Genre: Paranormal Romance Word Count: 79, 370 ISBN: 978-1-77233-517-0 Editor: JC Chute Cover Artist: Jay Aheer

The Rift by S.D. Wasley

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The Seventh, 2

“I longed for normality. Even our own, off-the-wall brand of normality.” 

She’s finally got things together. Mimi’s dating a hot guy and has a place in the school’s Gifted Program with her awesome friends. Yes, she still attracts the dead. But there’s only one ghost these days, and he doesn’t seem to have an awful lot to say. 

Just when Mimi’s life is looking pretty good for the first time in years, the unthinkable happens ... one of the seven gifted teens is torn from their close-knit group. The unity of their circle shattered, things begin to go terribly wrong. It’s ruining their focus—and with the threat of the Astarion cult growing stronger each day, the gifted seven need all the focus they can muster. 

In The Seventh, Mimi found her place in a circle of seven extraordinary teenagers. In The Rift, she must face what happens when the circle of seven is broken.

14+ due to adult situations

 

Excerpt:

Ms. Deering looked unlike her usual peaceful self when she entered the room. She was pale under her tan, her mouth set in a hard line. It didn’t take an Empath to see there was a problem, but Gabe was the first to speak.

“What’s wrong, Ms. D?” he asked.

She shook her head. “Wait till everyone’s here.”

We exchanged glances and waited impatiently for Cassie, Ed and Patience to turn up. Ed, never in much of a hurry, joined us soon after with his sunny grin in place. Cassie finally arrived after another couple of minutes. She threw down her satchel and dropped into her seat. “Sorry,” she scowled. “Mr. Rendall kept us in until we finished his entire algebra worksheet. It was impossible.”

“Cassie, please,” Ms. Deering said.

Cassie tossed the long red curls and closed her mouth, offended. I raised an eyebrow at Drew and he frowned in response. It wasn’t like Ms. Deering to be so stern.

“I have to tell you something worrying,” she said.

“Hang on, aren’t you going to wait for Patience?” Drew objected.

Ms. Deering looked awkward. “Er, it’s about Patience.”

Drew tensed beside me and Gabe glanced across at us both. Sometimes I wished he would at least pretend he didn’t notice when he felt anything out of the ordinary.

“Is she okay?” Mona asked. “Is she sick?”

“She’s not sick,” Ms. Deering said. “But we received a letter from her father this morning. He says he intends to withdraw Patience from Etherall Valley Prep.”

Stunned silence followed, broken only by Cassie’s horrified gasp. Ed was the first to find his voice.

“But why?”

Ms. Deering gave a helpless shrug. “Mr. Rose isn’t required to give us a reason. All he has to do is tell us in writing.”

“I’d bet it’s because he’s worried about Patience’s spiritual progress.” Drew’s voice was bitter.

“Oh, for—” Mona managed to cut herself short. “Does that mean they’re going to try to ‘exorcise her demons’ again? When is her family going to get a clue, and leave Patience alone?”

“Obviously, the exorcisms are our main concern too, Mona,” Ms. Deering said. “Mr. Boxe and I are going to visit Dale’s Run tomorrow afternoon to see if we can reason with the Roses and persuade them to let Patience come back to school.”

“Do you honestly think you have a chance of changing their minds?” Drew asked.

“I don’t know. All we can do is hope Mr. Boxe and I are convincing enough to influence Adam Rose.”

Drew’s face darkened. “Adam Rose is a moron.  He’s blinded by his ridiculous religious beliefs.” Mona harrumphed loudly and Ed raised his eyebrows. “I’m not saying all church-goers or religious people are ridiculous,” Drew added, his cheeks reddening. “But I don’t like Rose. He’s too extreme. He’s a danger to his own family, and he seems to trust everything that fire-and-brimstone Pastor Carruthers says.”

“Can’t you call Child Protective Services?” Mona asked. “I mean, the way her dad considers her a devil spawn or whatever—it’s abuse, right?”

