A Quarrel Called

Stewards of the Plane #1

by Shannon Wendtland

The Sage, The Guardian, The Lantern, The Light – together we four are Stewards of the Plane, a Quarrel.

G. is the Guardian; he’s developed a strong protective instinct and a kickass sword of light that can chase away the baddies like nobody’s business.

Sam is the Lantern; his dreams shed light on possible futures – he’s always had dreams, but now he sees where we’re going and how far, and it scares the crap out of him.

Tara is the Sage; as our resident mystic, she can commune with the Akashic records: the big data warehouse in the sky. She can get information on anywhere, anywhen, if only she can learn to ask the right questions.

And me, I’m Melody, I’m the Light. I can channel the earth’s energy and according to Gramps, I can stabilize a vortex. It’s a good thing, too, or else we would be in a lot of trouble.

Before the summer started, we were a bunch of normal teenagers getting ready for our senior year in high school. By the time summer was over, we’d fought and won battles, lost friends and saved the world (except for that time when we made it worse).

This is our story. We wrote it all down; that way when it happens to you, when you're called to be a Steward of the Plane - a member of a quarrel, you'll know what to do.

**This book is told in first person from four alternating character viewpoints.
**This book is the first in a series of the METAPHYSICAL / VISIONARY genre and follows a more traditional fantasy arc (rather than episodic). It has some similarities to paranormal, but readers expecting default Urban Fantasy Fare may find that this story diverts from the established tropes they are looking for.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Urban Fantasy

ebook

First published June 20, 2016

Reviews

[Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A group of four adventurers set forth to save the world...

No, this isn't a video game, and it's nothing like a D&D session. What it is, however, is a YA novel that gradually immerses us in New Age mysticism that happens to be very real in action and scope. It also happens to be modern day, firmly grounded in our everyday world of dates and clubs and Orgone Generators, ghosts, and coming of age pranks.

Young adults will be young adults, after all.

I like it because it feels like the author and I have been reading and watching all the same books and documentaries on modern day occultism and conspiracies, so all of this was rather familiar ground, from protective crystals to firmly-held intent to auras to opening up higher dimensions. It was nice. :)

The tentacles were just icing on the cake.

I loved the A Wrinkle in Time, homage, too. :)

Easy read, quite enjoyable. :)

Thanks to the author for the ARC!

[Sofii♡ (A Book. A Thought.) · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book already came out!. You should give it a try, I have loved it :3



This book is fabulous, I loved!


NetGalley copy in exchange of an honest review.


I'm so happy to have had the opportunity to read it before publication, it is that I have been amazed and undoubtedly let me wanting more!


Shannon Wendtland has created a super exciting paranormal fantasy storie with authentic characters with problems, emotions and feelings real , is certainly impossible not to get attached to them.


The story is of the most entertaining that makes you it very difficult to leave to read it , plus it is completely a quick read and not heavy at all , I have very fast read with it :)
Well, let's talk slow .... I'm very excited because I just finished with.

(I'll put my thoughts in order xD)


First the plot is interesting and above all very original, or at least I had never read anything like this before, it's a group of guys that are intended to be members of a "Quarrel" who are ..
The Sage (Tara) : Who could access any type of information about anything, anywhere through something that is in her head called Akashic records.
The Guardian (G.) : Who should take over to protect the group, which he has a great control over his body.
The Lantern (Sam) : Who has premonitory dreams of the future.
The Light (Melody): Who has the ability to channel the energy of the earth.
it must learn to control their abilities to protect this "plane" of dark creatures that feed on the vital energy of people. What it is, for me, very cool !!!!!!.



Personally I've loved the characters , are well-written, which literally means you can imagine how each one goes to react in different situations. I can understand the why about their decisions along the plot. (Although there were times I really wanted to scream haha)



Despite all the paranormal , obviously , the link that have achieved the characters through their friendship is amazing, I loved! and the different couples ... die for! :). It has touched my heart Melody's relationship with his grandfather, seriously. . I've created a Team Melody / Sam, is that I love them both together, I will need more of that in the next book: 3


the description of the places where the characters found are very well done, and it seemed to me something to stand out since I'm not a big fan of dense and long descriptions, which I've been pleased this look because they are short and can easily imagine it all. Especially I liked the clubhouse, where it all starts to happen, I find it very tied to the sentimental.


