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Shock of Fate (Anchoress Series Book 1) by D.L. Armillei – Review by Corine Lombardi-Quiles

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Shock of Fate (Anchoress #1)Shock of Fate by D.L. Armillei
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This author knew what she was doing.
You have a long story that is surprise after surprise and we have suspense,mystery and a female MC you CANNOT go wrong.
Plucked from her ordinary life to journey to an alternate world to retrieve a priceless relic, The MC breaks the rules to sneak her best friend along to help with a quest of her own.
I loved this and it’s only book one.
What would you do if the person you love disappeared?!
I need a best friend like van.
A book with a moral of growth and development.
This is the definition of teen fiction/young adult and it is great.
It checks all the boxes and I like that I found humor in the villain.
I am looking forward to the rest of the series.

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Shock of Fate (Anchoress Series Book 1) by D.L. Armillei – Review by Angela Renee Diaz

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Shock of Fate (Anchoress #1)Shock of Fate by D.L. Armillei
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Immediately became action packed. This book is a jack of all trades concerning genre. This book made me consider life as to what I’m accustomed to like Van having all her needs met at island. Versus if I was thrown into something unknown like my current journey starting from scratch like Van getting thrown into the mission she is unprepared for.

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Shock of Fate (Anchoress Series Book 1) by D.L. Armillei – Review by Jamie Truex

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Shock of Fate (Anchoress #1)Shock of Fate by D.L. Armillei
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was such a good book! I really loved Van’s character from the beginning,  even though she was honestly considered a spoiled rich kid. Seeing how she had to choose to be a good person made this a wonderful story for me. It fit perfectly into my comfort zone of books. It has plenty of other worldly characters and places along with lots of action, heartache, trials and more. Definitely recommend this book.

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Shock of Fate (Anchoress Series Book 1) by D.L. Armillei – Review by Dahnielle Hibbert

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Shock of Fate (Anchoress #1)Shock of Fate by D.L. Armillei
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Vanessa is a teenager who finds herself in an alternate reality forced to find a relic. There are many surprises in this novel but they are well placed and really bring about how this whole alternate reality came about. This story has everything I look for in fantasy novels. Action, adventure, twists and turns and most of all well developed characters. The fantasy world is super involved and so well detailed you can actually feel like you have been there. The author truly wants the readers to be satisfied that their favorite characters are handled with care and given a full experience. I laughed, I cried and yes I even yelled at the book a time or too. I am looking forward to a continuing journey in book two!

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Shock Of Fate (Anchoress Series Book 1) by D.L. Armillei- Review by Melissa Saxton

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Shock of Fate (Anchoress #1)Shock of Fate by D.L. Armillei
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Van a wealthy, spoiled and entitled girl has her world turned upside down one night when she finds out there is much more to her than meets the eye and everyone around her is keeping secrets.

She is thrust into an entirely new realm with her (let’s be honest) selfish and shallow best friend and a team of people shes never met but is forced to trust if they are going to complete their mission.

Along the way Van will have to learn more about herself than she ever imagined, including secrets she never knew her family was keeping, about her lineage, what she wants and *gulp* who she may love….

can she make it through the storm of her mission with herself, her friendship and what she thought she knew intact?

this book is a must read to find out and then dive right into the rest of the series you won’t be sorry!

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Shock of Fate (Anchoress Series Book 1) by D.L. Armillei – Review by Jennifer Reimer

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Shock of Fate (Anchoress #1)Shock of Fate by D.L. Armillei
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was amazing, I could not put it down. This book really kept me on the edge of my seat, guessing what was going to happen next. I had to really keep reminding myself that the characters were only teenagers, but they were amazing. The creativity the author made with this story was just phenomenal. I was pulled into his world and did not want to leave. I always enjoy a story to with back stories or flash back it really makes you understand the characters like Vanessa better. I really recommend this book to read. Cant wait to read the next ones

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Shock of Fate (Anchoress Series Book 1) by D.L. Armillei – Review by Desiree Ottinger

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Shock of Fate (Anchoress #1)Shock of Fate by D.L. Armillei
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Van is wrapped up in her own world and only focused on her summer plans. Suddenly, her dad goes missing and she’s recruited for a special summer mission. She thinks everything is stacked against her until she realizes that her fate is not as simple as the next girl her age. Van is thrust into mission where she discovers more about herself and her heritage than she has her entire life. Does she have what it takes to save both the Earth World and the Living World? Is she the fated Anchoress?

