Hinder by Kristin Ping
Published by: Fire Quill
Publication Date: May 15, 2018
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal
Page Count:
Rating: 3.5/5
Source: eARC from Xpresso Book Tours
Goodreads | Indigo | Amazon CAN | Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
Ethan Sutcliff seems like a normal seventeen-year-old—at least that’s what he’s trying to portray. In a secret society run by the Supernaturals, Ethan is what witches call a Bender. Benders are Witches’ Guardians, who are able to control a witches’ ability, bend it, or move it away from harming humans. In Ethan’s case, he is able to bend the Earth element. But at the age of fifteen, he lost all connection to it, and the reasons behind it could only mean one of two things: His Wielder is either dead, or hiding out somewhere.
Alex Burgendorf has been living in her aunt’s locket for the past sixteen years with her mother—a Fire Wielder, and her father—a Water Wielder. For sixteen years, her parents vowed to protect her, and they have, as she is the last Earth wielding witch. However, time is running out. Alex must find her Bender, or the fate of the Supernaturals might be at stake.
I’ve received an eARC for an unbiased and honest review. Thank you Xpresso Book Tours and the author for providing the eARC.
This fast-paced, high action fantasy will throw forbidden love, conflicting characters, intense passion, a secret society, and dangerous magic at you, so watch out. At first, I wasn’t sure if I’d like this book, but it has a few tricks that surprised me.
Ethan Sutcliff and Alex Burgendorf live in a dangerous supernatural world, where witches, also known as welders, are hunted down and killed. What they don’t know is that they are both their own bender, the guardians of witches, and welder. Ethan lost his bending power when he couldn’t find his welder, Alex. Simply finding each other may put their lives at risk, but their world and the people who live in it depend on just that.
I’m always a sucker for a forbidden love that will surely kill the main characters. As depressing as that thought sounds, I enjoyed reading Hinder, the first instalment in the Guardians of Monsters series. I took a chance on this book since I want to branch out to find more authors and stories. So when I started reading it, I wasn’t too sure what I got myself into. I found some scenes and character’s actions unneeded and unnecessary, and sometimes a few slow parts take away from the story. However, by the end, I warmed up to Hinder and found it to be an enjoyable read for the holidays.
Kristin creates a world of her own. Like other authors, she hides hers within ours. And she ramps up the forbidden love factor to a hundred. Both Alex and Ethan find out that if they break the law by falling in love, their love will ultimately kill them, turn them evil, or destroy the both of them. Benders and welders cannot consummate their relationship, period. So for the entire book, I was rooting for these two, even though, in the process, I was calling for their untimely death. I’m a horrible reader, but the author and her writing make you want them to fall in love. She made me hopeful, dammit.
I think I’m at this reading stage where high school stories simply don’t intrigue me anymore, so I don’t blame the author for using this overused setting. But she plays with it and makes it interesting. Kristin carries you off to a vicious but magical world. Alex and Ethan control the earth element, the most dangerous and lethal one. The world building is what fascinates me. The author throws in enough twists into her story to make it exciting. But I was hoping for a bit more character development. And the info dump might serve the readers better if it was dispersed throughout the novel, not at the beginning.
The dual POVs gives the book a refreshing outlook on the two characters. I love Alex, her strength and stubbornness, and her weaknesses. I connected with this character the most, and I wanted her to grow into her own character, which she does. Ethan, the high school’s golden boy, is also an interesting character, and I sympathized with him when he lost his mother. But I preferred him not to identify women by animals, which threw me off. But the banter between these characters is what hooks you in. And their intense attraction for each other is steamy and will keep you turning the page.
Kristin unfolds an enchanting world that has the potential to grow into a marvelous one. With a dash of teen angst and a hefty dose of magic, Hinder will surely entertain fantasy lovers who are looking for something new. I’m interested to see what’s next in this series. So go check it out!
Author’s Bio
Kristin resides in South Africa with her husband, two beautiful girls and two bulldogs that tries to eat her house.
She has been writing for the past eight years and her first debut novel, Hinder: A Bender’s novel will be published 2018 by Fire Quill Publishing.
When she isn’t writing, she is spending her time with her family, or trying to teach her two bulldogs to not eat her house. You can find more about Kristin at www.authorkristinping.com
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
Giveaway
The author is giving away $75 Amazon gift card. ENTER HERE for your chance to win.
Tour Schedule
Don’t miss this tour. Check out the other posts here:
December 11th
–Rainy Days and Pajamas >> Excerpt
–What Is That Book About >> Spotlight
–tfaulcbookreviews >> Interview
–Mes Livres >> Excerpt
–Am Kinda Busy Reading >> Review
December 12th
–blogs and coffee >> Top 10 List
–Girls With Books >> Excerpt
–Novels & Necklaces >> Review
–Tiffany Shand Author Blog >> Guest post
December 13th
–Stuffed Shelves >> Review
–Charmed Book Haven Reviews >> Review
–The Book Club page >> Review
–everywhere and nowhere >> Review
December 14th
–The Page Unbound >> Excerpt
–Natashareadabooks >> Excerpt
–Sincerely Karen Jo >> Review
December 15th
–The Avid Reader >> Review
–Loves Great Reads >> Excerpt
–Hawthorn Book Reviews >> Review
–Mythical Books >> Guest post
–Smada’s Book Smack >> Review
December 18th
–Angel’s Guilty Pleasures >> Interview
–knjigoljubka >> Top 10 List
–Married To Books Reviews and Blog >> Review
–O. D. Book Reviews >> Excerpt
December 19th
–Firstbooklove >> Excerpt
–My Lovely Secret >> Excerpt
–Rainne’s Ramblings >> Guest post
–Novelties >> Review
December 20th
–Books a Plenty Book Reviews >> Review
–Brooke Blogs >> Excerpt
–Dani Reviews Things >> Review
December 21st
–To Be Read >> Review
–Lovely Paranormal Books >> Excerpt
–Lori’s little house of reviews >> Excerpt
–Literary Meanderings >> Excerpt
–Movies, Shows, & Books >> Review
December 22nd
–Jazzy Book Reviews >> Review
–So Few Books >> Interview
–Caught Reading Redheaded >> Review
Siobhan's Novelties 