Cast into Darkness (Kate Hamilton Book 1)

This was an enjoyable read. A good array of characters with a heroine which is someone you can empathise with. including the teenage bit of rebellion. My main reservation sat with lengthy forays into details which I found distracting and the level of detail unnecessary.My other issue was with the end where my big question was 'huh?' Why is this the outcome rather than a possible resolution? That made no sense to me.I haven't made up my mind whether I shall go for the next novel.

A great book takes you on a journey and makes you feel that you are a part of its world and Cast Into Darkness delivers. It hooked me in its opening pages; quickly thrusting me into the action and into the mind and heart of its protagonist, Kate Hamilton. She's a realistic and imperfect character who is coming into her own and as do we with her. She makes mistakes and has to react and adapt as her world view is very quickly expanded, torn, ripped apart, and then built anew. Coming to a deeper understanding of power and magic and the real struggles without and within to control them. Along the way, learning the lines between light and dark, as well as love and hate, aren't as well defined as we'd like them to be. And some choices have terrible consequences.This book was a page turner and a very fast read for me since I had trouble putting it down. It was one of those “just ONE more chapter before I get to sleep” kind of books. In fact, as soon as I woke up, I was back to reading and didn't stop until I'd finished the book. I love the approach to magic, and actually found myself trying to mimic how some of the spells might be cast.A wonderful first published novel from this writer whose work I look forward to following – especially the further books featuring Kate Hamilton. I absolutely fell in love with her character as well as many of the other very interesting figures who populate her world who I can't wait to learn more about.Others have done a good job of summarizing the story, but I personally prefer to know less about key plot points so that I get to experience the discovery myself in my reading. Instead, let me give you an idea of what lies in store for you. Cast Into Darkness is a whirlwind roller coaster ride of discovery, daring, intrigue, romance, mystery, loss, dark magic, danger, risks, power, choices, pain, growth, villainy, responsibility, and opportunity.And, as a reader, it evoked that best feeling of all. I. Want. MORE!

Well written and edited. I would describe some of the action as looping around and around where nothing was really being achieved (Kristof comes up with a plan, is foiled, comes up with another plan, is foiled, Kate gets free, is captured, gets free, is captured....you get the idea) but all in all it kept me interested. I look forward to the next book.

Full disclosure - I am a friend of Janet's and was privileged to read a nearly complete manuscript. Further full disclosure: This is not my genre AT ALL. I loved the Harry Potter books, but stopped reading them when J.K. Rowling killed off Dumbledore. This book, much like the Harry Potter series, does a good job of smoothly integrating the magical world into the "normal" world. The characters are well-drawn and relatable - except for the whole magic deal, of course. ;)The writing is excellent and it is a fast read - I found myself wondering how much was left and was stunned when I checked my Kindle and I was 92% of the way through the book! I'm usually checking at about the 60-75% point.The protagonist, Kate Hamilton, starts out a little bit petulant and immature - but she grows up fast and turns into a powerful, more mature, but still "real" person. She gains power and strength, but doesn't lose her vulnerability - and I like that. I truly cannot wait until the next installment!

39% in and I could do without this journey. If a review hadn't said this was an "adult fantasy" I would have put it in the Young Adult section. The main character is very immature in thought and action. Without the early scenes of her in college with a boyfriend she could easily be mistaken for a 12 year old. The male love interest is cookie cutter badness. The whole scenario of a powerful family controlling politics, etc while having a training school in their compound feels so very weak and unplausible. Maybe there wasn't enough secondary characters to pull it off? Or enough descriptions of social infrastructure? The only thing interesting was the mechanics of magic the author outlined.

Full disclosure: Janet Tait is a close friend and colleague of mine and I was an early beta reader of this book. That being said, I LOVED this story from page one. The author drew me into an original world of magic that I'd never read before, where the spells have scents and each one comes with a steep price to the spell caster.Kate is a great heroine. I love stories about a person's journey to discovering their power, and this one didn't disappoint. Kate starts the narrative as an outcast in her world, but it's that perspective of marginalization that makes her even stronger by the story's end.Another element that I thoroughly enjoyed were the settings. The author does a tremendous job painting an image with words. I felt like I was right there with Kate, whether it was within her family's compound or on the shores of Greece.This is a fantastic debut from an author I can't wait to read more from!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Cast into Darkness not once, but two times! The first read was when the author, Janet Tait, a friend of mine, sent me her first copy. It was as intriguing and captivating then as well as when I read it the second time on my Kindle. Both times I found myself rooting for the good guys and booing the bad and I simply could not put it down, either time. Cast into Darkness is well written with all of the ingredients that contribute to a good read. I love that while the book is fantasy, it is interwoven with words of wisdom that seem to be embedded in all good fantasy novels. If you like stories of magic, romance and adventure, you are sure to enjoy Cast into Darkness!

I enjoyed this book. I liked the world building and the characters. The main character Kate is written well and relatable. I found myself rooting for her and look forward to seeing how she progresses.

very enjoyable .I found this book to be a very good reada little different but enjoyable. I just wanted to keep reading.