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The Truth Spell

(Werewolf High #1)

Anita Oh (Goodreads Author)

3.74 · Rating details · 821 ratings · 90 reviews

A dastardly spell. Mysterious billionaires. An ordinary girl thrust into an extraordinary world.

Lucy O’Connor is more IT girl than “it girl” but even though she’ll never fit in, the scholarship to elite Amaris High is an opportunity she can’t refuse.

The day Lucy arrives at Amaris, she sees her best friend, Sam Spencer. But Sam had died three years ago, on the night that ha ...more

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Kindle Edition, 154 pages

Published November 21st 2015

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· 821 ratings · 90 reviews

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Start your review of The Truth Spell (Werewolf High, #1)

Jan 13, 2016 Aditi rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: friends, fantasy, my-reviews, mystery, ya, humor

“A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.”

-----Mark Twain

Anita Oh, a debut author, pens her new YA fantasy book, The Truth Spell which is the first book in the Werewolf High series. The book unfolds the story of a teenage girl named Lucy, who gets a scholarship into one of the most decorated and posh high school, where she stumbles upon her childhood best friend who died a long time ago. Hence Lucy begins an investigation to find out if that boy is h ...more

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Dec 05, 2015 Elaine rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal, mystery, suspense, puzzles, authors-to-look-out-for, magic, series, adventure, shifters, werewolf

This is a relatively short story about mysterious happenings at the very special boarding school, Amaris High. With a truth spell making it impossible to tell lies, werewolves and someone endangering everyone’s safety it is a fast paced start to a new series!

Lucy O’Connor’s first experiences at a very special boarding school which she’s won a scholarship to attend really don’t go well -even getting to the school isn’t straightforward!. Fortunately her room mate Hannah Morgan, comes to meet her, ...more

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Jan 25, 2016 Ricah (vamptimesurfer) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: who wants to read a light and short book

Shelves: reviewed, arcs-books-for-review, blog-tours

*I received an ebook copy from YA Bound Book Tours. This does not affect my review.*

EDITED: 01/30/16

Lucy O' Connor is a scholar student of this prestigious school. Her roommate Hannah Morgan welcomes her and told her things that she needs to know about this school. The school is divided with 2 groups/ divisions or whatever you want to name and it's the Red and Green. Red is the basic package-basic foods, dorms, and services. Green is the so called "better package"-better services, dorms ...more

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Sep 11, 2017 Runningrabbit rated it it was amazing

Bewitched by the Truth

This is one of the best high school Academy novels I have read, and Lucy one of the most credible protagonists. The Amaris school is not unique to the genre but together with the general atmosphere and school environment the novel is well crafted. The writing is exceptional for a YA novel with a good style, good general knowledge and well executed prose. I'm definitely up for the next book in the series. ...more

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Jan 24, 2016 Dani (Dani Reviews Things & Love in a time of Feminism) rated it really liked it

Shelves: kindle-copy, blog-tour, favourite-books, read-2016, lol, swoon, arc

See this review in its natural environment, Dani Reviews Things.

I am completely in love with this book! It's a short book (128 pages), so it's easily read in a sitting, but the sarcastic humour and genuinely mysterious plot make it feel like a breeze to get through. A very insistent breeze that wants you to sit down and keep reading.

I read while on a 7-hour Skype call with my book besties from Books Are My Fandom, who got to hear all my reactions and some choice quotes. Especially the se ...more

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Jun 26, 2018 Kanwarpal Singh rated it liked it · review of another edition

The plot was so simple, plain and ordinary. First day of school, protagonist get's bullied, noticed with the popular squad, then her world turned upside down-well not really. Just a bit. While reading this book It feels like a middle grade book to me. No plot twists nor revelations. I expected this book to be mind blowing, but it wasn't. It was also unbelievable. This is a fantasy book, so why is it unbelievable? Anything can happen." snorts Let me explain you this way, If your gonna meet a girl ...more

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Sep 26, 2017 Mo rated it it was ok

The Truth Spell

This book is a little confusing and I'm now struggling to remember the names of the characters other than Tennyson. I still don't know whether I like Sam or not and why they're in love because she's drawn to Tennyson then Sam. I realized I don't even remember the protagonists name right now. I'm done. The books become progressively more expensive and it ends oddly also. 1 and out! ...more

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Nov 12, 2015 Mandy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: new2you-author, fiction, read-2016, paranormal, shifters, ebooks, ya-fantasy, fantasy, arc-ebooks, read2review

