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Hex Breaker #1
The Hex Breaker's Eyes
Small-town fifteen-year-old Mindee Vefreet thinks she’s going crazy when she sees a girl from school glowing in the dark. But when bad things start to happen around the glowy girl, it quickly becomes clear that what Mindee’s eyes can see is very real, and very dangerous.
Mindee is a seer, able to see hexes clinging to the victims of black magic. With no knowledge of magic or the occult, and no experience in breaking spells, attempting to break the hex seems almost impossible. Soon other people are getting hexed, the magic is turning lethal, and Mindee is drawing dangerous attention.
Because, to a certain type of witch, the only thing better than a good seer is a dead seer.
Mindee is a seer, able to see hexes clinging to the victims of black magic. With no knowledge of magic or the occult, and no experience in breaking spells, attempting to break the hex seems almost impossible. Soon other people are getting hexed, the magic is turning lethal, and Mindee is drawing dangerous attention.
Because, to a certain type of witch, the only thing better than a good seer is a dead seer.
156 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 15, 2014
4 people are currently reading
113 people want to read
About the author
S.D. Tennant
3ÌýbooksS.D. Tennant lives in Ontario, Canada (yes, that means Canadian spelling!), works at a desk most of the time and has a dog named Jake. He reads so much while at work that he's surprised he still gets paid.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
April 23, 2014
What would you think if, on the way home one evening with your best friend, you notice a girl across the street *blink blink* glowing? And, even more, what would you think if your best friend thought you were lying - or, worse, crazy - because she doesn't see it? This is how the story begins for Mindee ... and it is only the beginning of the adventure.
I like the main character's attitude about life, the way she expresses herself, the way she thinks. A well done first-person narrative. All of the characters in this great. Her friends - I'd totally hang out with them. Not only do I want to read more of this interesting series, but I would also be interested to read anything else this author writes.
Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
I like the main character's attitude about life, the way she expresses herself, the way she thinks. A well done first-person narrative. All of the characters in this great. Her friends - I'd totally hang out with them. Not only do I want to read more of this interesting series, but I would also be interested to read anything else this author writes.
Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
April 22, 2014
Mean Girls Meets That One Episode of Supernatural
(Full disclosure: I received a free electronic copy of this book for review through Library Thing's Member Giveaways program.)
Fifteen-year-old Mindee Vefreet is just your average Wilfred Laurier Secondary School sophomore. Sure, maybe she's not the most popular girl in school; her family doesn't have a whole lot of money, and after her mother was institutionalized for schizophrenia, the kids at school started to whisper behind her back. And right in her face. You'd think that after her mother died, they'd back off just a bit - but you'd be wrong. Even now, years later, Mindee's known as 'the daughter of that psycho.'
But, for all intents and purposes, the only exceptional thing about Mindee is how unexceptional she is.
Until, one day, she isn't.
One day, and quite unexpectedly, Mindee discovers that she's a seer: her mind is open to magic, and she can see hexes manifest in their victims in the form of a glowing light. When Dina Jennings, a popular Mean Girl senior, begins to glow yellow, Mindee thinks that maybe she's losing it like her mom. But when the light seems to interact with its surroundings in a very real and physical way - causing all sorts of misfortune for Dina - Mindee is relieved. And not a little scared. If she's not going crazy, then just what the hell is going on?
With the help of her friends - BFF Tamara, Tam's boyfriend Ryan, and their anime- and occult-obsessed friend Marlene - Mindee sets out to learn more about this strange and unwelcome new gift, and save Dina from a seemingly minor hex that's continuing to escalate with its caster's anger. Though they are able to find and destroy the talisman that binds Dina to her wenemy (witch enemy! you like?), in so doing they attract the attention of an older, more powerful practitioner of the dark arts. And she desires their very souls.
The first of a planned trilogy, The Hex Breaker's Eyes is a quick and enjoyable read: it's kind of like Mean Girls meets that one episode of Supernatural. (Malleus Maleficarum. OF COURSE I'm talking about Malleus Maleficarum!) I wasn't quite sure what to expect - when it comes to books, I usually prefer science fiction to fantasy, even fantasy of the paranormal type - but I was pleasantly surprised. This book is hella fun. The narrator's voice feels real and believable, and the plot moves quickly. In fact, Tennant doesn't waste a second - he delves right into the story on page one (see the excerpt above), and takes off running. I can't wait for the next books to drop!
