A Witch's Aura

Science Fiction & Fantasy, Young Adult

By Devon Volkel

Publisher : Penrose Publishing

ABOUT Devon Volkel

Devon Volkel
I am a 30 year old stay at home mom to a wonderful little boy named Gauge. After a very hard start into this world, he reminds me daily of what strength really is. When he was only three, two months after his father and I wed, I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and have bee More...

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Description

When Shayde Gamic reaches her sixteenth birthday a family secret is revealed to her that both explains and complicates her life. Things that have seemed strange all her life begin to make sense and she embraces this new knowledge whole-heartedly. Her only regret being that this knowledge may threaten her burgeoning relationship with seventeen-year-old Kruise Wright.

As their relationship develops, Shayde struggles to decide how to reveal her true nature, unaware that the effect of this revelation will be more momentous and potentially devastating than she ever imagined. Can she uphold the destiny bestowed on her by her ancestors, or will her love for Kruise ultimately destroy her?

A gentle story of coming-of-age witchery, the story follows a beautiful young woman as she steps into her own and learns to deal with her new knowledge of who she really is, as well as how to fall in love for the first time not knowing if her new love will accept her.

*This book is a great read. It has everything emotion, action, sex and intellect. You can see the author put her heart into this book. She kept the 21st century and melded superstition with fantasy blended with today's reality and pulled it off beautifully! -Darrel, Kansas

*"Witch’s Aura" has romance. It has magic. And it has suspense. That’s a pretty potent combination and it works. The book is gripping. It’s been a long time since I was a teenager, and a long time (though shorter) since I have read a book for teenagers. I had forgotten the intensity that is the teenage years – how every little commonplace thing is vibrant and vital. Devon Volkel has captured this with uncanny accuracy, and she manages to communicate it really well. I know Devon Volkel is an adult, but I could have sworn I was reading a book for teenagers by a teenager. It wasn’t until she introduced adult dialogue that I realised she could actually write something else. The situations are authentic, the dialogue is authentic, the activities are authentic, and the whole teenage scene is so real. It is a shame that there are quite a few editorial errors in the book, and moments when the writing is a little forced, but even they contributed to the teenage feel of the narrative.

The romance is gripping. With names like Kruise and Shayde, it had to go well, but it is handled incredibly well. I had forgotten the incredible suspense leading up to a first kiss!! And while that sound like it’s written for “chicks”, the male attitude to romance is there as well. The romantic aspects of the plot and the magical aspects create suspense that builds and builds. The story contains several plot climaxes, and “gripping” describes them well. There were times when I was torn between putting the book down because I couldn't stand it any longer, and turning the page because I had to find out what happened. Devon is a consummate story teller.

There was “Romeo and Juliet”, then “West Side Story” and now “A Witch’s Aura” – an old theme re-worked with yet another modern twist.

In the end all of the threads of the story are tied up nicely and I certainly felt the promise of a sequel. And despite the fact that I don’t normally read teenage/YA fiction, this is one I will be watching out for." -Bronwyn, Australia