I received The Truth Spell in return for an honest review from YA Bound. Lucy has been a scholarship to a very special boarding school that is divided by color and level of the package. Hopefully this will be the chance she needed after leaving her family who’s hurting for money. Right away she is befriended by her future roommate who explains everything to Lucy getting her settled in the red house. However things aren’t as they seem and when the Golden house members arrive by helicopter she cat I received The Truth Spell in return for an honest review from YA Bound. Lucy has been a scholarship to a very special boarding school that is divided by color and level of the package. Hopefully this will be the chance she needed after leaving her family who’s hurting for money. Right away she is befriended by her future roommate who explains everything to Lucy getting her settled in the red house. However things aren’t as they seem and when the Golden house members arrive by helicopter she catches the glimpse of someone from her past she thought was dead.

Determined to figure out the truth she sets out to figure out if she really did see her best friend who died Sam but catches attention from one of the other Golden students. Which pushes her to the outside being treated like an outsider who isn’t wanted even at the school. He even offers her money that her family could really use if she would just leave. Yet Lucy is determined to see if it really was Sam and in that a magical truth spell is unleashed on the school keeping everyone from being able to lie. As wolves roam the grounds will Lucy find the truth before it’s too late?

I like Lucy she’s kind of nerdy and fixes computers for extra money to help her family and she wears glasses. Which I have to admit has been rare until recently in young adult novels I’ve noticed. I didn’t like Tennyson at first because he was determined to have Lucy leave but he kind of grew on me the more we know. I also liked Sam after we learn about him it all makes sense.

I had been seeing this one around for a while and when the chance came up to review it I had to sign up. After all who wouldn’t want to read a werewolf boarding school? Right away it reminded me a little of Harry Potter since it opens up at the station. However that is where the similarities end it’s a unique spin on the boarding school concept. Lucy is an interesting character super nerdy but I think it works. I kind of love the concept of our main character being nerd made her easy to connect with. A fast paced hard to put down novel it was easy to finish in a few short hours. I enjoyed the first person writing style it really worked in this novel. I can’t wait to read the next one and see how things are going to work out for Lucy after all there is still a briefcase to talk about. ...more

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Dec 15, 2015 Laura Hernandez (TheVoluptuousBkDiva/YABkDivas) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I received an eARC via the YA Bound Book Tours review library. I made no guarantee of a favorable review and the opinions expressed here are unbiased and my own.

What a fantabulous YA read!! I just couldn't get enough of this book. Lucy comes from a poor family and has been fortunate in receiving a scholarship to a prestigious and very private high school. Upon arrival at the school she is greeted by her roommate Hannah who tries to acclimate Lucy to her new surroundings however, she immediately ...more

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Aug 18, 2017 Juliann Whicker rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I loved this book. The MC's voice was fresh and fun. I never got tired of her spunky strength and even though she wasn't over the top super duper, she wasn't whiny or helpless either.

I loved the mystery, the school, her friends, family, and the boys. Tennyson is very intriguing. I can't wait to finish this series, but I might put it off until it's actually finished. ...more

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Jul 28, 2019 Kevin rated it really liked it · review of another edition

A girl from a poor family gets an unexpected invitation to a secretive, elite high school. She's mostly shunned due to her status, but stumbles upon some paranormal activity. She always seems to be at the center of all the trouble. Her attitude is often amusing.
Typo: Inconsistent punctuation placement, less used for fewer.
...more

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May 19, 2018 Mona rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-paranormal

***1/2

Interesting and different.

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Jul 03, 2018 Helen rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, ebook, fantasy, freebie

Nope. Did not like it - only finished it because it was short and the first half BELJPN was boring!

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Nov 27, 2015 Pete Tarsi rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, werewolves, magic

Picture this: You come from a meager, practically poor, background, and people close to you from your past are dead. You’re the new student at an exclusive (and somewhat geographically hidden) boarding school—one with majestic architecture, a sweeping landscape which borders a forest. The new school has different houses for the students, including one for the elite students. You suddenly find yourself in a world where magic and werewolves exists, and you’re the only person who can save the schoo Picture this: You come from a meager, practically poor, background, and people close to you from your past are dead. You’re the new student at an exclusive (and somewhat geographically hidden) boarding school—one with majestic architecture, a sweeping landscape which borders a forest. The new school has different houses for the students, including one for the elite students. You suddenly find yourself in a world where magic and werewolves exists, and you’re the only person who can save the school from some sort of disaster.

