#1), Gaia's Secret (A Pandoran Novel

This story is fun, different, interesting; I love it. The world the author created is unlike others that I have read. The 'people' are real and easy to get to know. I would highly recommend this to anyone who likes to step into a different world and the twists and turns in the story.

I could not put this book down. I was enraptured by the beautiful world created in the pages of this book. The mystery and suspense definately hooked me and I found myself turning pages with great anticipation of what would happen next. The characters are interesting and have a depth to them that I cant describe. I cannot wait to continue the story to see what happens next to Daria.

The character development is great in this fantasy novel. I felt so connected to the characters I couldn't put the book down and I can't wait until the next book comes out. I loved the California Central Valley and Yosemite setting. The description of the world of Gaia is so vivid; the book played out like a movie in my head.

The idea behind this story was wonderful. A little more focus on the actual story and details into the characters and plots and it would be amazing!! That may sound odd, but the majority if this book is VERY detailed descriptions of the land, the buildings and castles that the story takes place in. So if you are looking for something to paint a vivid picture of a magical realm look no further. But so much time us spent on it that I found myself wanting to jump ahead several pages just to get back to the story. Also several passages seem repetitive. The main character going back over events from the past in her head (the same ones seemingly over and over, yes there's internal struggle I get that let's move on) and also characters catching eachother up on events and instead of saying that they go over then yet again.
I just feel like it was A LOT of reading for what little bit if story and action is there. I wonder if the next book would be less descriptive (but I doubt it after the way everything goes I to detail). I'd like to know what happens with the characters and I really WANT to like this story but I'm not sure I can handle more drawn out explanations. Some are great n make you feel a part of the story, but there's a point of overboard and unneeded explications....

This is a wonderfully engaging first novel. The characters are well developed, the descriptive prose are beautiful, and the plot is so intriguing that one cannot stop reading! cannot wait for the sequel!

A good story. A bit simplistic...I mean the girl lead character is just too gosh darn stubborn and shoots herself in the foot too many times...but that's the mind set of a teenager, I guess. I like the alternate world they go to. and it is nicely written.

This is at the start to a great book. I was late leaving for work 2 days because I was reading and got to bed late the 2ed day because I had to finish it. But it is unfinished. It is a if the author couldn't think of an ending and stopped writing.

Lord save me from hormonal teenagers. I guess this is what I get for reading a YA novel, lesson learned. I just could not vibe with the heroine, she annoyed the complete crap out of me. I've never known anyone, let alone a young girl, to be so angry and self righteous. It's sickening. She won't listen to reason because she knows better and keeps putting not only herself in danger but people she regards as a second mother/father in danger as well. I couldn't even make it through the entire book, I was so put out by her! Thank god the book was free or I'd really be angry. The book is a mashup of lord of the rings and Harry Potter. That should tell you everything right there. Could have been a great story had the author chosen a character with a lick of sense in her head. So much potential wasted. And no, I would definitely NOT recommend this book to anyone.

I had such high hopes when I downloaded this book. Unfortunately, it failed to live up to its potential. The main character was someone I just didn't care about. She was touted as an "intelligent" person and yet I saw none of it in the story. She constantly whined about her circumstances and did NOTHING to attempt to better the situation. There were dozens of OBVIOUS questions that came to mind during the story and the "intelligent" main character asked none of them. She constantly did her own thing without thinking of the consequences. The author repeatedly promised things would become clear when Daria was reunited with her father. Maybe the author should have made a note of that to remind herself to actually do it when the time came. There were so many things that didn't make sense in the story and I let them go because I was promised answers later in the book. I finished the book. Still waiting for the answers. I wished for two things throughout most of the book: the death of Daria, and the end of the book so I could find something entertaining to read.
There was so much potential in the idea of the book. If you like descriptive writing without worrying about a good story or interesting characters then this is the book for you. The author did quite well with the descriptions. Sadly, the good stopped there. The ending was the best part simply because it was the end of the book. The story just stopped. There was no build up. No climax. Just an end to the story. The whole story lead to ..... nothing. I was expecting some type of conflict. Some type of satisfaction. The ending did fit the rest of the book. That's not a good thing. Read the opening scene then put the book down. It only gets worse from there.

