Banish by Nicola Marsh | Blog Tour Review + Giveaway!

(Soul Retrievers #1)

Published: May 26th 2015

Synopsis:

Alyssa has one week to destroy her enemy, save her spirit… and save her soul.

After her ex-boyfriend commits suicide and her mum’s alcoholism sparks yet another psychotic episode, seventeen-year-old Alyssa Wood flees her small hometown of Broadwater and heads to New York City to stay with her bohemian aunt — a Wicca High Priestess.

Alyssa revels in the anonymity of a big city and her new life. Her grades climb, she has a new best friend, and a new guy: the sexy geek Ronan — a saxophone player who prefers jazz to pop.

But her newfound peace is soon shattered when she sees a dead body in one of Ronan’s music clips — and she’s the only one who can see it. Worse still, Alyssa recognises the body that has been murdered a week forward!

Alyssa doesn’t believe in the supernatural…despite her family’s Wicca background. So how will she overcome evil when it’s closer than she thinks?

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My Rating:  4/5 (Really Good)

Book Information

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Genre(s): Young-adult, paranormal

Page Count: 264

Format: e-book

Buy Links:

Amazon│Barnes & Noble│Kobo Books│iBooks

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Soul Retrievers Novella – Vanish: (Currently FREE!)

Goodreads│Amazon│Barnes & Noble│Kobo Books│iBooks

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Check out the rest of the tour schedule!

Welcome to my reviewing blog tour stop for Banish by Nicola Marsh! I really enjoyed this book, and I’m super happy I got the chance to read it. A suspenseful story dealing with the supernatural, Banish was a thrilling and interesting read.

Note: I received a free digital copy of this book for review purposes. This does not affect my opinion on the book.

Quick Summary

Alyssa Wood flees her town of Broadwater after no longer being capable of dealing with the aftermath of her ex boyfriend’s suicide (right after she dumped him) to live with her Wicca High Priestess aunt. What she didn’t expect was for her ghosts to follow her… and now she has to fight to live and find out the truth before it’s too late.

Plot

I haven’t been reading much books about witches, magic, etc. lately, but Banish re-ignited my interest in it! I always enjoyed stories with ghosts and stories with witches/magic, and put them together, you get an enjoyable book! That’s how it is for Banish. Afterall, Alyssa doesn’t believe in all the Wicca magic stuff that runs in her family, but now she had to deal with it anyway, and the storyline is very interesting! There were times I remember where I was holding my breath, trying to anticipate what will happen, but I was completely wrong, and vice versa. Also, there is romance in this book, however it isn’t quite the main focus, which was a bit different, but nice. Nicola Marsh incorporated ghosts and Wiccan magic very smoothly and overall I really enjoyed the plot!

Characters

I really enjoyed the characters, however I must say Alyssa sometimes got on my nerves. She was very stubborn and temperamental several times throughout the story, refusing to believe what was right in front of her. That being said, I would say Alyssa is a pretty authentic and realistic character, which means that even though she got on my nerves, I do appreciate how Nicola Marsh didn’t create a perfect character. Plus, she does get better by the end of the book, so overall I enjoyed Alyssa as the protagonist.

I’m not going to say too much about the other characters due to some spoilers, but I really enjoyed the different cast of characters, especially since some of the true natures of these characters were quite surprising to say the least.

Writing Style

What I liked most about the writing style is that it was able to create different moods, and never lost its ‘voice’ as Alyssa. Since this is simply a one-person POV, the reminder of who is speaking isn’t quite important (as it isn’t that hard to remember), however I appreciated how Alyssa’s voice never really changed suddenly, or seemed drastically different. This does happen in books, and it is very disorienting when that happens with singular POV. That didn’t happen in Banish, the writing style remained constant, and as mentioned before, created a variety of moods depending on the situation to keep the book interesting.

Overall…

A great book if you’re interested in books with Wiccan magic and ghosts! Banish had a cast of interesting characters (including a very stubborn but authentic protagonist) and it’s very suspenseful! Banish has a constant voice and well-written storyline, keeping me intrigued to know more, and if you like YA paranormal with a touch of romance, pick this up!

If you like YA Parnormal meals, go eat this! Otherwise I shall Banish you to the Underworld(… or whatever the Wiccans call it)!

-A

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About the Author

USA TODAY bestselling author and multi-award winner Nicola Marsh writes flirty fiction with flair for adults and riveting, spooky stories for teens.

She has published 54 contemporary romances with Harlequin, Entangled Publishing and indie, and sold over 6 million copies worldwide. Her first mainstream romance BUSTED IN BOLLYWOOD was nominated for Romantic Book of the Year 2012. Her first indie romance, CRAZY LOVE, was a 2012 ARRA finalist.

Her YA urban fantasy SCION OF THE SUN won the 2014 National Readers’ Choice Award for Best Young Adult novel.

She’s also a Waldenbooks, Bookscan and Barnes & Noble bestseller, a 2013 RBY (Romantic Book of the Year) and National Readers’ Choice Award winner, and a multi-finalist for a number of awards including the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, HOLT Medallion, Booksellers’ Best, Golden Quill, Laurel Wreath, More than Magic and has also won several CataRomance Reviewers’ Choice Awards.

A physiotherapist for thirteen years, she now adores writing full time, raising her two little heroes, sharing fine food with family and friends, and her favorite, curling up with a good book!

Author Links:

Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook

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