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The Gemstone

(Pendant Trilogy #1)

Sarena Nanua (Goodreads Author),

Sasha Nanua (Goodreads Author)

3.77 · Rating details · 39 ratings · 23 reviews

One gemstone that changed her life... "Now it was almost before me. My breath quickenned as I struggled to let go of the necklace. I even stood to pull the box with me, but the ribbon of the necklace reddened my wrist like a hot coal and I cried out in pain. Suddenly all I heard was my breath-in, out. The figure moved quicker and quicker, closer and closer.".. "The figure ...more

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Paperback, 296 pages

Published May 1st 2012 by iUniverse

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· 39 ratings · 23 reviews

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Oct 07, 2014 Sama Aziz rated it really liked it

Shelves: booknerdigans-review

One gemstone that changed her life... Now it was almost before me. My breath quickened as I struggled to let go of the necklace. I even stood to pull the box with me, but the ribbon of the necklace reddened my wrist like a hot coal and I cried out in pain. Suddenly all I heard was my breath-in, out. The figure moved quicker and quicker, closer and closer...
The figure was now above me, drifting over my head, and then it tumbled on me with the force of gravity.

And then with a whimper, I fell uncon One gemstone that changed her life... Now it was almost before me. My breath quickened as I struggled to let go of the necklace. I even stood to pull the box with me, but the ribbon of the necklace reddened my wrist like a hot coal and I cried out in pain. Suddenly all I heard was my breath-in, out. The figure moved quicker and quicker, closer and closer...
The figure was now above me, drifting over my head, and then it tumbled on me with the force of gravity.

And then with a whimper, I fell unconscious as darkness surrounded me.

ARICA MILLER is thrilled to begin her sophomore year at Hill Valley Private Arts Academy. Little does she know that the prestigious school holds more hidden secrets than she'd anticipated-especially with the headmistress. After she accidentally comes into contact with a mysterious gemstone necklace, she receives strange hallucinations that connect to her family's past. Arica soon realizes that this is no regular necklace, but a necklace that contains power beyond her knowledge. And that's not all. Her world unwinds as she is absorbed with knowledge of a world of sorcery.

All dating up to Halloween night, Arica must face suspicious friends, monstrous creatures, and the truth of her family's connection with sorcery. But worst of all, she must face a powerful enemy keen on only one thing: the gemstones.

http://www.booknerdigans.com/wp-conte...

This book though. When I first picked up this book, (as a very pretty paperback, thanks to the publisher!) I knew that it was going to be a really fun read. Why? Well, let's start with that cover. I mean look at that lovely gemstone!!! Just looking at the cover made me want to dive right into it. However after I read the synopsis, I thought to myself "Hmm... This sounds sort of like a fantasy book. I don't usually like fantasy." And that's what I thought wrong. Say what you will about this book, but I will forever stand by my opinion of it being one of the top five fantasy books I've read in 2014. This book had just the prefect amount of almost everything! It was full with action and adventure, secrets, superpowers and of course, humor. I don't think I'll ever look at a mango again without cracking up. If you didn't understand that joke, click the link below to buy yourself a copy of The Gemstone and we can laugh over mangoes forever. This book was such an interesting one to read and I never knew what would happen next. It was like walking through a dim lit room and opening random doors to find treasured hidden past them. This book was a treasure. It's my little crate filled with gold coins and happiness. The Gemstone kept me on the edge of my seat constantly, and yet was extremely satisfying. Except for that ending. I did NOT see that coming and now I'm having a major book hangover. GIVE ME BOOK TWO!!! And now as I am waiting for the second book to come in the mail, I may or may not be planning a little giveaway with Sarena and Sasha. Stay tuned for more info on all that! And while you're waiting, don't forget to order your own copy of The Gemstone! I'm positive you will not regret it!

Link to buy The Gemstone:

http://bookstore.iuniverse.com/Produc... ...more

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Mar 14, 2015 Pavitra (For The Love of Fictional Worlds) rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy, juvenile-fiction, science-fiction, young-adult

Actual Rating 3.5 Stars

A full review will be up on my blog as well as here :)

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Oct 07, 2014 Jaclyn rated it liked it

Shelves: books-i-own

I gave this book 3.75 out of 5 stars

I received this book from the authors who were kind enough to send it to me in exchange for an honest review.
First, thank you to the authors for being soooo patient with me in writing the review. I read this book at the end of December, but with going back to work and being on a hiatus from my blog, I haven't had the chance to write the review.
I thought that the plot was very interesting and reminiscent of the Chosen series and of course some elements of Har ...more

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Jan 18, 2015 Madison Woods rated it liked it

Shelves: books-of-2015

I was sent The Gemstone by Sarena and Sasha Nanua to review!