The good things about this story are that it has clean language and it has a story line that takes a coherent path from start to end. The story resolution is good, with no unbearable cliffhangers; just some expected ones. I didn't mind those because I knew it was a series beginning. It is suitable for young readers, at least if you don't mind them having a terrible example of grammar, phrasing, and logic. There are numerous incomplete sentences. It's often repetitive, in descriptions and in the self-talk of the main character. Some of the creatures were interesting, but not much was developed about anyone or anything. A lot of the plot was unrealistic. I allowed a couple of stars for one apt description, of the character Tran, and good battles with vile creatures. Otherwise, this is poorly written and abysmally edited. I expected glaring errors from a Smashwords e-book, but they're still distracting and annoying.

I. Couldn't. Put. This. Down

This book was magical. It was fantastic. It was EPIC.

From the very first page, I was sucked into the story. All my basic human needs were abandoned as I spent the whole night reading because I couldn't stop myself from turning the pages eagerly.

The world-building is so beautifully portrayed and presented in a way that made me feel as if I was right there with Daria, Alex, Cicero and Sonya. Everything was so vivid and the author's writing was rich and powerful. She is a natural at describing and making reading the most enjoyable that it can be. The writing was perfect without too much information or tiring the readers.

She handles the plot with precision and weaves in plot twists that were very surprising.

I can't believe not everyone has read this book!! It should be very popular. Every bookshelf should have a copy of Gaia's Secret.

Daria is one of my new favorite heroines! She was stubborn, brave, selfless and kindhearted. She has her flaws but I deeply connected with her. And Alex, *swoons* he is the perfect book boyfriend. I can assure you, you'll love him very much!! He is sweet, dark, protective and selfless. The romance took a backseat here but it was the slow burn type that makes you feel all snuggly and warm inside. The tension between these two had be swooning! They took it nice and slow and let the romance realistically develop.

The secondary characters were just as awesome. I really liked them. I liked everything.

I recommend this book to everyone and I literally can't wait for the next one!

The premise of a heroine, secluded and sheltered for her entire life, only to come of age and discover that she is actually a very special person, perhaps with supernatural powers or otherworldly auras, is quite a common theme in YA fiction.

In other words, if your book is going be a variation of this premise, you'd better make it entertaining as hell to make it stand out. This book does that.

Eighteen-year-old Daria has lived with her overprotective father in Fresno, California for as long as she can remember. Her only friends have been her handsome neighbor/BFF Alex and his family. But when she comes home to discover her father missing, her world is turned upside down when she is told by Alex's family that she is a citizen of Gaia, a world of mysticism and magic, and that she must journey there to find her father and fulfill the life that she has been destined to have.

To quote Daria: Well.

With the stubbornness and willfulness of a teenager, she dives headlong into this strange new world, where danger lurks around every corner. Can she cope with such sweeping changes in time to save her father? Will her love-hate-looooooove-haaaaaate relationship with Alex survive? I found myself turning pages as quickly as possible to find out the answers. The story did drag a bit in the middle, which is why it cost it a fifth star for me, but the ending was satisfying and whet my appetite for the next book in the series.

Well done, Ms. Kloss!

I just finished the 3rd novel in this series and will anxiously wait until next year (expected publish date 2015) for the next installment.

