Review: Earth by Shauna Granger

Title: Earth

By: Shauna Granger

Series: Elemental Book #1

Publisher: Self Published (May 1st, 2011)

My Copy: Ebook provided by Author

BookWhisperer Rating: 

 

About the book:

Shayna and her two best friends have the abilities to manipulate and control the four elements, earth, air, water and fire. While learning to hone their growing powers, they discover a new and malicious presence in their sleepy beach town. Someone is performing blood magic and threatens to expose their small magical community. So far only small animals have been slaughtered, but then the nightmares start.
Shayna suffers nightmares of being chased and sacrificed only to wake up bloodied and bruised. She thinks her magical blood is the ultimate target for the final blood rite. When an innocent girl, Tracy, is kidnapped Shayna knows it’s only a ploy to draw her out; she can’t let someone die because of her.

Earth is a very fresh read that mixes a young adult romance and imaginative magical twist. While witchcraft has been a common experience in the paranormal genre; this book seems to take on a deeper understanding of their abilities and beliefs. Much of this story is detail and character building which gives the story an overall slower pace than what I have come to expect. Although, I feel that this novel laid a very strong basis for the following books to come. The potential is evident in the last eighty pages when the story began to flow and the characters were actively unraveling the mystery laid before them. This also opened the door for the romance that seemed to be missing in the beginning of this novel. The amateur talent that is so common in a first novel was lacking in Earth; creating a detail ridden story that attempts to bring readers to the characters level of knowledge. I look for the next novel to overcome is slow and steady pace bringing an action packed and thrilling ride. Earth is a very inventive and unique story that readers will appreciate, but it will offer some pace and interest obstacles that will require focus to overcome.