Thursday, July 25, 2013

Banish by Nicola Marsh ~ Review & Giveaway

Genre: YA Fantasy/Supernatural Thriller
Series: Banish #1
Publication Date: 1st August 2013
Pages: 272
Book Source: Harlequin Teen Aust & NetGalley
Synopsis: Alyssa has one week to destroy her enemy, save her spirit... and save her soul. 
After her ex-boyfriend commits suicide and her mum’s alcoholism sparks yet another psychotic episode, seventeen-year-old Alyssa Wood flees her small hometown of Broadwater and heads to New York City to stay with her bohemian aunt — a Wicca High Priestess.

Alyssa revels in the anonymity of a big city and her new life. Her grades climb, she has a new best friend, and a new guy: the sexy geek Ronan — a saxophone player who prefers jazz to pop.

But her newfound peace is soon shattered when she sees a dead body in one of Ronan’s music clips — and she’s the only one who can see it. Worse still, Alyssa recognises the body that has been murdered a week forward!

Alyssa doesn’t believe in the supernatural...despite her family’s Wicca background. So how will she overcome evil when it’s closer than she thinks?

 My Thoughts: 
Magick, wicca, spells and witches with suspense, mystery, angst and a splash of romance ... if that gets your toes tingling then I think you'll enjoy Banish. 

17 year old Alyssa wasn't easy to like, well not for me anyway. Her attitude towards her mother and Aunt bugged me but I'm trying to give her a break ... knowing the mystery shrouding her family and the trauma in her life, her snakiness was understandable, but then again she's not a stranger to drama or unaware of her family's Wiccan beliefs so her cynicism and way of expressing it got old quickly. I guess I was expecting her behaviour to reflect some level of maturity. 

On the plus side you can really see Alyssa's growth in the last 1/4 of the book and when push comes to shove that's what matters. I'm keen to see what Nicola Marsh has in store for Alyssa ... will she embrace her burgeoning powers? Will hot muso boyfriend Ronan remain on the scene? Will I even grow to like her??

Banish is really a 'finding oneself' themed story, nicely enhanced by the Wiccan world and slightly sinister undercurrent. The magick and mystery kept me turning the pages and there were enough well written twists to keep this suspense/thriller girl intrigued. 

Overall I think Banish is a promising start to the series. 


Connect with Nicola Marsh


Thanks to Harlequin Teen Australia for having me on the blog tour for BANISH by Australian author, Nicola Marsh and of course for their generosity ... now for the giveaway fun.  


Giveaway: 
Up for grabs 2 copies of BANISH by Nicola Marsh. Please leave a relevant comment or question for Nicola, (I'm sure she'll be popping in) along with your email address and let me know whether you're an international or Aus/NZ entry.  

International ~ eBook copy
Australia/New Zealand ~ print copy

Extra Entries: 
+ 2 tweet giveaway and leave a link

Giveaway ends 8th August, winners will be drawn via random.org and announced on my blog. Good luck everyone!


Posted by at 4:00 PM
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18 comments:

  1. BlodeueddJuly 25, 2013 at 6:25 PM

    Well the cover sure is shiny :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mary (Bookfan)July 25, 2013 at 9:11 PM

    Don't think I'd want her supernatural abilities!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TeddyreeJuly 27, 2013 at 9:30 AM

      I see dead people ... no thanks! Give me the ordinary superpowers like flying or disappearing lol

      Delete
  3. UnknownJuly 26, 2013 at 3:00 PM

    Hi Teddyree and Nicola.

    Nicola - I know that you've written for adults before. Was it hard changing things up and writing for a young adult audience?

    Thanks :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownJuly 26, 2013 at 3:01 PM

      Whoops. And I'm an Aussie by the way. I'm a little hopeless. Sorry!

      Delete
    2. TeddyreeJuly 27, 2013 at 9:31 AM

      Thanks for popping in Kate :)

      Delete
  4. Mary PrestonJuly 26, 2013 at 6:46 PM

    There's a lot happening in BANISH to get excited about. I love starting new series. Lots of anticipation.

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

    AUSTRALIA

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TeddyreeJuly 27, 2013 at 9:32 AM

      I like getting in on the ground level of a new series too Mary. Thanks for stopping by.

      Delete
  5. BrendaJuly 26, 2013 at 7:44 PM

    I've been keen to check this out for awhile...thanks for the opportunity to win :)

    I'm Aussie, brendatelfordAThotmailDOTcom

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TeddyreeJuly 27, 2013 at 9:32 AM

      Thanks for popping in Brenda, good luck in the giveaway!

      Delete
  6. AnonymousJuly 27, 2013 at 2:04 PM

    Great Review. I'm Aussie and love Aussie YA. This one sounds so good. Thank you for the giveaway, I'd love to win. I also tweeted the link :)

    My name is Rochelle and you can contact me on sharpewords@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousAugust 5, 2013 at 10:34 AM

      Here's the twitter link, just realised I didn't leave one!
      https://twitter.com/RochelleSharpe/status/360972554430713856

      Delete
  7. Julie Tucker-WolekJuly 27, 2013 at 3:45 PM

    I wanna see dead people! :) Sounds great!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. StaciJuly 29, 2013 at 8:33 AM

    I love the cover of this one!! I read a teen Wiccan series a few years back (can't remember it at this moment). Glad that she matured a bit toward the end of the book!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Laurel-Rain SnowJuly 30, 2013 at 9:50 AM

    Sometimes I do enjoy a little witchcraft in my books and movies. The New York setting and the Bohemian aunt are a definite plus for me.

    Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  10. UnknownAugust 1, 2013 at 4:54 PM

    I loved reviewing Banish and I would really love a printed copy.

    Nicola, what can we expect from Banish #2 and how many books is planned for this series?

    Email Address:- paperbackprincess@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownAugust 1, 2013 at 4:56 PM

      PS:- From Australia and my tweet link is:-

      https://twitter.com/PBack_Princess/status/362829010499145728

      Delete

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