Sarena and Sasha wrote The Gemstone at my age which I was very impressed of. I have always tried to write a whole novel, but it is hard for me to juggle school work and my own writing. Sarena and Sasha have done both! Kudos to them!

I was really into the plot and the fantasy world The Pendant Trilogy was revolved around. However, it was still kind of a slow read because it was easy for me to waver my attention from the book. Even though ...more

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Jul 18, 2015 Themis rated it really liked it

I didn't get into it right away. That's why it took me awhile to finish reading it. I kept putting it down. The characters weren't relatable. I usually have a hard time with a book when I am unable to connect with at least one character. Overall, it's a great story. I couldn't give it less than 4 stars, because I still enjoyed the plot and how the story developed. I cannot wait to read the sequel ...more

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Sep 27, 2015 Theresa Needham fehse rated it it was amazing

Free book for honest review. juliesbookreview.blogspot.com

5-STARS

The Pendant Trilogy consists of The Gemstone, The King’s Jewel, and The Poisoned Emerald. This is a remarkable series because it is written by teenaged twins who, according to the bio on Amazon, attend high school in Ontario. They should be commended for following their love of reading and writing by publishing a book for other teenagers.
The Gemstone begins with the main character, Arica attending a new private school along with h Free book for honest review. juliesbookreview.blogspot.com

5-STARS

The Pendant Trilogy consists of The Gemstone, The King’s Jewel, and The Poisoned Emerald. This is a remarkable series because it is written by teenaged twins who, according to the bio on Amazon, attend high school in Ontario. They should be commended for following their love of reading and writing by publishing a book for other teenagers.
The Gemstone begins with the main character, Arica attending a new private school along with her cousins Janine, Jessica and Joseph. All three possess inherited magical gifts, but only Arica is completely clueless about her magical heritage; her magical background having been concealed by her mother who was intent on protecting her from the dangers of magic. Faced with a headmistress with malevolent intent, and roommates and other peers who may be either friends or foes, Arica and her cousins must survive while protecting heirloom magical gemstone necklaces from theft. During these trials, Arica, who is otherwise a clueless ninth-grader, reluctantly rises to a leadership role and with the help of her cousins and others who become allies slowly learns the truth of her magical inheritance. The same malevolent forces fought by Arica, her cousins and her friends in The Gemstone persist in different threatening forms and hideous activities in The King’s Jewels and The Poisoned Emerald. The authors have left plenty of opportunity to expand the trilogy into multiple volumes.
Written by peers, this is a fine fantasy selection for middle-school and lower high school students. The plot is a simple straight-forward good-v-evil scenario which is sufficiently imaginative to provide good entertainment. While some of the characters and situations may seem elementary or somewhat implausible to adult readers, it should be remembered that these books were not written for adults. The descriptions of objects and locations are rich and detailed; often entertaining in and of themselves. The choice of words and dialog are simple, but seem stilted and awkward, not at all how I would expect ninth-graders to talk in America; however, the authors are Canadian, and the main characters have recently moved from England to Canada to attend a new school, therefore, a British influence accents the dialog.
Overall, I feel The Pendant Trilogy is a great start toward a writing career for the authors, Sarena and Sasha Nanua, and an entertaining fantasy selection for middle-school aged students…perhaps a good Halloween read.
Clabe Polk ...more

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Oct 04, 2014 Sumaira rated it liked it

My actual rating for this book is 3.5 stars, but ofcourse on good reads we cannot put 1/2 stars.

I was sent this book in exchange for a honest review.

I enjoyed this book, the story line was interesting and I wanted carry on reading even if I had to do other things. I do not want to add more about the plot as I do not want to give the book away but the synopsis above pretty much covers it. I liked the main character Arica, she is 15 but she is not made to be too childish which sometimes I find can My actual rating for this book is 3.5 stars, but ofcourse on good reads we cannot put 1/2 stars.

I was sent this book in exchange for a honest review.

I enjoyed this book, the story line was interesting and I wanted carry on reading even if I had to do other things. I do not want to add more about the plot as I do not want to give the book away but the synopsis above pretty much covers it. I liked the main character Arica, she is 15 but she is not made to be too childish which sometimes I find can happen in YA books. Saying that I think she was a bit too accepting of magic, there was no incredulity which I thought would have been the normal reaction as she's knew nothing about magic before. I have to admit there was a bad guy in the book but I spent the entire book trying to work out who else was an accomplice and who was good. The other characters in this book were interesting, I liked Joseph the best.

This is a well written book considering that it is Sarena and Sasha's first book. There was a scene with a mango that made me chuckle out loud, so hats off to the authors for thinking and writing such a enjoyable book. I am not just saying this as they sent me a copy of the book but because I did actually enjoy it, though I will admit this will not be everyone's cup of tea. My niggle with the writing is there can be too much description at points and there are parts that I feel do not add to the story or description so could have been missed out. This does not take too much away from the enjoyment of the book however.

