Robin Lovejoy @robinlovejoy-blog - Tumblr Blog

Banshee in the Well by Robin Lovejoy

Andy Angel Review

What a wonderful way to start your career as a writer. This story tells of a young boy who finds a girl in the well on his farm. The girl turns out to be a 13th century banshee who needs to find a way to get her magic back and return from our time to hers. The relationship between the two main characters is really well written as is the way Sathra, the banshee sees modern things which she has obviously never seen before. The story has paintballers, treasure hunters and a rock band (with a Simon Cowell type character who is only in the background) and goes from scene to scene fluently.

I have worked with young people in a library enviroment so I feel confident enough to say they would lap this up but so would adults.

All said, this being a first novel is quite astounding. The author writes with a style and confidence that others can only wish for. I look forward to reading more from Robin Lovejoy and heartily recommend this book.

#andy angel #robin lovejoy #banshee in the well #sathra #banshee #niall carver

Sara Jo Easton Review

Sathra is a twelve year old banshee who is in the wrong century. To return to her own time, she has to sacrifice a twelve year old human boy. Unfortunately for her, the 21st century is a strange time with strange new ideas and customs. Her one hope may be a boy named Niall who wants to be her friend.

I loved that Sathra stayed true to her banshee self throughout the story, and I was greatly amused by her attempts to find a sacrifice and regain her powers. Lovejoy has written an entertaining story that is a great way to spend the afternoon. I'm looking forward to reading more of her work.

#Robin Lovejoy #sara jo easton #banshee in the well #banshee #sathra #niall carver

Reg Cragin Review

Well done, a must for the quick, and adventuristic. A shining first achievement, from the most promising author Robin Lovejoy. Excellent characters, fun, and fantastic. Greatly woven wit, twisting the enchanting, and entertaining to the very end. Highly recommended. This year reward yourself with this fine read, or give a Kindle to someone you love, and enhance it with the "Banshee in the Well". You'll be glad you did.

#Reg Cragin #Robin Lovejoy #Banshee in the Well #Sathra #Banshee #Niall Carver

Jonathan Winspear Review

An excellent first book from this author that clips along at a nice pace and is full of adventure for readers in the YA category. One feels for both protagonists; the young Niall, and his banshee 'friend' Sathra, and the reader is never quite sure until the final pages as to the outcome.

The author has a fine use of English, especially when characters are moving from scene to scene - action and location being never muddied but always clear and descriptive.

A very good first novel.

#robin lovejoy #jonathan winspear #banshee #banshee in the well #sathra #niall carver

Ron Gavalik Review

Robin Lovejoy's debut novel is a lot of fun, with young and interesting characters that remind me of the stories I enjoyed during my YA novel days. Her passion for this story shows in every page, forcing the reader to turn page after page until the story comes to a close. It's the kind of story that makes you ponder the possibilities of fantasy in contemporary society, and it does it with class. Keep and eye on Lovejoy. She's an up and comer, who should be followed closely.

#sathra #robin lovejoy #banshee in the well #niall carver #ron gavalik #grit city

Mark Chapman Review

Banshee in the Well is a well written novel/novella (not sure which) and is good fun. The two main characters are both likable and amusing. Robin Lovejoy has learnt how to write a 'page-turner.' I read the book on my kindle in one evening. Well worth buying if you enjoy this genre. I look forward to the sequel.

#robin lovejoy #banshee in the well #mark chapman #sathra #banshee #niall carver

Faso Wall Review

Original, perceptive and witty; edgy, shrewd and sly; this is a dazzling read from a Charlie’s Angel of an author who delivers karate chops with both hands and winks at the audience while she does it. Twelve-year-old Niall, a farmer’s son, is alone in the farmhouse when he hears a blood-curdling shriek outside. He tracks the sound down to an old well in the corner of his garden. He rescues Sathra, a banshee girl who’s been transported through a time warp from the thirteenth century to the present day. After this captivating opening Niall and Sathra set off for lots of unlikely yet spellbinding adventures. But whose side is Sathra really on? Truth may be stranger than fiction but in the altered reality of Lovejoy's intricate tale you'll keep on guessing till the end and you'll think about the story long after you've finished reading. Gritty, quirky, smart and vibrantly funny, BANSHEE IN THE WELL is as compelling as it is entertaining.

#robin lovejoy #sathra #banshee in the well #niall carver

Mike Saxton Review

Banshee in the Well begins with Niall Carver in his room, on the computer when he hears a loud shriek that cracks the glass of the window. Home alone, he decides to investigate. His journey leads him to an old well on the property, which has been sealed and locked since long before he came around. He manages to get it open to discover a strange girl with black markings.

After a brief confrontation, she introduces herself as Sathra the dryad. She is from the 13 century, her magic used to escape her imprisonment from monks by warping her to the present day. She explains what a dryad is and what she needs to do to regain her magical powers to return to her time and her 11 half-sisters. Niall is fascinated, not realizing that Sathra is actually a banshee, not a dryad, and there are only two ways to regain her power: get struck by lightning or sacrifice a male her age. Well it just so happens that she is 12 and so is Niall. There are more 12 year old males than bolts of lightning striking in the vicinity so inevitably, she needs to commit murder.

Sathra can't just kill. She has to sacrifice the male in a circle of stones, and he has to enter it willingly. Adventures ensue as she tries to lure Niall to the circle while pretending to be his friend. In the meantime, she becomes a bit conflicted and decides to try alternative males but manages to get herself in trouble. Can she find someone else to sacrifice to spare Niall? Will the young boy be able to escape with his life? Is there a way for both of them to get their way with no bloodshed?

