The Discovered

Maggie Sunseri

Jan 2022 · The Lost Witches of Aradia Book 1 · Maggie Sunseri

About this ebook

Her magick was hidden to keep her alive. When that power is unleashed, only one witch can protect her.

All Áine wants for her 22nd birthday is a night out in New York City with her normal, human friends. But when her roommate stumbles into oncoming traffic, Áine breaks the bind on her extraordinary, witch-born power to save her. With Áine’s magick now freed, her world shifts, and the voice of a male witch commands her to run.

Hunted by dark forces, Áine is taken to Aradia, the witch realm, by the mysterious and captivating witch, Daelon. A man of perfect control, Daelon needs Áine’s trust to protect her and train her to wield her magick. But Áine considers her “gift” more of a curse and wants nothing to do with the realm of her mothers’ murderers. Even worse, Daelon’s shielding ability makes him the only one impervious to her clairsentience—the ability to read others’ true nature.

As Daelon’s undeniable magnetism puts her under a spell of its own, Áine must decide how much trust and control she’s willing to relinquish. Because as enemies descend, it’s becoming harder to tell if her fierce protector is really a friend… or a foe.

For fans of Sarah J. Maas and Jennifer Armentrout, The Discovered is the first book in a paranormal fantasy romance series that features dangerous, sexy romance, a mind-bending multidimensional universe, and a witchy spin on what it means to have hope in the face of sorrow and darkness, and to have faith amid cruelty and deception.

Buy The Discovered today and join Áine on her journey through Earth, Aradia, and the astral realms on her world-saving quest for love, truth, and all things magick.

Ratings and reviews

Set predominantly in the witch realm of Aradia, the plot follows main character Áine as the knowledge of her own power and the realm is revealed alongside Daelon, the witch training her to control her magick. An engrossing read, I finished it in days as it became virtually impossible to put down. While often storylines seem to either go heavy with the romance and erotic, deep into the fantasy world-building, or more high-brow into the insightful and philosophical commentary, The Discovered effortlessly combines all of these for something far more original than the norm. The book has immensely greater depth than the typical book found in the genre of sex and romance (yet it also very much delivers in that area), and I have a feeling the themes the author is constructing are only the tip of the iceberg for the rest of the series. In regards to Áine’s clairsentience, I was especially struck by how the novel was able to speak so beautifully to those who have experienced trauma and addiction for instance through its resonant metaphors surrounding both the gifts and tribulations of uniqueness as well as sensitivity. For anyone who has struggled with the impact of their own emotions and/or felt different due to the reach of their feelings, they finally have a significant and invaluable place of understanding that lies within this story. Further speaking to the author's talent, seamless LGBT representation contributed to the kind of empathetic and inclusive lens on the issues discussed that felt truly unprecedented in allowing readers to be seen and understood. Given how captivating the Discovered was and how it seems to flawlessly transition to the next book, I can't wait for the rest of the series and the opportunity to witness the rarity of a stand out author making such an indelible mark with their art.

(4.5) A fantasy adventure with romance, twists, lies, deception and a whole new world to explore with a witty, sarcastic witch with enormous power. This is book 1 in a trilogy - not a conclusions, this is meeting Aine, getting to know and love her, following her struggles and growth in the world of Arcadia and her romance with Daelon. I have to say I had an inkling of where it was going and so I had a hard time finishing, because I didn't want it to go down that road. Even so there were more twists in this fantastic new world. Thank you so much for the arc! I freely share my thoughts and opinions.

I have no words left after reading this book. There are so many things I want to say about it, but I’m afraid that they're going to give away all of the best parts of the story. (Side note: they’re all the best parts.) As much as it frustrated me to not know what was going on, I loved that we got to learn about this world at the same time as our heroine did. Her questions were my questions. Her fears were the same ones I felt for her. There are still so many questions that I have, and so much to learn, that I can't wait to get my hands on the next book in this series. I received a complimentary advanced copy of this book from the author.

About the author

Maggie Sunseri is the author of The Lost Witches of Aradia series by day and a witch, tarot card reader, and astral projector by night. She has a bachelor's degree in Anthropology/Sociology, and when she's not spending her days dreaming up new worlds, she's imagining ways to make the world she's in just a little brighter and more magickal.

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She also writes a Substack about spirituality, mental health, addiction, sexuality, and all things witchy and creative. https://maggiesunseri.substack.com/