Secret Society of magical people? Check
MC with clairvoyant powers who can also see into peoples pasts? Check
Sassy best friend? Check
X-Men vibes? Check
Intrigue & a murder mystery? Check

I really enjoyed the premise behind this book. I have a fondness for books with secret societies & people with powers. And as cheesy as it is, I do enjoy the whole ‘The One to bring balance’ trope. The writing style flowed really well, the pacing of the story was balanced, & it was a fun popcorn read. Was it a little predictable & somewhat of a cookie cutter plotline? Sure, but there were enough unique elements & interesting characters to make the read worth it. I’m interested to see where the politics of this secret society go in the next book as it looks like it will be the main overreaching theme, with Blake a major player on the board with her powers. I did feel Blake was a little immature at times (she flip flopped between potential alliances more than a pancake getting flipped) & reacted as such, but given it’s only the first book out of 9 I’m looking forward to seeing some more character development from her in the future. A solid 3.5 star read.


Thank you to NetGalley & Owl Hollow Press for a free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Oooo I love a good love triangle!! Keeps you guessing! I really enjoy the main characters special abilities and found the plot interesting. Slow at times but overall great book. Thank you for the opportunity to read an advanced copy NetGalley!

Eighteen-year-old Blake Wilder usually hides her ability to see pivotal moments in other people’s pasts and futures, but when a premonition compels her to save a classmate’s life, she’s drawn into a centuries-old paranormal society on the brink of civil war.

As she struggles to find her way within a world of political intrigue and shifting alliances, her path is complicated by a budding romance with Nicholas, the chancellor’s son, and her attraction to Jessie, a man who makes up the rules as he goes. However, Blake will soon learn the truism that all is fair in love and war, especially when power is at stake.

When she witnesses a series of bizarre murders that have not yet occurred, it’s not long before the killer learns of her visions. Blake must decide whether to trust her head or her heart in a race to unmask the murderer before she is the next to die.

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Thank you Netgalley for the copy!
A solid YA fantasy book. I like it just fine and the cover is sooo good. I like the characters and their relationship even though it's pretty slow. Warning : it contains a very famous trope in YA books which is a love triangle. Not a fan of love triangle but it still worth reading.

The pacing was a bit up and down throughout this book but overall I absolutely loved it!! I was immersed in the world and related to some of the characters so much.

Honestly, this just wasn't my cup of tea. While I found the story interesting in the beginning, I just didn't want to come back and read more and more. I don't think I could read 9 books with these characters either. The writing wasn't outstanding, but it wasn't bad. Same with the characters. I was super excited for the plot but the pacing just messed it up. Overall, 2.5 stars.

Interesting read, I found the beginning quite faced paced and gripping, I felt the pacing slow down throughout the book but overall, a good read

is a promising introduction to this fantasy series. It is an ambitious mix of the supernatural and coming of age. Upon browsing Netgalley I found this intriguing book, the synopsis sounded awesome, and the book cover had me instantly hitting request. I was instantly hit with the passion and love poured into this book. Instantly I was hit with characters that sparked with life. Combing the elements, foresight, telekinesis, and the other six special gifts. It’s not easy to combine these elements into a fantasy story but Kes Trester achieved it with relative ease.

The Nine: Origins is the first book in The Nine series. Blake Wilder, 18, can see pivotal moments in other people’s lives. It seems enhanced by the power of touch and hasn’t caused the loss of lives so far. That all changes when she witnesses a car crash that will affect the future of a boy she goes to school with. This event leads her to meet Nicholas the son of the Chancellor of a secret organisation that could potentially be falling apart at the seams. She needs to pick sides, but whom can she trust? She is a powerful voyant and is a strong card to hold on either side, her alliance could be the deciding factor on who could win the power struggle.

This story isn’t bad by any account, but I did struggle with certain elements of it. The pacing of the story seemed to be inconsistent, and I went through periods of not being able to turn the pages quickly enough to finding some of the chapters a bore. The relationship between Blake and her best friend, Scarlett felt very stilted, and I personally didn’t feel that Scarlett had much of a role except to be Blake’s best friend. It was mildly frustrating. The Romance between Nicolas and Blake seemed very fast, even for young adults. I would’ve personally preferred a slower burn over a few books, I believe that would’ve created more of a realistic timeline of things.

Overall, a great book with a killer premise, I just personally felt the execution was somewhat lacking.

As the first book in a series, I liked this book a lot! I'm curious to see where it's going, how the characters will develop. It does remind me of the general "aesthetic" of dark academia (which I adore), so personally, I felt drawn into the book.

The romance aspect felt a bit rushed, but it didn't detract too much from my overall enjoyment.

An interesting and well written story as far as style goes… I would’ve liked a deeper dive into the whys and how’s, and a slower romance. Still a decent read, and a cool concept.

As I was reading this, I was reminded of ‘The Atlas Six’ by Olivia Blake because of the characters and their unique powers, and what they can do with them. Unlike the former, this one is more action packed and had a more intriguing plot. I definitely enjoyed reading this more too.

