I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Survivors by Amanda Havard Series: The Survivors #1
Published by Chafie Press on March 28, 2011
Pages: 302
Format: eBook
Source: the publisher
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In 1692, when witch trials gripped the community of Salem, Massachusetts, twenty-six children were accused as witches, exiled, and left for dead. Fourteen of them survived.
The Survivors is the first installment of the tantalizing tales of the fourteen ill-fated Survivors and their descendants, who have been content in hiding for over three centuries. Isolated on a Montana mountainside, only Sadie, the rogue daughter, dares to abandon the family’s sacred hiding place. But no matter how far Sadie runs, something always pulls her back.
On a muggy summer night in Tennessee, she witnesses a shocking scene that will change her life forever. It is the first in a sequence of events that will drag her from the human world she’s sought to belong to for over a century and send her back to her Puritanical family and into an uncertain future filled with cunning witches, mysterious nosferatu shape-shifters, dangerous eretica and vieczy vampires, millennia-old mythology, and the search for her own mortality. After all…
HOW DO YOU KILL A SURVIVOR?
The Survivors will steal your heart and invade your mind. Fall into the pages of Sadie’s life, a world so frighteningly similar to your own, you’ll find yourself wanting to go to the Montana mountains to find the Survivors for yourself.
And it is only the beginning.
I enjoyed this book so much! Right off the bat, the prologue and first chapter had me hooked. The writing was amazing – smooth, descriptive and vivid. The memoir sections were so intriguing. It was a great way to reveal background information, without overwhelming the reader. These sections were interesting and insightful.
Sadie was a fascinating character. The way she viewed herself, the way she viewed the world. She’s mysterious and aloof in the beginning, but as her story unfolds, we learn more about her and the reasoning behind her beliefs. I was so swept up in the formal tone of Sadie’s voice, I jumped a little every time something “modern” like Bergdorf’s or Taylor Swift were mentioned, because they seemed like they didn’t belong, in Sadie’s world. Sadie’s constantly searching for answers: Who are we, really? How can we be killed? It’s fascinating to see how this all unravels.
I loved Cole right away. He was just awesome: sweet, reassuring, funny and charming, as well as non-threatening and respectful (In Sadie’s words). I was rooting for Cole throughout the whole story. I wanted Sadie to fall in love with him, wanted them to be together. At one point, later in the story, Cole and Sadie meet up, and Cole’s thoughts are hysterical, especially since he was so proper and traditional in the beginning. Also hysterical? An angry Cole – he gets so indignant, it’s kind of adorable.
Mark Winters is a complicated character, especially when we are first introduced to him. I truly expected him to be the third part of the love triangle, and I was surprised when he wasn’t. He tries so hard to act tough and dangerous, and I couldn’t help but laugh along with Sadie at his failed attempts to appear menacing.
I really didn’t like John. We only get some of his background in this book, but the way he treats Sadie is so terrible. Perhaps he has his reasons, but I still wanted to strangle him for the most part. He was a little too zealous for my taste, and I felt so bad for Sadie during the scenes with John. Catherine, too, is another character that treats Sadie terribly.
Everett Winters is just… Swoon Worthy. I didn’t want to like him at first, because… Well… Cole! But Everett quickly won my heart, and I constantly found myself going back and forth between these two amazing guys. Everett is so understanding and encouraging, and his love for Sadie is obvious and sincere. Also, the couple times Sadie reads Everett’s mind? Everett’s thoughts are so hysterical! I was laughing out loud.
Finally, I absolutely adored Ginny. She was sweet and down to earth, and her power is probably the coolest out of all the powers we are introduced to. She’s almost like a sister to Sadie, and her intentions always seem good and honest.
The encounter between the Survivors and the Winters’ had me nervous the whole time. I had a terrible feeling something bad was going to happen. I especially didn’t trust John and some of the Survivors, although I did have moments where I thought the Winters’ were going to attack. It was an incredibly tense scene.
The second half of the book was especially intriguing, as we finally get some answers. Going into this book, I assumed it was 100% about witches and the Salem Witch trials, and discovering all these other mythical and supernatural creatures exist was fascinating. I don’t want to say too much about this, because I don’t want to be too spoiler-ish, but some of the revelations here were truly shocking. The epilogue has some surprising twists, and the cliffhanger ending will leave you both satisfied and desperate for more.
Favorite Quotes:
“I hated having to try so hard to act human when stupid human emotions came to me so easily, without my permission or acceptance.” Sadie (Pg 41).
“I wasn’t afraid of dying. I was afraid for my life.” Sadie (Page 113)
“I need you to love me more than death. Can you do that?” Everett (Page 263)
**Page numbers may vary, depending on book format**