HIDDEN
Hidden Series #1
by M. Lathan
Publisher: Self-Published (Nov 2012)
Genre: Paranormal, Young Adult
Format: eBook (241 pages)
Source: Blog Tour
Purchase: Amazon This book is currently free at these places: Barnes & Noble | Smashwords | iTunes | Kobo
Rating: ★★★★☆ (4 stars)
At A Glance
I was drawn in right from the beginning with all the mystery, and my eyes wouldn’t leave the page as I was shocked by the many reveals. Hidden is an exciting read.
The Good
Many may say the beginning was slow and confusing but I thought it was perfect. I literally had to pry myself away from this book just so I could tell people how much I was loving it. I loved the world Lathan created. Leah (who will become Christine as the story goes on) is supposedly the only witch left in the world after the supernatural war where the humans won. Now Leah lives everyday in an orphanage in fear of killing the bullies who torment her every day. Because Leah is scary talented with her magic and she feels like any second she can snap and finally hurt someone. But a witch, Sophia, comes and rescues Leah before she does something she’ll regret. She is offered shelter and friends of the witch and shapeshifter sort. But nothing is as it seems. There are people looking for her. Some want to help her, some want to kill her. The question is, who can she trust, especially after she finds out who she really is?
Leah is such a lost soul. She is an introvert to the extreme. She thinks she is the last witch on earth and fears that she will reveal her powers one day. She can read people’s minds so she knows when the horrible girls at the orphanage are going to torment her. I was so excited when she was saved. But it took her a long time to come out of her shell. After all those years of abuse, who could blame her? She really grew as a person in this book. When she starts spending time with Nathan, a shapeshifter, she finally gets to feel what it’s like to have a friend. But they become so much closer than that because of their similar pasts. Leah is put through the ringer in Hidden. She learns that there is so much to the supernatural community than she first thought. She learns the truth about her parents, and she learns what true evil really is. She did very well handling tough situations considering her social anxiety. I can see Leah becoming a continuously stronger person as she gets more comfortable with herself and her magic.
Nathan was so cute in the beginning. He’s like a little puppy (literally). He sees what Leah needs and helps her to step out of her comfort zone but in a safe way. I totally understood why they became such fast friends. They really only have each other in a world that hates who they are. They see the beauty in each other even when others don’t. I was sad to see his huge character flaw the popped up about two-thirds into the book. I thought he was better than what he did to Leah, but I also understood his discrimination came from something that had been ingrained into him from the beginning.
The first half of Hidden was the best part for me because I loved not knowing exactly what was going on. That edge-of-your-seat feeling is awesome. And when things started to get revealed I was thrilled that I never once saw in coming. Hidden has a complex plot that will keep you guessing. The characters were both fun and well fleshed out. There were light parts that made you feel hope and extremely dark parts that left you depressed right along with Leah. I literally can’t say much more about this book since I would reveal too much.
I am very excited to see what happens next in this series. There is still a lot to be covered, especially with how Hidden ended.
The Bad
Hidden felt a little disjointed to me. The first half was slow (in a good way) and flowed well, then the second half felt like so much happened it was hard to keep up and got a little jumbled.
Leah and Nathan’s relationship developed waaaaaaay to fast.
The Snuggly
Leah and Nathan both suffer from absent parents so they click right away. But a couple days of friendship turns into love that’s way to fast for me. It felt like they were obsessed with each other. Then Nathan fell out of that love way to fast at the first sign of trouble. They are both too immature to be with each other.
There is some great sexual tension. Expect kissing and touching and a little bumping and grinding. One scene gets pretty steamy, but still appropriate for the YA audience.
Final Thoughts
If you love being surprised, then this is the book for you. Hidden will keep your brain working as the mystery thickens and the characters reveal their true selves. Very much recommended.
Sienna snatched last week’s Chemistry test from my desk. I hadn’t turned it over. I knew it was a D minus.
Author Bio
M. Lathan lives in San Antonio with her husband and mini-schnauzer. She enjoys writing and has a B.S. in Psych and a Masters in Counseling. Her passion is a blend of her two interests – creating new worlds and stocking them with crazy people. She enjoys reading anything with interesting characters and writing in front of a window while asking rhetorical questions … like her idol Carrie Bradshaw.
Since Hidden is free on Smashwords and the other places I mentioned above, the author is letting me giveaway the second book of the Hidden Series, Lost. This giveaway is open internationally. Details on the rafflecopter.
Three months ago, Christine Grant found herself, her love, and impossible friends, while losing the memories of the biggest piece of her past.
Now, her powers are spinning out of control and must be tamed by the woman who saved the world, the same woman Christine is predicted to kill in less than a month.
Wanting to punish catty girls was just the beginning. It’s only a matter of time before she discovers that the world is not as safe from her as she hoped it was.
Jackie
Since I am loving this genre lately, this books seems to be right in my wheelhouse.
Jennifer Bielman
Awesome. I hope you get a chance to read it.
Brandi Kosiner
Love this cover! This sounds like something I would like a lot too.
Jennifer Bielman
I think you would like this one. The cover is so pretty.
M Lathan
Thanks for joining the tour and reviewing! It was incredibly detailed. Loved it.
Jennifer Bielman
Thanks for letting me read your book.
Giselle
Haha Nathan is like a puppy! I can roll with that! The characters seem really three dimensional and that’s always a good sign! So happy you enjoyed it!
Jennifer Bielman
Nathan was sooo cute. You fall in love with him so easily.
Melissa (Books and Things)
Oh and it’s free? I’ll have to check it out. Even though it may be a bit disjointed it still sounds like a great read and I like the snuggly and the sound of Nathan as a puppy! LOL
Jennifer Bielman
Yup, I know. I was surprised too. This is a must read, and it being free makes it an easier choice to grab a copy.
kimbacaffeinate
You have me curious, I love the sound of the first half enough that I want to experience it!
Jennifer Bielman
I really think you will like this one. It has a unique feel.
Jovon Tucker
Hidden sounds super creepy and yet fantastical! I like the cover too!
Thanks so much for an awesome giveaway!
My email: mrsjtucker2012[at]gmail[dot]com
M Lathan
Creepy is the perfect word for it! My characters creep me out all the time while I’m writing. Wait … does that mean that I’m creepy? Probably. 🙂 Good luck in the giveaway!
Jaclyn Canada
Yes! This looks great. I love surprises and Leah sounds like such a wonderful character to learn more about. I’ve picked this one up and entered the giveaway. Thank you so much for sharing 😀 Jaclyn @ JC’s Book Haven.
M Lathan
Thanks for stopping on my tour. 🙂 Good luck in the giveaway!
Meghan
This looks great! Love that cover, too ; ) I always wonder if the author has any life experience that they put into their books? Thanks for sharing with us and Thanks for the giveaway!
mestith at gmail dot com
M Lathan
Thanks for stopping on my tour. And yes I have a few of my life experiences in the story. Most would be a spoiler, but a little one is that everyone called my husband by his last name in college. Lathan. I wanted to name Nathan that, but I thought it would be weird since my name was going to be on the cover. I changed the L to N … and named her love interest after my hubby. Good luck in the giveaway 🙂
Sarah Elizabeth
Sounds like you liked this one 🙂
Elisa
This sounds awesome! I am ok with slower pacing as long as there is something on the line and it sounds like this has that. Gonna have to check it out for myself. 🙂
Jennifer Bielman
Oh yes, definitely a lot on the line.
karin
I love this cover!