Blackhollow Academy Series
Book #1
Jess Haines
Genre: Young Adult/New Adult Urban Fantasy
Release Date: May 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-0988972803
ASIN: B01EQF5CAW
Pages: 290
Goodreads Rating: 4.00
My Rating: 4.5
Book Description:
A girl who uses her illusions to fool the world into thinking she's just like all the other magi.
A dragon who sees through her lies.
Together they just might survive a world that wants to control or destroy them both.
Kimberly may wield ultimate cosmic power, but even a mage has to pay the rent. No one will hire her for her magic talents until she's got the credentials, so she’s stuck in a crappy rent controlled apartment with her mother, yearning for treats she can't afford at her part time job in a café, counting down the days until she graduates the secret Blackhollow Academy school for magi. Only then will she have the certificate she needs to land her dream job in a coven.
The problem? She needs a familiar to graduate.
As an illusionist, she doesn't have the ability to summon or create a familiar of her own. Her only option is to convince a supernatural creature to let her bind it instead. Since having a powerful Other at her beck and call would guarantee her a place in a coven after she graduates—and legendary treasure hoards are an added bonus—she thinks binding a dragon as her familiar will solve all her problems...
Because sometimes a girl needs a dragon, not a knight....
A dragon who sees through her lies.
Together they just might survive a world that wants to control or destroy them both.
Kimberly may wield ultimate cosmic power, but even a mage has to pay the rent. No one will hire her for her magic talents until she's got the credentials, so she’s stuck in a crappy rent controlled apartment with her mother, yearning for treats she can't afford at her part time job in a café, counting down the days until she graduates the secret Blackhollow Academy school for magi. Only then will she have the certificate she needs to land her dream job in a coven.
The problem? She needs a familiar to graduate.
As an illusionist, she doesn't have the ability to summon or create a familiar of her own. Her only option is to convince a supernatural creature to let her bind it instead. Since having a powerful Other at her beck and call would guarantee her a place in a coven after she graduates—and legendary treasure hoards are an added bonus—she thinks binding a dragon as her familiar will solve all her problems...
Because sometimes a girl needs a dragon, not a knight....
My Take on the Book:
It wasn’t the setting that surprised me, but the characters. I genuinely liked them, even in moments of what I felt were utter stupidity on their respective parts.
Kimberly has pride. Usually those characters tend to irk me, but she is also kind hearted and all around nice so she’s balanced out. Cormac is a bit of a mystery; I wasn’t sure how I was meant to feel about him but I found myself kinda happy that his character existed.
I felt like the story progressed nicely and the action was spot on BUT I also felt like the progression of the relationship between our leads was a bit rushed. There was plenty of chemistry and you could tell it was heading that way but it was a little too instantaneous for my taste.
Honestly… that was my only complaint. I love reading books like this that keep me smiling and ignoring my real world responsibilities lol. This was a definite strong start to what I can only suspect will be another strong series.
4.5 Quills
I’m eagerly awaiting the next installment and to bide my time, grabbing the H&W Investigations Series. The writing style was really smooth and the characters developed. It’s descriptive but not jargony with can be a big problem for books like this.
I can’t really think of anything to compare it to off the top of my head but I do think it’s definitely a book worth your time. If you have read the H&W series, I have been told that this is set in the same world but luckily for me, easily read as a standalone with a few nods to the series in question. Kudos Ms. Haines, kudos… this a great book!
EXCERPT: Smoke and Mirrors
Blackhollow Academy Book 1
Jess Haines
Blackhollow Academy Book 1
Jess Haines
Viper made a soft hissing sound of
irritation between his teeth, pulling back from her. “Cormac has no vision. I
know what I want and I’m prepared to offer anything to get it. You have but to
ask.”
Well. There was one thing. Her cheeks
flared crimson and she squirmed a bit before stuttering out another question,
swallowing back her embarrassment.
“You keep a hoard like a dragon, right? I
don’t suppose you would consider loaning me a little? I swear I’d pay it back.”
His head tipped to one side, and he looked
her up and down anew. She suspected he was just noticing her frayed cuffs and
cheap shoes. He’d been so intent on getting whatever it was he wanted out of
her that he hadn’t paid attention to the package it came in until now. When she
caught the very slight curl of his lip, there and gone in a flash, embarrassed
heat filled her cheeks.
Feeling both dirty and humiliated, she
ducked her head. “Never mind. I shouldn’t have asked. I’m sorry, I don’t think
I can do this.”
“Come now, I’m sure it’s not that hard. All
it takes is a yes.”
“No,” she said, this time with a bit more
vehemence. Cormac was right. There was something off about Viper, and never
mind what a perfect ass she’d just made of herself. Worst of all, that flash of
disgust showed he obviously had no respect for her. At least Cormac never made
her feel tolerated. “Thank you for
the offer, but I’ll find some other way of getting what I need.”
He slowly rose to stand, heaving a sigh as
he settled back on his heels.
“That’s unfortunate. This would have been
much easier if you had agreed.”
Kimberly would have asked what he meant by
that, but the look in his eyes froze her in place.
His eyes burned a molten gold as he spread
his arms, which were expanding and shifting at an alarming rate. Faster than
she might have thought possible, he was growing, his clothing melting and skin
disappearing under a layer of metallic scales. Nearby, people were noticing,
shouting and screaming in fear as they stampeded in every direction to escape
the shapechanging Other in their midst.
When he ceased growing, from the tip of his
nose to the end of his tail, he was over thirty feet long, with a wingspan half
again that size.
Kimberly sat immobile, unable to so much as
squeak in terror as the beast before her lurched back to arch its neck and
spread its wings, barbed tail lashing as it growled at her. One thick,
talon-tipped paw lashed out, flattening her on the grass and squeezing the air
out of her lungs. It gave an awkward, one-legged hop forward to catch its
balance before clenching its claws to dig deep furrows in the grass and close
around her waist and legs, pinning her.
Then those wide, ribbed wings began to
flap, the sun playing off the tones of brass and copper and gold. The ground
fell away, people scattering before the airborne monster.
And Kimberly could do nothing but pray,
staring up at this great beast that had her in its claws.
She’d gotten what she’d asked for. Now she
would have to pay the price.
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About The Author
I'm a
displaced New Yorker with a penchant for the silly, the obscure, and the
fantastical. These days, you can find me in the Tampa area. I'm currently
working on the H&W Investigations urban fantasy series and the Blackhollow
Academy young adult/new adult contemporary fantasy series. Find out more about
my books, drop me a line, or join my mailing list!
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“I received a free copy of the book from the author/publisher for my honest opinion. I was in no way compensated for this review and all opinions are expressly my own”
