It's Saturday, and you know what that means: Bonus Book Review day! Today, we're looking at a YA novel that's a lot like Twilight, just with witches instead of vampires…

Dusk

Seventeen-year-old Meagan Nevels is a powerful witch. After her village burnt down, taking Meagan’s mom with it, she had to flee with her aunt into an unknown world. Now they’re among unsuspecting humans, trying to fit in. When a prophecy strikes her, taking Meagan’s breath away as she’s told that she’ll fall in love with a human. Meagan knows that she can’t let that happen or else her secret might get out and take her and her aunt down, but she’s caught in a desire to be with him. Can Meagan break what she feels for him or will all hell break loose?

My Review: 3 Stars

I compare the book to Twilight, but that's not a favorable comparison. It's definitely written for the same audience and has the same weaknesses that made me not want to read Twilight in the first place. The opening pages were excellent, but the minute the main characters were introduced, I was lost. Way too much focus is placed on inane activities and actions, but there's no real story line. The blurb mentions a prophecy and some big revelation, but I never felt any buildup or tension. There was no explanation of the magic. There is no reason given (that I could find) as to why people are trying to kill her. The name "Powerful One" is incredibly irksome in my opinion, and the way the MC refers to herself by that name is not good. There are quite a few tense and grammar mistakes, along with expressions I found iffy--all in all, the writing could use a bit more spit and polish. There's no real story line, or at least none that I could find. The character is just sort of existing, but there's no emotional challenge, no character growth or change, nothing but her liking a guy and being told she can't like him then liking him anyway. It's just too much of a cliché for my tastes. The characters are fairly two-dimensional, without any real depth. All in all, it was a weak story, and though it showed a LOT of promise on the author's part, I can't give it a high rating.

Here's a Taste:

Fog blurred my vision as I followed an unknown path. I didn’t know how I got there or what was going on, but I knew I had to keep going forward. No matter what. I couldn’t stop in the middle of nowhere-I’d be completely lost. So I followed my heart and kept trudging forward, despite my mind screaming at me to stop and turn around. No way was that going to happen. Not when I was this far. I heard a soft voice calling out to me, enchanting me with its whispers. I followed the melody, curiosity getting the best of me. I felt my way, tripping several times, but I never stopped. Soon the fog cleared and I was standing in a meadow filled with beautiful flowers, nice plush green grass, trees that stood tall with leaves shaping the branches, and a girl sitting on a tree stump, humming to herself. “Hello?” I called out to her softly. “Who are you? What is this place?” She turned to me, her eyes sparkling with white. The girl was wearing a shimmering white strapless dress; her hair was extremely pale with a hint of blond to it. I met her eyes as a small smile lifted her lips. “Ah, it’s you. We’ve been waiting for you, Meagan.”

About the Author:

Heather Kirchhoff lives in a small town in Missouri with her three parents, siblings, a dog, and three cats. She became a bookworm back in sixth grade when her teacher suggested the Phantom Stallion series by Terri Farley and instantly fell in love. She loves reading paranormal stories, plus some love ones here and there. Writing is her passion-it helps her escape the world for a while, as well as reading-she doesn’t know what she’d do without it. She just loves it. When she isn’t writing, Heather is doing odd jobs, reading, editing, promoting, taking walks, or spending time with her boyfriend and animals/family. Heather is currently a senior in high school. Find the book on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Dusk-Magic-Book-Heather-Kirchhoff-ebook/dp/B00J1UK2BW Connect with Heather on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Heather-Kirchhoff/376618135776063 Or on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HeatherKirc