The final has been most unexpected OH GOD! :/


My only criticism is that I would have liked a lot more action in the book, there is , but somehow it has not seemed sufficient for me.


Anyway I loved it and I'm dying to read the next, is I'll have to wait but who cares :(. I Super recommend if you want to read something new, supernatural and with great friendships :)

[Suze · Rating 5 out of 5]

Melody, Sam, Tara and G. are good friends. They are going through an intense summer together. Something strange is going on. Sam has visionary dreams, Melody can feel the energy of the earth, Tara can communicate with the Akashic records, the information in the sky, and G. has great fighting skills. Together they form a Quarrel, they are four Stewards of the Plane who complete one another. They have to battle a terrible evil which has taken more from them than they could have ever imagined. Will they be strong enough to reach their goal and win the final battle?

A Quarrel Called has four different narrators. Shannon Wendtland has given Melody, Sam, Tara and G. their own voice, so the reader will have a chance to get to know all of them equally well. Melody is living with her grandparents. They are courageous and special people and I loved them straight away. They know more about Quarrels and the tasks that have been given to each of the friends. Through them the teenagers are getting some much needed information. They don't know what they're doing exactly just yet, but they will get there as long as they combine their efforts.

There's a lot of action in this story. It starts with a bloody garage, there are scary creatures that have to be defeated and there are quite a few inexplicable events. There's a clear balance between positive and negative. I loved the friendship aspect, which is the good part of the scale. It's obvious that Melody, Sam, Tara and G. care about one another very much. That was what I liked best about this book. They are fighting for each other, not just for themselves.

Shannon Wendland has chosen a descriptive approach of the magic in her story. She explains the theories behind every action and there's a lot of information in her book. I really liked that aspect. She's created a complete and interesting world. I can't wait to learn more about it. A Quarrel Called is the first book of a series and I'm curious to find out what will happen in the next part.

[Faith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. (Thanks!)

This was an interesting book for me to read. I haven't read much that features New Age mythology so that part hooked me right away. I was getting a Poison Princess vibe when reading the synopsis but found while reading that the characters' POVs made the book feel oddly like a Nancy Drew novel.

This book is about a group of 4 friends who discover that they kinda have powers. Melody connects with energy, Sam has futuristic dreams, G is a protector, and Tara can talk to an all-knowing being. Together, they form a quarrel and they aren't the first. When they start playing with Spirit Boards, they find out that Melody's dead brother is trying to tell them something.

We start off with a bang in the 1st chapter, which was one of the things that got me hooked. As I said before, the New Age mythology was also really interesting. This book has Ouija boards, tesseracts, rock information and much more. I knew that what the characters were dreaming about was going to happen, but otherwise, I had no clue where the author was taking me, so it was a wild ride. I really don't know why I felt Nancy Drew vibes while reading this book. Maybe it's because of the characters relationships with each other or how mysterious Melody's grandparents were...

I also really liked the characters of Tara and Melody. As far as I know, there aren't many characters in the YA genre who believe in new age stuff, so her POV was really interesting. Melody was a non-believer in her and her friends' abilities, which was kind of refreshing. Together, they had a really nice friendship to read about. I also really liked G, even though I felt like I needed more character development from him. Like honestly, why did he move to this town? Where is his mom? Even Sam, who was interesting because of his DJ talent, was a character who I felt was missing just a little bit of development for me to truly love his character. His relationship with Melody didn't feel very real to me, but maybe it will developed more later. I can see all the characters being more developed in the future, but while reading, it could be slightly aggravating to be missing a little bit of information.

Good news is there was very little romance. The plot was more focused on Melody's brother and the quarrel rather than romantic elements. There was a bit of a love triangle, but it wasn't too over the top. I also found that this book wasn't horribly cliched either, which is another bonus! So if you're looking for an unique read with few cliches, here's a book!

