Thank you to Kes Trester, the publisher of this book, and Net Galley for giving me a chance to review this book.

The premise of this book sounded very interesting, and I loved the cover, so I was excited to begin reading. I was intrigued about what the Nine was and I appreciated that the author included the list and description of each of the nines in the beginning of the book. It was written well and was a very fast read, though a bit rushed and lacking real depth.

This book had so much promise but I felt that the further I read through the book, the more frustrated I got. There was very little world building which is very important in an urban fantasy novel. I love a good love triangle or romance between two MCs, however this was so heavily focused on in the book that I felt like the plot and main action was getting lost. I also found myself not liking Blake, the MC, and the decisions she was making.

There were some other small details that bothered me, like the constant mentioning of historical figures as being a part of the nine, but that is just a personal preference.

Overall, I think if you like YA urban fantasy with a heavy focus on romance then I think that you will enjoy this book.

At first this story surprised me but the future I got into it the more it started to grate on my nerves.

The mc has so many men fawning over her 🙄 and it gave me Bella swans vibes. Helpless to save herself it has to be the man that swoops in for the rescue.

Also there were parts it was rushed. I found myself skimming toward the end.

The plot was just meh. It reminds me a bit of the mortal Instruments when clary is thrust into a life she doesn’t know but that’s where it ends. Predictable and I’ve read it before. I would have liked to see a different twist on this type of story.

The writing was good. The characters while having been done before were okay.

I would have liked to see more worldbuilding. I want to understand the Nine more and their motives.

As a mystery there was very little sleuthing. It was bison after bison and after a time that got boring. Also a potential love triangle? No thank you.
And Insta love. Ugh how much I hate that trope while I do like Nickolas.


I know this book isn’t really marketed toward me but I had a better hope for this when i started reading and halfway it fell flat. I had to force myself to finish the book.

A tightening on characters and motivations, on the mc being more assertive and more understanding and insight to the world and I feel as if this book would have stood a lot stronger.

The Nine: Origins is a really visual read and it draws you into this exciting, magical world really quickly. The opening scenes played out in my head like a new supernatural teen Netfilx Series (think The Winx Saga or First Kill).
Blake, the FMC, has the unusual ability to see into people’s pasts and futures, both the good and the bad. She’s been struggling to hide this ‘gift’ for years but can’t help herself when the opportunity to save a life presents itself. Enter Nicholas, a dark, handsome, Brit, come to tell her she is not alone. He tells her she is actually a Clairvoyant, one of nine possible magical gifts, himself a Telekinetic. As Nicholas introduces Blake to the world of The Nine he tries to convince her to pledge herself to their secret society. But there’s something suspicious going on, people are dying under mysterious circumstances and it seems to Blake as though this secret society might not be as safe as Nicholas is making out.
Blake is a really relatable FMC. She doesn’t have a lot of friends, doesn’t really feel like she fits in… hello teenage years. But she also has a bit of backbone to her, she’s reluctant to succumb to the archaic traditions of The Nine and won’t play the damsel that the male characters expect her to be. My only gripe with her is that she reads more like a 14 year old girl, rather than a 19 year old. Thus the story feels like it’s trying to be ‘older’ than it is at times. Nicholas is your classic brooding, possibly morally grey male, but my favourite character was Jessie. Jessie is a smooth talking, Texas man and owns The Lower 8, a bar just for Nines. I really hope we see more from him in future books.
This is the first book in a planned series of nine (you see what they did there?) and there is quite a vast, complex magical world and magic system to establish in this first book. Because of this I did feel like it took a little longer than I’d have liked for the story to get going, and I wonder if we needed quite so much info at the beginning or if it could have been dropped into the story more gradually. Once ‘stuff’ started to happen though the pace picked back up and the action made the story really engaging.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Owl Hollow Press, who offered this arc in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for that privilege.

I usually love an urban paranormal book. And I think this one has a lot of promise. But for some reason, I just didn’t enjoy it. I didn’t care much for the characters, I felt like it immediately jumped in to Blake’s abilities rather than getting to know her first. I don’t know…I just didn’t really connect with any of it.

The perfect book to cozy up with this fall!
This book had me gripped from the first couple chapters. I just couldn't put it down. It was fast-paced with new twists and turns on every page. The magic system of The Nine was so intriguing and the more I learned about them the more I wanted to know.. This was definitely such a unique and good debut for a series!

