Plagued by waking visions and nightmares, inexplicably drawn to the bones of dead animals, Faye thinks she's going crazy. Fast. Her parents beleive...
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reviews
Dec 19, 2011
Jennifer
rated it: 
A dark, mysterious, disturbing, disturbing, disturbing, and beautifully written masterpiece. If you start it, you won't be able to finish it until you find out what the hell is going on at Holbrook Academy.
9 comments
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(9 people liked it)
Feb 19, 2012
✿ℎazℯℓ✿
rated it: 
I can honestly say that i tried hard to like this book.. I even tried to like Kel (i always tend to like the main guys so what? ).. i tried, but i failed miserably. There's just nothing in the story that i can relate to. Their world was a messed up one, which made me feel like this one is a mixture of dystopian and paranormal... I usually like those types.. but now.. errm.. i just feel awkward.
I don't feel good after reading it. I feel weirded out and i admit that i did not exactly g More...
I don't feel good after reading it. I feel weirded out and i admit that i did not exactly g More...
2 comments
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(4 people liked it)
Dec 19, 2011
Lisa
rated it:
I'm so glad I got to read this early. I loved it so much I blurbed it. Don't you just love the cover?
3 comments
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(7 people liked it)
Dec 19, 2011
Mary
rated it:
A highly original, edge of your seat, page turner. Not for one second did I suspect how it would end--nice work Ms. Etienne. Keep those combat boot wearing kick ass girls coming and I'll keep reading.
0 comments
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(3 people liked it)
Feb 01, 2012
Amber
rated it:
4 1/2 stars
Yes yes yes, "never judge a book by its cover," I know, I know. But can we just PLEASE sit here for a minute and appreciate that AMAZING artwork. LOOK AT IT.
Sara Etienne's debut novel will knock your socks off. I'm serious. Etienne's mastery of storytelling and remarkable characters will not allow you to put this book down, and if you do, you're stuck wondering how it's all going to end.
Faye is tricked by her parents into enrolling into Holbro More...
Yes yes yes, "never judge a book by its cover," I know, I know. But can we just PLEASE sit here for a minute and appreciate that AMAZING artwork. LOOK AT IT.
Sara Etienne's debut novel will knock your socks off. I'm serious. Etienne's mastery of storytelling and remarkable characters will not allow you to put this book down, and if you do, you're stuck wondering how it's all going to end.
Faye is tricked by her parents into enrolling into Holbro More...
0 comments
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(3 people liked it)
Jan 07, 2012
How come nobody told me about this book?
Do I always have to find things on my own?
You know how partial I am to blindfolds!
Oh, the love, I need this book in my life NOW!
Now, the model, from the neck down...reminds me of...
Same dress, same shoulders?
Do I always have to find things on my own?
You know how partial I am to blindfolds!
Oh, the love, I need this book in my life NOW!
Now, the model, from the neck down...reminds me of...
Same dress, same shoulders?
14 comments
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(8 people liked it)
Jan 09, 2012
Edith
rated it:
Teenage Faye finds herself at the creepy Holbrook Academy where she struggles to maintain her sanity, while unraveling her true destiny. Not since the Grandmother in Flowers in the Attic has there been a villain so villainous as Holbrook's headmistress, Dr. Mordock. "Fear is an illusion," Faye repeats to herself as Holbrook's bone-chilling happenings go from strange to life-threatening.
For the reader, Fear is *not* an illusion. Be afraid, be very afraid. Do not read this bo More...
For the reader, Fear is *not* an illusion. Be afraid, be very afraid. Do not read this bo More...
0 comments
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(3 people liked it)
Jan 17, 2012
Mocha ღ Latte
rated it:
More of my reviews at A Cupcake and a Latte:YA Reads, Reviews & More!
A Gem of a Mystery
*Glares at the cover of Harbinger....and falls off her chair*
I'm sorry but, I'm absolutely in love with the cover of Harbinger! Upon it's arrival in late October, I was instantly enamored. Presented uniquely in the form of a tarot card, the artwork featured on Harbinger is eye catching and extremely pulling. To be honest, I don't know how I was able to set the novel aside for review fo More...
