The Crescent (The Crescent Trilogy Book 1)

For a while I had been thinking maybe I had been too harsh with the reviews I’d done so far. I mean, the majority of the books I have been reviewing have been self-published, so I shouldn’t have expected them to be as polished as the books produced through publishing companies, right? And then I read The Crescent. All of the Indie authors out there can thank Jordan Deen for raising the bar, at least where I am concerned. It was very refreshing to read a quality self-published book (for once).The storyline kept my interest since it wasn’t horribly predictable. I liked that she was born into her situation instead of getting involved by some other means. I thought it was a little weird that she grabbed a butcher knife and tried to kill the bushes… but I’ll go with it. It was also a little strange that she went back outside even after she thought something was after her. I can understand wanting to get away from her parents fighting, but she could have gone in her room or something. Also, she explains that her dad is a drunk a few times in the book, but never mentions that he’s abusive until he actually hits her mother. I would think that goes a bit beyond just being an alcoholic.The three things I didn’t really like about this book:1. It was too short. I wanted more.2. The cover is awful. When I first got a glimpse of the cover, I didn’t really look at it very well. From that quick glance, I thought maybe this book was a historical romance. It definitely didn’t look like a paranormal romance and it didn’t do anything to peak my interest. I would have skipped right over this book if I would have seen it on a shopping site and that really is a shame, because I would have been missing out. The pictures need to be less jumbled and the colors brighter. It needs to stand out. Maybe two eyes with crescent shapes in them popping out of the darkness? I don’t know. Something needs to be done to get the reader’s attention and get them to look inside.3. Readers could have benefited from additional background information. I know that Deen was trying to keep things mysterious, but I think that still could have been accomplished while providing the reader with a little more back story.All in all a good read.

I met Jordan Deen at Indie Girl Con in Charleston, SC and was given a copy of this book for an honest review. Ms. Deen is such a nice, warm, friendly person and her book sounded so interesting that I went home that night and started reading it. Well, I fell asleep on the couch, but that had nothing to do with the book. I couldn't stop reading it. The story pulls you in.Book 1 of The Crescent Trilogy Lacey Quinn is your typical 17 year old girl. She is spending the summer before her Senior Year with her best friend Jillian and also working as a Vet Assistant with her Aunt. Her life at home is stressful, her dad is an alcoholic and her mom has recently turned to pills as a way to cope. They are constantly arguing and Lacey uses her ever present iPod (I love her choice in music) to drown out their frequent fights. She is counting down the days until she can graduate and move the 500+ miles away to the college of her choice. Then school starts and there is not one, but two hot guys that start and are interested in her. You meet Alex first, then Brandon. That's when the weirdness begins. Fainting, mysterious illnesses, strange smells, dreams and a mark that appears on her palm when she shakes hands with Brandon. There is the typical pull, should she be with Alex or should she be with Brandon. There are twists and turns in this book that I never expected, you think one thing and then Ms. Deen throws you a curve ball and flips it.I can't wait to begin the second book and find out what happens next!

I love a good love triangle with a sprinkling of paranormal! This book sucked me in!Lacey starts another year of school not expecting much to happen. She just can't wait until her eighteenth birthday. One of her periods at school is working in the front office. She thought it was going to be a bring job until Alex walks in. Alex is a new student and for some strange reason she feels connected to him. She gets these flashes like they have kissed and she can't explain why she's drawn to him. He is totally hot and she can't for the life of her figure out why Alex is attracted to her. She's not Miss Popular or anything!Then another new student joins the school. Brandon is just as hot, if not hotter and she keeps having dreams of what looks like a future together with him. Why in the world does she have two hot guys after her?Things get strange when things start happening that just have to be a dream. Why would she have such a horrible reaction to being near Alex? And where has Brandon been?The one things that is a constant for a while in her life is her new dog Grant. She found him in her backyard without any tags. He seems to be the one living creature that she can confide in, even though he's as big as a horse and her parents don't want him around.If you love paranormal reads with a love triangle and a little mystery and a threat of death mixed in, then this is the book for you! Jordan Deen sucked me into her world. I could not put this book down!

Paperback (edit)Review I haven't read any Jordan Deen before and wanted to open to note that I thoroughly am enjoying this trilogy!In the Crescent (book one), we meet Laura as she's hiding outside from her parents fighting - again - which they seem to do quite a lot lately! Her Dad has turned to drink, which her Mum pretends doesn't happen, and so Lacey hasn't even told anyone about that addition even though the whole neighbourhood hears them fighting all the time!At school, she is quiet - stays with her one friend Jillian nearly all the time. That is until Alex enters the picture - the new boy, who of course, is very attractive, and throws the class into a spin when he says he knew Lacey before and she broke his heart so he followed her here. As we see Lacey & Alex begin to fall for each other, her parents' fights become more indepth, with little hints being dropped as to what they are arguing over.In the meantime, Lacey finds a huge dog in her backgarden and persuades her parents to let her keep him until they find his owners. When nobody answers her found posters, she hangs onto "Grant" against her fathers' wishes for as long as she can. But he is growing sickly, and weak - although Lacey doesn't always notice given that she is becoming quickly enraptured with Alex.The book has a supernatural side of course, as discussed in the description. Falling for Alex has landed her smack bang in the middle of an ancient prophecy, and war between supernatural clans. When Brandon comes to school, a mysterious boy who she seems to keep dreaming of a forgotten life together with, and he urges her to "remember", Lacey becomes lost, and confused, and unsure as to which side to trust!I really enjoyed reading this first book in the trilogy, even though some parts seemed a little cliche (would a girl of that age really ask her dog for advice on what to wear?) but I understand where the author was reading it. In fact, I enjoyed it so much, that I began the second book as soon as I finished the first, and thus didn't get to sleep until after 2am... review of that to follow!

Loved the book, the characters and the story. Great work by a great author, i honestly couldn't put the book down can't wait to read book 2.

Characters are shallow and the MC is immature and childlike in her thinking. Book is obviously written for teeny boppers. Glad I didn't pay for it.

Wow that is such an amazing story I totally love how it grips you and leaves you feeling all sorts of things. If you want something that has you at the edge of your seat from start till finish then this book is so worth the read .... thank you so much for your hard work tim to bring us these amazing stories it is so appreciated xxx

Excellent