cause harm to anyone she loves, or innocents had best be fearful. I look forward to seeing what's next for this amazing young woman.… (mehr)