Reviewed by Dan
TITLE: The Bridge
AUTHOR: Rachel Lou
PUBLISHER: Harmony Ink Press
LENGTH: 244 Pages
RELEASE DATE: June 2, 2016
BLURB:
Everett Hallman might not be the world’s most powerful witch, but he does his part by helping wayward souls find their way to the beyond. Then a feeling Everett can’t explain lures him away from the magical woods near his house, to a local martial arts school. There, he is intrigued when he uncovers remains left by supernatural beings of enormous power, and he cannot resist looking into the mystery.
Everett learns he is a Bridge Master: a witch capable of passing into different spirit realms, but his revelation comes with a new set of problems. First, the powerful witch instructing him disappears, and then he notices something strange about his attractive new friend from the martial arts studio. Worst of all, Everett’s reserves of spell-casting energy continue to deplete. Only one thing is certain—Everett cannot turn his back on this puzzle until he gets some answers.
REVIEW:
I’ve been picking up a few young adult targeted books lately, and I have to say it is refreshing to read something that isn’t as dark as most of my reads. The Bridge from Rachel Lou is a good example. There isn’t any sex, there isn’t a lot of angst, but there are shapeshifters, demons and witches. It is a fairly standard good versus evil story with a teen hero, that is so popular in this age group, but I enjoyed it.
Everett Hallman is a witch, but not a very strong one. He has been living in a small town with his grandfather since his parents disappeared several years before the story begins. They were both witches and they disappeared in Las Vegas mysteriously and were never heard from again. I have to be honest, I didn’t really get what happened to them, and thought that there maybe should have been a little more detail about them, particularly near the end of the book when other things were revealed about Everett’s early childhood. But that may have just been me, most of the target market for this book probably wouldn’t dwell on that small part.
When Everett meets an attractive young man who works at a martial arts studio, sparks fly…literally. Why does trying to read this guy’s aura zap Everett, and in some cases cause him to get knocked unconscious? Oh, and I almost forgot to mention, Everett has another new friend, his familiar, a quirky little (or not so little) flying jellyfish…
The story moved along at a good pace. I think that this is the author’s first published work, based on the blurb at the end of the book. If so, I applaud her, because it is a well-rounded story and the characters are fairly well fleshed out. I would have liked a little more detail on the world building though, particularly the world on the other side of the bridge. In addition, I felt that most of the background characters, like Bryce’s dad, the other hybrid children, or even Everett’s grandfather, were a little thinly detailed.
I liked the book, and I’d say based on the editing and writing that it was above average, particularly for a first book. It will be a good fit for the Young Adult market.
RATING: 
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