It's here! It's launch day for Tricia Drammeh's The Claiming Words. We've had a fun week leading up to today, and I'm thrilled to be in St. Charles for the launch. But before we send Tricia's book out into the world, there's one last piece of business: the review. So without further ado...
The Alexanders have a secret. Jace’s family is not exactly your normal, everyday, run of the mill family. They have certain supernatural gifts that make them very special. Jace’s girlfriend soon learns she has something in common with the Alexanders, and Jace’s best friend is taken into their confidences when she saves Jace from an attack from a Hunter.
As if keeping a secret of who they really are from the rest of the world, and trying to stay alive and out of the clutches of evil isn’t enough stress for a high schooler, Jace has to juggle the feelings of his friends. Life is tough when you have two girls who are in love with you. But one of them soon has another secret, and you’ll be as surprised as Jace when you find out what it is.
With The Claiming Words, Tricia Drammeh proves J.K. Rowling isn’t the only author who writes young adult novels that adults will enjoy. Tricia’s characters come across as real people—people we’ve all known and loved, and some we’ve hated. High school is like that, and Tricia nails the feelings associated with high school. Popularity, romance, bullies, friends, juggling sports and schoolwork…we all can relate to these characters. The Claiming Words is a young adult fantasy novel with three high school kids as the main characters. It can also fit under the romance genre, and even falls under the paranormal category, although you won’t see any vampires in this book.
The three teens have some pretty heavy issues to deal with, but Tricia’s writing style keeps it from being depressing and gloomy. Amidst the drama, danger, and action, the book is sprinkled with humor, light-hearted moments, and romance. I have to say I really enjoyed the anticipation of the characters--I won't spoil it and say who--falling in love. I also loved the special gift Jace and his girlfriend share—they can carry on conversations in their minds without saying a word out loud, whether they’re great distances apart or in the same room. How cool is that? And she has the power to enter another person’s mind and find out what they’re thinking—or hiding. If I had a choice of a supernatural power, that would be high on my list. I loved the sense of family in this book. Jace’s parents are so likeable. They’re friendly, warm, understanding, loving, and knowledgeable about the supernatural problems that pop up, making them the go-to people in time of trouble. It’s nice to see kids and parents interact in such a healthy way. They enjoy each other, and they help and support one another too.
I also like the way Tricia wrote romance into this story but left sex out of the equation. The romances were fun to watch, and once the characters did get together, the romance was more about them falling in love with each other rather than falling in lust. This is a great book for any age--even pre-teens, because the romances are chaste and wholesome.
There is some evil at work in this book, and Tricia writes bad guys as well as she writes good ones. You will loathe and fear the bad guys as much as you root for and love the good guys.
The Claiming Words is a great book with action, adventure, mystery, love, and a bit of the supernatural. To be perfectly honest, I have to give a disclaimer: Tricia Drammeh and I are both published by Iconic Publishing. I know Tricia. I love Tricia. But I truly do love this book too. I have to give it five stars, because it deserves it.
The Claiming Words is available in paperback and in Kindle format. You can find it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or other online stores.
About the author:
Tricia Drammeh is a wife and a mother of four children. Although she currently lives in Missouri, she has called many places home, including Georgia, Ohio, and California. She’s worked in retail, customer service, sales, and accounting, but writing has always been her dream career. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys reading, drinking vast amounts of coffee, and spending time with her family and the multitude of animals who have taken over her home. Tricia is currently working on her sixth novel.
You can find Tricia at:
Her website
Her blog
Goodreads
