Ethan Sutcliff seems like a normal seventeen-year-old—at least that’s what he’s trying to portray. In a secret society run by the Supernaturals, Ethan is what witches call a Bender. Benders are Witches’ Guardians, who are able to control a witches’ ability, bend it, or move it away from harming humans. In Ethan’s case, he is able to bend the Earth element. But at the age of fifteen, he lost all … all connection to it, and the reasons behind it could only mean one of two things: His Wielder is either dead, or hiding out somewhere.
Alex Burgendorf has been living in her aunt’s locket for the past sixteen years with her mother—a Fire Wielder, and her father—a Water Wielder. For sixteen years, her parents vowed to protect her, and they have, as she is the last Earth wielding witch. However, time is running out. Alex must find her Bender, or the fate of the Supernaturals might be at stake.
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What a great story! I really enjoyed reading about Alex and Ethan and their struggles as a wielder/bender. If you like books full of magic and obstacles to overcome, I suggest this as a must read!
This book was really imaginative and enchanting. I love the way this author writes. I read her book titled ‘Immortal’ and loved it so I wasn’t surprised at how quickly I read this book or how much I enjoyed it. There’s something about entering a world and discovering the nooks and crannies of it that I love. All of the new laws, the ways of how their worlds work and how it doesn’t work and the beauty of everything is just amazing to me. Anyways, I loved this book, it was a great read and held my attention throughout the whole thing.
This isn’t your ordinary”witches” Book!
Benders what a new spin on a old fan favorite!
Must read for all paranormal fans.
First I love the cover it is absolutely beautiful. I have read another book by this author and loved it. I do not give away any spoilers. So I’ll just say I enjoyed this book. Ethan is or seems like a normal teenager. But in truth he is a Bender which is a witches guardian. He prevents a witch from hurting humans. He can control their powers. He can bend the earth elements, but at 15 he lost this power. A!ex has been living with let parents in a locket. Her mom is a fire wielder her dad is a water Wielder. Her parents vowed to protect her because she is the last Earth Wielding witch. Alex must find her Bender or all supernaturals can loose everything. Can Alex find him? Can Ethan find his Wielder ? Can both of them save their world and all supernaturals? You have to get the book to answer these questions. I recommend this book. It was a good book
If I didn’t have to eat sleep or work I would have stayed up all night reading this.. I’m am hooked big time.. I gonna have to get this series as they come out
I was intrigued by the premise, but this one lost me from the opening pages… There is a VAST information-dump in the beginning of the book, which made it very hard to follow. In those few pages, I found myself checking repeatedly to be sure that I had started the actual story, not a prologue/teaser. The concept is an interesting one, and the young Ethan presented in the opening pages has potential, but unfortunately once I finally got past the hurried explanations of the entire world underpinning the stories, I was dumped into a teenage Ethan’s “camp for supers” and the YA drama and angst over young love (lust?) lost me as surely as the confusing opening… This was not a book for me – it felt all over the place from the start and I couldn’t get into it, so had to put it aside.
My review copy was provided by NetGalley.
I love the supernatural world and was very intrigued by the world of Benders and witches. A love story that spanned two generations. Lots of danger, intrigue, and scary characters. I would love to follow more of the other characters.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Hinder: A Bender’s Novel by Kristin Ping is a wonderful story that I have loved reading. This is book number one in this brand new series that I am so hooked on and can not wait to read more. I highly recommend this story to everyone who loves reading about fantasy, dark and paranormal romance.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Reading this book takes you into a world of people who can evoke the elements and people who can use these elements for whatever is needed; Wielders and Benders. They need each other to function properly and they meet their other half around the age of 16.
Earth Wielders are the strongest and there are plenty of wicked people trying to stop the Earthwielders from reaching the age of 16; the necrocretors. That’s why Alex lived 16 years in the pendant of her aunt’s necklace. Protected from everyone, against anyone.
Once Ethan sees her, he can’t think of anything else. But there is a curse on the love of the wielders and their bender. One will destroy the other when they give in to physical love between them.
