#review #5stars Bloodstone (The Curse of Time, Book 1) @Marjorie_Mallon #NextChapterPub

MY REVIEW:

What a fun mix this book is of magic, mystery and compelling characters. It’s a young adult fantasy that piques your interest from the very first chapter. Amelina is a teenage girl with quite the family story to tell, and to figure out for that matter. Nothing is as it seems, as the magic that she’s surrounded with is unique and creative.
For example: There is a family cat that disappears and reappears regularly. There’s a missing girl that’s trapped within the mirrors of Amelina’s family home, yet only she can see her. Her father disappeared for quite some time, and came back completely different than when he left. She has a thing with crystals. She gets a wonderfully creative invitation that coincidentally cannot be destroyed, asking to find a gloriously magical cottage. Possibly my favorite of the magical features is her paint set. Amelina’s aunt gave her a paint set that’s absolutely fascinating, with a personality and a seemly mission of it’s own.
Amelina would like nothing more than to free Esme, the girl in the mirror and to uncover the mysteries that have her family in such a tailspin. Her instructions are to find the magical cottage, and when she does everything changes. There’s a woman at the cottage who becomes a bit of a confidant to Amelina, guiding her with clues to within her heart and soul and encouraging her to figure out the magic that’s coursing through her.
One of the side characters, Ryder, is a dark and leery friend… or not so friend. He’s intriguing and finds a way to crawl into Amelina’s thoughts and emotions. He plays a pretty big part, and is quite the interesting character. One thing that I really enjoy about this book as that Amelina continues to attend school and live her life as normally as she can despite all of the confusion in magic and chaos that surrounds her.
Will Amelina be able to control her crystals, unweave her family secrets and free the girl in her mirrors? Time will tell, and the tasks that lay ahead are quite unforgettable. I enjoyed the read and recommend it to any young adult fan who has a feel for fun, clean creativity. I look forward to reading the next book in the series!

DESCRIPTION:

I didn’t think my life could get weirder, but I was wrong…

Fifteen-year-old Amelina Scott lives in Cambridge with her dysfunctional family, a mysterious black cat, and an unusual girl who is imprisoned within the mirrors located in her house.

When an unexpected message arrives inviting her to visit the Crystal Cottage, she sets off on a forbidden path where she encounters Ryder: a charismatic, perplexing stranger.

With the help of a magical paint set and some crystal wizard stones, can Amelina discover the truth about her family?

A unique, imaginative mystery full of magic-wielding and dark elements, Bloodstone is a riveting adventure for anyone interested in fantasy, mythology or the world of the paranormal.

TRIGGER WARNING: this book contains mention of self-harm, mental health issues and alludes to the potential dangers of sexual attraction, which may trigger younger/sensitive readers.