A secret power. The revival of magic. An ancient evil stirs. Twenty-year-old university dropout Cassie Rogan has returned to her small British Columbia home. Tortured by an accident that killed her parents, she drifts, failing life at every turn. When an impossibly localized lightning storm hits the surrounding forest, Cassie discovers her supernatural side. After centuries of atrophy, the forces … centuries of atrophy, the forces of magic are flowing back into our world, and Cassie can wield arcane powers. Her life seems destined to turn around, until the downside of magic brings everything to a screeching halt. Horrifying mythical beasts now prowl the northern wilderness—including the Basilisk—an enormous eight-legged lizard that can turn its prey to stone.
Recruited by a secretive agency, Cassie must quickly master her powers to protect mankind. As she develops her skills, a dark power secretly watches from the shadows. The Fae Seelie (a.k.a. the Dark Elves)—humanity’s ancient enemy—have returned to settle the score.
Starlight is the first book in the Dark Elf War series, an epic urban fantasy and coming of age series that features fast-paced action, mysterious creatures, careful world-building, and breathless pacing. Author William Stacey is a 2014 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Quarter-Finalist.
Buy his latest rousing read today!
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Fast and Furious
This book starts out with a bang. A group from our world opens a hole to another dimension and gets their butts kicked. Woo hoo. The second dimension is run by Dark elf’s and is a unexpected pleasure in sibling treachery.
The plot is ok but moves quickly and I empathized with a number of the female characters.
This is the first of a series of books. I will be buying the second book to follow the characters.
Starlight is the story of Cassie, a college dropout who returns to her hometown, and the magic hidden within. Cassie and her friends are out camping out in the wilderness of upper British Columbia when a bolt of lightning appears out of nowhere and strikes her. Before she knows what’s happening, magical beasts and beings attack the population.
Cassie discovers she has magical powers and has the ability to save humanity from these mythical beasts and the Fae Seelie (Dark Elves). She’s soon recruited by a secretive military operation and learns more about her power and the Dark Elves. Will she be up to the task of saving humanity or will the dark being observing her from afar lure her to the other side?
I must admit, I was hooked from the first page and I absolutely LOVED it! Filled with intense action, magic, good versus evil, mythical beings and people posturing it’s the end of the world, Stalight is one of the best books I’ve read in years. The author weaves the impossible in such a way as to make it believable. Descriptive narration plunges the reader into the action making it hard to put down.
Yes, it’s a long book, but it goes by quickly as there’s so much going on and so much to take it. I didn’t mind the length and when I finished, I wished there was more.
I can’t wait to read more from this author and more specifically, this series!
Favorite Character: Cassie. I loved everything about her from her ability to kick some serious ass to her vulnerability, especially when it comes to her family and friends. She’s written so realistically, she flies off the page and there were so many times when I chuckled at her inner dialogue. I don’t know if the author is paying homage to Faith from Buffy the Vampire Slayer but I got the same vibe from Cassie as I do every time I watch Faith.
Favorite Quote:
“He turned toward the monster, his weapon pressed up into his shoulder, ready to fire. And then, in horror, he saw the dragon leap over the stream of water the firemen were aiming at its head. The damned thing was unbelievably agile, and it had jumped about twenty feet, landing just in front of the two men. They tried to readjust their aim to knock it back again, but at that moment, its eyes glowed with a blue fire. The two men stood frozen in place, their skin turning gray, cracking, and flaking— like stone.”
My Rating: 5+ stars
Reviewed by: Mrs. N
As usual, William totally caught my interest, immediately. Intriguing plot. interesting characters and their evolution. Twists, turns, It kept me up reading until I finished and I’ll never think about the big furry guy the same.