With the necrocretors thats hunting them, high school drama, jealous girlfriends and parents who want above all to avoid choosing each other instead of their powers, it’s a story full of chaos, action en wondering
Nicely written book with a lot of action. The world described is one of magic in a world of ‘ordinary’ people. The fight against the bad in the world and the fight against love. Or finding solutions?
Highest rated
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I really liked this story. I liked that it is about normal teen stuff with a dash of magic that makes them better. The hidden world introduced was interesting with its guidelines and set up a series very well. I liked the main characters and the hidden dangers. Had magic, danger, teenage angst, and battles to come. Loved it and cannot wait to read more.
I have to confess I’ve had this on my tbr list for a while. I loved the original plot idea and the concept of Benders and Wielders. It’s a unique spin I haven’t read about before. The story itself is intriguing and action packed. I would read more from this author.
Hinder is the first book in the Guardian of Monsters series.
Final Rating: 4 Stars
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Alex has been hiding for years, because there are many supernaturals out to get her or control her, for she is an Earth Wielder. Although she needs her Earth Bender to really come into her powers. Can she survive long enough to find him/her? Ethan tries to blend in and be a normal seventeen year old, but he is an Earth Bender and without his Wielder, he has lost his connection to it. Will these two find there way and survive? I loved this intriguing world, and look forward to reading more of them, both Alex and Ethan were easy to love.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
What a surprising story.
There are Benders and Wielders. Wielders have strong magical powers, of air, fire, water, metal, and earth. Benders on the other hand help control the Wielders (whose power can get out of control), and Benders keep Wielders safe. Earth Wielders and Earth Benders are rare and powerful, and many times they end of falling in love which is forbidden because they then turn to the dark side. Alex and her parents have been hidden for the first sixteen years of her life in a make believe land in her aunt’s locket. Now she has to join with her Bender but she is in danger and her mother puts a glamour on her which makes her look homely. She’s bullied and belittled in school, and especially by Ethan who she knows is her Bender. She won’t be at her full strength until she turns 21 so it is critical to keep her safe. But the Necrocretors are looking for her and killing other girls who look like what Alex really looks like. Can her family and Ethan keep her safe? And what happens when despite how ugly she looks Ethan starts having feelings for her. If they ever get together romantically he will die because her. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
“Hinder” for me was a semi-fast-paced tale of star-crossed lovers, meets high school hormones, meets magic, meets possible end-of-the-world. The storyline’s plot is intense, the two main characters Ethan and Alex are magical beings who are attracted to each other, but cannot act on it, but must work their magic together. This is an interesting premise and possibly a very exciting series. I liked this first book, but hope that in future installments the chemistry is toned down a bit to fit in with the story. I do however recommend this tale, it is an interesting one.
I received a free copy of this book for an honest review
I liked it. This author has created a fascinating world of of supernatural creatures. I thought the characters were well written, and intriguing, Ethan is a bender with no wielder until Alex suddenly appears. They are instantly drawn to each other, but a curse on their kind makes acting on their love forbidden. I would have liked a little more detail about the curse, like who cast it, when, and why would answer some questions, but I got the gist. Over all I thought this was a great book with plenty of action, magical battles, and surprising twists that kept me glued to the pages. I’ll look forward to the next book.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
Hinder is the first book in a new series by Ping. I enjoyed the Varcolac series and thought reading something new from Ping would be worthwhile. I like the premise of HInder. It opens with Ethan, a rare earth bender, and his parents and the tragedy that they experience. It then fast forwards to teenaged Ethan. There is groundwork that is laid to pull the reader into this world of benders and wielders. Ethan no longer shows signs of magic because he hasn’t met his wielder, but when he does, he is transfixed by her beauty, even though he has a girlfriend. The rest of the book is dedicated to keeping Alex safe, trying to practicing to strengthen their skills together, and…not fall in love.