I will admit, my rating is a little low because the plot moved a bit slow for me. Nothing really happens for a while because the characters don't really know what's going on. I felt like things were kept hidden for a bit too long and even then, weren't actually revealed by the end of the book. The ending was really rushed and I felt next to no closure by the end of the book.

Have a look at the synopsis and see if this book appeals to you. I'd say give it a go for an interesting story about people with New Age-y powers.

[Margaery · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe I was too busy with life when I started reading this book or I was not pulled into the story enough to stay with it. Hence, I stopped reading it for a few days. However, when I got 150 pages in, I dropped everything that I was doing and read the rest of the book in less than 3 hours! Had I pursued reading a couple of pages before, I might have read this in one sitting. I can't explain why I lost interest reading it before but in its entirety the story is good. I'm definitely reading the next book when it comes out.

I had a problem keeping up with the crystals being part of the storyline. I had to read and re-read them because I can't remember how they function or what's their use. I hope there's a guide book about them that goes along this series or else I will have no choice but to write them down and have my own crystals 101 notes. I will need it if I decide to commit to this series.

I can't remember the last time I read a story with teenagers as protagonists. They're very angsty. Honestly, I'm not fond of Melody and I'm not a fan of Sam either. Tara and Gideon is okay, especially Gideon. I hate Lily. But at the last parts of the book, I'm not sure. We will see. But I mostly hate her, for now.

It was generally slow for me on the first parts but when it picked up, I had to remind myself to slow down. It became a page-turner and I was "What is happening? Tell me now!" And there is a variety of bookish goodies we could have from this world too. =) Do I sound like I didn't like the book? I hope not because I liked it. And, yes, I recommend you read it too.

[Laura Hernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once I got into the story line I couldn't put it down. This was truly an interesting and intriguing read though by the end I was left with some questions but not enough to deter my rating. I did find some of the characters somewhat lacking but there were others such as Melody and Sam that made it all worthwhile to me. I enjoyed the paranormal elements to this story and I certainly enjoyed the world building. I will definitely read the next book in the series.

 

{I received an eARC when I signed up to host the book tour and made no guarantee of a favorable review. The opinions expressed here are unbiased and my own.}

[Online Eccentric Librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

A Quarrel Called reminds me of the kind of book that would make a great comic but perhaps can feel underdeveloped in novel form. As written, with alternating and very brief viewpoints from four characters, it can be confusing and hard to really get into any of the characters. Each seems very underdeveloped and more like caricatures rather than actual characters. But it is a fun little YA read with a very 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer' vibe.

Story: Melody's brother is missing, presumed dead, and her best friend, Tara, believes in using New Age remedies to help Melody understand several supernatural occurrences since her brother's disappearance. Sam is in love with Melody but has to accept the friendship card. G moves into town and Tara immediately falls for him. What the four don't know is that they are about to be united into a Quarrel - for each has a supernatural power that will help them to solve the mystery of Melody's brother's suspected murder.

As noted, I had a hard time getting into the characters. Each viewpoint was only a few pages long and so we jumped into different perspectives constantly. Additionally problematic is that I never got the impression that these were different people - they each felt like the same person. I would have liked to see many more tics to help differentiate the characters better. That would have made the alternating POVs easier to follow.

The story is fairly straightforward with enough mystery to keep readers wanting to reach the end. We do finish a bit of an arc with this first book with plenty of mystery to solve in future volumes. The characters themselves are very 'Scooby Gang' and should appeal to fans of Joss Whedon. But at the same time, I would hope author Wendtland works on nuance and character development to help gives us much more grounded, realistic, and interesting protagonists. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

[Sarah-Jayne Briggs · Rating 3 out of 5]

(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review).
(This review may contain spoilers).

I’d probably give this book 3.5 stars out of 5. I really liked the blurb of this book and I thought it was a really intriguing idea… but by the end of the book, I felt I was missing a lot of the answers I should have had.

I felt that one of the strongest parts of this book was the main characters. Even though I don’t really like multiple first person POVs, I did find Melody, Tara, Sam and G. intriguing characters, though I wasn’t especially sold on the romance between Tara and G. Or Sam and Lily, for that matter. I did feel that the romances were glossed over and I would have been more interested in seeing more of the friendships formed between the four of them.

