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Sunday, October 14, 2012

Review: Dark Nebula by WJ May


Title: Dark Nebula
Series: The Chronicles of Kerrigan #2
Author: WJ May
Release Date: December 2012
Format: Ebook provided by author for review



Nothing is as it seems anymore. 

Leery from the horrifying incident at the end of her first year at Guilder Boarding School, Rae Kerrigan is determined to learn more about her new tattoo. looks Her expectations are high, an easy senior year and a happy reunion with Devon— the boy she’s not supposed to date. All hopes of happiness fade into shattered dreams the moment she steps back on campus. 

Lies and secrets are everywhere, and a betrayal cuts Rae deeply. Among her conflicts and enemies, it appears as if her father is reaching out from beyond the grave to ruin her life. With no one to trust, Rae doesn’t know where or who to turn to for help. 

Has her destiny been written? Or will she becomes the one thing she hates the most-- her father’s prodigy.


Dark Nebula is the second book in the Chronicles of Kerrigan series.  This book finds Rae coming back to Guilder for the new year.  Devon is now her secret boyfriend because dating other tatù people is not even allowed.  I’m going to warn you now  - I’m going to attempt to be super vague about this story.  It’s not going to be released until December, but I wanted to start getting the buzz out now.  I’ve made no secret about how much I enjoyed the first book, Rae of Hope, and I was equally impressed with this book.  

The group of teens from book one are all back for another year.  Some are back for school, some are now working for the Privy Council.  Everyone is developing their tatùs more – including Rae.  We get to meet some new characters, but I really enjoyed getting reacquainted with the previous characters. This is something the author has definite talent with, creating these vibrant characters that you want to get to know more.  One of the new characters I’d definitely be interested in learning more about, though, is Reece.  He’s just a regular ol’ human with no powers, but there is definitely something special there in that boy.  I can’t tell you who he is, but I like him.  I like him a lot.  And I'm hoping he will be around for a while.

Rae is a little bit more cautious, a little bit more “by the rules” - more like Devon.  For the most part this personality evolution worked for her, but there were points where I just really wanted to see her let loose with all of her powers.  But on the other hand, that is the point of this story – she is learning to show restraint and how to be “good” in the shadow of her father who was most certainly “bad”.  Either way, she is a smart girl who is ahead of the game by being a bit paranoid of everyone.  If there is one thing she has learned since entering Guilder, is that you can't always trust everyone.

The adult in me really wants to sit Rae down and tell her, “listen, Rae, sometimes you’ve got to speak up LOUD.” when there are situations where she seems to flounder a bit between saying something or not.  But I really am seeing this girl grow a bit more, and by the end of this book she is kickin'.  The storyline moved at a steady pace and the mystery was top notch.   The climactic scenes were powerful and you know it’s a fight til the finish. The stolen kisses between Devon and Rae were perfect in themselves.  This is a YA book, so the heat level is very low.  Even with that being said, I truly think this is a series for people of all ages.  I, for one, can’t even think how many times I’ve wished I’d had super powers.  Near daily basis, maybe? Haha.  Either way, it’s a fun subject matter with enough twists and turns to keep the reader intrigued.  And I definitely think there is more to come in the story.

The cover reveal for this book was yesterday, and I absolutely love the cover.  Rae looks so strong and confident, and powerful.   I am more than a bit early with this review, but do yourself a favor and pick up the first book, and then put Dark Nebula on your TBR


About WJ May...
Wanita May grew up in the fruit belt of Ontario - St.Catharines. With a crazy-happy childhood, she has always had a vivid imagination and way too much energy.

The youngest of six -- four older brothers, and a sister -- taught her at a young age to be competitive in all aspects of life.

At sixteen, she began competing in athletics (track and field) and before she turned seventeen, she was representing Canada in high jump. She continued to compete, breaking Canada's JR High Jump record (1.92m - 6' 3 1/2" for those metric-ly challenged). She attented University of Toronto, and Kansas State University - winning CIAU's and becoming All-American 6x - NCAA Indoors Runner Up + more.

But you're not interested in her athletic career - unless of course you're curious to know she stands 1.70m (5'7") and has jumped 20cm over her head on more than one occasion. She's represented Canada at the World Championships, World Jrs., won Francophone Games, and loved every minute of every competition. From the grueling workouts, the crazy weights she lifted on her back, the days she thought her lungs were going to spit out of her mouth for lack of oxygen, the traveling around the world and the opportunity to read - her favorite past time.

Life continued with her husband (a distance runner from Liverpool, UK, who she met at KSU) and then their first, then second and finally third child. Their house became full of more imagination and stories. Wanita and her husband run an online business, dealing in antiques and collectables - particularly jewelry and porcelainAfter her father passed away in 2009, from a six-year battle with cancer (which she still believes he won the fight against), she began to write again. A passion she'd loved for years, but realized life was too short to keep putting it off.

Her first book, Rae of Hope - from the Chronicles of Kerrigan, published by Mitchell Morris Publishing debuted Oct 2011. Dark Nebula is available December 15th, 2012.She is represented by Dawn Dowdle of Blue Ridge Literary Agency. Wanita is a writer of Young Adult, Fantasy Fiction and where ever else her little muses take her.
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