What a fun YA read! I enjoyed reading Van transform from a selfish, self-centered teen to one that looks at others and becomes their champion. This had me thinking about a girl version of Percy Jackson sans the Greek mythology. I enjoyed reading about a new world in danger of history repeating itself.

Highly recommend this YA read. It has clean language and good lessons on looking inside oneself to evaluate what the right choice is.

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Shock of Fate (Anchoress Series Book 1) by D.L. Armillei – Review by Katrina Evanochko

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Shock of Fate (Anchoress #1)Shock of Fate by D.L. Armillei
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The author has created an interesting world. I enjoyed the story and most of the supporting characters were great. The mystery of Van’s father kept me intrigued and for once I did not figure out what really happened – the author did a good job of keeping me guessing about him and his true motives. The thing I struggled with was Van and Paley’s immaturity. Yes, they are 15, but they were both so shallow. They were raised that way, which let me give them some leeway, but it was a struggle at times to continue. I was happy to see the start of some growth from Van, and I hope that continues as the series does.

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Shock of Fate – Anchoress Series Book One by D. L. Armillei – Review by Darla Yocom

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Shock of Fate (Anchoress #1)Shock of Fate by D.L. Armillei
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I enjoy coming of age stories since they typically include a complex network of characters, narrative and growth. In this book, the main character, “Van” Vanessa starts as a typical egotistical teenager who only focuses on herself, boys and her intended summer plans with friends. Her bff, Paley is similar from that perspective but to me, comes off as polar opposites when it counts. Perhaps that’s why they are friends? Opposites attract?

Van must literally grow up in a matter of moments once she learns that her mother was considered royalty, she may have been killed vs dying during childbirth, her father is missing, he screwed up at work, could be a traitor and possibly a murderer! After learning all of this and the fact that most of what she’s been told her entire life was a lie, she makes the more grown up decision to pursue the 30-day mission she is being assigned, along with a group of several other teens. One of them is the Anchoress, but their identity is hidden from the group until it is necessary.

I really enjoyed this book. It is a must read and flows well. You will not want to put it down. I think young adults and adults will enjoy this book.

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars!

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Shock of Fate (Anchoress Series Book 1) by D.L. Armillei – Review by La Toya Lewis

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Shock of Fate (Anchoress #1)Shock of Fate by D.L. Armillei
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Shock of Fate is a nice YA adventure. When we start out 15-year-old Vanessa Cross is a shallow, materialistic, very immature teenager. She’s had everything handed to her but if you pay attention you’ll see that she longs for love and acceptance. I have to admit that it took a while to warm up to her but as the story goes you see the character development and I grew quite fond of her. I wish I could say the same about her best friend, Paley. She was very unlikeable even when keeping in mind that she’s just a teenager. I really felt she added nothing to the story. Van’s relationship with Brux is adorable as is his relationship with his sister, Daisy. The world-building and details are spot-on however I felt it was quite easy to guess pretty much everything that happened. I also felt that the story could benefit from some streamlining. I enjoyed the bonding between Van and her teammates and the action and adventure was very entertaining.

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Shock of Fate (Anchoress Series Book 1) by D.L. Armillei – Review by Ashley Johnson

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Shock of Fate (Anchoress #1)Shock of Fate by D.L. Armillei
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I struggled at the beginning of this book because the main character and her best friend were the absolute worst Spoiled and whiny. I just couldn’t connect with two annoying 15 year olds. Van finally started to grow on me but Paley the best friend did not. I really enjoyed the side characters more than anything. The story was definitely original and I enjoyed how the whole world was created. I’m looking forward to seeing where the story takes us.

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Shock of Fate (Anchoress Series Book 1) by D.L. Armillei – Review by April McCoy

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Shock of Fate (Anchoress #1)Shock of Fate by D.L. Armillei
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I could not put this book down. Despite the fact the main character is a teenager, I was completely enthralled. Honestly the dynamic character list was incredible! Such a well written book that I needed, not wanted, but needed to read the second immediately upon finishing this one. I must say, This book was so easy to lose yourself in, I was not in the present world for the entirety of this book. If I did have to stop reading it, I was thinking about it, dreaming about it, wondering what was to come. Such a well spun tale with an amazing flow! Kudos to this author!

