Grey Eyes review

Finally, something worth reading! I've been downloading free eBooks on my Nook and the last few have been really horrible self-published works. This one, while also free and self-published, is actually pretty great! Grey Eyes is the first in a series, and it is interesting, captivating, and well-written.

Grey Eyes is the story of Anastasia, a fifteen-year-old girl who's life has constantly been on the move. For as long as she can remember, it's just been her and her mother, and they've never stayed in one place for very long. Though Ana is finally feeling comfortable in her current shabby home, and has actually made a friend at her school, she knows that she can't hold on to any of that. In the night, a strange man comes to the door, and Ana is forced to hide under the bed, acting out one of many "safety drills" her mother had taught her about since she was a little girl. "Code-red!" means hide, and though Ana stayed hidden, the strange, horrifyingly bloody and red-eyed man still ends up finding her after beating her mother nearly to death. Luckily, Ana is saved by someone or something, though she can't see who or what it might be, and she is prompted again by her dying mother to follow through with another scenario they had practiced in case of danger; take the money, map, phone, and run.

Ana ends up in a cabin in the forest where young Nathan explains to her, eventually, that she is a witch, and not just any witch, but a Grey Eyed Heir, the rightful seventh daughter of Merline, or Merlin, as the stories told it, since none could accept that a woman was the most powerful witch of all time. The man who had come after her and her mother was a Vampire, and there is a war between the Witches and Vampires. As and Heir, Ana is brought to live with her rich, powerful Grandmother on a large estate, and is welcomed by the Coven.

A Witch, especially a Grey Eyed Heir, receives the bulk of their magical powers on their sixteenth birthday, which is fast approaching for Ana. Trouble arises in the form of memories that are not hers, powers that are more than anyone bargained for, discoveries about who she really is, Tristan, a Vampire she has loved for all of time, even lifetimes before she existed, Darren, the boy who is capturing her heart, London and Aiden, who can be nothing but trouble, and Deacon, her High Guardian with hate in his eyes.

I was blown away by this book. It's not my new favorite story or anything, but it really kept my interest from the very beginning and held it until the very end. I cared about what happened to Ana and the other characters. The author did a wonderful job in every aspect of the story; detailed plot, interesting storyline, deep characters with arcs and twists and turns, plenty of colorful adjectives to describe everything from the background and locations to the shades of color in character's eyes. It wasn't overboard, though, it was just enough.

I'm definitely going to check out the next book in the series! If it's anything like this one, I'm sure I'll enjoy it!
/ [Nioniel]

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