Friday, November 13, 2015

Nightwish by Sydney Bristow Review!

Nightwish 2 - Ebook Small



Serena Sykes just discovered that the mother, identical twin sister, and niece she never knew existed…are the last remaining witches on the planet. That is, except for Serena, who recently received her own limited, albeit wildly erratic supernatural abilities. 

But her newfound family isn’t interested in helping her master those gifts. After all, Serena’s mother has been communicating beyond the veil with the first witch in their line, a sorceress named Zephora who hopes to return to this dimension and destroy an ancient curse that would unleash paranormal creatures across the globe. 

To help guide her in this new landscape, Serena turns to her grandmother, an elderly woman suffering from dementia and the only vampire in existence, a man who has his own mysterious agenda. With less than 48 hours to prevent her family from triggering a supernatural wasteland, Serena must learn to control her abilities…if she hopes to save the world!

Buy the Book

My Review

Well, this was one was a surprise. I wasn't expecting to like this one as much as I did, because I loved it ;) Family can make you crazy and curses can kill you. When Serena meets her mother, sister, and niece, she didn't understand everything that came with them. He wonderful loving grandmother is losing her mind, literally, to Alzheimer disease, and there's so many secrets and lies, and oh, have I also told you that there's all kind of supernaturals hanging about. And so the learning begins that Serena needs to learn about her powers and her past. And she needs to figure out how to save not only herself but a whole lot of other people. And man oh man is this a heart wrenching one.

Serena is a a little naive and lost at first. She's trying to get her balance, and then she has the rug pulled out from under her and is thrown off a cliff. She has her two best friends who are humans and part of her band. There's only Serena and her family left of witches in the whole world. Everyone else was killed off. And there's something brewing that could unleash the rest of the paranormal world on the unsuspecting human world if things are fixed. Oh and she meets the man of her dreams, but he's off limits and she has a bodyguard vampire who is not trustworthy and then she has a twin sister that she's not sure if she loves or wants to kill. HA! I loved Serena's BFFs and their combustible relationship with each other. I absolutely fell in love with her niece and I am flat out cheering for Serena. 

The world building and the climatic crazy of Serena's family and the bad witch was fantastic. I am still a little shocked with how it all played out. The characters are all well developed, and you're going to love to hate the not so nice ladies. And you're gunna fall for that hawt guy. And I must say, I am seriously pumped to read book two. There's an excellent pace that made it feel like a quick read, and never missed a beat. There's some fun times, some sad times, some beautiful moments and a suspense that will keep you on your toes. And the good will always overcome the evil, sometimes, hopefully :)  I am impressed and I want book two!! 4.5 MAGICAL PAWS!!!     
 



Author Interview

  1. First, tell me a little about your book and why you wanted to write this particular story….

I’ve wanted to write an urban fantasy novel for over a decade, but I promised myself not to try it until I had something unique to offer urban fantasy readers. I’ll leave it up to them to decide if I’ve done so!

  1. Do you recall how your interest in writing originated or did you always just know?

It was only after hitting a major plot twist in the John Grisham novel, The Firm, that I decided to start writing. The twist was so unexpected that I wanted to surprise readers in the same way.

  1. What inspired you to write your first book and what was it?

I was a history major, and I discovered that authors typically don’t write fast-paced historical thrillers. Usually historical novels are slow and boring. I wanted to write a historical suspense novel with a great villain and seemingly impossible odds for the hero to defeat him.

  1. Out of all the characters in your book, who is your favorite to write? There’s always a fan favorite to read about but sometimes it’s the side characters that are the most fun 

It would be Serena Sykes, the sarcastic, snarky heroine in my urban fantasy novel, Nightwish. She has such a fun, unique voice that I’ll be writing her stories for years to come!

  1. How did you come up with the lead character(s)?

I wanted an outsider, mostly because I consider myself one as well. I’ve always felt like a loner, partially because I’m introverted, so I made Serena outgoing and able to come up with all the verbal comebacks that only occur to us normal people until after we had the chance to say them. Otherwise, while Serena has friends, she’s lonely more often than not. And I could definitely relate to that, as can most people, so I wanted to create a character I wish I could become…despite the flaws that pop up in her personality.
  1. Is your book part of a series, and if so, how many will there be?

Nightwish is the 1st book in a projected 5 book series. However, I could easily add numerous other titles to this series.

  1. What are you working on now?

I’m currently at work on the sequel to Nightwish, titled Silverthorn. I hope it’s done by the beginning of 2016.

  1. How do you chose when/which characters die in your books?

I love killing characters! When there is a life or death struggle, and you don’t know if any given character will make it through, you can tap into more suspense. Character deaths also force other characters to change and allow them to really determine who they are.
  1. Who do you look up to as a writer?

Dean Koontz and Kristan Higgins are my two favorite writers. I aim to reach the talent they have, even though it will never happen (and I’m somewhat okay with that!)

  1. If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your book?

Nope. For Nightwish, I wanted to create a funny, fast-paced, exciting novel with great characters and great dialogue. I believe I succeeded, although readers are the ones who have the final say!


  1. Who designed the cover? And do you help with them?

The talented graphic artists at Damonza.com designed Nightwish. However, I had very specific ideas about how it should look. And they surpassed my high expectations.

  1. We all love Supernatural, so which Winchester brother is for you?

Yep, I can never get tired of Supernatural. I love the Winchester boys! I’d say that Sam is more in line with my temperament, but Dean, oh, come on, why do we have such a thing for bad boys?!

  1. Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

If you enjoy Nightwish, you’re in for one helluva ride with this series!

  1. This or that...

  • Coffee addict?  Nope! 

  • What’s your favorite alcoholic beverage.  Vodka (though I’m nothing like Serena’s sister, I promise!)

  • Favorite Food?  Pizza
  •  
  • If you had to chose Coffee or Chocolate? –don’t laugh, I don’t like chocolate so it’s quite
  • easy for me, but a LOT of people NEED both LOL.  Chocolate. 
  •  
  • E. Beach or mountains?
  • Moutains

  • F. Winter or summer?
  • Winter

  • G. vampires or werewolves?
  • Vampires. Definitely vampires!

  • H. Cold or hot?
  • Cold

  • I. Favorite color?
  • Turquoise

  • J. Night or day?
  • Um, both?! Too much of anything makes for trouble in life.

  • K. Moonlight or sunlight?
  • Moonlight.

  • L. Bad boy or good guy next door?
  • It should be the good guy next door, right? (Long sigh!) Okay, fine: bad boy!

  •  Ok, that’s enough! LOL thanks so much for coming to visit me, and thanks so much, for doing this with us! I appreciate it and I look forward to the next time!!

Coming Soon!! 

Silverthorn - C
Bloodstone - C

About

Sydney Bristow loves keeping up with novels from all genres, too many television shows to keep track of, and films from way before she was born on up to current releases. When it comes to her novels, whether it’s contemporary romance, urban fantasy, or historical thrillers, each novel features a strong heroine and revolves around the importance of family and friendship, trust and loyalty. Sydney lives in the Chicago area and is always at work on a new novel.
Feel free to check out my website for more information about me and my books.

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