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Shock of Fate (Anchoress Series #1) by DL Armillei-Review by Amanda Kimble

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Shock of Fate (Anchoress #1)Shock of Fate by D.L. Armillei
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

5/5 Stars

Shock of Fate (Anchoress Series #1) by DL Armillei

This is the first book I’ve read by the author. So far the Anchoress Series is something I’m keeping my eye out for. The author creates a wonderful new world for me to escape to.

Vanessa thinks everything is normal and she is the reason her mother died in childbirth. Her father’s boss lets her know she is one working on a summer project on the reservation for a month. Her life is about to change and she’s not sure if it’s for the best or not. The quote I chose for Vanessa is: “It’s because of that— that shadow-wolf, isn’t it?”

Highly recommended for YA Fantasy lovers.

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Shock of Fate (Anchoress Series Book 1) by D.L. Armillei – Review by Vanessa Watts

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Shock of Fate (Anchoress #1)Shock of Fate by D.L. Armillei
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book starts our journey with the anchoress and eventually discovery of herself and why she was created. I had a hard time putting this book down from the description of the characters to the scenery and the plot. It hooked me from line one.

We start off meeting Vanessa as she is struggling with who she is as a 15 year old girl in a wealthy family but not knowing her own path. She faces the typical bullies in school and yet favoritism by elders on the island. When all of a sudden her world is upended by the disappearance of her father, the elder’s belief that he is a traitor, and new information about why Vanessa attends certain special classes on the reservation. Vanessa is then selected to partake in a project, read mission, that she refuses to go on without her best friend Paley. Through breaking rules Vanessa manages to get Paley to the alternate world where they are discovered by the elder and sent on a mission that will forever change the course of Vanessa’s life. This journey is fraught with danger, unknown enemies and self discoveries. Can Vanessa uncover her ture mission or is she doomed to risk her friend’s life in an escapade that ends in failure? This is one journey you must take after all not everything is what it seems!

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Shock of Fate (Anchoress Series Book 1) by D.L. Armillei – Review by Erica Shoebridge

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Shock of Fate (Anchoress #1)Shock of Fate by D.L. Armillei
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A great start to a series I look forward to devouring! Vanessa Cross, daughter of Grigori agent and presumed traitor Michael Cross, is thrust into the secret world of her father to retrieve a priceless artifact. When debriefed by his formidable boss Uxa, she learns that there is far more going on in her sleepy little Island town than she ever thought possible. She sets out on her adventure with her team (after sneaking in her best friend Paley, natch), feeling inadequate compared to the skills and talents of the teen soldiers around her. Van struggles to figure out her place in this ragtag group, quiet her insecurities, and conquer her fears so that she can play her role in the unfolding history of the Living World.

I loved the tension between Van and Brux, and the romantic sparks between them. Jorie is also a great character who is very lively and intricately drawn. I could picture her black mohawk and “friend” Zachary vividly, and it made me smile every time she jumped onto the stage of this story. Van’s transformation through the story and was impressive as she came to terms with what she was actually capable of and who she actually could be in the world. I highly recommend this book – a great adventure!

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Shock of Fate (Anchoress Series Book 1) by D.L. Armillei – Review by Skylar Daniels

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Shock of Fate (Anchoress #1)Shock of Fate by D.L. Armillei
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a fantasy story that has a lot of action and full of surprises. The author pulls you into this world and captures you with every word written. You’re on the edge of your seat wondering what’s going to happen next. This story revolves around Vanessa and her mission to find a relic. I love that this story is written with background information. Through stories and flashbacks, you’ll read about how the current situation has come about. These stories also provide Vanessa information on mistakes that have been made in the past that she can avoid. The attention to detail that this has book has been amazing.

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Shock of Fate (Anchoress Series Book 1) by D.L. Armillei – Review by Ashley Hasting

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Shock of Fate (Anchoress #1)Shock of Fate by D.L. Armillei
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Vanessa Cross thought of herself as an ordinary teen, but little did she know the big secrets that have been hidden from her her whole life. Her dad is usually off island on big trips for his work, but it’s actually another reason to be seen when read. When she gets a wake up call and is to report to the reservation area, she knows something is up. A lot of adventure is ahead of her, and it’s up to her to figure it all out. This book has been an exciting read and I went straight to the second book for more!

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Shock of Fate (Anchoress Series Book 1) by D.L. Armillei – Review by Kerry Baker

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Shock of Fate (Anchoress #1)Shock of Fate by D.L. Armillei
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a fantastic young adult novel. You are really thrown into this book and made to sit up and take notice. I really loved the main character. She felt like such a well rounded character with a great story. I connected with her straight away and that didn’t waver once. The whole book was so well written. It was exciting right from the word go and I couldn’t wait to find out what was going to happen. A genuinely fantastic book that uas me excited for the next one.

