Lucy's Wish by Mona Hanna

Title:  Lucy's Wish

Series:  Bluebell #1

Author:  Mona Hanna  

Published:   April 5th 2014 by Createspace (first published January 9th 2014)

Length:  126pgs

Format:  ecopy

Genre:  Fantasy

Shelf:  review

Rating:  ★★★★

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Lucy Bluebell is a quiet young witch working in a magic shop in her busy town, trying to keep it running after her parents retired. She keeps to herself, avoiding most people after an unkind warlock broke her heart. She has a wish, however: to meet a kind, caring man, who’ll always love and cherish her. Someone she can love with her whole heart. Someone safe who she can rely on.

Warren Lewiston is embroiled in a dark plan and needs Lucy’s help, even though he knows he’s putting her in danger. His goal is to save his friend Sarah; his enemy Saxton will release her only if the plan goes off without a hitch. Warren has to work with Saxton, doing what he asks, or Sarah will never be free.

But then things get messy. Lucy and Warren become hunted. Saxton becomes more threatening. Warren realizes he may lose his friend while endangering a woman he’s falling for. Lucy thinks she’s falling in love with a man who loves another. No one knows who will survive.

In the end Lucy doesn’t know if she’ll ever get her wish.

My Review:

This author had me hooked from the very beginning with this one. She developed a magical fantasy world that was larger than life. This well written novella takes you away with an extremely imaginative tale. Her intricately crafted and very vivid descriptions allow you to walk through this powerful story alongside the characters. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters in this tale as well. Hanna’s subtle character development shines through, allowing each individual to stand out in their own right without overpowering the story as a whole.

This is a brilliant introduction to Hanna’s new series and was definitely an enjoyable read. It is probably my favourite novella from Hanna yet.

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Witch Emerging by Mona Hanna

Ti tle:  Witch Emerging

Author:  Mona Hanna

Series:  High Witch #2

Published:  August 13th 2013

Page Count:  150

Genre: YA Fantasy

Shelf:  Review Copy

Rating:  ★★★★

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Sequel to High Witch.

After surviving being hunted by Julius, Brayden and Ariel settle into their married life. Ariel is determined to find the other High Witches to make sure they’re alright. But there’s something going on with her pregnancy, something unusual, and she needs to find out what.

In the meantime, Hallie, an eighteen-year-old witch, is being pursued by Nicholas, a strange young man who knows about her past. What does Nicholas want with Hallie, and how are they both connected to Ariel? And what about Sean, the man Hallie loves? Will they end up together, or will Nicholas’ plan hurt all of them? The two witches will need to work hard to save those they love, and each other.

My Review:

With the second instalment in her High Witch series Hanna takes the original storyline for a bit of a ride. She returns with the same brilliant storytelling that we’ve come to know her for, mixing reality with fantasy and magic to create a world unlike any you’ve read about yet still entirely believable. Hanna has also mastered the art of alluding to a scene or event without ever really talking about it. This allows her to cover a large amount of ground in her story, and do so quickly, without losing the readers interest and without them feeling lost or left behind.

With this novel, Hanna takes some of her original cast and continues to develop them. By this point, as a reader you’ve come to know them quite well. She also introduces new characters who are completely different from the rest, yet very approachable in their own rights. Honestly, my main pet peeve with this novel is also said main character’s selflessness and need to help others. It is taken to the extreme where she has absolutely no sense of self preservation. You’ve got to love her for it, but at the same time you wonder what she’s thinking. The cast of this novella, although small, is perfect for the story that Hanna presents. It also leads to some phenomenally captivating couples. Hanna creates such sweet couples in her writing. Even with all the issues that they have and that they encounter, they still live for one another. It’s a rarity, and makes your heart ache for them.

As a whole, this was a great second instalment in the High Witch series. Hanna doesn’t leave you with a cliffhanger, but she does leave you wanting more and with the knowledge that these characters will be back again in the future.

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Tanner by Mona Hanna

Title:  Tanner

Author:  Mona Hanna

Series:  Prentor #2

Published:  May 1st 2013 by Createspace 

(first published January 23rd 2013)

Page Count:   132

Genre:  Fantasy

Shelf:  Review Copy

Rating:  ★★★★

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Kalin is looking forward to his future with Regina, and finding out where his path lies. Then a new danger disrupts the life of him and his friends. Lisandra is a dark witch, experienced in using the worst kinds of magic. After forever damaging the lives of two in the group, she's returned, and has a plan which could lead to the deaths of many in Prentor. The group is determined to stop Lisandra, not only to save the lives of strangers, but to help get Mark's brother, Tanner, out of her clutches. But can Mark and Sasha ever forgive Tanner for what he's done to them?

