Mystic is a young adult historical fantasy, about a girl who holds great power and must learn to use it for the good of her kingdom. Along the way, she gains an expected new family and has a taste of first love.
When a procession of knights returning from the Crusades passes through her village, the last thing 16 year old Anabel expects is that her father will sell her and her brother to one of the knights and his mysterious companion. Anabel is thrust into life at court and agrees to use her special gift to spy on the handsome new king in the weeks leading up to his coronation.
Anabel’s visions of the future become more frequent and vivid, and she learns that she and her brother are at the center of a dangerous plot- one that puts them both in danger and threatens to alter the course of her nation’s future.
As she is growing ever closer to King Fabian, all Anabel wants is for those she loves to be safe. But soon, the reality of her situation comes crashing down on her, and her life is altered once again. The power she is learning to harness is growing inside her and soon, everything she loves will be in danger.
Excerpt
I turned to my father. I was furious, terrified, and above all, heartbroken. Thomas was my dearest friend. My only friend.
“You sold him? No, you can’t! You can’t do that!” I knew it was a mistake speaking out of turn to my father, but I didn’t care. He was sending away the only person who completely accepted me. He grabbed me, dragging me toward the house. My mother screamed and tried to put herself between us.
He shoved her aside easily, causing her to fall against the knight’s strange yellow woman, who tried to catch my mother as she fell. The instant they touched, she jerked away as if burned and her eyes turned to me, wide and shocked.
My mother scrambled toward the knight, grabbing at the bottom of his long tunic, looking up at him tearfully. “Take my daughter too, sir. Please!”
“I cannot take her. I only have need of the boy.” The knight did not seem to be affected by the scene before him- my mother, sobbing at his feet, and my father attempting to drag his screaming, crying daughter into the house, stopping once to strike me hard across the cheek.
“My lord.” The strange woman spoke for the first time, her voice husky, surprising us all. My father stopped dragging me, turning to look at her, and I stopped struggling.
“My Lord,” she repeated, once she had the knight’s attention. “I believe I can make use of the girl, if you would agree to bring her with us.”
Something unspoken passed between the knight and the mysterious lady. He nodded once, and turned back to my father.
“Sir, I would be willing to take your daughter as well, if you are so inclined.”
“I don’t know about that, now.” My father still held my arm, but he loosened his grip slightly. “She does quite a bit of work around here. I don’t fully know how we might manage without her help.”
A look of disgust crossed the knight’s face, only for a brief instant before he composed himself. He removed a coin purse from his belt and tossed it to my father.
“I believe you will find yourself well compensated for your loss.”
Professional Reviews
Great read! I know you're going to enjoy it!
I was given a copy of this book from the author for an honest review. I can honestly say, I loved this book.
The story takes place in the time following the Crusades. Anabel and her brother, Thomas, are sold by their father to a knight, Lord Philip, who travels through their village on his way back from the Crusades. He wishes to use Anabel's ability as a seer to spy on the young King Fabian.
Anabel settles into the role of "daughter" to Lord Philip and lives a life she is far from accustomed to, and her feelings for the king grow. As her ability to "see" increases with time, she begins to realize she and her brother -- indeed the whole kingdom -- are in danger.
The author has developed some very intriguing and likeable characters. And some others not so likeable. I was riveted to the pages and could actually see the story playing out on a movie screen in my mind's eye.
I can't wait to see the continuation of this story in her next installment. I am definitely a new fan and will continue to read her books.
I know you're going to love this book as much as I did.
Love this book
Mystic (The Seer Series) is about Anabel whose life changes when she is sold to passing Crusaders. Separated from her brother and confidant, Thomas, she is thrust into life at court where her sincerity is refreshing. Anabel has a secret though. She has visions and now she must learn to turn her life-long curse into a usable gift.
My favorite character of the story was Anabel. She starts out without much confidence in herself. She hides her gift from everybody but her brother. By the end of the story, she realizes that is a part of her and who she is. I don’t want to comment more about why I like Anabel and her gift, because it is not my intention to give any spoilers.
I did like all of the characters of the book. The author did a very good job of developing each with a personality of their own. The story is wonderful in every way. Not only can I not wait to read more of Anabel, but just more of S. G. Tillery!
Lovely Writing
The synopsis is pretty much covered here on Amazon, + the other reviews. The story itself is really nice. What people need to understand, though, is how talented this writer is. My review is just a couple of passages which show what Tillery does:
1) "I am also sorry that we have asked you to use this gift for us. Please do not worry that you are in any danger. I will do my best to protect you here. I only ask that you tell me if you see anything at all regarding the King . . ."
2) "Can you not bring him back? You did it with me, and it worked. You must save him, even if only long enough to see his child born . . . I never heard him speak with so much emotion. He stopped pacing in front of the still figure and crouched with his elbows resting on is knees and his head in his hands . . ."
I mean, in this genre, I think that's about as good as it gets. In YA & particularly YA fantasy, writers always seem to want to show off too much flowery language. The dialogue in this book is really spare and elegant--the way we really talk to each other--with all the emotion but none of the long silly speeches. The way the story is narrated & the way the characters talk, grounded me in an eerily gripping reality, which made the fantasy all the more real to me. Sure, great story & concept and all that, but you need to read this for the words
The second book in the Megan Martin series takes Megan, her best friend May, and now the nosy neighbor girl, Brianna, on adventures through a haunted house.
Ezra's a closeted medium. She's a novelist who writes stories about seeing dead people and claims they're fiction. Her life with Grant was peaceful until a rebel ghost named Jenna entered her life who doesn't like Grant. Allie, the resident ghost, li