Book: The Nine: Origins
Author: Kes Trester
Release date: 11th October 2022

4.5 stars

When a book ends and you think:

1) I need the next book and
2) I want to collect these in book form for my bookshelf

You know that you have found the right kind of read


"The power of the one is the is power of the many"

>New start:
In book one we are introduced to our MC, Eighteen year old Blake Wilder and her best friend Scarlett. After things got rough in her last school, Blake is determind to make things work, bury her clairvoyant abilities and make a fresh start.

>Premonitions and murder
But when a premonition compels her to save a classmate’s life, and a strangers appearance, she’s thrown into a world of a paranormal society - The Nine. Nine unique, individual gifts: Elementalists, Empaths, Enchanters, Evanescents, Materialists, Phantomists, Telekinetics, Telepaths, and Voyants. (Those who are immune to these nine gifts are Sentinels)

Struggling to make sense of the new world that has opened up to her, the premonitions and murders begin -its a race against time to unravel what's really going on before someone with a grudge gets to Blake.

<b>"There's someone trying to get into the apartment," I whispered urgently into the phone while meeting Scarlett's startled eyes. "I think whoever it is..." I swallowed hard, trying to get a grip on my fear. "I think whoever it is was the last person to see Alice Ferndale alive."</b>

>Love
Guiding her through is handsome Nicholas Thorne and wild Jessie McCabe. Blake has to learn fast as to where loyalties lie and whether she should listen to her head or her heart and time is running out.

I must admit that with it's pace and story, I flew through this. The author throws us straight in with the opening line: "I just knew today was going to be a bitch... " from there, I just couldn't stop reading. There's enough description without being overdone.

I absolutely adored the magical elements. it really intrigued me. There's plenty to keep the reader guessing and entertained; and not too heavy on the romance. As the plot thickens, there is a snap shot view into another character, Blakes sister, which I'm hoping that we will see more of in book two.

Overall, a brilliant first book to a series.

Read this if:

>You love a good YA fantasy
> Fascinated by magical systems/magic like abilities
> Like a dash of romance
> Enjoy a fast paced, engaging storyline
> Enjoy solving a mystery along the way

*Thank you to Netgalley, Kes Trester, and the publisher for an ARC of this book*

I enjoyed the story and the writing style but it was all fairly predictable.

Pros:
Interesting way of portraying powers
Writing style was exceptional

Cons:
Too many characters caused a lack of attachment
Felt very drawn out almost like the author needed extra pages and filled it with unnecessary context

In the end, I chose a 2.5 star rating. It was a quick read and still held my attention despite the lack of connection. The writing was so beautiful that it is something I'll remember and recommend to the right group of YA fantasy books. I wouldn't reread this particular book but I will definitely try the author again.

*Thank you NetGalley for the ARC*

This is a very typical YA book where the main Character (Blake Wilder) has a secret/power (Voyant) so she’s the outcast of her community and she just desperately wants to be normal. Enter the romantic love interest (Nicholas Thorne) who happens to know so much about her and wants to help.

Blake was fine as a main character, I appreciated that she didn’t completely just roll over when things got tough. She, to some degree, stands up for herself and demands answers. She knows there’s a game being played and she’s being used as a pawn but questions what’s being told to her. She doesn’t just blindly believe everything so I think that she makes some smart decisions.

Nicholas as the love interest just bored me. I get that this was the first guy to actually show interest in her and make her feel beautiful but I prefer a slower build. Creating a friendship bond first is so much more compelling and I am so much more likely to be invested in their relationship. The quick romance just left me feeling like they won’t be together at the end so I just don’t care about their relationship now.

Scarlett grew on me, in the beginning she was the best friend side kick who took magazine quizzes and was on a diet for some reason. That really bothered me because it was completely unnecessary to include. But we get to see her relationship with Warren, which I liked more than Blake and Nicholas, and how she also processes getting mixed up with the Nine. We can empathize with her because she wants to be there for her friend but also she doesn’t know how.

I liked Jessie, his and Blake’s relationship felt natural and easy. I also like his southern appeal and he seems to be more upfront and honest than Nicholas. I want to see more of him.