A Gem of a Mystery
*Glares at the cover of Harbinger....and falls off her chair*
I'm sorry but, I'm absolutely in love with the cover of Harbinger! Upon it's arrival in late October, I was instantly enamored. Presented uniquely in the form of a tarot card, the artwork featured on Harbinger is eye catching and extremely pulling. To be honest, I don't know how I was able to set the novel aside for review fo More...
15 comments
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(5 people liked it)
Dec 19, 2011
Rebecca
rated it:
I loved this book so much I don’t know where to start. Yes, I have said I loved a book before but you don’t understand I want to write the Harbinger sonnets, sing it love songs, and woo it until, Harbinger loves me back. Take another look at that cover, amazing right? You know how I am about covers! Harbinger totally lives up to its cover.
Once I started reading Harbinger I became so enveloped in the world that Ms. Wilson Etienne created. (Like to the point of being late for picking m More...
Once I started reading Harbinger I became so enveloped in the world that Ms. Wilson Etienne created. (Like to the point of being late for picking m More...
0 comments
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(2 people liked it)
Feb 01, 2012
Caitlings
rated it: 
I’m not sure what about this book made me want to read it. It certainly wasn’t the cover. This is one of those books that I had to make myself read despite the cover. Possibly I had the impression from a description that it took place at a boarding school and was about kids with powers. Kids with powers at a boarding school is one of my all time favourite tropes I will read almost anything with this set up.
Plus there’s that random line, “her only comfort the bones of dead animals.” L More...
Plus there’s that random line, “her only comfort the bones of dead animals.” L More...
0 comments
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(1 person liked it)
Dec 19, 2011
Leah
rated it:
Faye is going crazy, seeing things that aren’t there. Since she can remember, she’s had a weird connection to death and the ocean. When she is sent to Holbrook Academy to ‘get better’, everything only gets worse. Faye and her friends wake up every morning with blood on their hands, and mysterious symbols written on the floor. She knows it’s her causing this, but how? Working with her friend Kel, she starts to unravel an age old prophecy foretelling madness and death, and soon no one can be trust
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11 comments
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(2 people liked it)
Feb 06, 2012
Shorty
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Feb 05, 2012
Ferdy
rated it:
3.5 stars - Some spoilers
Harbinger introduces us to Faye, a troubled sixteen year old who's parents enrol her at the newly opened Holbrook Academy. Holbrook Academy is a school for disturbed and unruly teenagers. Faye is distressed when she finds out her parents have betrayed her and abandoned her at Holbrook so she can get the 'help' she needs. From a young age, Faye has had strange and frightening visions of the sea. On top of that, Faye has never had any friends and is very much a More...
Harbinger introduces us to Faye, a troubled sixteen year old who's parents enrol her at the newly opened Holbrook Academy. Holbrook Academy is a school for disturbed and unruly teenagers. Faye is distressed when she finds out her parents have betrayed her and abandoned her at Holbrook so she can get the 'help' she needs. From a young age, Faye has had strange and frightening visions of the sea. On top of that, Faye has never had any friends and is very much a More...
7 comments
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(2 people liked it)
Jan 31, 2012
Melissa (i swim for oceans)
rated it:
Faye doesn't really know what her place is in the world. Holbrook Academy is meant to rehabilitate her, and when her father drops her off, she's even more unsure then before. She feels drawn to Holbrook and her surroundings, but there's an odd sort of charisma on the island, too. It's dark and terrifying. and though Faye feels at home for the first time in her life, weird things keep happening, and she knows it has to be because of her. To top it all off, Faye feels drawn to Kel, but there's som
More...
Jan 25, 2012
Dot
rated it:
Wracked with visions, Faye gets shipped off to Holbrook Academy when her parents can’t deal with the crazy anymore. Holbrook isn’t your typical school, though; student brutality is a fact of life and the goal isn’t to heal the students so much as break them and make them conform. Fortunately for Faye, her assigned Family actually has a way of looking out for each other, of supporting each other even when they all have to take the pain for it. Then they wake up filthy and exhausted, their hands c
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Jan 16, 2012
Jeanbooknerd
rated it:
Harbinger truly carried a complex storyline. I was enthralled from the first turn of the page to the very last. It was full of adventures, action, and mystery that I had a hard time stepping away from the story.
Sara Wilson Etienne brilliantly created a one-of-a-kind setting that is justly beautiful in every way. The characters are unforgettable and had real sincerity. Each character had distinct eccentricity that helped build up the story.
