The Line (Witching Savannah Book 1)
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“In this debut contemporary urban mystery, J.D. Horn weaves an intricate, gripping tale of magic and mysticism with the assured grace and lyricism of a seasoned novelist.” —Kathryn Leigh Scott, author of Dark Passages and star of the classic TV series, "Dark Shadows"
“The witch is dead and Mercy Taylor needs to find out who killed her in Horn's intriguing debut…This tightly paced, entertaining series opener shows great potential.” —Publishers Weekly
About the Author
J.D. Horn was raised in rural Tennessee, and has since carried a bit of its red clay in him while travelling the world, from Hollywood, to Paris, to Tokyo. He studied comparative literature as an undergrad, focusing on French and Russian in particular. He also holds an MBA in international business and worked as a financial analyst before becoming a novelist. When not writing he is likely running, and he has race bibs from two full marathons and about thirty half marathons. He and his spouse, Rich, and their three pets split their time between Portland, Oregon, and San Francisco.
More About the Author
J. D. Horn was raised in rural Tennessee, and has since carried a bit of its red clay in him while travelling the world, from Hollywood, to Paris, to Tokyo. He studied comparative literature as an undergrad, focusing on French and Russian in particular. He also holds an MBA in international business and worked as a financial analyst before becoming a novelist. When not writing he is likely running, and he has race bibs from two full marathons and about thirty half marathons. He and his spouse, Rich, and their three pets split their time between Portland, Oregon and San Francisco.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
120 of 128 people found the following review helpful
By
J. Lincoln Fenn (POE: The Novel)
on January 1, 2014
Format: Kindle Edition
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In high school I almost always carried around a well-thumbed copy of “The Modern Witch’s Spellbook”, but for me, sadly, none of the spells ever panned out as promised. So I always enjoy a good book about witches and witchery in general, and was very happy to get my hands on an ARC of “The Line” by J.D. Horn. It’s a captivating and enjoyable read. We’re introduced to the graveyards and back alleys of Savannah, itself a main character, as well as a powerful family of witches who have produced the first non-magic “dud” in their history, Mercy Taylor, while her fraternal twin, Maisie, seems to have won the magic genetic jackpot .
This doesn’t seem to trouble Mercy particularly – she’s got a refreshingly practical head on her shoulders and a talent for conducting “Liars Tours” of Savannah for the tourists more interested in a Southern gothic tale than actual history. Her life, however, and the fate of the entire Taylor clan, is upended when on the eve of her 21st birthday, the most powerful witch among them, Mercy’s Great-aunt, is mysteriously murdered.
Horn evokes a very natural, human world for magic, where ghosts and other paranormal creatures live in tandem with our known reality, and the writing is stellar, from the engaging first person narration to the evocative descriptions of Savannah itself. Fans of “The Discovery of Witches”, “The Mortal Instruments”, or “Practical Magic” will find a new addition for their real or virtual shelves. But what impressed me most was that Horn doesn’t let his characters take easy ways out, and the problems they face, as well as the consequences of their actions, are as unpredictable as ‘real’ life. A great debut in what promises to be a fantastic series, I’m already counting down the days for the next novel.
This doesn’t seem to trouble Mercy particularly – she’s got a refreshingly practical head on her shoulders and a talent for conducting “Liars Tours” of Savannah for the tourists more interested in a Southern gothic tale than actual history. Her life, however, and the fate of the entire Taylor clan, is upended when on the eve of her 21st birthday, the most powerful witch among them, Mercy’s Great-aunt, is mysteriously murdered.
Horn evokes a very natural, human world for magic, where ghosts and other paranormal creatures live in tandem with our known reality, and the writing is stellar, from the engaging first person narration to the evocative descriptions of Savannah itself. Fans of “The Discovery of Witches”, “The Mortal Instruments”, or “Practical Magic” will find a new addition for their real or virtual shelves. But what impressed me most was that Horn doesn’t let his characters take easy ways out, and the problems they face, as well as the consequences of their actions, are as unpredictable as ‘real’ life. A great debut in what promises to be a fantastic series, I’m already counting down the days for the next novel.