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Shock of Fate(Anchoress Series Book 1) by D.L.Armillei- Review by Kerry Carr

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Shock of Fate (Anchoress #1)Shock of Fate by D.L. Armillei
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the first book in the Anchoress series. And wow what a ride. This book is action packed from the first page. The author does an amazing job with the characters and bringing their worlds to life. At first I was a little confused with between the living world and earth world but after a while I got used to it.
The twist at the beginning of the story was different. How the story started by focusing on Van’s father and then goes straight on to focusing on Van was different but made for an intriguing story. You just knew there was something special and unique about Van.

When her father goes missing Van is selected to go on a secret project but not knowing what that project is she decides to take her friend Paley along for the ride. Using gemstones to travel via a portal the girls set off with no idea of the consequences of their actions and what it means to have used the stones.
What happens next is an adventure that keeps the reader gripped as the girls try to uncover what happened to Van’s father. Is he dead or has something happened to him? Did he do the things he was accused of? And can Van protect him while trying to complete her own project and keep herself and her friend safe.

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Shock of Fate (Anchoress Series Book 1) by D.L. Armillei – Review by Stephanie nicole

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Shock of Fate (Anchoress #1)Shock of Fate by D.L. Armillei
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This author is just simply amazing, not only does this book have great characters, an amazing plot, but it has so much action your put right in the middle of it in the very first chapter. This was the first installment in this series and I personally can’t wait to see what our author gives us next. Van was an excellent character, sometimes you love her and sometimes you can’t stand her. But when Van’s world is released to her a few pieces play a time what will happen when she has to go on a mission? But truth be told this book has a little bit of everything from magic, drama, tension, action, and so much more that it will make your head spin. So make sure to pick up your copy today.

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Shock of Fate (Anchoress Series Book 1) by D.L. Armillei – Review by Shelly Kittell

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Shock of Fate (Anchoress #1)Shock of Fate by D.L. Armillei
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is one of my favorite types. The action begins right at chapter 1 and you are sucked right in. I couldn’t put it down but life and my family just kept needing me. Lol. The plot progresses quickly and keeps going. Those are the best kind of books. Vanessa is a teen who takes a large risk to find her father. Who does every teen take with her on a journey? Even if there are risks to life and limb? Her bestie, of course? These two have some wild adventures in an alternate world looking for an important relic. They meet some incredible characters along the way. Strong main characters and a fast plot line make for an 5 star rating in my book. I’d give it more if I could. I can’t wait to read it to my grandchildren. I highly recommend it.

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Shock of Fate (Anchoress #1) by D.L. Armillei – Review by Jenni Bishop

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Shock of Fate (Anchoress #1)Shock of Fate by D.L. Armillei
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Vanessa Cross is only fifteen years old but she loves the finer things in life such as clothes, perfect nails, shopping, anything. All she wants to do for summer break is spend her days at the beach, getting her nails done and shop till she drops. Vanessa knows what she wants out of life, marriage to Ken and lots of children. She is always surrounded by friends but her best friend is Paley, whom she can not be without. Paley has never had the kind of life Vanessa has had as she is an orphan living in the orphanage but Paley has learned the best ways to sneak around without being caught. The two are inseparable and often find themselves in trouble.

Vanessa learns that her father is in trouble and now finds herself face to face with his boss who has called upon her and reveals some very disturbing and unreal news. Vanessa is now called upon to join a mission to help the fate of mankind. Everything she thought she knew is a lie. Everything she ever believed in is a lie. Those she thought she could trust is a lie. Vanessa now finds herself on a harrowing life or death journey to an alternate world. They have all been hand picked for their unique skills, but what skills does Vanessa have? She doesn’t know. They have been tasked with finding and retrieving the Coin of Creation. Slowly but surely on this venture Vanessa finds herself on a path of self discovery whilst trying to survive being caught by the enemy and finding and fighting magic. She has also found friendship and love but even they will be tested.

Will Vanessa and the others find what they are looking for? Will Vanessa survive all she needs to in order to stop the evil? Will she survive the struggles of her heart? In the end will they all endure and survive the treacherous journey?

This story is full of twist and turns, ups and downs that you never know what going to happen or just who to trust but is one story you will not want to put down until you know how it all ends.

Reviewed by @jennadb

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