My only complaint? The copious use of the b-word. Gendered slurs are not cool, yo!
(Full disclosure: I received a free electronic copy of this book for review through Library Thing's Member Giveaways program.)
I wasn't frightened until the girl started to glow in the dark.
"You seriously can't see that?" I ask my best friend.
"See what?" [...]
Across the street from us, a girl is glowing. Well, I shouldn't say that. It's not like she's painted in neon green body glitter or anything. But this girl's got a real sort of, well, glow. There's yellow light radiating from her. She looks like a low-watt bulb. I swear she does.
But Tamara doesn't see it.
Fifteen-year-old Mindee Vefreet is just your average Wilfred Laurier Secondary School sophomore. Sure, maybe she's not the most popular girl in school; her family doesn't have a whole lot of money, and after her mother was institutionalized for schizophrenia, the kids at school started to whisper behind her back. And right in her face. You'd think that after her mother died, they'd back off just a bit - but you'd be wrong. Even now, years later, Mindee's known as 'the daughter of that psycho.'
But, for all intents and purposes, the only exceptional thing about Mindee is how unexceptional she is.
Until, one day, she isn't.
One day, and quite unexpectedly, Mindee discovers that she's a seer: her mind is open to magic, and she can see hexes manifest in their victims in the form of a glowing light. When Dina Jennings, a popular Mean Girl senior, begins to glow yellow, Mindee thinks that maybe she's losing it like her mom. But when the light seems to interact with its surroundings in a very real and physical way - causing all sorts of misfortune for Dina - Mindee is relieved. And not a little scared. If she's not going crazy, then just what the hell is going on?
With the help of her friends - BFF Tamara, Tam's boyfriend Ryan, and their anime- and occult-obsessed friend Marlene - Mindee sets out to learn more about this strange and unwelcome new gift, and save Dina from a seemingly minor hex that's continuing to escalate with its caster's anger. Though they are able to find and destroy the talisman that binds Dina to her wenemy (witch enemy! you like?), in so doing they attract the attention of an older, more powerful practitioner of the dark arts. And she desires their very souls.
The first of a planned trilogy, The Hex Breaker's Eyes is a quick and enjoyable read: it's kind of like Mean Girls meets that one episode of Supernatural. (Malleus Maleficarum. OF COURSE I'm talking about Malleus Maleficarum!) I wasn't quite sure what to expect - when it comes to books, I usually prefer science fiction to fantasy, even fantasy of the paranormal type - but I was pleasantly surprised. This book is hella fun. The narrator's voice feels real and believable, and the plot moves quickly. In fact, Tennant doesn't waste a second - he delves right into the story on page one (see the excerpt above), and takes off running. I can't wait for the next books to drop!
My only complaint? The copious use of the b-word. Gendered slurs are not cool, yo!
July 7, 2014
I really enjoyed this book, and was surprised to see on goodreads that S.D. was a man. I say that because the main character is female, and usually I can tell when female characters are written by men. Maybe it's just I'm not particularly girly, so a less girly girl seemed good to me, I don't know. Anyway, I liked that Mindee didn't do lots of stupid stuff all the time like refusing to tell people about her stalker for no apparent reason and things like that. I mean, are real women that way? And she wasn't always thinking about boys, either. Occasionally she did, but not enough to get annoying. Two thumbs up to S.D. for creating an interesting character without a love interest (or a love triangle, uhg.) I don't MIND a love interest, but I've found that writers tend to rely on them and add them when it's not really great for the story. I also liked that Mindee was proactive even though she wasn't exactly excited about her situation. Yes, she has a special ability, but no, she's not just driven along by fate. Oh, and while the book stays open for sequels, it's not a cliff hanger. Thumbs up again.
Mindee IS a 15 year old girl, and the book is definitely intended for a young audience, but I still had fun with it. The writing was good, with few typos, although the Canadian spelling did throw me off a few times :). The only thing I really didn't like was that it's told in the present tense. I don't enjoy that in general, and there were a couple times near the beginning where the tense shifted, which confuses and annoys me, but after that there were no more issues. I'm glad I didn't put it down when I first came across those shifts because it really was a fun read.