There were some good elements of paranormal aspects in this book, but I felt that the characters didn’t really have much interest in finding out what was going on. I would have liked to see a bit more in the way of urgency and even though it was interesting to see how Melody could ‘recharge’, I felt that she kept denying what was going on far too much.

I liked seeing some of the relationships the main characters had with their parents, but I did feel that a lot of the secondary characters weren’t really well-developed. There was too much information dumping and I had no real idea of the personalities of Matthew or Melody’s grandparents.

I would have liked to see more in the way of foreshadowing. While there were some things that were revealed by the end, they seemed to be just for the sake of it and I would have liked a lot more background about the Quarrel. I felt that Tara missed a lot in not asking questions… even though I thought the idea of having a collective computer-like store of information was a really cool one.

I can’t really say I have any intentions of reading the next book/s in this series, though I’d be interested if there was more character development and more in the way of realistic reactions on both the young people’s and older people’s parts.

[Jaime · Rating 3 out of 5]

First of all, I have to give props to the cover. It is beautiful and simple, both things that I appreciate very much, And it fits with the story, which just makes it even better. While the story itself wasn't perfect, it was a story that I enjoyed nonetheless.

One of my favorite parts of the book was the very beginning. We are introduced to Melody, two years prior to the story about to unfold. She goes to her brothers shop to find him, since he hasn't been home much lately and she misses him. What she finds is something she can't explain... not the person she was hoping for. It started the book off in the right way, and immediately caught my attention. Once the story moves to present day, it loses a little bit of that something from the beginning for a while. But we get it back, after a party with a Ouija board goes from hilarious to horrifying.

The story is told the POV's of four best friends; Melody, Sam, Tara and G. After the night with the Ouija board, they discover something about themselves that throws their whole world off its axis. And with Melody's brother Matthew trying to tell her something, things get even crazier. The Quarrel has awoken, and it is about to get interesting.

The characters were a good mix of different personalities, but I do wish there had been more of a focus on character development. They all were written well, and the POV's were easy to tell apart, even without the chapter headings, but I always felt like I wanted MORE from them. I liked their little quirks, but I wanted them to be quirkier. However, I did like the focus on the friendships between the four. The romances were a cute little addition as well, but I hope for more from them next go round.

The pacing of the story was nice and quick, and I never felt bored. The plot was surprisingly different, which is always a nice thing. I like the idea of the Quarrel, and the different powers the group possessed. This was definitely the most interesting part. All in all, A Quarrel Called was a fun read, and I am looking forward to seeing where the story goes next!

[Gabby Sipes · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Quarrel Called is the first book in a series, and it's safe to say this series starts off with a bang! With a hook that grabs you by the arms and a story captivating enough to make you rush to the end, this story is quite unique. Probably like most of you out there, I am tired of reading the same ole' cliche YA novel that is written about dark angels becoming light or blood thirsty vampires falling in love with a mortal. So, for those of you like me, you should know that this novel is not like those out there, but rather, contains a refreshing story about the bonds of friendship and is carving out a new genre for itself.

Teenagers and the metaphysical? As strange as it might sound, these two pair oddly well, and come together to create a genuine story filled with growth, mistakes, both funny and grave, and friendship. Shannon Wentland did a wonderful job of connecting each character to the others, while also maintaining a sense of individuality with each. Most of us realize that teenagers are fickle beings, and with that comes growth and change. Throughout the novel I could feel Melody, and the others, change and adapt as they learn of their abilities and are put through many trials. This helped to give the characters dimensions, and it didn't just give one character depth leaving the others as flat side kicks, she managed to accomplish depth in all of her characters, which is a commendable feat. Although the story may have felt slow throughout times, it makes sense, none of the kids have a clue what they're doing, so it's natural for them to be confused and unsure of the next step.

All in all, the story written here was one of substance, that kept me reading until the end. I can't wait until the next one!

[Haniya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review Link: http://booknauthors.blogspot.com/2016...

First, how beautiful is this cover! *Moment of silence*! *sigh* I NEED the physical copy so bad! :(

This story revolves around Melody and her dead brother, Matthew. After Matthew's death Melody starts getting strange signs, like her brother's calling her for help. Together with her three best friends, she decides to solve the mystery, but in doing so they discover their real identity. Nothing is same anymore..