Sound somewhat familiar?

But our hero isn’t Harry Potter, and this school isn’t Hogwarts. Instead, our plucky and likeable heroine is Lucy O’Connor, and the school is Amaris High. There seems to be the usual “types” found in a typical high school here: the overachievers, the wants-to-be-involved-in-everything girl, some bullying, the popular crowd including the brooding bad boy. What exactly could those rich and popular residents of “Gold House” be hiding inside?

Lucy comes with an exceptional and mysterious backstory. Her neighbor and best friend Sam supposedly died a few years earlier, brutally killed along with the rest of his family. Her father is also unaccounted for. The real initial incident of the book comes when Lucy spots Sam—or someone that looks like Sam—at school, hanging out with golden boy Tennyson Wilde. When Lucy tries to investigate, she’s targeted by the Wildes, who try bullying her into leaving the school.

I admire Lucy’s attitude through the story. She’s not going to let the Widles get the best of her. She’s going to find out if who she sees is Sam or not. She’s going to get to the bottom of the potentially catastrophic dilemma that has befallen the school—or at least use a part of it to her advantage.

Somehow, a spell has been cast upon the school which compels everyone to tell the truth. Think of the Jim Carrey film Liar, Liar, but in less of a slapstick comedic way and more in a borderline scary way. The students and faculty can only speak the truth, and some of them become gravely ill as they avoid attending classes for fear revealing things. For some reason, Lucy didn’t come across as affected as others by this spell. I really like the idea of the secrets people holding inside them literally making them sick, and I wish the book had explored this idea a little further than it did.

I actually found this book through the product page for its upcoming sequel—The Tiny Curse—which sounded very interesting to me. I’m not going to read book two before book one, so I figured hey, the book’s inexpensive; what great loss is there if I don’t enjoy it? But you know what? I did enjoy it—in a very Harry-Potter-lite kind of way. It has nowhere near the depth of world building that J.K. Rowling is capable of—but other than say J.R.R. Tolkein and George R.R. Martin, who else really is?

The plot of The Truth Spell is engaging, the conflict is intriguing, and the characters are believable enough. I wish there was a little more depth to the world, and some seemingly important details were left hanging, but both of those may be resolved in later books. Nonetheless, it was an easy, quick, and fun read. No truth spell is needed for me to give it THREE AND A HALF STARS, hoping that Book Two, The Tiny Curse, is at least a tiny bit better. ...more

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Jan 28, 2017 Rebecca Davison rated it it was amazing

BEST HIGHSCHOOL MAGIC BOOK WITH WEREWOLVES!

I love this series!!! I don't think I can get through them fast enough. The covers are awesome, which pulled me in right away. I absolutely adore stories written at schools and when there's magic involved, hello pure bliss! Anita created a whole social system unlike anything I've ever seen and it totally works. I love how she chose to set up the location of the school. It adds an air of mystery and does create a whole set of problems in and of itself. H ...more

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Oct 15, 2017 Marie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

As strange as life is....Lucy accepted into and on scholarship to Armisis was shocking. In no time after arriving she learns her best friend and guy she loves may still be alive, of course she doesn’t believe. A spell is cast upon the school and all that live there, it’s a truth spell. Lucy is trying to figure it out as well as the Golden’s secret. She learns her father, who left the family, wrote a book with her BFF mother, about werewolves. Kudos to her on defeating Uber evil. she bears her h ...more

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Dec 08, 2018 Sabrina Curtin rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This book gets a 4.5 out of 5 stars for me. But, not like a regular 4.5, like I would give to a literary classic. More like a casual, easy read, lovey kind of 4.5. This book, and all of its counterparts had just about enough of everything you could want out of YA fantasy fiction. The only thing was that as time went on, each story was predictable in a kind of elementary way at times. But other wise I really liked this book, and continued on to read all 10 (I believe) of the rest of them. Looking ...more

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Dec 22, 2017 Sara Fitzgerald rated it it was amazing

Interesting concept...

The title is misleading...there are no werewolves at a high school but it is a very well written story.
The main character he been given a scholarship to an elite school, but this school has many secrets. And someone wants those secrets revealed. Follow as we unravel this mystery and find more questions than answers.
I want to read book 2 immediately now....it's that good ...more

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Jul 30, 2017 Dorn Carran rated it it was amazing

Loved every minute

Oh why was this book so short! I loved it so much that I read it in a day and decided to buy the second in the series. I enjoyed the humour, the characters and the skilful writing. It drew me in and kept me guessing as to which way the storyline would go. I think I just found a new author to be a fan of.