I thought the author's quality of writing was average to above-average for the YA fantasy genre. I appreciate that she doesn't try to write in falsely "hip" language like some others I've read--it sounds realistic without insulting out intelligence. I also enjoyed that while the heroine certainly makes some mistakes, she learns from them and you see her grow and mature in the short period of time that passes from book 1 to book 3. Another thing I see happen in YA books is that all the twists/turns/plots come about because of stupid misunderstandings and I want to strangle the main characters and say "Why don't you just TALK to each other and get past this!?!?!" While Daria and Alex certainly make mistakes that's not the main jist of the story--they are fighting together against something evil, not their own stupidity. Thank you Barbara Kloss for that!

I have a new book boyfriend; a serious crush. Barbara Kloss was a new Author for me. And when you stumble across a new Author you always have the doubt of whether you'll be wasting your time and money. But we all know the other side of the coin, where you find THAT author who writes those stories which just sing to you. I AM SO HAPPY I FOUND GAIA'S SECRET.
Had to get that out.
How to tell you about it without spoilers...
- The character is tough, but we can see how she can grow
- The fantasy world is crystal clear (and this is so incredibly rare)
- We know there's something more that we're not seeing. A whopper of a plot twist to come. Just to add to the plot twists Kloss has dealt us from the start.

This is a hidden gem of a book. And will be one of my re-read novels.

I almost did stop reading the book, Daria constantly whines about everyone she knows lying to her when they don't actually lie they instead delay because they took an oath not to give her information. That is NOT lying. As well EVERY time she is given access to info she doesn't take advantage of it. Tran gives her a book of the deadly critters of Gaia and she doesn't read it....jeez how stupid can you get? The ONLY redeeming quality is she finally, near the end of the book, realises that she was dumb and owns it and apologizes. I decided to give the 2nd book in the series a chance because the author's writing is not bad...and hopefully the character has grown up a bit now and will not let her grandfather push her around on who she marries.

Daria's father is overprotective, and from the first chapter you know something's special about Daria that makes all the protection necessary but you're not quite sure what that is. And then Daria's father goes missing and the only ones that can help her are her ex-best friend, Alex, and his parents. Together they travel to another world where Daria discovers her family's past, who she really is, and falls in love, all the while trying not to get killed by sorcerers and magical creatures.

This story has magic, fights, secrets, a stubborn heroine, and romance. The plot flows well but at times there are chunks of information dump that can slow down the pacing but it soon picks up as Daria gets herself in trouble once more. I love the setting of Gaia. It's created really well with all the little details that let me imagine the world with ease. The characters were all well developed, which made them easy to relate to and created empathy as I read despite this being a fantasy story. I also really liked how Daria wasn't always right and she made a lot of mistakes. It kept the conflict and tension going but it also gave her a bit of vulnerability to an otherwise stubborn and strong character.

It's a great story for fantasy lovers and those that like a good adventure story. I enjoyed getting sucked into this fantasy world.

People she should trust she doesn't and people she shoundnt she does. The author is tryin to create an atmosphere of uncertainty where no one is beyond her trust but there is a major flaw with this premise. Her father is beyond reproach and and still she doesn't trust the people that he has trusted to keep her safe so he's not very rliable or he is also untrustworthy. I dont know what to think. At 59 percent of the story i'm not inpressed. It may get better but sofar i have my doubts. This is more of a melodrama than fantasy. Sofar not recommended.

An enchanting adventure full of characters all together hypnotizing. Daria is a young woman recently turned eighteen and full of desire to break away from the captive lifestyle she has led thanks to an overprotective father... no, really...he installed surveillance cameras. However before she can stand up to dad and tell him she is leaving to start her exciting new life, one is handed to her in the form of an alternate world of magic and power, Gaia. The story draws you in and doesn't let go. My interest was held throughout and I couldn't wait for Daria to turn the next corner. Let's not forget her love/hate interest Alexander, whom she grew up with but has been apart from for the last three years and who she swears that she hates. Daria gets to spend this particular adventure trying to figure out just what bugs her most about him...or not :). Barbara Kloss' writing is captivating and well thought out. I love finding new Indie talent and will be adding her to my list of favorites.