“I don’t think CPS would agree,” Ms. Deering said. “It often surprises me that they don’t appear to take much interest in the Dale’s Run community. The authorities don’t really interfere. The only time they ever seem to get a visit out there is when the School Board checks the kids are being educated to the proper standard.”

“Maybe that could be the complaint you make, then?” Cassie said. “Poor education. I mean, seriously? What sort of school do they run out there?”

“They have a qualified teacher,” Ms. Deering told her. “He did his course by correspondence, but he’s got a teaching degree and the kids out there have been put through testing a few times. I know,” she added, seeing our faces. “I don’t see how the situation could be very good for those kids either, but apparently it’s fine—at least according to the government departments that monitor Dale’s Run.”

Mona sighed. “So, she’s screwed,” she said flatly. “At least until she hits eighteen. And Patience isn’t exactly a rebellious fire-starter. She’s not likely to cause trouble or ditch home, even when she’s an adult.”

“As I said, we’ll visit and talk to them. For now, you’ll have to be satisfied with that.”

None of us was satisfied with that, obviously. Ms. Deering attempted to get us on track for a semi-normal class but we kept returning to the topic of Patience. Mona was irate about it all, while Ed and Drew both lapsed into moody silences. Cassie and Gabe kept trying to think of things Ms. Deering could say to Patience’s father to get him to change his mind. My attention was caught by my little boy ghost. He’d been restless, sitting on a seat at the back of the room, but now he got up and came to stand by me for a moment. I got excited, thinking he might speak to me, but I was disappointed. He simply hovered for a few moments before going back to his seat to trace invisible lines on the carpet with his foot.

It wasn’t just me who felt uneasy for the rest of the day. When classes finished, the six of us fell in together as we wandered back to the dorms, but no one talked. Drew and I sneaked a kiss before we parted. This bit—the moment we said goodbye until the next morning—was always my least favourite part of the school day. Drew seemed distracted … not surprising, really. I squeezed his hand to show him I knew, and he gave me a small smile.

“Collabor8,” he promised.

 

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Product Reviews

Score: 5 out of 5 (based on 5 ratings)
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4/5
Great Sequel!
Written by Rachel @ The Rest Is Still Unwritten on 3rd Mar 2017

The Rift is a wonderful follow up to S.D. Wasley’s debut novel, The Seventh and is an enjoyable tale that continues on with the storyline from its predecessor yet also sees Wasley add new layers to her series. After the harrowing events of The Seventh, Mimi thinks she’s finally got her life together. Having found her place at Etherall Valley Prep, Mimi is enjoying learning to control her gift of seeing ghosts, has a wonderful relationship with her boyfriend Drew and has embraced her role in the Gifted Program. Everything is going splendid; that is until the gifted teens see one of their own torn from their group, resulting in unexpected havoc affecting their gifts. With the rogue Astarions an ever present threat, Mimi and her friends must rally together and figure out how to save one of their own, or risk the consequences that are too horrible to even consider….. Having read and enjoyed The Seventh, The Rift was a decent follow up in my eyes. S.D. Wasley is back with solid, descriptive writing and more mysteries to uncover. This series is shaping up nicely and I enjoy the way all the gifted teens support and complement each other. Wasley explores different conflicts and makes you question just who is the good guy and the bad guy at times. Mimi is still a solid protagonist, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say I had my issues with her in this novel. I’m going to chalk it all up to being a teenager and needing to make mistakes and grow, but I felt Mimi made the wrong choice at times during The Rift. I really liked the way S.D. Wasley explored and developed Mimi’s abilities though. Mimi discovers new aspects to what she sees, as well as two new ghosts Dot and Charlie who were oh, so cute! Throughout The Rift, Mimi and her friends find themselves struggling with their gifts and who to trust as the rogue Astarions close in on the teens. Prophecies continue to point towards dangerous events, and our gifted characters find it hard to determine who can be trusted and who cannot. I must admit Wasley had me unsure myself—tossing up between two individuals whose motives were in question. Keeping us on our toes and easily entertained, S.D. Wasley weaves natural teen angst, relationship drama and friendship together with magical elements and danger to create an enjoyable sequel! I'm looking forward to more.

