Candlelight

Title: Candlelight by Stacy McWilliams
Media source: ebook
Rating 4 out of 5

Recommendation:  I would recommend this novel for anyone who enjoy the vampire fandom, fantasy novels, maybe a little romance.  If you are one who enjoys a quick read that captivates your senses, this is the book for you.

Candlelight is the debut paranormal fantasy novella by Stacy McWilliams that focuses on a young man named Nathan as he struggles with role in the family hierarchy.  Everything becomes more complicated and changes once Jasmine enters his life.

Nathan is a type of demon, and there are expectations and requirements that he needs to live up to.  He has been chosen to be the next candidate for the Council within his society, his role is to take power from mortal human sacrifices on Halloween.  Nathan struggles with demons of his own, living up to expectations, and dreams of an unknown girl who has his world upside down.  Quickly he finds out the woman he dreams about is his first sacrifice.

McWilliams' novella creates a fantastic new world and characters that are not only compelling but also original.  She creates characters that draw readers into the story and keeps us under their spell.  Nate was interesting to follow and be inside his mind as he struggles with his emotions and responsibilities.  Being that this is a novella, there isn't a lot of time to build and develop the characters deeper than they are.  Part of me wishes this was longer to develop all the characters equally even the antagonist (forgive me I forget his name right now).

The story is developed nicely, I cannot wait to being reading Luminosity, and that is the mark of a great author.  Because the novella is short (about 100 pages or so), readers miss out on the depth of the story.  Occasionally, it felt like there could have been more to the story, more development to a plot such as when one of their own is murdered and a friend of Nathan's is accused and punished.  That scene could have used more depth, more detail drawing it out more.  It seemed to an important element to the story as it progresses further to the appearance of Jasmine.  But despite the feeling of lack of depth, this novella was fantastic, it set the stage for the next book in the series.  It enables the readers to get a feel for the characters' personalities and their backgrounds.

I couldn't have been happier when I won Candlelight in a giveaway from the author.  I was even more excited when I began to read it.  If you are looking for something new and different, then this is the novel for you.  I am sure you will want the next book in the series as much as I do.

Happy reading my friends!