I am definitely looking forward to the next installment in this series and recommend this first fantasy, Gaia's Secret to anyone young adult and up.

This book was fun. However, it was also very predictable and overly fantastical. It was every element of fantasy stuffed into one book. So, although, I did enjoy it, there was also some eye rolling. You must LOVE fantasy to enjoy this book.

This review has also been posted here: [...]

To dream of a magical world is one thing. To be told one exists is quite another.

SUMMARY:
Daria Jones has the most protective dad in the history of dads. She lives in the middle of nowhere and yet still has to be monitored 24/7 by both normal and thermal sensor cameras. Little does she know that there's a reason why. It turns out that Daria's father and her closest friends have been keeping from her that they are citizens of another magical world called Gaia. And there are many people in Gaia that want Daria dead. But the only person who can keep her safe is the person Daria hates most in life - Alex. Gaia's Secret' details Daria's travels into Gaia as she learns more about herself, her friends, her new world, and how to truly trust the people she loves.

DARIA:
Daria may very well be the most frustrating main character I've read about in a long time. She's the reason that I had to drop a star. In Gaia, some people are connected well enough to the world that they can sense the aura of someone before even fully meeting them. At first glance, they can read someone like a book. Multiple people do this to Daria, and they all say the same thing (shocker) - she's bold, reckless, and ridiculously stubborn. Her preconceived notions about people refuse to be budged, and it's ultimately her greatest downfall. The second that we are told that Alex knew about Gaia I knew that her hatred of him was based on a petty misunderstanding. But apparently she's too thick to realize that, and goes for 2/5 of the book blathering about her unwarranted hatred towards her best friend. Not to mention, his family! Daria has grown up with this family and she's as close to them (maybe even closer) than she is to her own father. But once that she found out that the Anderson's (not to mention her father, who she 'didn't' get mad at, by the way) kept a sworn oath to someone and didn't tell her a secret, she refuses to trust them about anything and they become her enemies. Really? You love these people and they love you, and they've spent 18 years or so caring for you like their own child. Don't be so ungrateful. And I don't want to put more spoilers to ruin the "fun", but some of the decisions that Daria makes later while in Gaia are so stupid that you almost wish she got in serious trouble so she'd finally learn to listen for once. At times, she was painful to read about.

Also - how does becoming more attractive make someone dumber? It's not like when you gain more of one attribute you lose some of the other. I truly did 'not 'understand her logic at all:

He had changed, and for the worse. There was no semblance of the boy who grew so fast his muscles couldn't keep up. This one filled out his clothing, wore it with strength and pride. His features had sharpened, giving them a chiseled appearance. It was like he'd exchanged his brain for good looks. Such a waste. How could he have let that happen to him?

I'm sorry, but what? Daria, it was you who lost the brains, not Alex.

ALEX:

Speaking of lovely, lovely Alex. Yes, I love him. He's always so even-tempered and patient and protective of Daria, even when she doesn't deserve it AT ALL. And he's the gorgeous best friend who everyone pines over, with a sense of humor to boot. And he knows Daria better than she knows herself. What better companion on Daria's trip? That's right, no one. Unless Daria's being stupid and hating him for no reason. Hmph.

THE WORLD:

I thought Gaia was a pretty interesting world. For one thing, Gaia is a sentient being. The world is literally alive, and all who access magic must connect to her power to do so (or draw from Mortis, the sentient aura of evil, but that's a whole different issue). And to give her power to the humans, she made a shield which contained her mighty powers. Each Lord keeps a portion of the shield, and if all seven Lords (and pieces of the shield) are present, the King who is elected from them has almost unlimited power. Luckily the bloodline of the seventh family of Lords has gone missing, so the shield is dormant. For now. My guess? The Del Contes are the missing bloodline (and then Daria and Alex can marry! Woohoo I am getting way too hopeful and ahead of the series but that's okay. If you're reading this Barbara Kloss, maybe make it happen?). But yeah, we'll see about that as the series progresses.