I have to say, Sathra is quite an amusing character. She does not understand modern technology (no surprise) such as Google Searches (gargoyle searches), computers & televisions (magical simulacrums), etc. Despite her heightened physical attributes (she beats the hell out of full grown adults pulling off some crazy stunts), she keeps managing to get herself into trouble and screwing up her plans.

The story itself is a lot of fun. It's not a long read, but it draws the reader in. With amusing characters (especially Sathra), an unexpected and welcome amount of action (especially the part where she beats the hell out of a mouthy little punk), and an interesting story, this is worthwhile for younger readers (teens) on up. There's even a band called Karmic Surprise, and they are very aptly named (I will give away no more than that as it comes together in the end). I hope the author comes out with a sequel, I'd love to read it.

#robin lovejoy #banshee in the well #mike saxton #7Scorpions

Beth Muscat Review

This young adult book is one that anyone of any age could read and enjoy, but it's truly meant for the young teen population.

Niall is by himself in the house when he hears something so loud that he has to go out to investigate. Inside the abandoned and locked well in the yard is a girl. He wonders how she got in there.

Sathra is a girl from the thirteenth century, who created a spell but the spell went wrong. Instead of going to a different place, she went to a different time.

Niall hides her away in the barn, but she really needs to get back to her own time. She finds out that Niall is twelve, the same age as herself. She needs Niall to get back to her own time, except, he doesn't know that his death is the way to get her back. She is a Banshee, not the dryad that she tells him she is.

Although I thought maybe Niall and Sathra would form some kind of friendship, her Banshee background forbids that. She does come to care a little for Niall, but when push comes to shove, she needs him to get back to her own time. She tries to use other twelve year old boys, but it just never seems to work out.

She must lure the boy to the ring of the Thirteen Dancers, a bunch of rocks that are placed in a circle. But, the boy must enter the ring willingly. Then she could kill him and regain her magical powers to get herself back to the 13 century.

I can't give away the ending, but let's just say, I think there will be subsequent books about Sathra.

It was a fun and fast read, and I give this book 5 stars.

#robin lovejoy #banshee in the well #beth muscat #the bracelet

Tom D Harris Review

From the end of the gripping first chapter, to the sinister promises of the last page, this fantastic debut novel zips along like a speedboat. Written with care, pace and purpose, it drills a devilish sense of humour right through its core.

When twelve year old Niall rescues a strange girl from a well, little does he know that he has placed himself in great danger! For his new friend Sathra is not the harmless Dryad she appears to be but a Banshee intent on sacrificing him so she can get home. This kiss or kill relationship is what rips this story out of the crowd along with the distinctive voices of the two main characters.

As Sathra attempts to draw Niall towards the site of sacrifice, the real world gets thrown into the supernatural mix. Paintballing school friends, treasure hunter's, exploding speedboats and a rock group who's `5th Beatle' is trying to shoot his old band mates all cross over into this supernatural game of cat and mouse.

You won't need a Woodpecker Squealer to find this book, so what are you waiting for...please read it.

Odzookens, indeed!

A fantastic debut novel from Robin Lovejoy

#robin lovejoy #banshee in the well #tom d harris

Robin Lovejoy - Banshee in the Well Synopsis

This fantasy adventure begins at Monastery Farm, Cumbria. Niall Carver, the farmer’s twelve-year-old son, hears a blood-curdling scream and tracks down the sound to an ancient well in the farmhouse garden. From the well he rescues a gothic-looking, dark-haired girl in leather boots and a short dress, her limbs dappled with black markings. The girl introduces herself as Sathra.

Niall carries out some internet research and confirms the truth, that Sathra has come through a time warp from the thirteenth century to the present day. At first Niall suspects she’s a banshee, though Sathra insists that she’s a dryad. The distinction is important because whilst banshees were evil, dryads were the exact opposite. What Niall doesn’t know is that, to return to her own time, Sathra the Banshee must restore her magical powers by sacrificing a boy her own age. Niall would fit the bill perfectly, though she has to lure him to a place of sacrifice, an ancient stone circle about half a mile from the farm. Now believing Sathra is a dryad, Niall looks forward to a series of escapades of the kind that feature in his favourite books such as Stig of the Dump.

These adventures certainly follow, but all the while Sathra is plotting the dreaded sacrifice…

Hi I'm Robin Lovejoy, a young author from Kensington, London, UK. On 2 January 2012 I published my MG fantasy novel, Banshee in the Well, via Amazon Kindle. One of my favourite books when I was nine or ten years old was STIG OF THE DUMP by Clive King. Although it’s now seen as a ‘modern classic’ a lot people tell me it’s ‘old-fashioned’ and was written in an ‘age of innocence.’ Stig was published in 1963 and people from that generation have said to me that even in those days kids were warned ‘not to speak to strange men.’ But Barney, the eight-year-old main character of the book, does exactly that. He meets Stig, the caveman who’s travelled in time from prehistory, and straightaway they become friends. They have half-a-dozen exciting/amusing adventures, and no way does Stig ever mean Barney any harm.

However, when Barney tells his family about his first meeting with Stig, Barney’s sister Lou says:

“Let's pretend Stig's a wicked wizard who lives in a cave and turns people into stone.”

This is on the last page of Chapter One. Lately it’s kind of got me thinking, what if someone takes up Lou’s suggestion and writes a dark version of Stig of the Dump? Would this be sacrilege, or just a reflection that we no longer live in an age of innocence, more like an ‘age of paranoia’?

I don’t know whether my story will blow people away but at least I’ve given it a try, and that’s what counts!

#robin lovejoy #banshee in the well

Trending Blogs

Recently Viewed Blogs

Robin Lovejoy