There are many twists and turns i More...
Sara Wilson Etienne brilliantly created a one-of-a-kind setting that is justly beautiful in every way. The characters are unforgettable and had real sincerity. Each character had distinct eccentricity that helped build up the story.
There are many twists and turns i More...
0 comments
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(2 people liked it)
Feb 14, 2012
Lea
rated it:
NOTE: This one actually got 3.5 stars...
Harbinger was a super creepy, darkly mysterious book with amazingly good writing that was also nothing like what I was expecting it to be. It definitely stood out from a lot of other YA fiction out there because it had such a unique and interesting plot twist-- which I'm not going to give away here, because I want you to be just as surprised and taken away as I was if you decide to read it!
Faye has suffered from terrifying visions and More...
Harbinger was a super creepy, darkly mysterious book with amazingly good writing that was also nothing like what I was expecting it to be. It definitely stood out from a lot of other YA fiction out there because it had such a unique and interesting plot twist-- which I'm not going to give away here, because I want you to be just as surprised and taken away as I was if you decide to read it!
Faye has suffered from terrifying visions and More...
2 comments
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(1 person liked it)
Feb 07, 2012
joє
rated it:
(c) andrea offermann
a story along the lines of l.j. smith's deliciously creepy dark vision series.
actually it reads as if the author wanted to pay homage to smith and wrote this book, to do so. a mysterious thriller, complete with eerie happenings in this school for 'special' children.
plot:More...
the protagonist, faye is sent to a reform school run by dr. mordoch, because she's different. each morning faye and her group (called "family") wake up with red-st
0 comments
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(2 people liked it)
Jan 31, 2012
Jen Bigheart
rated it:
We meet Faye as her father is dropping her off at Holbrook Academy. It was supposed to be just campus visit, but when the program director, crotchety old Dr. Mordoch, hands her the daily schedule and her dad drags a suitcase out of the trunk her mother secretly packed, she knows she will be stuck there for awhile. She tries to run, she tries to hide, but only ends up in solidarity confinement. Within days, Faye and other teens at the academy wake up covered in dirt and blood with strange symbols
More...
0 comments
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(1 person liked it)
Feb 19, 2012
Wan
rated it:
The premise of this book sort of reminded me of Variant and Hex Hall. A bunch of delinquent kids thrown in a school together sounded promising but then the story went off into a very confusing direction: past lives, talismans, burial grounds, the world ending, tarot cards, a past war and unexplained powers. I actually liked the beginning where we got to know these misfits kids and what their troubled backgrounds were. Only, that didn't matter at all because they were from another lifetime. Eh, I
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Feb 07, 2012
Noémy
rated it: 
I'm still hesitating...I will say that it's more of a 2.5 star book for me. I don't really know what to say, I'm having trouble putting my thoughts into words. The story was VERY original. It certainly isn't something you see a lot in YA : I liked how even halfway through the book I still didn't know that the heck was going on. SWE's writing was also very beautiful and lyrical at times BUT the characters fell flat for me. The mystery and the unique storyline is, I think, what will appeal to read
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Feb 15, 2012
Stefanie
rated it:
^ Basically my reaction after every chapter.
Harbinger is an absolutely gripping story about a very gifted girl trying to figure out who she is, what exactly is going on at Holbrook Academy, and what the future of the world has to do with it all.
This book was written so nothing is really spelled out for you (which was fun) and has a deep, dark atmosphere to it. It has twists and turns that leave you on the edge of your seat just flipping like a maniac to see what on eart More...
Feb 17, 2012
Resti
rated it:
aaaah... baca buku ini mengganggu. berapa kali niat baca buku ini, selalu mentok dihalaman satu. padahal menarik, serius, beneran menarik. tapi berhubung mood belakangan ini fokus sama komik, jadi stuck di halaman 1 mulu dah.
akhirnya hari ini bergerak baca ebooknya.Perasaan aku campur aduk kayak nano nano baca ini. di satu sisi aku pengen cepet tamatin bukunya, disisi lain gak pengen buku ini cepet tamat. dilemaaa.... sempet jenuh siih soalnya panjang banget dan misterinya nambah terus. ga More...
akhirnya hari ini bergerak baca ebooknya.Perasaan aku campur aduk kayak nano nano baca ini. di satu sisi aku pengen cepet tamatin bukunya, disisi lain gak pengen buku ini cepet tamat. dilemaaa.... sempet jenuh siih soalnya panjang banget dan misterinya nambah terus. ga More...