Language: There is some profanity. Not every other word, or anything, but enough that those sensitive to it might get annoyed a few times. I believe the book is intended for older teens.
Sexual Content: None.
Overall Message/Plot: No messages that I noticed, but the plot was well done and the rules were followed. There were times when I questioned whether the author was breaking his own rules, but when I went back to check, it turned out I had just misread something or misremembered. I will definitely be getting book two, The Hex Breaker's Heart.
Mindee IS a 15 year old girl, and the book is definitely intended for a young audience, but I still had fun with it. The writing was good, with few typos, although the Canadian spelling did throw me off a few times :). The only thing I really didn't like was that it's told in the present tense. I don't enjoy that in general, and there were a couple times near the beginning where the tense shifted, which confuses and annoys me, but after that there were no more issues. I'm glad I didn't put it down when I first came across those shifts because it really was a fun read.
Language: There is some profanity. Not every other word, or anything, but enough that those sensitive to it might get annoyed a few times. I believe the book is intended for older teens.
Sexual Content: None.
Overall Message/Plot: No messages that I noticed, but the plot was well done and the rules were followed. There were times when I questioned whether the author was breaking his own rules, but when I went back to check, it turned out I had just misread something or misremembered. I will definitely be getting book two, The Hex Breaker's Heart.
May 1, 2014
I won this book in a LibraryThing giveaway. The heroine is a high school student in a small town who suddenly starts to see someone glowing. It takes a while before she figures out what is going on, then it turns out she has a specific power. The romance in the book isn't with her, but between her best friend and a boy at school. She ends up with a small cohort of friends who help her save people who have been hexed, once they can figure out what is going on.
I was pleased that there was not only a lack of love triangles, but that the heroine's love interest stayed only that. The ending was a bit crazy and didn't fully make sense, but was quite dramatic. And I was surprised that they didn't even talk about why people would have different colored auras, and whether there was any way to use the color to figure things out.
I was pleased that there was not only a lack of love triangles, but that the heroine's love interest stayed only that. The ending was a bit crazy and didn't fully make sense, but was quite dramatic. And I was surprised that they didn't even talk about why people would have different colored auras, and whether there was any way to use the color to figure things out.
May 30, 2014
The Hex Breaker's Eyes was a unique story that I found incredibly enjoyable and highly unnerving too. To think you may be going mad must be a scary experience and not least for Mindee when she starts seeing people glowing!
The first chapter was extremely well written and totally drew me in. I loved the walk home and the uncertainty Mindee felt. The argument with her own mind. It was really good. I didn’t see the twist in part 2 of the book coming either and Helen was a memorable character. The human mind is a precious thing and our crowning glory that defines who we are but when it is interfered with, it can become our own worst enemy...
The suspense was ramped up by degrees and it was a breakneck finish that wrapped up loose ends and still left me wanting more. The next installment should be mesmerising.
The first chapter was extremely well written and totally drew me in. I loved the walk home and the uncertainty Mindee felt. The argument with her own mind. It was really good. I didn’t see the twist in part 2 of the book coming either and Helen was a memorable character. The human mind is a precious thing and our crowning glory that defines who we are but when it is interfered with, it can become our own worst enemy...
The suspense was ramped up by degrees and it was a breakneck finish that wrapped up loose ends and still left me wanting more. The next installment should be mesmerising.
July 22, 2016
A glowing girl? That’s not something you see everyday.
Mindee is seriously questioning her sanity, especially when seeing a glowing left foot predicted a girl would slip and fall. Was she psychic? For a high school girl, that would be a lot to handle. Turns out that she could see the hexed and the glowing girl was hexed. A hex is a connection between a witch and a victim. Find the witch, find the hex object, break the hex. These kids work together to solve the mystery of the hexer.
That they made it all about student elections made it kind of boring. It turns out that there are two hexes in the story, giving readers two stories in one.
Interesting supernatural YA mystery, but the ending was ironic and confusing.