I did think at points in the story that things were too convenient, as the characters needed to discover something or something needed to happen for the story to move on and so it did, but this was just a minor issue and hopefully this will improve with the next book in the series as the story has been established. The book ended on such a big cliffhanger once everything was just getting really interesting. I really want to find out what happens and will at some point soon pick up the next book.

This is a good solid read, so if you enjoy books such a The Summoning or YA books with young character then give this a go :) Do not forget to leave me a comment if you check it out!

Thank you to the lovely Sarena and Sasha for giving this to me to review :) ...more

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Feb 04, 2015 Ashley Tomlinson rated it it was amazing

This book was such a delight to read! I was getting myself into a reading slump and The Gemstone got me out of it. It was written by twins Sarena and Sasha, I personally think that is so cool. To be able to work on something with your sister seems like fun, a headache maybe but fun. They are sweet girls, I've had the pleasure of speaking with them on social media a couple of times.

Arica just started the most prestigious art academy in the country. Her mother gives her a beautiful gemstone neckla This book was such a delight to read! I was getting myself into a reading slump and The Gemstone got me out of it. It was written by twins Sarena and Sasha, I personally think that is so cool. To be able to work on something with your sister seems like fun, a headache maybe but fun. They are sweet girls, I've had the pleasure of speaking with them on social media a couple of times.

Arica just started the most prestigious art academy in the country. Her mother gives her a beautiful gemstone necklace before she embarks on a journey into this new unknown school, life is great. It doesn't take long for Arica to learn the magical secrets behind her gemstone and the gemstones that her twin cousins possess. Then everything starts to change and they will all be fighting to keep the gemstones away from the evil sorceress.

The plot was so fun and creative. Even though Arica was only fifteen it felt more like she was in college, I think that was because of the school she was in. I was worried that since she was so young there would be too much "high school" drama but it wasn't like that. None of the characters acted like their age, if I didn't know they were fifteen they could have passed as college kids.

I really enjoyed Arica, Jess, Janine and Josephs characters and the friendship between all of them –I know they were related but you can still be friends with relatives. The mango scene was excellent and had me laughing, loudly. I commend Sarena and Sasha for writing such a great scene and a great book.

I think it was pretty obvious that Ash and her little clan was just not right. I knew there was something up with them immediately –for once my non-existent detective skills were right. I don't want to elaborate on any of them because I don't want to give anything away. That's the only thing wrong with this book, so much happened but it was all so relevant that saying it could give something away. I loved how EVERYTHING was connected, the author duo did an amazing job making everything fit together perfectly.

I can't believe the ending though, holy cliff hanger! I can't wait to get my hands on the second book!

For more of my reviews visit http://www.hyperashley.com/ ...more

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Mar 06, 2013 Julie Ramsey rated it liked it

Shelves: done

Sarena and Sasha Nanua
· “The Gemstone”
YA paranormal/suspense/adventure

Why has the world suddenly gone totally strange?
From the moment Arica Miller finds an odd necklace in a box stored in her basement, nothing is ever as it was before. Moving to another house and a new school was hard enough. Now she is getting visions, her cousins speak of sorcery, and the headmistress at her new school is eyeing her with more interest than Arica is comfortable with.
Then there’s Ash, Arica’s roommate, and her ...more

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Dec 13, 2012 Kimberly Schaaf rated it really liked it

Shelves: reviewed-2012

Oh, I am anxiously awaiting the next book in this series. I was given a copy of this for an honest review. And honestly, I thought it was great. This was a deviation from the string of paranormal romance and adult contemporary romance books I've been reading lately. And it was a welcome change of pace!!

I do have to say, the book had a very "Harry Potter'ish" type feel...minus the school being for witches and wizards, etc...

We are introduced to Arica Miller who is beginning her sophomore year a ...more

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Feb 17, 2015 savannah chandler rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, read-in-2014, books-i-own

This book literally took me two days to read and it was the one of the best books I have read in 2014! I cannot wait to get the second book becuase that ending was not acceptable ;). I can't believe it ended that way and I have to figure out what happens next otherwise…
But what I love about this book is that first of all 2 authors wrote this book and I couldn't tell a difference between there writing and they described everything perfectly ...more

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Dec 04, 2012 Aimee rated it it was amazing

A thrilling read and a fantastic start to what will be an amazing series. Held me captive from the very first page, with interesting characters, and surprising plot twists. Well worth a read, will definately be recommending to all fantasy/magic/sci-fi lovers! Eagerly awaiting the next in the series, these girls are definately the up and coming authors to watch out for!

