Historical fiction, romance, horror, and mystery/detective stories are found together in one book. Some of the stories have already linked together, and I have a feeling that before this series is over with, they will be connected in some way. I found this book to be fantastic and addictive.
I will admit that the description of the book sounded intriguing to me, but the cover is what won me over. My son, who doesn’t read that much, has even said he wants to read the book because he found the cover fascinating.
The characters are great, but I believe Onyx Webb is my favorite one. Her story begins in August 1904 near St. Louis, Missouri. She is only six, and her dad is taking her to the World’s Fair. You learn that Onyx’s mother left a warning for her daughter, one her dad hasn’t revealed to her yet. Her life becomes rather traumatizing when she is kidnapped by a crazy woman from the famous World’s Fair.
Parts of Onyx Webb’s journal are written throughout the book, so you are privy to her innermost thoughts. Not the thoughts she had while she was alive, but her thoughts while dead.
Then there is Obedience Everhardt. I’m not sure if she is just plain old crazy or mentally deficient in some way. But the things she does to little girls is horrible. Her part of the story is definitely creepy.
Juniper Cole’s story begins in 1971. Only eight years old and a piano prodigy, she is already famous, and appearing on the Johnny Carson show. Her protector is her big brother instead of her parents. In June 1979, on prom night, she disappears.
Skip on over to London, England in 2010 to meet Koda Sulvaney. Heir to a fortune, he is said to be the sexiest man alive. He spends money too easily though. When he goes through is million dollar trust fund, his dad tells him it’s time to return home and go to work. But there are dark things in his past that he hasn’t quite yet come to terms with.
Mika Flagler, a character in the story of Koda, talks about an eleven-step beauty routine she does in order to appear her best. It is a good thing she is wealthy and doesn’t have a job. This beauty routine would take half the day to complete!
When I first picked up this book and began to read, I had no clue just how addictive it would be. The characters become real to you, and their stories will consume your every thought. When you are eating dinner, you will be wondering what is going to happen next. You will be tempted to skip washing the dishes just so you can keep reading.
Each chapter is relatively short, so if you don’t have much time to read, you can at least read a chapter a day. I’m willing to bet that you will read way more than one though. The book ends far too soon, but there is plenty more to come.
Is there anyone who doesn’t love listening to music? Before each scene, a partial list of the music that was listened to as each scene was written.
I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. If you would like your own copy of this book, please click on the Amazon link below.
Amazon Link: Onyx Webb: Book One: Episodes 1, 2, & 3
imagination, wikimedia commons
Favorite Sentences:
He hated lying to her, but there were some things he simply couldn’t tell the child.
To make my existence even worse, there is something I must do. . . something ugly, something inherently evil.
But it wasn’t simply the woman’s screams that terrified him—it was the knowledge that the woman who was screaming was his mother.
At least now Onyx understood why every time her husband did find work it was always dangling on the outside of a building at the end of a rope.
The fact that Dane’s childhood dog had just run through a solid object didn’t faze him in the least.
New Word Learned:
shylock – a hard-hearted moneylender
About the Authors:
Richard Fenton & Andrea Waltz are a married writing team. Most well known for their business fables, they’re professional speakers who teach audiences on how to overcome fear of failure and rejection. The Onyx Webb Series is their first serious dive into fiction.
Richard and Andrea have been in love with creating stories together since they met almost twenty years ago and even spent some time in Hollywood writing screenplays, being represented by the producer of Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Their favorite genres are suspense, thriller, crime and anything of a paranormal nature which is how Onyx Webb turned into a mash-up of all their favorites!
Wow, you make Onyx Webb sound fascinating! Great review!