My Review:

This novella picks up right where the first in the series left off. Not only that, but it smoothly transitions into a completely new story. In this story Mona combines the world at its best with the world at its worst to create a captivating novella.

Mona is a very descriptive writer who has mastered the art of subtlety, working her descriptions right into the storyline itself. She does this in a very well written story that captures both your heart and your imagination.

The author has a well-developed cast of characters that she works with to enmesh us in this interesting world. These characters could hold their own in any fantasy story. You really feel for them – both the good and the bad.

As a whole this story was simultaneously comedic and frightening. It was an interesting way to spend an afternoon.

Buy your copy online here today!

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High Witch by Mona Hanna

Title:  High Witch

Author:  Mona Hanna

Series:  High Witch #1

Published:  December 2nd 2012 by Createspace 

(first published November 4th 2012)

Page Count:  87

Genre:  Paranormal

Shelf:  Review Copy

Rating:  ★★★★

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Ariel is a High Witch, one of the most powerful witches in the world. There are only three like her in existence. She finally learns who she is, but immediately has to flee from a malicious warlock, out to claim her for his own. With Brayden, her new love by her side, she attempts to outwit the warlock, and the High Witch who protects him. But what will she do if she has to go through 'The Test'?

Adult-content rating: This book contains content considered unsuitable for young readers 17 and under, and which may be offensive to some readers of all ages.

My Review:

Hanna employs very vivid descriptions, while still maintaining an extremely realistic feel to her work. She is very good at laying out the concepts behind and within the story without breaking the flow of the action, and this novella does have a fair bit of that. As a whole, her writing style draws you in very easily. You find yourself wandering along with the characters without even realising it was happening.

The main characters have been developed enough to carry the storyline. The minor characters have been given enough detail that they are able to support the hero and heroine throughout the novella. I really appreciate the fact that, regardless of the brevity of the story, none of the characters are simply names. They all have enough development to make them human.

This was a very bittersweet novella. It was also quite unique. I still astounded at how detailed yet fluent this novella was.

Buy your copy of this novella online here today!

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Myriad by Mona Hanna

Title:  Myriad

Author:  Mona Hanna

Series:  Prentor #1

Published: September 12th 2012 by Createspace

 (first published August 10th 2012)

Page Count:  92

Genre:  Fantasy

Shelf:  Review Copy

Rating:  ★★★

Synopsis from Goodreads:

After the tragic loss of his wife and child, Myriad Markwin began tormenting the Royal family of Prentor. For eighteen years, he'd mercilessly killed people in the castle on the Princess' birthday. But this year, he wasn't settling for servants or guards. He was going to kill the Royal family themselves. A group of warlocks and witches was out to stop him, but a young newcomer to them, Kalin, was proving the most trouble...

Kalin has denied his magic for years, but suddenly finds himself in a battle with one of the most powerful warlocks that has ever lived. He has to face up to things about himself he never knew, to try and save the Royal family from murder. With his new friends helping him, and a new love enchanting him, can he stop the coming bloodshed? Will he survive the fight of his life?

My Review:

This story is quite well put together. There is a logical progression from one point to the next. The author also doesn’t try to cram too much into a short page count. The author does flip back and forth between the past and the present, however, keeps them clearly separate via formatting and word use. This kept the story clear while helping it progress without having any long narratives to fill the reader in. The story was also very captivating. It was a unique story line that kept your attention throughout.

The major characters are adequately developed for a short story. You did get to know who they were. Appearances weren’t overly developed, that said, this is a short story and physical descriptions are not nearly as important and developing the characters as people. At the end of the story I did still have a few questions about some of the characters. It was almost as if the author began to tell something about a character and then went back to the story line without completely finishing the thought.

I did enjoy the time that I spent reading this novella. I must also say that I definitely didn’t expect that ending. It was a much unexpected twist. I also appreciate the fact that the author managed to work an overarching message of ‘believe in yourself and you can succeed against the odds’ into this intriguing story.

Buy a copy of this novella online here today!

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