Review: Beautifully written....a new world of witches
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 1, 2012
Shannon Duffy's Spectral is fascinatingly unusual straight from the off. To begin, Jewel is moving to a new location. Her dad, mum and younger brother all have new names to get used to (for Jewel its 'True'), and Jewel has a new school to attend. They're all part of the witness protection program and on the run from bad guys chasing her father...or so she thinks. Things start getting weird when Jewel overhears a strange conversation her parents have with the horrid Aunt Eva and Uncle Boris involving her seventeenth birthday. True's gut instinct of fear and distrust become real when her family's odd behaviour sets off alarm bells.Part of the story happens at school with all the usual school things. Jewel is new, afraid, stands out and gets picked on by the popular girls, but meets the lovely Taylor who shows her around and becomes a good friend. Taylor's boyfriends best friend is Chase and Jewel builds an immediate rapour with him over a basketball game. Something in her goes ting every time he's near and for Jewel this is a new raw emotion she's never experienced. Another newcomer to the school is Roman. Roman is dark with a seductive smile and a mystery that surrounds him. He also offers Jewel his hypnotic smile and after a couple of encounters he tells her he's her Guardian. This freaks her out. She hasn't a clue whats going on. Guardian of what? After a little investigation Jewel soon realises her life's been built on lies, the exception being her little brother Jayden who is an innocent in the whole set up. When Jewel gets kidnapped the mystery starts to unfold and the dangers become very real. Jewel is a Spectral, a witch that comes along every millennium, that can absorb other witches endowments and use them herself. And the other covens want to use her for her powers and will stop at nothing to get to her. None more so than the Augusti Forza, a coven that has killed many Spectrals in history. They fear that a Spectrals new found powers will get misused and the Spectral will turn evil. For Jewel, she just wants a normal life where she can take care of her brother and stop the bad guys from hurting her family.The story twists and turns many times. The mystery and suspense based around Jewel's adventure is non-stop. We travel from the US to Russia and then to Venice in the middle of carbival season. Jewel has to make hard choices and at times I felt sorry for her and was at a loss as to who she should side with. She can't trust her family. She can't trust Roman. Taylor's mother goes all weird so is Taylor trustworthy? The romancing between the two boys was an excellent diversion to the chaos. Chase is a good honest guy who accepts her for who he thinks she is, an innocent, beautiful girl. Roman puts on the brakes almost at the start but soon falls for her completely. Jewel has to make a decision and in the end she chooses wisely.Overall I loved the story. There wasn't a huge amount of actual spells or conjuring, it was more about witches using their powers like superheroes. But this new conception of witchcraft in the modern day was a refreshing change. In the beginning Jewel was a little too naive but her character grew so much in the story and by the end she showed how strong she could be. And she couldn't have been that person without the journey she'd had.I'm almost sorry that Spectral is a stand-alone novel. I would have liked to find out what happens next, and travel with Roman and Jewel on their incredible adventures. But all loose ends get tied up with a great ending. If you have a witchy side then this one is definitely for you!