Feb 17, 2012
Let's make one thing clear: This is not my typical read. I read mysteries to an extent, but nothing like this. But I wanted to try something new and a lot of people were excited about this one, so I decided to give it a try.
The characters didn't really stand out to me. They were pretty average characters. They helped tell the story, which was their job, but they aren't very memorable. At times, Faye and Kel actually kind of annoyed me. The way they acted and their reactions...they ju More...
The characters didn't really stand out to me. They were pretty average characters. They helped tell the story, which was their job, but they aren't very memorable. At times, Faye and Kel actually kind of annoyed me. The way they acted and their reactions...they ju More...
Feb 13, 2012
Karishma
rated it:
Oh my god. I started reading this book and now it's 6:20 in the morning because I couldn't possibly stop..
Seriously. Read this. It's seriously creepy and disturbing and so much more sinister than the summary says in a very good way. It's a mystery that you actually can't figure out before the protagonist does but it gets more unnerving with every page. I was totally gripped.
It might seem like your average 'boarding school' YA-book but it's so not. The closest thing I coul More...
Seriously. Read this. It's seriously creepy and disturbing and so much more sinister than the summary says in a very good way. It's a mystery that you actually can't figure out before the protagonist does but it gets more unnerving with every page. I was totally gripped.
It might seem like your average 'boarding school' YA-book but it's so not. The closest thing I coul More...
Feb 21, 2012
Book Whales
rated it:
Originally posted @ Book Whales
Fear is an illusion; I’m in control of my own reality.
I admit! I was hesitant to finish this book since I have nothing to hold on to. Half of the book is full of puzzles and unanswered questions. The story is very complex, I find myself looking back to some chapters to clarify a few questions. But I was impressed by the author’s ability to hook you. I literally wanted to squeeze the book to get some answers. My curiosity got me going. …In th More...
Fear is an illusion; I’m in control of my own reality.
I admit! I was hesitant to finish this book since I have nothing to hold on to. Half of the book is full of puzzles and unanswered questions. The story is very complex, I find myself looking back to some chapters to clarify a few questions. But I was impressed by the author’s ability to hook you. I literally wanted to squeeze the book to get some answers. My curiosity got me going. …In th More...
Feb 20, 2012
Ta§chima
rated it:
You can find more reviews @BloodyBookaholic
This book is just plain weird. In a good way? I am still on the fence on that. I saw so many excellent reviews on the book, so I thought "ugh, maybe this book will be kick ass (even though the cover isn't my favorite)" but after reading it, I was more looking for the 3-4 star reviews, because to be completely honest I was confused for the most part of the story, with the story line and how the things, like the hallucinations, were ta More...
This book is just plain weird. In a good way? I am still on the fence on that. I saw so many excellent reviews on the book, so I thought "ugh, maybe this book will be kick ass (even though the cover isn't my favorite)" but after reading it, I was more looking for the 3-4 star reviews, because to be completely honest I was confused for the most part of the story, with the story line and how the things, like the hallucinations, were ta More...
Dec 19, 2011
I'm sorry, but did I just read that her only comfort were the bones of dead animals?
Intriguing...
Intriguing...
0 comments
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(1 person liked it)
Feb 04, 2012
Beth
rated it:
4.5 stars. This book went in a totally different direction than I expected but I really like where it went. If expanded and lengthened, this book would be able to take its place among some of the best supernatural-horror books I've read - it honestly reminded me a lot of Stephen King. There is certainly something to be said for compactness and conciseness of the story, though - I just wanted more exploration of some of the side characters. Even Kel was pretty underdeveloped. However, still a won
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Feb 06, 2012
Jess
rated it:
This book was a truly excellent debut. Dark. Dramatic. Mysterious. Exciting. Faye was an intruiging character, and her narration was simply lovely. There were a few flaws of course, as it *is* a debut novel. I adored the secondary characters and felt that they had realistic personalities, but I feel they were pushed to the side a bit for to make way for the main narration. I also felt that the plot/ending was a bit difficult to understand, but once I reread, I adored it. After I finished the boo
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