This story was not complicated and was very easy to understand. It is a blend of friendship, family, love, betrayel and magic. The way the author has written the story, it feels like we are physically present at that moment. The story will leave you speechless at different twists and turns. There were so many cheesy dialogues exchanged between G and Tara *swoons*. I loved the characters of G and Tara the most. G and Tara were very supportive and their dialogues were so funny many times. Sam is also the hot shot and his relationship with Lilly was Fifty Shades (JK XD). Lilly is very intriguing and extremely witty.

If you like books with witty characters, amazing dialogues, twists and turns and romance that will make you swoon this book is for you. I recommend this book to fantasy readers STRONGLY!

[onceuponatimeareview · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed myself reading this book, it was an overall great book, but I did have some issues with it while reading it. However, the whole concept of the this book is amazing, because its really different and fresh and I think that's what we need more of. Some of the characters are really bland and didn't have that extra bit to it. I thought the romance of the book could have been a little bit more developed or have been done without. Normally, its really hard to have a book that has multiple point of views as in four of them. The books tend to be confusing, there's a pacing issue, or the all of the characters voices sound the same, in the case there wasn't that problem for me. I think all of the characters fit really nicely together and their story gets told in a nice matter.

There was some things that I wish could have gone more in depth to. Of course, there is the second book to explore a lot of the features that I wanted to see. The paranormal aspect was so interesting and I hope to learn more about in the next book.The ending of the book was really unexpected. I'm really curious on how he plays out in the next book. I hope the friendships will be growing more and just everything about it. I can't wait to see what comes out of this world. Overall, this a solid 3.5 star and I highly recommend you guys to go try it out.

[MysticMouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so excited to read this book when I saw the cover -- the Hermetic Seal! I knew right away this would be a book in my favorite Genre: Visionary & Metaphysical fiction (like A Wrinkle in Time or The Wizard of Earthsea books). Anyways, I wasn't disappointed. This book is clearly laying out an epic fantasy arc told from four first person points of view (that was a little weird to get used to, but by about chapter ten or so, it was automatic) and each of the characters has a different personality and different 'special ability' to bring to the 'Quarrel'.

I would have liked a little more character development in this first book, but I can see with the short chapters and 'being in the character's head' all the time that it might be harder to do. I am looking forward to the second book for that reason: now that introductions are out of the way we can get to the meat of the adventure!

And the ending....ACK!

If you are a fan of Metaphysics and Magick, dreams, ley lines, monters, conspiracies and awakening spiritual abilities then this book/series will be for you!

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.
I have to say that at the beginning it was quite interesting since the very first chapter caught my attention. As I continued reading I was a little bit confused since every chapter was told from each character's perspective. The plot went slow and I kind of lost the interest. The topic was paranormal, supernatural stuff, which's quite catchy, but the descriptions and details did not help much. The story's about four friends and their quest to understand that they are part of a quarrel with some sort of duty. As for the characters: I liked Tara, her personality was easy going and natural, not like Melody, which I considered the whole time as "victim". As for the other 2 boys, I liked them, but again their was not so much action going on and it made it difficult for me to continue.

I rate it 3 stars.

[Ruby · Rating 4 out of 5]

With a New Age theme, this book reminded me of Narnia or Percy Jackson. Four begin an adventure called a Quarrel and each has their own purpose. I liked G the most He was strong and protective, which is something I can identify with. My daughter loved Melody or the narrator of the story and the girl who mostly keeps the group together. The story was filled with some truth as well as just a great written roller coaster ride. It's well worth a read.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were aspects of this book that I really liked and others that brought the score down for me. The concept is different and interesting. I love mythology overall but I haven’t read a lot of New Age mythology that A Quarrel Called is based around. New age can be kind of hit or miss for me, I think that the author did a good job of incorporating aspects of new age and the abilities of the kids were interesting and well fleshed out, but it wasn’t my favorite to read.

