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Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Thrall (Daughters of Lilith, #1) by Jennifer Quintenz

Welcome to Braedyn Murphy’s life. She’s a typical—if shy—sophomore navigating the slings and arrows of high school life with her two best friends, Royal and Cassie. Then a new boy, Lucas, moves into the house next door, and Braedyn finds herself falling in love for the first time.

But Braedyn’s normal life comes crashing down around her ears when she learns she’s a descendent of Lilith, the mother of all demons - and that she might play a critical role in an ancient war between the Sons of Adam and the Daughters of Lilith. Turns out the right answers aren’t always clear or easy. And as for “good” and “evil” – it all depends on how you choose to act.

Inspired by the ancient Mesopotamian myths of Lilith and her offspring, Thrall explores first love, strong friendships, and taking on adult responsibilities against the backdrop of powerful supernatural forces and life-and-death stakes.

Ooh, I really liked this one, guys.  I was immediately sucked into the world of Braedyn, the daughter of Lilith.  It has all the typical elements of a paranormal romance book and the battle between good and evil.  The storyline won't surprise you.  Average girl suddenly takes on freaky new powers, finds out she isn't who she thought she was her whole life, meets a hot boy that is forbidden, sets out to save the world...  See what I mean?  Not a new storyline at all.  BUT...

This is a solid, well told story.  The characters are well developed and full of life.  I could picture them in my head and I could feel them.  The story was forward moving at all times.  It engaged me as a reader and I wanted to keep reading.  That is how I know I've got a good book in my hands.  :)

Braedyn is your average girl in the beginning but when faced with the knowledge that her whole life has been something other than she believed it to be, she doesn't spend a lot of time wallowing.  She trusts in the love she has always known and she figures things out.  She is stronger than she thinks but that knowledge comes as she works hard.  I liked that.  I also liked that Braedyn made mistakes and learned from them.  Braedyn has a good heart and she is loyal.  She has to struggle against some natural Lilith tendancies and channel her powers to do good but she does it because she believes she can.  She is a strong (not just physically) lead character and one I was fully behind as a reader.

I loved the supporting characters and I'm really looking forward to getting to know them even better in the next books.  Thrall is the first book in this series.  The next two books are already out and available to read so you don't have to wait!  Sweet!

Buy Thrall now at Amazon.com

I grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico. My childhood hobbies included writing and illustrating stories, and by the time I left for college I had a stack of hand-made books over two feet tall.

At UNC-Chapel Hill I majored in English and studio art, but spent most of my time in the Lab! – UNC’s awesome and prolific black-box theater. After college I moved to Los Angeles and earned my MFA in film and television production from USC.

I have worked as a television writer, author, and graphic novelist. I’ve written for Twentieth Television, Intrepid Pictures, and Archaia Studios Press. I currently live in Los Angeles with my husband, son, and two wily cats.

4 comments:

  1. Great review. The characters sound cool and I like the cover. <3

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  2. Wow, this sounds intriguing!! This is the first tie I've heard of this books and I love the sound of it. Great cover too. Adding it to my TBR list now.

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  3. You had me at Lilith! Seriously though, the YA Paranormal genre is so flooded at this point that quality is never assured. When an author takes on a relatively obscure and always controversial mythological creature such as Lilith, however, intellectual stimulation just might ensue. Lilith is a Judaic character young girls ought to know about, the first wife of Adam banished from Eden for defying him. She's transformed into a bird-like monster and cursed to roam the earth stealing infants and drinking their blood. Although widely regarded as evil, she's also a Feminist icon and one of the earliest depictions of a (reluctant?) vampire-like being in history. There's plenty of fertile ground for storytelling around her legend, and I'm glad to hear Jennifer Quintenz seems to have done her proud. Thanks for the great review!

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  4. I have this book on my to-read list already, but you made me want to read it even more! Thanks so much for your input!

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