I felt confused throughout this book with the way wielders, benders, and other witches could practice other witchy things they weren’t designated to do, like spell casting. The characters were developed. Alex went through so much because of her looks (a glamour created by her mother to make her ugly). The story was written in several POV, though mainly from the main characters’ perspectives. The pacing worked for the storyline. I didn’t feel that it dragged although the world-building dump at the beginning was a lot to process at once.
There was a lot of underage drinking and sexual content and references so I wouldn’t recommend this for high school students, though the characters are high schoolers. There were no repercussions for most of the bad things the teens did in this story. The parents had their own skeletons that had to be dealt with that added more interest to the plot. Ariel, Alex’s aunt, did some inappropriate things, though I understood her actions once or twice. There were several action scenes that were appreciated.
This review is my opinion. You may enjoy this read, or not. As written, this book is 2.5 stars. If changes are made this could easily be a 3.5-4 star read.
I received an arc from BookSprout in exchange for my honest review.
I really enjoyed reading this book, the characters were great and I really enjoyed going on this journey with the characters. It was a fun read and I really liked the way the author writes.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This was a great paranormal/romance read! I may or may not have stayed up trying to finish it…
I was actually surprised by how much I liked this as complex world-building scares me when I start a new series, but Ping does a great job easing us into the world and the fantasy elements. I liked how the book started, and tbh I would really like to make plants grow just by touching them!?
The story building, though confusing at some times, was well done, and any questions I had about systems in the fantasy worldbuilding were answered.
The premise is unique, focusing on the relationship between Wielders and Benders, followed by multiple plot lines and developments shown through the perspectives of multiple characters.
The twists and turns, along with the relationships and drama made this book difficult to put down and interesting to read. Throughout the pages, the many characters and their perspectives made this such an interesting read, especially with their backstories and unique personalities. I enjoyed reading this book from multiple perspectives and see their interpretation of certain events develop and change, as typical with books focusing on different characters. Although their different stories sometimes get tangled and a bit confusing, it helped further solidify the world-building and importance of various characters.
My only problem is that the editing was a bit off. I found myself rereading pages to make sure I understood the plot and events. I also felt some parts were a bit rushed, and some characters a bit underdeveloped. Ignoring this, this book was very well written, drawing in the attention of a reader and easing them into this fantasy world with beautiful powers and deadly relationships.
The cliffhanger at the end though! The author did a great job setting the premise of sequels to this book throughout the ending of this first book Hinder.
I hope to see more from this author!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Hinder is a high school urban fantasy romance.
If I could describe this book in one line, it would be: fated to be star-crossed lovers. The two main characters, Ethan and Alex, have an elemental ability that can only be used when the two of them are working together. And their element (earth) and fact that they are paired that way makes them extremely beautiful/handsome and irresistibly attracted to each other. However, if they give in to the attraction, they will destroy the world. So they must resist no matter the cost.
I like the premise of this story – star-crossed lovers that will (hopefully) find a way to be together in the end, characters with magical abilities fighting monsters in modern-day America. It was fun and interesting, and I liked the characters, the creativity of some of it, and the writing. I am curious to see
I didn’t like how sensual the book was. Apparently it isn’t enough for them to be attracted to each other and fight it; what I mean is, there are a lot of books that have that trope but that don’t go into much description. But in this book, they think about it all the time, use crass terms sometimes, use magical spell that inadvertently arouse the characters, and more. I, personally, have standards that restrict me from reading books that are very sensual, and at about 65% into the book, I hit my limit and quit reading. For the sake of the review, I hope you will forgive me for not completing it and I’m sad that I don’t get to see how the plot concludes. But I will hold to my standards in this instance.
I’m not sure I would describe this book as YA because of the content, although I know that the characters are young and it was written for a YA audience. There was also quite a bit of swearing, in case you wanted to know.
If you are okay with reading a book like this, feel free to do so; the plot was pretty interesting. But I personally wouldn’t recommend it.
I received a complementary copy of this book. All opinions are my own, and I am not obligated to provide a positive review.