Mabon is the first book in The Clandestine Chronicles by Kellie M Davies, a spellbinding tale of romance and magic with memorable characters. The narrative begins on the day her father died, sixteen years ago, and on her birthday. “I wasn't a rule-breaker, but today brought with it a fog that stuck around; a gluey force field I couldn't escape.” Lucy DeBane knows something is wrong and that her life is about to change irreversibly before the end of the day on her sixteenth birthday. Her family secrets are about to be brought to light and a very important decision rests on her shoulders — choose between becoming the family witch and forsaking family to follow Gil, the handsome young man who makes her heart throb. Or is there a way to follow her family’s tradition while winning the love of her life?
A skillfully plotted and well-written tale that will have readers emotionally hooked and excited about the characters. I loved the heroine from the very beginning of the narrative and the deft manner in which the author portrays her point of view. The writing is engaging and insightful with prose that is crisp and loaded with vivid descriptions. The dialogues are well written, and these enrich the characters, enhance the conflict and move the plot forward. Character development seems to be one of Kellie M Davies’ fortes. They are complex and 3-dimensional, with deep psychological and emotional layers for readers to navigate. Lucy’s dilemma is very strong and readers will quickly become interested in finding out how she evolves through the conflict. Mabon is deftly written, cunningly plotted, and skillfully executed; a compulsive read that is hard to put down.