#Tuesday Review - Nightwish by Sydney Bristow (Paranormal)

Series: Echoes of Eternity # 1
Format: Mobi, 262 pages
Release Date: August 9, 2015
Publisher: Createspace
Source: Author
Genre: Paranormal

Serena Sykes just discovered that the mother, identical twin sister, and niece she never knew existed…are the last remaining witches on the planet. That is, except for Serena, who recently received her own limited, albeit wildly erratic supernatural abilities. 

But her newfound family isn’t interested in helping her master those gifts. After all, Serena’s mother has been communicating beyond the veil with the first witch in their line, a sorceress named Zephora who hopes to return to this dimension and destroy an ancient curse that would unleash paranormal creatures across the globe. 

To help guide her in this new landscape, Serena turns to her grandmother, an elderly woman suffering from dementia and the only vampire in existence, a man who has his own mysterious agenda. With less than 48 hours to prevent her family from triggering a supernatural wasteland, Serena must learn to control her abilities…if she hopes to save the world!

Nightwish is the first installment in author Sydney Bristow's Echoes of Eternity series. Bristow's protagonist is 21-year old Serena Sykes who recently graduated from college, and suddenly finds out that she is a witch. What's even more perplexing for Serena is that her own biological mother Delphine, her twin sister Alexis, and her niece Celestina all make an appearance after she encounters her first demon and receives her first abilities. 

Serena was raised by her grandmother Lorraine, and never told that she was part of a family of witches which is descended from the most powerful witch of them all, Zephora. What's even more disconcerting is that the only ally Serena seems to have after her grandmother passes away is her 13-year old niece. Celestina is perhaps the most powerful witch in existence. She has the ability to see into the future and Serena's role in it. The rest of her family is firmly against Serena coming into her abilities. So much so, that they are continually testing and taunting her to discover her weaknesses. 

This series is a bit different in that the women in Serena's line end up with (3) separate but powerful abilities. Serena has the ability to astral project and create fire. As this is the first novel in the series, there is a bit of fits and starts and hesitation along with an assortment of action that pits Serena against her family, Zephora, and the only vampire in existence who is supposed to protect the weakest witch in the family, Darius. Serena has another life as well. She is a member of a Heavy Metal band along with best friends Brandon and Kendall.  

The only real romance in this story is the angst filled one between Brandon and Kendall. He's a player, she's worried about breaking up the band over personal issues. As for Serena, there is a hint of a possibility with a secondary in Nolan Hart who is here one moment, and gone like the Flash in the next. 

Why the rating? 

1. Celestina is 13-years old. That means that Alexis had her when she was 8? How is that even a thing? Author did not bother to explain this little factoid either, or if she did, it totally went flying over my head.

2. There were two separate scenes that were cringe worthy. Serena goes into a Subway and orders a Ham sandwich. (Didn't know Subway sold just ham sandwiches, but I digress.) The next moment, Serena is eating a Turkey sandwich. Did Serena do a bit of hocus pocus and change the sandwich? 

3. There was another scene where Serena is trying to tell readers a saying that her grandmother was famous for. Instead, it came out as Change, change, change....

I am thankful that Sydney reached out to me and sent me a copy of this book for my own personal review. I do hope that her sequel is a success and that the editing misfires are caught before the book is released to the general public. I do think that this series can be appealing to readers if you can look past the errors. I do like Serena. She's not given much of a chance against Zephora and her allies, but at least she has friends who don't abandon her.  

**I received this book for free from AUTHOR in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.**

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