Review - Moonstone by Marilee Brothers

Moonstone
The Unbidden Magic Series, Book One
Marilee Brothers
Bell Bridge Books
August 1, 2008
ISBN# 978-0-9802453-4-9

Book Blurb:
The girl voted least likely to save the world may have to do just that.

A sickly mom. A crappy travel trailer. High school bullies and snarky drama queens. Bad-guys with charming smiles. Allie has problems. And then there's that whole thing about fulfilling a magical prophecy and saving the world from evil.

Welcome to the funny, sad, sometimes-scary world of fifteen-year-old Allie Emerson, who's struggling to keep her act together (not to mention her mom's) in the small-town world of Peacock Flats, Washington. A zap from an electrical fence sets off Allie's weird psychic powers. The next thing she knows she's being visited by a hippy-dippy guardian angel, and then her mysterious neighbor, the town "witch," gives her an incredible moonstone pendant that has powers only a "Star Seeker" is meant to command. "Who, me?" is Allie's first reaction. But as sinister events begin to unfold, Allie realizes she's got a destiny far bigger than she ever imagined.

If she can just survive everyday life, in the meantime.

My thoughts:
Allie Emerson is introduced to her psychic powers when she fiddles with the TV antenna and takes an unexpected tumble against an electric fence on her way down. Life isn’t always easy for a teen, but for Allie living in a trailer on her uncle’s property with a mom who insists that she’s too sick to work gives their neighbors that much more to talk about.

Kizzy, a friend and a woman the locals call a witch, passes on a special moonstone necklace to Allie. The stone helps her to focus the new power she’s acquired, but once she possesses it her life is suddenly in danger. Someone wants the necklace at any cost, and Allie’s best hope of survival comes in the form of a friend she never would have expected to be her hero.

This is the first book in The Unbidden Magic series, and it will easily entertain teens and adults alike. Dealt a rotten lot in life, Allie does her best to survive her teen years with a mother who’s reluctant to accept her role, and a father she’s never met. Ms. Brothers blends an engaging story of hardship, hope, friendship and the paranormal into an exceptionally human tale that’s lightened with a touch of humor. Moonstone is filled with emotion, made more so for the reader as we watch this well-balanced young woman cope with a very unbalanced life. You can’t help but respect Allie for stepping up and taking charge of her future, and the surprising hero is sure to worm his way into your heart. I’ll be looking forward to seeing how Allie’s changed world grows in the next installment. This is a young adult story intended for age 14 and up.

To learn more about Moonstone, please visit the author’s website: Here

Kimberly Swan, Darque Reviews