The four different perspectives through me off, I think it was a little too much, and I felt like I wasn't able to connect to all of the characters because of so many different perspectives. I did enjoy the interactions between the four friends and their conversations, and the action was well paced.

While it wasn't a favorite for me, I do think that the story was overall well written and the concept is intriguing. I think that if new age mythology is interesting to the reader that they would really enjoy this book, it just isn’t for me.

[Emily]

I started reading this book because I had a copy of it to review, but the content became something I was uncomfortable with reading because of the creepy spirit stuff. So I didn't finish and never plan to.

[Leslie Lutz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This YA supernatural fantasy has a lot of heart, as well as some awesome twists and turns. The plot was original, and the characters relatable. I would read another book from the author.

[Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

NetGalley copy in exchange of an honest review.

“This is our story. We wrote it all down; that way when it happens to you, when you’re called to be a Steward of the Plane - a member of a quarrel, you’ll know what to do.”

Melody has reached that point in her life when thinking about her dead brother is not as painful and heartbreaking as before. That’s when the possibility of him not being dead and his “ghost” haunting her start emerging. The wound gets opened right back all over again.

This is the story of four friends, as they’re trying to understand what’s happening, through magic, precious stones and their abilities, weird dreams and so on. Are you ready to meet Melody, Tara, Sam and G?

I was beyong excited when I was allowed access to this book, because the summary looked really interesting.

AND IT FULFILLED THE PROMISE!

I loved, loved, loved this story. The chapters are short and each one focuses on one character, so the points of view keep changing, which is a really nice touch, in my opinion.

There’s something that draws me to this story, but I can’t really put it into words. I loved the voice of the book, if that makes sense. It is intense, fast-paced and you need to know where this is going - and I kept rooting for all the characters, which rarely happens.

AND THIS ENDING! UGH! My poor heart! Can’t wait for the sequel, I loved this so much!!

★★★★★

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Four kids, three have been friends forever, and the fourth is new in town. As they all get closer, strange things begin to happen. One is having dreams, one feels energy from the earth, one has an affinity for crystals, and one suddenly finds that he can wield a glowing sword when the chips are down. And when they all sit down around a Ouija board, all bets are off.

The premise of this sounded interesting, but...the execution left quite a bit to be desired. As per a quote from the book, "I was going to say contrived. Made up. Like this is some sort of a bad movie script.". This is, almost exactly, how I felt as I was reading the book.

There are some moments of interest - the groups workings together and the things each of them could do I liked. But overall, it just felt a bit overdone. The characters were not really people I felt that invested in, even by the end of the story. The cliffhanger (no spoilers) was an obvious attempt at leaving readers wanting more, but instead it just left me feeling frustrated that I had spent that much time for no real conclusion.

Overall, I wouldn't recommend it, and as it appears it will be the start of a series, I won't be making any attempt to read the following books.

[Shannon Wendtland · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am the author and I am pleased to 'vote' for my own book. I started writing this novel for my daughter to share with her friends. Many of the names of the characters are actually based on people she has grown up with. I am delighted now to share the story with the rest of you. There are 'easter eggs' hidden in it -- not puzzles exactly, but little nuggets of true information buried in it that I think help to enrich the world it's set in. For instance Tara mentions 'Edgar Cayce' a few times in the book - a real-life psychic known as the sleeping prophet. He was an amazing man and had a very unique skill. It only seemed right to add him into the world in a way that enriches it and also opens up a bunch of world-building and backstory to readers who may have never heard of him otherwise.

That's what I mean by 'easter eggs' - many more little prizes of information on the metaphysical and supernatural to dig through if you're into that kind of thing. The research for this book was a blast.

Writing this book was a blast.

I hope you have a blast reading it and the sequels that are coming soon :-)

[Maria Riley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book in two days, couldn't put it down! At first I was sceptical that I would enjoy something so intensely New Age, but I found the characters and plot were so interesting and completely different to anything I had read, that I had trouble pulling myself away. I look forward to many more stories from this author!

[Meedah · Rating 1 out of 5]

So I honestly don't remember what drew me in besides the cover and sometimes that works for me, unfortunately this time it didn't. I can't give you a full review of reasons either it was simply that the story did not excite me enough to get past one chapter.