For fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed and the Dresden Files. As a druid, seventeen-year-old Simone Singh lives by three rules: gargoyles must be destroyed, her identity remains secret, and she can never attempt dark sorcery. Only now the number of gargoyles are growing, her identity has been uncovered and her best friend has been murdered by dark magic. Simone and the damaged oddballs she … damaged oddballs she calls friends pretend to be normal students at Dawnvel Academy, but are secretly gargoyle slaying, wand-wielding druids, who occasionally time travel.
On the same day her clan leader is killed, the new boy at Dawnvel, Bobby, sees her slay a gargoyle. Simone soon learns the hapless Bobby is a druid too, he just doesn’t know it. She decides to train Bobby whilst she leads the clan, which includes the tormented ex-boyfriend she might still be in love with and the pansexual party girl who has always loathed her. Worse, the dark druid is trying to knock them off one by one.
As she hunts down the killer hiding amongst them, Simone and Bobby’s friendship begins turning into something more, before Bobby displays signs of dark magic himself. She can’t believe anyone she cares for could be the dark druid, but the killer can only be someone she knows and trusts. Her own life and everyone she cares about is at risk.
Told from the dual viewpoints of Simone and Bobby.
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Instead of being out doing teenage things with her friends on Friday night, Simone is scoring drugs for her father and battling supernaturals.
Bobby had come to Dawnvel Academy after hearing about the missing students. His favorite TV show was about solving murders done by supernaturals, but he’s not the heroic type. Will he rise above his fears? His first nite, another missing student.
Many supernaturals appear as Dawnel Academy and the town come under attack. Dawnvel Academy is an Otherworld gateway. Druids are the protectors, but a helpful weretiger, gargoyles, and ghost lend a hand.
How did Bobby get into the academy? He’s a foster child. Doesn’t know who his parents are. And who are the Perfect?
As the action picks up, Bobby finds his place, as will Simone.
There is the usual teenage angst of going to a new school, but Dawnvel is so much more and even though Bobby seems an unlikely candidate for what is to come, he must face it head on.
We have monsters and danger and though I found no book surprises, I enjoyed the Dawnvel Druids and look forward to finding out what happens next.
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ONE AVALANCHE OF MAGICAL PROPORTION!!!
Dogging demons! William brought out the heavy artillery, locked and loaded, revving up the exuberance and intensity, riding this flawlessly composed work of art, laying out one killer storyline and gripping plot, wrapping this baby up sleek, shiny and tight. Bearing the burdens and towing the line, imparting this action packed, hard hitting, pulse racing, heart pounding, adrenaline pumping, page flipping, block busting bombshell, blasting this baby to a whole new realm. Shattering the boundaries and pushing the limits, displaying the strengths and weaknesses being weighed and balanced, propelling this jewel forward without a hitch, slamming it into overdrive, launching it into a tailspin with a mind boggling realization. Shenanigans, escapades and mayhem rule the roost rolling with the drama, turmoil, intrigue, danger, spiraling suspense and unnerving situations, along with a double dose of moxie while dodging deadly intents, you have one intoxicating masterpiece. The characters are complex and authentic with depth and traits that blend and flow, transforming into genuinely relatable personalities. The scenes are strikingly sharp with abundant details and depictions creating a colorful backdrop that makes the storyline pop. Amazing job William, thanks for sharing this little guy with us.
This story felt like a creative thrill ride. The imagery was wonderful and the characters for the most part were relatable and well-drawn. The world of Dawnvel is well-crafted and filled with intrigue and danger. Simone is one of a clan of druids who attends the academy at Dawnvel. The story begins as she battles against two goblins who were arrogant, sarcastic thieves. An exciting beginning to this fast-paced adventure.
While Simone is an accepted member of the Perfects – a group of students that are terribly misunderstood and living at the edge of acceptance, Bobby is anything but. He has been kicked around the foster care system practically since birth. Though he is searching for a safe place to fit in, he quickly realizes that Dawnvel is far from any sort of safe haven.
The pacing is on point and the story compelling as the Academy begins to be overrun with otherworld creatures. The only issue I had was in the dialogue portions, I found Warren’s constant angst somewhat irritating, and the waffling emotions of Bobby going from bravado to curiosity and on to terror a bit confusing, but he is a teen-age boy dealing with extreme circumstances. Loved the descriptions and concept – highly recommended!
THE DAWNVEL DRUIDS is Book One in a new young adult urban fantasy series by William Collins, author of The Realmers Series (4 books) and The Realmer Chronicals Series (2 books).
The book centers on sixteen-year-old Bobby Biscuit, an English foster home loner newly arrived at Dawnvel Academy boarding school. He soon learns of Dawnvel’s seven elite pupils, known as the Perfects, but can’t believe his eyes when he witnesses one of them blast a wraith with light from a wand late at night right outside his dorm room window. Bobby fears for his own life after witnessing another of the Perfects, seventeen-year-old Simone Singh, apparently murdering another pupil in a basement. While Simone does no harm after catching him, she instead reveals to Bobby something about himself that shocks him even more than all he’s seen up to that point.
The writing is clean. Most of the scenes are in Bobby’s perspective and told in third person limited, but the few interspersed scenes in the POVs of the Perfects add some interesting variation. I would recommend THE DAWNVEL DRUIDS to any who enjoy David Baldacci’s Vega Jane Series of magical YA novels, and am looking forward to seeing more books from this new series.