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Sep 24, 2017 Anne-Kathrine rated it it was amazing

Shelves: own-on-kindle, paranormal, shape-shifter, witches, series, magic, mystery, werewolf, chick-lit, cozy-mystery

A bit different set up and I did enjoy it!

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Dec 31, 2018 Jassa rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: werewolves

I wasn't sure mixing high school and werewolves, but off to a great start so far. ...more

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Sep 28, 2017 Ann O'Nymos rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I love werewolves and I was drawn to this book by its cover.
Never judge a book by its cover – but this time I wasn't disappointed.
The main character Lucy is quite funny, I love her obsession with food. There are a bit too much “Harry Potter” references at the beginning, maybe in an attempt to make her own story more believable. There are indeed a lot similarities, as Lucy gets thrown into a mysterious boarding school (like Harry P.) and has to fight against prejudice as the outsider. Also like ...more

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Sep 02, 2017 Anie rated it really liked it

Also on: http://diaryofawannabewriter.blogspot...

We follow Lucy, down to Earth girl, who just got scholarship to prestigious high school. She knew she would never really fit in, but had to try, for her family sake. Her mother got sick and her father left them, so she was left to take care for her brothers and make money. She learned to fix computers, so she could buy food.

People at school are divided in groups, Red (where she is), Green (people with a lot more money are) and Golden (richest of t ...more

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Sep 20, 2017 Dawn Ford rated it liked it · review of another edition

I purchased this and the next two in a series boxed set. Generally this is a good series. I'm rating this as a 3 because there were several errors in the books such as timeline issues (i.e. it had been 5 years since Sam supposedly died, Lucy was 12 years old, but in the story she's 15 yo.--she should be 17) and many missing words throughout the whole series. The characters as a whole, however, were well done and interesting. The whole rich, good-looking, charismatic characters a bit cliche, and ...more

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Aug 21, 2017 Avid rated it liked it · review of another edition

Interesting concept and nicely illustrated characters. Occasionally, narration and dialogue are repetitive or contrived. I also have a MAJOR issue with the context/ scene. People go to bed; they wake up, and suddenly its night and the moon is out. Huh?? This is one of my pet peeves with novels: the passage of time is not realistically illustrated. Also, colors are too vivid in the dark. I feel like in creative writing 101 classes, there should be an assignment to go outside on a full moon and wr ...more

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Aug 18, 2018 Grapewine rated it liked it

I honestly felt like i was reading a fanfic you'd find on Wattpad, made back in 2012 by a 10 y/o, in the beginning of the book. The text kept going back and forth between present tense and past tense, not to mention the constant reuse of the same phrases. But fortunately, it only lasts the first 30-50 pages (there definitely is a huge improvement after). The main plot was as stereo typical as the characters in it. However, i did highly appreciate the main character's humour and how much i could ...more

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Jul 26, 2018 Maggie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: werewolves

i really like these books! even though there are three books in each year, each book is actually a story in itself. the main characters are well developed and very different from each other. the main character is hilariously sarcastic and has a great sense of self. she finds humor in her worst situations and always finds a reason to keep going. a great example for teens.
really enjoyable series!

some swearing but her most used derogatory word is jerk often with some great adjective added to it.

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Dec 27, 2016 Renetta DeBoer rated it really liked it

It wasn't so bad. I like how the story flowed especially with the rivalry between Tennyson and Lucy. Made me like Lucy a little bit more and more and not so much for Tennyson. I'm glad that She got closure. However the bad guy who caster the spell...I did not see it coming! It was BAM! A Frying pan the head. I'm still seeing stars. Great fun! ...more

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Aug 26, 2017 BarbaraH rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Fun story similar to Harry Potter. YA. A private school where the very rich go and a few on scholarship. The rich have picked 1 girl to make life miserable for and try to get her to quit but they don't know how stubborn and strong she can be. Many magical things going on all around them makes for a good read. ...more

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Dec 24, 2017 Camille rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: no-or-where-books-go-to-die

I skimmed through the first 50%, so maybe I missed something and that's why it felt like a great many things came out of nowhere—e.g., her friendship with Hannah, why she went to the school, how the people in the aforementioned school happen to have more power than anyone else in the entire world, et al. ...more

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