My only drawback to the world is that it was very... reminiscent of Harry Potter. The Pykans were literally little no-nose Voldemorts, and all of the servants of Mortis have a black insignia on their skin (it's on their necks though). Maybe I don't read enough fantasy and this stuff is common, I'm not sure. It just seemed kind of familiar.

I also don't understand why so many fantasy worlds are so... traditional? With the tunics and the old alchemy and the taverns/inns and all of that jazz. They're all the same, and they're nothing like the world we live in today. For instance, Gaia is connected to modern Earth through portals. So why doesn't it have Earth's technology? If someone could explain that to me, I'd appreciate it.

THE PLOT:

I read this in about a day (I started it the night before but was too exhausted to really read it well, so I pretty much restarted it the next morning anyway). So clearly it captivated my attention. The plot itself was fun to read - as you can guess from my earlier thoughts on Daria, I really just hated reading about her thoughts. That sounds bad, but I really just got angry every time she thought something. Yeah, I guess that is bad. BUT when she isn't relaying her thoughts to the reader, the plot is action-packed and well paced. It slows down at parts, but they're usually pretty important to the story so you still enjoy reading them.

There's also a ton of foreshadowing so it challenges you to put the pieces together and figure everything out before Daria does (like I said, she's pretty thick).

THE VERDICT:

Dislike of Daria aside, I really enjoyed this book. The dialogue was humorous, the characters relatable, the plot always keeping me on the edge of my seat. There isn't a particular group of people that I think should or shouldn't read it - the messages don't pertain to only teens, there isn't any explicit content that I caught, etc. If you like fantasy, I encourage you to give it a go. It's an entertaining read that sets up the next book really well. I'll be reading it as soon as it's released.

I've read alot of books that have parallel universes in them but none like this one. Gaia's Secret takes you on a journey of one young woman seeking the truth to her life. It seems everywhere she turns no one is really telling her the truth and they continually keep hiding things and events from her for her own good. Ultimately she must decide if she really trust the people around even though they've lied to her entire life. Yet what she decides seems to have dire consequences for all involved. Here are my thoughts:

Daria Jones has led sheltered and overprotective life thanks to her father, Alaric, only freedom she enjoys is horseback riding and being outdoors. Daria feels stifled by her father's choices and wants true freedom. Daria is really inquisitive about everything around which frustrates everyone around her. She used to be friends with Alexander Anderson but all of that changed when she overheard how he really felt about her. She has been back to the Anderson's in three years because she couldn't face Sonya and Cicero knowing Alex might be there. Alaric talked Daria into going back to see the Anderson's not telling her that Alex might be there. Sonya and Cicero greeted Daria with loving affection saying she's a true princess in disguise. When Daria discovers that Alex is there afterall she's furious with her father and Alex too. Daria sees the changes in Alex yet is unmoved in her feelings towards him. It's very painful for Daria to see Alex and refuses to listen to any explanations he might have. Daria enter's Anderson family library feeling welcomed and comforted by all of books. She picks up the copy of The Count of Monte Cristo discovers a hidden note written by Alex with stunning revelations in it. Just maybe things weren't as they appeared to Daria at first. Maybe she was wrong to judge Alex so harshly. Daria and Alaric fight about Alex and Daria's future on the way home. She demands to have a future from her father and decides to go for a ride on Cadence to clear her head of all her frustrations. An eerie lightening flashes near her home, she races back to her home quickly only to discover that her father is missing and the Anderson's are there looking for her.

Daria's world is turned upside down because everyone she knows about her life has been a complete lie from day one. The Anderson's are really The Del Contes who are sworn to protect Daria at all costs. Daria doesn't understand anything that is going on she especially not sure if she can trust The Anderson's or Del Contes or whoever they are. A deep betrayal winds it's way into Daria's heart, she demands answers yet no one is willing to give her any no matter how often she asks. Daria returns to the Del Contes home reluctantly. The Del Contes promise to give her answers she desires but worry she'll do something reckless in the meantime. Daria is given a letter from her father saying that he will explain everything to her tomorrow morning after arriving in Gaia.

