Book Review - Rae Wilder Novels

Today's book review was written by me.

Book: Rae Wilder Novels #1-3 (Glamour, Compel, Enchant)

Author: Penelope Fletcher

Rating: 4 stars

Available via: All major e-book retailers and also author's website

Rae Wilder has problems. Supernatural creatures swarm the earth, and humanity is on the brink of extinction. Stalked by a handsome fairy who claims she is like him, demonkind, Rae thinks maybe it was a mistake breaking the rules by going over the Wall into demon territory. 

Plunged into a world of dark magics, fierce creatures, and ritual sacrifice, she is charged with a guarding a magical amulet. The changes to her mind and body are startling, but rather than accept her purpose she struggles against who she is destined to be. Throw in a big lust for a vampire who can't keep his hands off her, and life starts to get complicated. 

Rae is forced to make the ultimate choice: to live and die human, or embrace her birth-right and wield magics that could turn her into something wicked, a force of nature nothing can control.

Confession 1: The first three Rae Wilder novels were the first independently published e-books I'd ever read.

Confession 2: Up until then, I was pretty much oblivious to the rise in the indie e-book market.  As an aspiring author, working on my book Chasing Pavements, I should have been hyper-aware of this new trend in the market.  Even worse is the fact that it was a friend of mine, one who hardly reads books (well, most of my friends hardly read books!), that alerted me to this exciting avenue available to unsigned writers.  Very poor form on my part!

I won't be too harsh on myself though - Chasing Pavements wasn't a planned project and until I started writing it, I hadn't been in author-mode for years. 

Anyway, the year was 2012, the month March, my manuscript for Chasing Pavements constantly being edited and re-edited, when I became aware of how easy it had become to self-publish our writing.  After some Google searches, I came across e-book distributor Smashwords.  I can't remember exactly, but I think I stumbled upon Demon Girl (now renamed Glamour) by indie author Penelope Fletcher through one of the searches on the site - perhaps on the first page of the highest-rated free e-books chart?  The cover and synopsis grabbed me and the favourable reviews on the book page enticed me to download the book.

From the very first chapter, the book had me hooked!  And after the introduction of the vampire, I knew there was no turning back - I was going to read the entire series!  The author creates the kind of world you want to jump into, and introduces characters that you instantly develop a connection to.  I finished it in two and half days and wished it was longer!  I would have liked to have spent a bit more time with Rae at Temple, learned more about her day-to-day life as a Disciple before discovering her real identity and destiny.

The story continues in book two, Compel (previously Demon Day), and is probably my favourite out of the first three novels.  With so many supernatural creatures, we really were spoiled!  The author explores these intriguing species in detail and doesn’t brush past them in order to focus on the main characters, so you are not left wondering about their roots and origins.  When I finished the third book Enchant, (previously Demon Dark), I couldn’t believe that I had to wait for another book to find out how Rae's story ends.  At the same time, Rae is one of those characters, and this is one of those series where you don’t mind having the story extended.