The world building and exploration of the nine was the biggest let down for me. The world was set in our current world and there were references to historical figures that were also nines which I thought was fun. However, I don’t really understand how the hierarchy is set up and the history behind the nine. There’s a chancellor (Nicholas’s Dad) and there’s also a high sentinel (Mr. Silver) and a representative for each of the nine talents. I don’t understand how they all work together to rule over the nines. Jessie also mentioned that Santa Clara was his territory and that significance wasn’t really explained either. Overall it was lacking and I just had a lot of questions

Overall the book was fine, I give it 3 stars. I heard there are going to be nine books in this series, the second one is titled Adler house which I’m interested in. I hope that the world building gets better explained.

SPOILERS


SPOILERS


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SPOILERS



I didn’t guess that Marcus was the bad guy but his reasoning behind it was really disappointing. We’re in this world of magic and mystery and he did it because of money problems. It came out of left field and didn’t feel like it belonged in this book.

Also the fact that Blake went back to Nicholas at the end without even talking out their issues bothered me. Especially because we find out that he withheld the reason why he had to go back to London. Nothing between them was resolved and it’s very frustrating.

This is actually a 4+ for me! This book felt like a cross between Twilight (minus vampires and wolves) and Atlas Six!

In this story we have ordinary people who posses extraordinary gifts that can and I assume will alter the world as we know it. There is a governing body known as “The Nine” which seek to limit the humans knowledge that such power exists. I loved learning about all the powers and how they connected in the story. There’s even a brewing love triangle for those that enjoy this trope!

I must say my favorite part about the book was how the author navigated Blake’s story. As a woman, you always want a female protagonist to be independent and free thinking. Unfortunately for me, that sometimes leads to them making super rash decisions and finding more trouble simply for not recognizing when help is needed and I get annoyed. The author does a incredible job balancing this with Blake!

Overall, I can’t wait to read the next in this series! It definitely has my attention.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for an advanced copy!!!

Blake can see into people’s pasts and futures with a touch and she thinks she’s alone in the world, but when a suave Englishman, Nicholas, appears in her life she finds out there is a secret society of people with special abilities called The Nine.

The concept of this book sounded so great and I was very intrigued to read it. I thought the general plot was interesting and the world building was pretty good, but other than that I didn’t find much that I liked about this book.

I couldn’t really figure out Blake’s character. At first I thought she was this cool loner, but then she became timid and anxious and then later she was like a badass. I know people have layers and grow, but it really felt like this character wasn’t fleshed out enough and was just completely influenced by the way other characters were written that she was interacting with.

A lot of the dialog felt forced. At times they were trying so hard to be witty and it just wasn’t believable. Also, the relationship between Blake and her best friend seemed very unbalanced. She was constantly lashing out at Blake because of her powers, yet she is described as being the only one who accepts Blake who she is.

It also didn’t fully make sense to me why everyone was working so hard to get Blake on their side. From the descriptions of a lot of other abilities it seemed like they would be much more powerful and helpful in taking over control of The Nine.

The twist at the end kind of came out of nowhere And the reasoning just wasn’t strong enough. There were a few things that alluded to what was going to happen, but not enough for it to not feel like a complete 180.

If I hadn’t gotten this book as an ARC to review I definitely would have DNF it. It’s just not up to par with others in the genre, so I’m giving its 2.5 stars.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and statements are my own.

Thank you to Kes Trester, Owl Hollow Press and Netgalley for this advance copy.
An engaging book clearly made for a series fan with a clear and enticing narrative that I could see easily made into a TV adaptation.
The characters are straightforward and allow surface level engagement for the reader, some pretty stereotypical. I didn't fully invest in them but enjoyed the tale of powers, relationships and everyday life in amongst their world. It will be interesting to see where the rest of the series goes.

I love the genre of witches or magic so going into this book I was excited to read it. The story is very well written and captures the readers attention. I am definitely hoping for sequels to follow the life of the characters.. Excellent read, read it quickly and was never bored with the story.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc* The plot is fast paced and I really enjoyed the pacing of this book. I enjoyed this story and I’m curious has to how the rest of the series will play out. The main character is not my favorite but I liked Jessie a lot. Not a huge fan of love triangles but this one seems to be okay so far.

