Review: Great Start to a New Paranormal Series
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 10 26, 2013
"Real funny that she gets a cool sword and I get a pen." -NickThe Pen & the Sword (The Ballad of Nick & Mina 1) is a refreshing read from the same old paranormal teen romances that are popular today. Ironic, suspenseful, and just downright funny at moments I couldn't set the book down, finishing it in less than 24 hours.Set in 1986 during the passing of Hailey's Comet, the story follows Nick Stanton and Mina Medellin, two fifteen year olds who just learned they have "gifts" in the form of a pen and a sword (hence the title). Nick has the ability to see the supernatural world, Mina is almost invincible and incredibly strong. Together they observe the supernatural world and protect when necessary those they love. A werepig, vampires, ghosts, and zombies-just to name a few-are some of the supernatural creatures that our hero and heroine face."The shadows move, the trees whisper and I'm pretty sure a cat defends the church next door from the Devil - or at least one of his minions." -NickThe author reeled me in from the very beginning with a supernatural battle during the prologue, but the action fell from there and didn't pick back up until near the end. The plot of the story wasn't clear to me til close to the middle of the book. The characters act much older than fifteen years old I know - parents letting them out at all hours of the night, driving by themselves (granted it's a scooter). The year the book is set in is not made clear, I had to research to figure out it was 1986 (the year I was born) based on Hailey's Comet and music mentioned by the author. And then there were so many grammatical errors they were hard to overlook. The book's saving grace came from its main characters. Nick and Mina's sarcastic humor and teasing back and forth is not only funny, but kept my interest in the book.Would I recommend this book? YES. Despite its slow plot, the author has developed the groundwork for a wonderful series. There are some very interesting villains (but I can't say because then I would be giving away too much) and a lot of mystery surrounding what the pen and sword are - like where did they come from, who made them, and how did they come to be in Nick's family. I am really looking forward to the next book in this series to see where the author takes Nick and Mina's story.***I received a copy of this book from the Author in exchange for an honest review.***