Title: Destruction
Series: The December People #1
Author: Sharon Bayliss
Genre/Age Range: Contemporary, Fantasy, Adult
Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press
Release Date: April 14, 2014
Genre/Age Range: Contemporary, Fantasy, Adult
Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press
Release Date: April 14, 2014
Synopsis
David Vandergraff wants to be a good man. He goes to church every Sunday, keeps his lawn trim and green, and loves his wife and kids more than anything. Unfortunately, being a dark wizard isn't a choice. Eleven years ago, David's secret second family went missing. When his two lost children are finally found, he learns they suffered years of unthinkable abuse. Ready to make things right, David brings the kids home even though it could mean losing the wife he can’t imagine living without.
Keeping his life together becomes harder when the new children claim to be dark wizards. David believes they use this fantasy to cope with their trauma. Until, David's wife admits a secret of her own—she is a dark wizard too, as is David, and all of their children.
Now, David must parent two hurting children from a dark world he doesn’t understand and keep his family from falling apart. All while dealing with the realization that everyone he loves, including himself, may be evil.
Review
Another 5-star read!! Fantasy is my most favourite genre and well, who doesn't like witches and wizards? ;) The best part of the book was its beginning. It started in a way that one would not be able to put it down. There was a lot of mystery and intrigue and a want to find out what will come next. And it will not disappoint the readers because what will come is quite exceptional. One unique thing about this book is that you can't put it into a box with "adult book" or "young adult book". It cannot be defined that way. As it involves main characters including adults and teenagers as well. So in that respect, I think, people from all ages can enjoy it equally.
David just found out about his lost kids and he is scared to tell the truth to his wife. She will be mad if she found out and demand a divorce, rightly so. But he cannot lose her, he may not be a one-woman man but he was most definitely a two-women man. After losing Crystal (mother of his lost children), he cannot imagine losing Amanda (his wife) too. But now that he is bringing his kids (a son and a daughter) home, there is no way to hide his secret affair, which happened eleven years ago.
Xavier and Evangeline have been abused by their stepfather and now that David has found them he wants to protect them at all costs. His other three children, Jude, Patrick and Emmy are not so welcoming towards their step siblings. To top it all of Evangeline claims to be a witch. May be it is some kind of coping mechanism, something she can use as a shield to all the abuse and difficulties they had faced in the home of their stepfather.
As soon as Amanda finds out that Evangeline is a witch she forbids her to use magic. This results in a confrontation between David and her. That's when she admits that she is a dark witch too, so is David and all of their children. After that bad things started happening as all the kids started practising magic. They did not care much for Amanda's no-magic rule. Teenagers simply cannot help themselves. they thought it was so cool to be able to use magic. The believed that even though they were dark wizards, they can be good but were they right or not is still to be determined...
The story is engaging and well written. It was interesting to begin with and ended well too. Although its part of a series but can be read as stand alone. I will recommend it to all fantasy/paranormal fiction lovers.
Author Info
Sharon Bayliss is the author of The December People Series and The Charge. When she’s not writing, she enjoys living happily-ever-after with her husband and two young sons. She can be found eating Tex-Mex on patios, wearing flip-flops, and playing in the mud (which she calls gardening). She only practices magic in emergencies.
http://www.sharonbayliss.com/
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