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77 of 85 people found the following review helpful
By
infinityink
on January 6, 2014
Format: Kindle Edition
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Most of the time I was reading The Line, I was imagining it as a mediocre made-for-TV movie. The kind where the plot is interesting enough to keep watching for the moment, but easy to move on from if something better comes on a different channel. The book seems confused as to what genre it belongs in. Is it Young Adult? Adult? The simple writing style and characterization of the main character, Mercy, leads me to say young adult, but the sprinkled mature themes and language leads me to believe it's meant for adults. The dialogue is perfunctory, and though some characters speak with dialect, it feels rather forced. The "acting," so to speak, lacks heart. I found it hard to engage with any character with the exception of Mother Jilo. Consequently, that made it hard to care about what happened to anyone.
The book isn't bad, and I wouldn't say I wasted my time reading it. However, I do think the author was trying so hard not to fall into cliche-land that the story ended up having too many elements to control effectively, which is what leaves me with that "meh" no-closure feeling. Some of the side-drama/love-triangle bits could have been removed and the story wouldn't have suffered. After awhile the constant switches between "bad guys" made me roll my eyes because it felt like the author was deliberately trying to trip you up instead of letting the story flow naturally. This was especially true of the final bad-guy flip-flop, which came abruptly. I don't like sensing the author's hand when I read, which is definitely the feeling I had while reading this book.
To end on a good note, I do have to give the author credit for his fantastic world building. I've never been to Savannah, but I was able to imagine the world vividly in my head, from the streets and buildings and cemeteries, to the hot air and sounds of summer surrounding everything.
The book isn't bad, and I wouldn't say I wasted my time reading it. However, I do think the author was trying so hard not to fall into cliche-land that the story ended up having too many elements to control effectively, which is what leaves me with that "meh" no-closure feeling. Some of the side-drama/love-triangle bits could have been removed and the story wouldn't have suffered. After awhile the constant switches between "bad guys" made me roll my eyes because it felt like the author was deliberately trying to trip you up instead of letting the story flow naturally. This was especially true of the final bad-guy flip-flop, which came abruptly. I don't like sensing the author's hand when I read, which is definitely the feeling I had while reading this book.
To end on a good note, I do have to give the author credit for his fantastic world building. I've never been to Savannah, but I was able to imagine the world vividly in my head, from the streets and buildings and cemeteries, to the hot air and sounds of summer surrounding everything.
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65 of 71 people found the following review helpful
By
tcluther
on January 2, 2014
Format: Kindle Edition
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The story is set in Savannah, GA and follows a young woman, Mercy, who has grown up as the only non-magic weilding family member in a very powerful family of witches. She visits a hoo-doo dr to put a love spell on her, asking to fall in love with her childhood best friend, hoping to end feelings she has for her twin sister's boyfriend. Early in the book her Aunt, the tyrannical family matriach and defender of the border between the human world and the demon world is murdered. As the process to select new defender begins more strange and dangerous things happen. Mercy has to grow up quickly and soon realizes that everyone around her has secrets and that she doesn't know who she can trust.
I read this book from start to finish without ever putting it down. The author gave descriptions of Savannah that felt like you were walking the city with the characters.
I read this book from start to finish without ever putting it down. The author gave descriptions of Savannah that felt like you were walking the city with the characters.
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30 of 34 people found the following review helpful
By
Amazon Customer
on January 2, 2014
Format: Kindle Edition
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While The Line started slowly, and felt like it would be predictable, it wasn't, at least not toward the end. The characters that are fully fleshed out are fantastic, but they are few. The feeling that The Line should just be the first section of a much larger book (which is the case for many of these ubiquitous series which are intended from conception to be series- instead of "I think I have another story to tell with these characters, perhaps I'll write a sequel") is there, but not as bad as say, Timebound (which was my December choice for my Amazon freebie), where the story feels like it just begins as the book ends.
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25 of 29 people found the following review helpful
By
Erika
on January 1, 2014
Format: Kindle Edition
1 Comment
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This novel created a tale that read as real as if ghosts and witches walked with us. Told from Mercy's point of view it reveals a character as flawed as any human. She makes decisions lives with the consequences and trusts the wrong people. It is a well written novel I could not put down, ready for the series to contintue. I have fallen for Mercy as a character and can't wait to read the rest of her story.
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