HIDDEN
By
M. Lathan
BLURB:
Sixteen-year-old Leah
Grant has given up on being normal. She’d settle for stopping the voices in her
head, intrusive visions of the future, and better odds of making it to her
seventeenth birthday.
That’s the thing about
pretending to be human in a world where magic used to exist – at any moment,
her cover could be blown and she’ll be burned to death like the rest of the
witches.
Everything changes
when she loses control of her powers and flees the orphanage she grew up in.
She desperately wants to be invisible but finds her face plastered on every
news channel as humans panic over the possible resurgence of her kind. And now
the hunters won’t give up until they find her.
Making friends for
the first time in her life and falling in love with one of them drives her to
discover why she is unlike any being she’s ever met – human or otherwise. The
dangerous powers inside of her that would repel Nathan, her new, handsome
reason for living, are priceless to some. The locked up forever kind of
priceless. And to others, they are too dangerous to allow her to live.
Let’s hope she can
stay hidden.
A far second to oranges, the song I sang in the shower every
night had a way of soothing me. More than anything, it made me tired enough to
fall asleep. With Whitney gone, I didn’t have to whisper it.
The stars are out,
It’s time for bed.
Now close your eyes,
And rest your head.
May angels shield you with their wings,
As you dream your little angel dreams.
I didn’t recall composing that song, but apparently, I used to
think I was good and perfect like the angels. I knew better now.
I stepped out of the shower and tugged a brush through my unruly
brown tangles. I stared into the mirror over the sink as I started the song
again. My skin screamed winter. I should be a warmer tan; I looked less creepy
in the summer. Maybe that was why the girls had been digging into me so hard. I
looked rather witchy. The unease that made them mock me was probably their
souls warning them, urging them to notice I was different and dangerous.
At my worst, it feels like the fire that could easily shoot from
my palm is raging inside of me. My heart picks up, more than when I’m scared.
It pounds, I can’t hear. My blood dances, taunting me, begging me to hurt
whoever’s hurt me. And I know that I can. I feel that I can.
But I don’t. I breathe and pray and let the magic cool.
Review:
Hidden is a classic girl is bullied and comes out strong story. Leah is a witch surrounded by catty girls in a boarding school. She is an orphan in a world that has taken over all forms of magical creatures. She has been forced to hide what she is and suffers from self loathing and depression. Depression is rage turned inward and that is very real in this case. She has been made to feel that the magical parts of her are from the devil.
The thing that struck me first about this book was the dark bubbling feeling that crept up from Leah. She really believes she is evil and tries to keep her inner demons, so to speak, at bay, even when the horrid girls taunt and tease her to the point of tears. (I think I would have zotted them myself.) When she is at a breaking point and about to flame on and turn them into a pile of ash, a witch steps in and whisks her away into an epic story full of magic, wonder and mystery.
The paranormal elements were enjoyable and I really felt akin to Leah. It is hard being different and knowing that somewhere at the root of what you are is wrong in everyone else's eyes. Being a teen misfit, I can totally get her want to be invisible and the impotent rage that smacks of a Carrie meltdown in the making. (I rooted for Carrie too.)
The story development was a little slow and I had to re-read a few parts that were a little sudden, but all in all I enjoyed the book and thought it was a good start to a series with a lot of potential.
3/5
Hidden is a classic girl is bullied and comes out strong story. Leah is a witch surrounded by catty girls in a boarding school. She is an orphan in a world that has taken over all forms of magical creatures. She has been forced to hide what she is and suffers from self loathing and depression. Depression is rage turned inward and that is very real in this case. She has been made to feel that the magical parts of her are from the devil.
The thing that struck me first about this book was the dark bubbling feeling that crept up from Leah. She really believes she is evil and tries to keep her inner demons, so to speak, at bay, even when the horrid girls taunt and tease her to the point of tears. (I think I would have zotted them myself.) When she is at a breaking point and about to flame on and turn them into a pile of ash, a witch steps in and whisks her away into an epic story full of magic, wonder and mystery.
The paranormal elements were enjoyable and I really felt akin to Leah. It is hard being different and knowing that somewhere at the root of what you are is wrong in everyone else's eyes. Being a teen misfit, I can totally get her want to be invisible and the impotent rage that smacks of a Carrie meltdown in the making. (I rooted for Carrie too.)
The story development was a little slow and I had to re-read a few parts that were a little sudden, but all in all I enjoyed the book and thought it was a good start to a series with a lot of potential.
3/5
AUTHOR INFORMATION:
M. Lathan lives in San Antonio with her husband and
mini-schnauzer. She enjoys writing and has a B.S. in Psych and a Masters in
Counseling. Her passion is a blend of her two interests – creating new worlds
and stocking them with crazy people. She enjoys reading anything with
interesting characters and writing in front of a window while asking rhetorical
questions … like her idol Carrie Bradshaw.
Links
Website: mlathan.com
Twitter: @hiddenseries
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/hiddenseries/
Buy links: Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=B00A6301BO
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