Book Review: Something Wicked

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Author: T.R. Kester
ISBN: 978-0-9944744-1-4
RRP: $24.95

By now you may have realised that I’m a sucker for a local author, a debut author and sometimes a self-published author, so when I was approached by T.R. Kester, who happens to be all three, how could I possibly resist. Kester’s debut is also in one of my long time fave genres so I slid it in near the top of the pile. I’m certainly a sucker for a fantasy but sometimes these days I hold back because I need to concentrate more deeply on a fantasy to immerse myself properly in the world.

Something Wicked is the beginning of a series that promises to be epic. Three brothers born into a powerful line of witches stretching back to Salem, and Ancient Egypt, have fallen out of touch and they have to find a way back to one another to strengthen their power to face the challenges ahead.

There are a lot of characters in this novel, with more to be added in each book. There is an invaluable guide to keep track of who’s who in the very involved story included in the front of the book. Some of the characters are known by more than one name so it does get a little convoluted and confusing at times but once you get it all straight you should be alright.

Something Wicked is set in the gothic, fictional Treadwell, Deane County. I found the world building difficult to grasp, possibly because of where I live. Deane County seems to be somewhere close to Los Angeles but there were lots of familiar places names used from close to home. This may have only stuck out to me because of where I live and that they are familiar. People living in other areas will probably not give it a second thought.

Witches, vampires, sirens, mermaids, demigoddesses and demons – Something Wicked has them all and at times it all seems a bit fluid. The mythology seems to be both well researched and utilising poetic license. All of which ties together for an intense read requiring concentration. Much of this may be down to my headspace at the moment and the amount of time I have spent away from the genre.

The story behind the book is almost as intriguing as the story inside the book, and hopefully we will be able to bring you some of that in an upcoming interview.

Much of Something Wicked revolves around family, and the importance of that connection. The Pogue family power is compromised by the rift between the brothers but there is also great power in the Romani family, who may need to come to the rescue of Treadwell while the Pogue brothers struggle to put their differences aside.

Fantasy lovers will get a real kick out of the melding of mythologies and the belief that nothing is irreversible, except vampirism. Whether you choose the light side or the dark you can always change your mind.

My head is all over the place and with everything going on in the real world it’s been days between finishing the book and starting the review…. never a helpful mix.

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Something Wicked demonstrates that having a disability doesn’t make you lesser, it only makes you different and that gives you different strengths even though you may have a weakness or two. One of the characters is deaf and the fact that he is the youngest of the family doesn’t really help his cause, his parents forever want to protect him and cushion him from what happens in the world which only makes him more determined to prove his independence.

Having said that Something Wicked is very involved and takes concentration, it was still an engrossing read that I managed to get through in a weekend which was quite a surprise. I thought it was going to take much longer.

Something Wicked is a convincing debut with a strong storyline that I look forward to following through the series. Kester will be a fantasy author to watch as he hones his craft.

For more information on the book, and to see where T.R. Kester will pop up next you can find him on Facebook and TRKester.com.au.

To check out stockist info or to purchase a copy online head to TRKester.com.au and look for the Stockist and Buy pages.

You can also purchase digitally from Smashwords here: Something Wicked.

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