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Jun 02, 2015 Kelly Peterson rated it really liked it

I received an e-copy from the authors in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affects any opinions expressed below.

This review is officially posted on Live, Love, Read. http://www.livelovereadya.wordpress.com

My Review:

I actually really enjoyed this book. It was a fun read, one that I easily passed the time away with and that kept me engaged with it throughout the day. I read it in less than 24 hours and am still thinking of it, debating on whether or not I’d like to jump right into the ...more

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Feb 28, 2015 Olivia Williford (LivTheBookNerd) rated it liked it

Recommends it for: Harry Potter fans, Pendragon fans, Maximum Ride fans, Darkest Powers Fans

Recommended to Olivia Williford by: Sarena and Sasha Nanua

Shelves: 2015-reads

Check out my blog! http://www.livthebooknerd.blogspot.com
(originally posted on blog)

3.5 STARS

Hey guys!

So I was asked by Sarena and Sasha on Instagram to review their books; and they hooked me up with their publishers email..And let me say! They hooked me up! Not only did they send me The Gemstone, they sent me the second and third book in the Pendant Trilogy: The King's Jewel & The Poisoned Emerald. Again! Thank you so much Sasha and Sarena Nanua and thank you iUniverse for sending them to me!

...more

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Aug 24, 2015 Logan LeDuc rated it did not like it

Well....I tried. This book was just written to the point that I couldn't read it anymore past page 60. There was so many pieces of unnecessary information and random details that didn't need to be there, that it was probably double the length that it had to be. There was a lot that also seemed to be written out of order or skipped around without giving the characters time to make things happen. For example, one sentence involved Arica watching the movers bring her bed in through the front door. ...more

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Oct 03, 2014 Mollie C rated it it was amazing

I loved reading The Gemstone! It fitted perfect as an October read that was close to Halloween.

Arica Miller was an interesting character to read about, I loved how much her character developed and became really strong and independent.

The plot was unlike anything I have ever read before and made me not want to stop reading.

The Gemstone overall was a fast paced, exciting read that's full of surprises! ...more

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Jun 21, 2016 Ayman Naz rated it liked it

Okay well, I love the book but I do have a few complaints. Most things were obvious and you could tell where the story was going (but the things you didn't know were gonna happen, blew up in my face). I really thought the ending was more of a horror movie ending, not the ending of a book, really. And everything usually ended in a happy note which is just...no. But anyway, I liked the book so yea ...more

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Dec 09, 2014 Blaire Hammond rated it really liked it

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was exciting, interesting, and had me hooked the entire way through. The storyline was fantastic, and the character's were not only relatable but loveable. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good mystery with a twist of fantasy. Loved it. ...more

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Jun 12, 2012 Sasha Nanua rated it it was amazing · (Review from the author)

Shelves: favourite-books, iwrotethisbook, owned-books

The Gemstone was amazing! The Girls have written a remarkable story that kept me wanting for more! I cannot wait until the second book is released! Keep up the great work Sarena and Sasha.

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Nov 14, 2020 Amara rated it it was amazing

Fascinating original story, love the cover, gotta read the rest!! Perfect for HP or fantasy lovers!

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Aug 08, 2015 ⭐Aimee⭐ rated it really liked it

Shelves: sent-from-publishers, read-in-2015

I received a copy of The Pendant Trilogy earlier this month for review. I want to thank the authors for the opportunity to read and review their books.

I’ve never written a book before so I don’t know if it’s easier or harder to have two people writing the same book. I’ve never really thought about it til now. I suppose it could be a bit of both.

I think it took me two chapters to get used to the writing style, not that it’s bad but everyone has a different voice, but once I did I was pretty much ...more

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Aug 23, 2014 Bryce added it

Shelves: dnf

Unfortunately, this was a dnf for me, therefore I didn't give it a rating. I got about halfway through this book and quickly realized that it isn't for me. It wasn't that it's bad; the writing is actually very good, and the plot is interesting. But, this book is marketed as YA, even though the story is more geared towards children. The characters seemed younger than they were supposed to be, and the plot was something I would think younger readers would enjoy. There isn't anything wrong with tha ...more

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Oct 30, 2015 legenbooksdary rated it really liked it

First of all, there are some parts where you can really predict what will happen next. You can tell that it is quite predictable. Each character has an important role in everyway.

The authors had sent me the e-copy of this book and that ending really perks up my curiosity of the whole trilogy and it has made me want to know and read more of this trilogy.

This book is well written and it has inspired me to start writing because they have started writing since they were very young.

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About Sarena Nanua

Sarena Nanua

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Sarena is a 22-year-old from Ontario. She is the co-author of The Pendant Trilogy with her twin sister, Sasha Nanua. She loves to read and write YA and MG novels.

Blog: thependanttrilogy.wordpress.com

**does not check GR messages**