Hysteriata, by D A Botta

Hysteriata!

Curious about the mystery behind this word? You just need to grab a copy and start reading.

I did. And it was totally worth it!  

I’ve talked a little about his book in an older Feature I had written about D A Botta and his series, but today I’m here with my thoughts on the first book in the Elyzian Chronicles series.

On her way to Salem State College, Emily Hobbs has a chance encounter with a fortune teller.  The tarot reading unfolds in a series of dramatic events that sets Emily on a collision course with destiny. 

Emily enters the realm of Elyzia as a witch.  Her powers quickly develop, out of necessity more than the tutelage at Cedalion Covenstead, as her life follows a preordained path of destruction and danger.

Emily struggles to find her way in a world in which greed and power, love and hate, loyalty and betrayal, even life and death conjure magic and ancient mysteries that Emily must contend with to fulfil her destiny.

I was enchanted by D A Botta’s writing style for his voice made the world fuzzy around me and Elyzia suddenly materialized before me. And I was a part of Emily’s world where nothing was as it seemed. And that blew my mind!

Emily is a unique character. She is a little lost as she tries to embrace the changes that happened in her life, but something tells me she is going to be reborn from the ashes that are her life’s ruins. She surprised me once and I know she will do this a lot more as her story will go on.

Every character has its own beauty, starting with Emily’s friend, Paige! Oh, I loved her! With her red hair and moody personality, Paige is my favorite. And moving even to the last second character that Botta has include in the story. I love the names he chose. They are so magical.

It’s really important, hell, it’s crucial for a writer to manage and pull you into his story this quickly and even more important is to keep you there. But Botta’s voice is so warm and beautiful that I couldn’t put the book down.  

The story gets right to the point. There is no time wasting and the action picks up so fast that it’s addictive. I found myself wondering: what is going to happen next? And the developments hit me like waves. The world building is solid and strong and Elyzia becomes the magical place you want to visit. I know I do. 

Hopefully there are more books in this series so I’m gonna dive into them and let the words travel me to Cedalion one more time.

So, I give five stars to Hysteriata and I urge you to read it too.

I loved it … and “Love often stings worse than hate,” as D A Botta, says.

But that’s the damn beauty!