Gaia appears to be a magical wonderland to Daria yet holds many dangerous secrets as well. Gaia is so strange to Daria and feels that no one is really explaining anything to her at all. Everyone demands that Daria follow along with no questions or answers either. Daria is able to feel emotions from Alex and sense things she shouldn't know either. The Del Contes keeping telling Daria that her father is safe and not to worry. They say that Stefan has been in contact with her father. They want Daria to be patient and wait something that she's not very good at. King Darius Regius is ruler of Gaia and not very popular with the people at the moment. King's council is demanding answers and action from King Darius. Who is following them? Will Daria get her answers? Will she trust the Del Contes? What is different about Gaia? What will King Darius do? Your answers await you in Gaia's Secret.

I'm slightly angry with several characters always telling Daria what she must do without any real answers or reasons why. She's expected to follow along like a puppy dog to their every wish and demand. Yet when she demands answers no one is really willing to give them to her. So she plan to get her answers without them. I'm extremely upset with the hero Alex because he seems to decide Daria's future and feelings without any thought or care to how she's might react. I seriously dislike King Darius's actions, attitude, and behaviors toward Daria. He expects to be obeyed without question yet Daria flat out tells him no for all of his plans. I would like to see these characters in another book and look forward to reading it.

Gaia's secret is about a young girl searching for her true identity. By being thrust into a magical fantasy world to search for her lost father, Daria must learn to trust others and stand on her own feet. The story includes battle scenes, fairies, and a royal court, which I think YA readers will really enjoy. The novel is also a nice combination of fantasy and love story. Throughout the book there is Alex, the love interest, and the writer does a good job building the intensity of their relationship. I particularly enjoyed the ESP aspect that's part of Gaias's world. This was a nice and unique touch. Some of the characters reminded me of other popular fantasy characters and I would have liked to see a little more depth given to the magical creatures. But overall I enjoyed the book and am interested in reading the next two books. I understand this is a trilogy.

This is the first time in a long while that I've felt such a strong connection to characters in a book. It brought me back to the first young adult fantasy books that I discovered as a teen and I loved every minute of the story. It caused distractions in the rest of my life causing it impossible to complete regular tasks such as cooking and cleaning until I finished reading the story.

Having said that, there were times when I was very frustrated with the writing. Kloss had a tendency to repeat words and phrases within small areas which detracted from the pure awesomeness of the story. I'm hopeful that this editing problem will be fixed in future books. Especially since I now need to purchase all of them in order to find out what happens next with Daria and Alex.

I'm so excited to have discovered this author and I can't wait to read more.

This was a good start. I don't want to put too many spoilers but the only thing that held back a 5th star was how easily Daria had been handed over to the King. It didn't feel right after people spent 18 years protecting her.

I am not much of a reader and slow starts to a new novel frustrate me. But Gaia's Secret does NOT fall into this category! The book captures your interest from the very first chapter. I felt like the first-person perspective made reading the novel a very interactive experience. You get to know Daria and you join her along this journey to discover a world she was so carefully guarded from. You laugh with her, you cry with her, you get frustrated on her behalf--I've never felt so connected to a fictional character before! And as you continue reading, you grow to love all the characters and are desperate to learn more of their backgrounds and histories. You are introduced to a new world of Gaia and the natural beauty of this world is so wonderfully described by the author that it almost feels REAL. In fact, I love how nature is as influential of a character as any of the human characters. I particularly loved how Daria could "sense" her surroundings and be empathetic to others' feelings. It's details like this that make Gaia's Secret unlike any other fantasy novel and a must read for all!