5/5
Five Stars
Written by Cheryle Perkins on 3rd Mar 2017

Great series.

5/5
Great book!
Written by Sherry Judge on 3rd Mar 2017

This was an amazing book! I love how the characters interact with each other and can overcome the obstacles they face with the gifts they are given!!! I can't wait till the next book comes out!!!!

5/5
Brilliant, Action Packed, Amazing, second book that leaves you desperately wanting Book 3.
Written by Janis F on 3rd Mar 2017

The Rift starts where The Seventh leaves off. Mimi is finally happy with her life. She has good loyal friends she thought she would never have, she has a boyfriend and she’s enjoying her new school. All is going so well; the kids are developing their gifts but then one of the extraordinary seven is no longer with them. All of their gifts go a little crazy and nobody can figure out why. In order to solve the problem, the kids develop a plan that makes you scream into your book, NO!!! Then the ride starts, the action begins, secrets are discovered and your left breathless and wanting more by the end of the book. If you enjoy a really well written young adult book filled with a paranormal science fiction feeling, then pick up both The Seventh and The Rift today.

5/5
More Magic and Terror in Book 2!
Written by Marcus Damanda on 3rd Mar 2017

There’s a small child in the corner of the room—the ghost of a child who cannot speak. There’s a dark wind gathering outside, bringing shadows and the threat of an ancient, once-thought-dead secret society. And in a very, very special classroom, a familiar face is missing. At Etherall Valley, school’s about to start again. Hold on. THE RIFT is more than just a sequel to the magical and often perilous world S.d. Wasley created in her debut novel, THE SEVENTH. It’s an expansion of the dangers and possibilities only hinted at in the previous book, as well as an often-moving exploration of the theme that the sum is greater than its parts. At Etherall Valley, we experience that through the eyes of seven friends who must learn it firsthand, even as they work to unravel the deep mysteries of their enemies—and of their own collective self. Wasley does such a good job of reintroducing her characters and conflicts that it’s almost unnecessary to read THE SEVENTH before diving into this book, and yet there’s no sense of repetition or recap. Background and forward story momentum weave together seamlessly, welcoming new readers while welcoming back old ones. It is, however, a welcome fraught with unease … The gifted class at Etherall Valley Prep has seen better days. Mimi’s old ghosts are gone, and her new one isn’t talking. Petty arguments threaten to fracture relationships within the only circle of friends she has ever known. Worse yet, there’s an unseen … interference, which creates a ripple effect that diminishes and corrupts the powers of the others—powers they will most assuredly need, as the threat of the Astorians converges upon them. All of this happens against an intricately woven tapestry of character development that is the hallmark of Wasley’s writing. Those who populate her stories are as likely to infuriate the reader at some points as they are to make us stand up and cheer for them at others. That’s because, behind the curtain of shadows and magic, S.d. Wasley has an intuitive understanding of the human condition. She gets people right, and she seems to do it naturally and without effort. Nor does she suffer from the protagonist-at-the-center-of-everyone’s-universe syndrome. Secondary and sometimes even minor characters come to the fore and regularly contribute to the story’s action. Plenty of surprises in Volume 2, as well—but in the interest of keeping them surprises, I’ll say no more. Suffice it to say, even as the circle of friends we came to love in THE SEVENTH begins to crack, THE RIFT escorts the reader into an adventure of even grander scope and vision. There’s a darkness in there, too—a darkness that simply cannot be broken by any one hero, not even our Mimi. Those who follow her into that darkness may, in the end, emerge better for it—if, that is, they emerge at all.

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