This was a quick, one day read for me and, even at that, I was surprised at how fast it went. There were not any overarching issues that I had with it (which is great!), but it didn’t completely blow me away with the originality either, so I’d probably give it 4.5 stars.

⬆️
*Easy to follow storylines, even with a multitude of characters
*Never overwhelmed with backstory, but still some provided depth to the main characters
*Interactions and dialogue were believable, not forced
*Solid set up for a whole series

➖
*Lower 8–non magical never question why they can’t get in?
*Men in Black/Ministry of Magic memory altering

⬇️
*The cliche “love triangle”
*No standout character favorite
*Heavy handed clues to set up the series (Jordan + multis)

I’d need to tell my students about: sex, alcohol, violence, death, language



***Thank you to NetGalley and Owl Hollow Press for the free eARC of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.***

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC 🤍
(All opinions expressed are of my own)

Soo i ended up liking this book way more than i thought i would. I really liked the magic system in this world, the MC's cautiousness when dealing with all the people involved in this magical part of the world and if I'm being honest i liked Jessie as the love interest more than Nicholas (really felt like the man had no personality). Also loved Scarlett and Warren's relationship and THE ENDING OMG

The Nine: Origins by Kes Trester was everything I wanted in a book. The charcters, the plot, the world building, and great prose. Until I hit the chapter entitled "The Voodoo that you do." It made me feel uncomfortable one of the characters was equating Blake's ablities to a religion. As it feeds into the negative sterotypes surrounding Voodoo.

I had to DNF this at chapter 6. I was mainly bothered by the weak beginning - the events did not seamlessly go together, and I had a hard time remembering what happened in the chapter before. Every single character, even minor characters, were described in excruciating detail and it seemed like filler words just to add to the chapter without actually giving it substance.

This was an amazing book! It has a very unique story and it does an excellent job of keeping you on your toes. At times the writing is a little rushed but it is not truly noticeable.

"The power of the one is the power of the many."

The perfect book to cozy up with this fall!
This book had me gripped from the first couple chapters. I just couldn't put it down. It was fast-paced with new twists and turns on every page. The magic system of The Nine was so intriguing and the more I learned about them the more I wanted to know. I also really enjoyed the secret society aspects of this book and all the political intrigue and drama that came with it. Watching an average girl be swept into a world of secrets, lies and sorcery was the perfect way to spend my day.
I did guess the third act plot twist a few pages before it happened, but I was still shocked nonetheless.
The only thing I struggled with while reading was keeping up the with the multitude of side-characters that show up and then disappear. They each had a purpose, but were sometimes hard to distinguish from one another because Blake was often meeting multiple at once.
Overall I really enjoyed this book and thought it was a great start to a series I can't wait to continue!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC. All opinions are my own.

First of all, I want to say I love the cover and the concept of this series. The magic system was really interesting and I liked the idea of the political alliances and how it operated mixed with magical realism. When reading, I really got the impression that the concept of The Nines magic was the initial idea for this book - and where the passion was - and everything else was built up around it.

For that reason, every other aspect of the book fell flat for me. The characters were all caricatures of over-done stereotypes: the quirky, feisty, not-like-other-girls main character, the polished, rich, good-guy who is too good to be true, the slightly more rugged other guy who’s there to show her the wild side. Scarlett, the MC’s best friend, was simply there to be sassy for most of the book, to then turn around at the end to introduce an unnecessary conflict. The only attempts at giving Scarlett a personality was that she likes to do magazine quizzes and is dieting all the time, to which she expresses dislike for and Blake teases her for it and mentions how amazing her metabolism is. This added absolutely nothing to the narrative, and made for incredibly uncomfortable reading.

I hate love triangles at the best of times, but this one was especially lacklustre. Both options for Blake were instances of Insta-Love (and so was the secondary relationship between Scarlett and Warren.) I usually love romantic subplots in books, especially ones with fantastical elements, but there was no tension or attraction to work with.

A lot of this book was incredibly jarring, and not in a good way. The event that takes place at the start, which is the catalyst for all the events to come, comes with zero build up, and is over before you really understand what is going on. Aside from a few throw-away lines, no one really reacts to a lot of things that would be incredibly traumatic. Especially due to the low page-count, this book really would have benefited from an extra 50+ pages to delve into these scenes - and these characters - to flesh them out more.

All in all, this book had a lot of potential but was not well executed.