Esme AutumnsCritiques

A YA fantasy based on Egyptian mythology has a lot of potential, but this fell flat in so may areas. There was head-hopping, plot holes, numerous inconsistencies, confusing characters, and plenty of things that just simply did not make sense.

I really enjoyed this one.

10 years ago, Alexa Feltz went missing. Just before that, Jared Feltz had died in a fire. Obviously, the Feltz family does not have very good luck. One would think that not much worse could happen to a family already so torn apart. And that's when things get weird.

The school physics teacher seemingly vanishes. Jake Feltz and his best friend Kyle Lee go searching for answers. The answers aren't very clear...

It seems as though an ancient Egyptian cult - the Therions- is preparing for a ritual - a blood ritual- and the Feltz family is all wrapped up I the middle of it.

Truly a page turner.

*I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

The Therions are NOT your average paranormal book. Their existence is based in ancient Egyptian religion, and they are Bad and evil creatures. an evil and cunning cult of supernatural zealots Plotting to take over the world. There is some teenage romance, lots of violence, suspense, and a deep plot line. European spellings and euphemisms are used in this book, so do be aware of that.I did find this story really hard to follow, and often had to re read chapters or passages from earlier chapters to try and make sense of it. However, there are probably many people, most likely younger people, that would most likely enjoy this book.

This book has a lot of twists and turns, but it is very entertaining. It reminds me of watching episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. As the story progresses, Jake realizes that he is surrounded by therions and a lot of people that he thought that he knew he does not, and people that have disappeared are still alive and well. The story progresses into a final battle royale in the school gym that has good versus evil both fighting for control. I really liked this book, it was hard to put down.

THIS BOOK IS TOO BORING TO BOTHER WITH.

THE THERIONS, by Esme Autumns is a high school story that is so boring there is no point in going into details. Some typos. I suppose you should bear in mind that I am not a member of the demographic this book is aimed at.

I received a free copy of this ebook through the LibraryThings Early Reviewers program for the purpose of giving an unbiased review.

Got this book thru LibraryThing early review. Reading the first few chapters was OK but it did lack that je ne sais quoi that keeps one glued/going in the book I started quite a few times, before slugging thru it. The one Bugbear I have is the Narration, it feels unpolished in some areas, and the shift in viewpoint irks me. With a bit of spit and polish (and a great editor, it could have been a great read

I received this book through the Early Reviewers program. When I first read the summary it sounded interesting, but it did not quite meet my expectations. I do like the plot idea the author seemed to be going for as it has the potential to be expanded upon and go in several different directions.

The story follows high school student Jake, who begrudgingly joins his friend in investigating the recent disappearance of a teacher, which is just one in a string of disappearances in town. Of course this ends up being connected to a much bigger and more sinister conspiracy that is also responsible for past tragedies that have affected Jake's family, unbeknownst to him.

From the start, I found it difficult to immerse myself in this book. The first couple chapters didn't seem to have a very good flow to them. They felt disjointed and hard to follow at times. Actually, I had that feeling several different times throughout the entire book. The ending itself seemed rushed and not quite fully concluded, almost like there's more to the story.

I don't know if this is a stand-alone book or the first in a series. If it's the latter, I'm willing to forgive some of the plot holes. However, if it is meant as a stand-alone story, I feel there are several things and occurances that could have used more explanation as they seemed to happen almost out of the blue.

I'm still reading, but I have to say it is getting somewhat better. It is still somewhat of a slog, but I want to know more and that is always a good thing when reading.

The Therions

by Esme Autumns

OK What did I just read?... I am speechless and still not sure what to think of this book as I found so much if it so hard to wrap my mind around. I don't know if it was the writing or the story that had me so flustered with having to reread sections just to follow the story. I still don't even really know what the book was about. Not my cup of tea. But maybe then again it is meant for a younger crowd (although I do like a lot of YA books and series).

The Therions is a quick read, clocking in at just over 200 pages. For the first half, the book is actually rather engaging, drawing the readers into a steadily escalating plot.

Some of the foreshadowing is a little heavy handed, but considering it reads like it’s meant for someone in middle school (even though I’d guess the target audience is at least high school) that’s not a horrible thing.

Jake is our main character. He think’s he’s a normal boy, living in a normal world. But, what fun would that be? We wouldn’t have a book otherwise. He’s got a bunch of family history, including a presumed dead brother and a crazy sister who up and disappeared one day. Jake assumes this means she’s dead.

There’s a whole plot about ancient gods and cults, and trying to take over the world. Really, standard fair. But, people keep buying it, so hey!

The book does have some technical issues. About 1/3 of the way through, it becomes apparent that the author either didn’t have a good editor or stopped caring about the editing process as much. I really hope it’s the editor’s fault. Suffice it to say, there’s a ton of loose grammar (commas in incorrect locations, several characters are randomly missing contractions, frequent tense issues, sometimes even in the same sentence).

Actually, it reads a lot like Autumns polished the hell out of the most important part of the book, the section that an agent would first read and then didn’t care as much. I feel a little horrible saying that.

Another problem that tends to crop up (again, more as the book progresses) is the shifting in narrators. As a reader, I assumed we were stuck with Jake’s perspective, but then The Therions starts to shift perspectives, from one character to the next, often with no demarcation. Only context makes it clear there’s been a shift in narrative perspective. And, by context I mean, “Oh, hey, these are someone else’s thoughts.”

It’s not a bad book, but The Therions is decidedly average. I’m not going to remember it in six months, let alone care if a series eventually spins out of it. It’s almost a shame, because the book has a number of great ideas. Once again, the execution is lacking.

I received this book as a LibraryThing early review copy. The Therions is a story following Jake, an 18 year old whose family has seen much heartache in the past. His older brother presumed dead in a house fire because his father couldn't save both boys, his older sister who left home and has not been heard from since, his father a gruff man and his mother constantly on the edge of a nervous breakdown. The town has seen disappearances in the past and is starting to see them again. Jake himself is starting to feel like he is on the edge of insanity as the wall clock his sister gave him with Egyptian figures seems to be staring at him. Jake and his friend Kyle see Jake's missing sister Alexa one morning, then a teacher goes missing. They agree to investigate the teachers house themselves and their whole world starts to unravel. This is a very good story, good plot line, very good character interactions and development. Found this hard to put down each evening. The link between what is happening now and ancient Egypt was well done. The hints at what Therions really are until they are finally revealed and explained kept my attention throughout the book. I very much enjoyed reading this.

The Therions are NOT your parents' paranormal creatures. Their existence is based in ancient Egyptian religion, and they are some of the baddest creatures you'll ever read about. Evil and cunning, this cult of supernatural zealots is trying to take over the world. The story includes some teenage romance, a plethora of violence, suspense, and a wicked plot line. European spellings and euphemisms didn't bother me, but they might not be for everyone. I had a hard time putting this one down!

With believable, three-dimensional characters,good dialogue, and a great plot which develops with in-depth complexity and at the same time readability, "The Therions" is a young adult faantasy novel that no one, absolutely no one should miss. Eighteen year old Jake's older sister Alexa has disappeared and his older brother Jared is presumed dead in a long ago house fire. Jake feels that he's going insane and is "one stop from Crazy Town" in his life in Reef Hill located in Yorkshire, England.Then Jake skips first period in school with his good friend Kyle and sees Alexa,of all people. Then Kyle goes missing and Jake, along with fellow student Vicky, must solve a mystery whose roots are in ancient Egyptian mythology. The teachers at Jake's seem to be monsters or are they? Put "The Therions" down as a "must read" and find out who are the good guys and who are real monsters and mutants.