Compulsion

Martina Boone

Oct 2014 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

Beautiful Creatures meets The Body Finder in Compulsion, the first novel in a spellbinding new trilogy.

All her life, Barrie Watson has been a virtual prisoner in the house where she lived with her shut-in mother. When her mother dies, Barrie promises to put some mileage on her stiletto heels. But she finds a new kind of prison at her aunt’s South Carolina plantation instead—a prison guarded by an ancient spirit who long ago cursed one of the three founding families of Watson Island and gave the others magical gifts that became compulsions.

Stuck with the ghosts of a generations-old feud and hunted by forces she cannot see, Barrie must find a way to break free of the family legacy. With the help of sun-kissed Eight Beaufort, who knows what Barrie wants before she knows herself, the last Watson heir starts to unravel her family’s twisted secrets. What she finds is dangerous: a love she never expected, a river that turns to fire at midnight, a gorgeous cousin who isn’t what she seems, and very real enemies who want both Eight and Barrie dead.

Ratings and reviews

To be honest, I started this book because of the Beautiful Creatures vibe, by which I mean it is a Southern gothic romance novel. After the death of her mother, Barrie is going to her mother’s ancestral home to live with her aunt. The move, the complicated relationship she had with her mother and the one she has with her caretaker until now, all that as well as the newness of a community that knows her but of which she knows nothing about - all these are slowly explored in the course of the novel. Watson Island is built on its long history and the secrets it keeps, as well as the curse that binds three of its founding families. What surprised me about the book that while it downplays the urban fantasy nature of the novel and keeps the romance level higher, I still loved it overall. It is different, and unpredictable at most times. The curse, too, presented a range of characterization in the three heirs of the respective families, and how it shapes them. Barrie is always the one who is returning things, and she has also had to grow up and mature much earlier due to her mother’s reclusiveness. She is a people pleaser but here she finds Eight, who is even a bigger people pleaser than her, although he has to work hard at not being it. And then comes her cousin, who she wants to forge a relationship with and yet the curse and its implications on her upbringing. Barrie finds a family here on the island, but she has to decide what parts of it and its heritage she wants to claim. The romance, meanwhile, I am not completely sold on. Eight and hers instant connection, as well as the fact that she feels a ‘returning click’ (not explained yet) when she touches him are quite close to insta-love without being insta-love. I can’t decide if it’s slow burn or a foregone conclusion that is playing out here - and them hardly knowing each other for like a week before they are pretty much in love isn’t helping with the former. Also, that boi has mood-swings like whaaaat? Seriously, he is mad at her one second and then grinning at her the next. I don’t know what is the curse and what is the author’s attempts to make him come across as closed-off-yet-charming. The mystery aspect fared better, in my opinion, even though it wasn’t as unpredictable as the rest of the plot. On the whole, it is an interesting and captivating start to the series.

I read this book 3 years ago and I've been looking for it everywhere! It's awesome and has the best amount of mystery in it. I swear, when I was reading it I stayed up till five in the morning 'cause I couldn't put it down. OK, I feel hiped for beginning the 2nd one. One more thing. This book was so good that it needs way more popularity! I mean, how does everyone not know of this book?! People put down Percy Jackson- wait, don't do that. That series is actually pretty damn good. Actually finish that book and hurry up and read this one. It surely won't disappoint.

Can't wait for the 2nd book! The rich southern setting, Barrie and Eights magical gifts & a dark twist... enchants you!

About the author

Martina Boone was born in Prague and spoke several languages before learning English. She fell in love with words and never stopped delighting in them. She’s the author of the Heirs of Watson Island series, and the founder of both AdventuresinYAPublishing.com, a Writer’s Digest 101 Best Websites for Writers site, and YASeriesInsiders.com, a Tumblr site devoted to news, giveaways, and insider secrets of much-loved and up-and-coming YA series.

From her home in Virginia, where she lives with her husband, children, and Auggie the wonder dog, she enjoys writing contemporary fantasy set in the kinds of magical places she’d love to visit. When she isn’t writing, she’s addicted to travel, horses, skiing, chocolate flavored tea, and anything with Nutella on it.