Mindee is seriously questioning her sanity, especially when seeing a glowing left foot predicted a girl would slip and fall. Was she psychic? For a high school girl, that would be a lot to handle. Turns out that she could see the hexed and the glowing girl was hexed. A hex is a connection between a witch and a victim. Find the witch, find the hex object, break the hex. These kids work together to solve the mystery of the hexer.
That they made it all about student elections made it kind of boring. It turns out that there are two hexes in the story, giving readers two stories in one.
Interesting supernatural YA mystery, but the ending was ironic and confusing.
April 15, 2014
I received this book from Story Cartel in exchange for a fair and honest review.
This story is split into 3 parts which makes it easy to read one part before taking a break. The story is well-written and you can read it through without having to think too deeply about what has been said before. The pieces of the puzzle all come together in a satisfactory ending to each part so you are not left wondering what happened to who.
I would think that this book is definitely aimed at the Young Adult genre, maybe from 10 years of age upwards. Still, as a mature reader, this in no way diminished my enjoyment of this book.
This story is split into 3 parts which makes it easy to read one part before taking a break. The story is well-written and you can read it through without having to think too deeply about what has been said before. The pieces of the puzzle all come together in a satisfactory ending to each part so you are not left wondering what happened to who.
I would think that this book is definitely aimed at the Young Adult genre, maybe from 10 years of age upwards. Still, as a mature reader, this in no way diminished my enjoyment of this book.
February 22, 2017
Mindee Vefreet is a typical high school student with an unique gift for seeing hexes placed on other people. Mindee feels like she's going crazy because of it. When Mindee learns a fellow student has been hexed she determined to find the person responsible. Can Mindee learn to master her gift? Who is responsible for the hex? Your answers await you in The Hex Breaker's Eyes.
This new to me author has shown me a different side of the paranormal world. I found the characters and story to be compelling, curious, real, thoughtful, and mysterious too. I look forward to more from this author in the future.
This new to me author has shown me a different side of the paranormal world. I found the characters and story to be compelling, curious, real, thoughtful, and mysterious too. I look forward to more from this author in the future.
August 5, 2016
Hex Breaker's Eyes was a thoroughly enjoyable book. The book setting is high school, and I definitely consider it to be a young adult/urban fantasy book. Every part of the book (plot) fits together perfectly, by answering all questions/leads. The book has some plot twists as well, and they are done great as well.
August 7, 2016
This novel is about a girl who can see hex’s placed on people just by seeing their aura and its color. The characters in this book are well defined and take you into a world even they do not understand. They are thrown into a world of magic that will in turn cause their own lives to be turned upside down but they do enjoy a good fight! Recommended for ages 12 and up!
April 23, 2014
I was given the opportunity to read this for free in exchange for an honest review from librarything.com.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story. It had a little bit of everything. Good flow and likable characters. Can't wait to read the next one!
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story. It had a little bit of everything. Good flow and likable characters. Can't wait to read the next one!
November 27, 2014
Grateful for no ridiculous insta-love story, no sudden love triangle, no silly love at all. Story was interesting, would like to know more about her mom & if she was also gifted. I liked Mindee's courage & how she grew stronger. Cute, fun quick read. Enjoy :)
May 15, 2015
You can read my full/honest review here:
May 8, 2014
I won this book on LibrayThing. I really enjoyed this book. It is definitely written for a younger audience. I loved the characters in this book. I would definitely like to read the second book!!
May 6, 2014
I received this book from Library Thing in exchange for an honest review.
Good story. Cute. Likeable, relatable characters. Enjoyed it.
Good story. Cute. Likeable, relatable characters. Enjoyed it.
November 27, 2014
What a fun read!
Great characters, pacing, plot and adventure. The suspense of suspecting different characters keeps you racing through the book to see what happens!
Great characters, pacing, plot and adventure. The suspense of suspecting different characters keeps you racing through the book to see what happens!
May 28, 2019
3.5 stars.
This is an amateur sleuth on magic realm. I like the hexes visual description with the glowing and the color drop. Quite imaginative.
Overall fun read.
This is an amateur sleuth on magic realm. I like the hexes visual description with the glowing and the color drop. Quite imaginative.
Overall fun read.
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