We follow Blake Wilder, who has the ability to see moments in people’s lives by touching them. She has been suppressing her ability until one day, when she witnessed a car crash that could alter the fate of a boy in her school. This led her to discover a secret organization called The Nine, where there are people like her with different abilities. Blake wondered if she should join them as they seem to have their own battle to fight. What can Blake do and who can she trust?

This was an easy read for me. There are no complex plots and most of the characters are likeable and had character growth throughout the story. The plot itself was also interesting and left me wanting more especially with how the story ended! I would have preferred the plot to be a little more complex as I felt the characters seemed to be able to get through their obstacles without difficulty but this is just my personal preference. I also wished there were more relationship development between the characters as some of them felt a bit stilted.

Overall, I still enjoyed reading this and I will be keeping a lookout for the sequel. Thank you Netgalley and Owl Hollow Press for the arc.

This is the first book of nine in a series by Trester and it grabbed me. It was different with a clairvoyant main character that has gone her adolescences thinking she was so different and alone in her abilities. But now at college she is approached by Nicolas and an new world of people with abilities opens up to her. She is pulled in different directions as there are many people that want her and her visions for their own gain and finding out who she can trust is hard. I am really looking forward to the next book.

The premise of this book was very good, but unfortunately the execution missed the mark for me. The characters were likeable and I’d say that overall it was an easy read. 2.75 stars. We

The book had an understandable plot, that was easy and entertaining to follow. The characters have strong personalities that are enjoyable. I would recommend this book to lovers of legendborn. I would love to thank Netgalley for giving me access to this ARC

The premise was interesting enough that I'm curious about how it continues. The writing was solid, but not terribly exciting. The MC is "not like the other girls" - though she doesn't particularly stand out. Similarly, most of the other secondary characters fell rather flat (what even was the point of her best friend?). There is a love triangle; the romance felt rather instant, though I prefer the current love interest over the 20-something going after a teenager.
The pacing.....was not doing it for me. There were times when I breezed through, and other times where I couldn't get through a chapter and wouldn't pick it up for weeks.
It was a decent introduction and I'd look forward to see where it'll go, particularly with regard to Blake's sister and their relationship. Considering its world building, it has a lot of room to explore.

Thank you to Netgalley & Owl Hollow Press for this ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun fantasy novel and was an exciting read.

I honestly do not know what to make of this book. The initial premise sounded absolutely fantastic, and I couldn’t wait to read it but it just didn’t hit the mark for me.

Let me start with the main characters. I initially quite liked Blake, and felt like she started off strong. I loved the idea of her being a volant, and discovering that she wasn’t alone in her powers. That journey was quite heartwarming, and interesting to read. However this soon changed when Nicholas came into the picture. That boy is the absolute definition of a red flag, and he just pissed me off. I also don’t know how many times the author had to mention that he liked earl grey tea. I got that the first time.

I felt like the relationship between Blake and Nicholas was somewhat forced, and it felt completely rushed. Also, Blake has been described as an eighteen year old girl- however I definitely did not get that vibe from the way she was written.

I did like the murder mystery aspect of the book, and felt that it was definitely one of its highlights. It also had a lot of quotable moments, which I enjoyed reading.

Overall, I just don’t think that this was the book for me. I feel like it would definatley suit a much younger audience.

This one was just not one for me, the dialogue felt off and convoluted, the FMC Blake feels like a stereotype and I wasn’t keen on the world building (which needed more work)

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Just another book that was ok to read but nothing to write home about. It was easy to follow and wasn't bad but not something to really rave about.

What an amazing book! I love magical stories and this one didn't disappoint. This book was absolutely amazing!! The characters, the mystery and intrigue and I need to know more about The Nine and Alder House.
I cant wait to see what comes next in book 2.

The Nine: Origins is a promising introduction to this fantasy series. It is an ambitious mix of the supernatural and coming of age. Upon browsing Netgalley I found this intriguing book, the synopsis sounded awesome, and the book cover had me instantly hitting request. I was instantly hit with the passion and love poured into this book. Instantly I was hit with characters that sparked with life. Combing the elements, foresight, telekinesis, and the other six special gifts. It’s not easy to combine these elements into a fantasy story but Kes Trester achieved it with relative ease.

The Nine: Origins is the first book in The Nine series. Blake Wilder, 18, can see pivotal moments in other people’s lives. It seems enhanced by the power of touch and hasn’t caused the loss of lives so far. That all changes when she witnesses a car crash that will affect the future of a boy she goes to school with. This event leads her to meet Nicholas the son of the Chancellor of a secret organisation that could potentially be falling apart at the seams. She needs to pick sides, but whom can she trust? She is a powerful voyant and is a strong card to hold on either side, her alliance could be the deciding factor on who could win the power struggle.

This story isn’t bad by any account, but I did struggle with certain elements of it. The pacing of the story seemed to be inconsistent, and I went through periods of not being able to turn the pages quickly enough to finding some of the chapters a bore. The relationship between Blake and her best friend, Scarlett felt very stilted, and I personally didn’t feel that Scarlett had much of a role except to be Blake’s best friend. It was mildly frustrating. The Romance between Nicolas and Blake seemed very fast, even for young adults. I would’ve personally preferred a slower burn over a few books, I believe that would’ve created more of a realistic timeline of things.

Overall, a great book with a killer premise, I just personally felt the execution was somewhat lacking.