I loved this book. I could NOT put it down! For a very long time I have been looking for a book with the right mixture of fantastical elements, romance, and adventure and this was it! I loved that the love story was not the center of the novel, and that it did not take priority over the real adventure of the novel. The love story was also not without a foundation. These were characters I fell in love with and thought about LONG after I finished the book. As for Gaia, well, the world itself is believable and the history is wonderfully intertwined throughout the novel--this is a world you yearn to revisit. I did not want to leave Gaia and I am VERY excited to read the sequel! Judging by this book, I will not be able to stop reading until I am finished!

A quick read...I could not put it down, I finished it over a weekend. Daria, the protagonist, is a true to life character. The author does an excellent job of relaying Daria's inner most thoughts to the reader. She is three dimensional and her journey is quiet believable in spite of the magical, medieval world she takes you to. The romantic exchanges between Daria and Alex are endearing and sweet...each glance leaving you wanting more between them....guess we'll have to hope for a sequel! Tick. Tock!

A unique fantasy full of beautiful language and imagery, and characters that make you love them and sometimes make you want to throttle them. The protagonist is one of the most stubborn characters I have ever read--and it was such fun to see the ways she began to grow, and grow up. Lots of action and intrigue, and the author's voice is wonderful.

This is my perfect book. There's magic, battles, rescues, secrets, a strong heroine, and a dashing male love interest. It's the perfect balance of modern and medieval - modern heroine who travels to a world of magic and sword fights. The imagined world is intricate and so real that I half-started to believe that maybe I could really go there. I wish I could! Even the side-characters were rich with personality and kept me laughing the whole way through. It was such a fun read - I couldn't put it down! I really hope this author writes a sequel soon... I need more!!!

I could not set this novel aside, it totally held my attention thoroughly. I typically would not pick up a young adult fantasy novel, being the logical, pragmatic Spock that I am. However, this is exactly what I needed to take me beyond this world and live in another reality for a time. As I read the last page, I found myself saying out loud, " Nooooooo, this can't be the end. There is so much more to discover! " What will become of Daria and Alex, Fleck and Stefan? I should have read this sooner, but at least I won't have to wait as long for the second novel. AND, since this is termed a YA novel, I can still feel young at 53! Excellent read, pick it up NOW!

This is my perfect book. There's magic, battles, rescues, secrets, a strong heroine, and a dashing male love interest. It's the perfect balance of modern and medieval - modern heroine who travels to a world of magic and sword fights. The imagined world is intricate and so real that I half-started to believe that maybe I could really go there. I wish I could! Even the side-characters were rich with personality and kept me laughing the whole way through. It was such a fun read - I couldn't put it down! I really hope this author writes a sequel soon... I need more!!!

I found this book on the store and the synopsis sounded interesting. I'm glad I purchased it. This book took me, a slow reader, all of ONE weekend to read. I couldn't put it down. The colorful characters were brought to life so well in this book. Good story. Good writing. GREAT ending. I loved it! Looking forward to the sequel to find out what happens next in Gaia. I've got my fingers crossed that it won't be too long.

It's really difficult for me to get into books and to say I couldn't stop reading this one sure is something! Its magic, cute love story and Daria's personality come together to make a great story that better be continuing on into another book ;) because the story ends without closed loops. The story is written in a very readable and charming way which makes the book even more enjoyable to read. Can't wait for the next one to come out!

Go Daria!

First of all I love stories with relatable characters. Daria "Jones" is a confident head-strong young woman and I love her. But, more than that I love this story. It is a read I highly recommend (especially for $2!!) I would agree with an earlier review that fans of The Chronicles of Narnia would enjoy this book but I would also include fans of The Hunger Games trilogy would find this book hard to put down!

This is book captured me from the get go. I found myself completely absorbed in this story. The charters are so relatable and endearing. It is such a fun and adventurous book to get caught up in. I cannot wait for the sequel and see what 's going to happen to Daria and Alex. Also what other twists and turns are to come. A must read!!!