Name: Essence
ISBN: 9780648445203

Hayley Gabrielle

When Abbey Shader is summoned to Ethra, a land where human qualities roam free in flesh known as Essences, her life and the universe as she knows it splits open before her. With the expansive secrets of humanity at her fingertips, Abbey's strength of will and heart are put to a test no amount of time or meticulous study could have prepared her for. Left to decide between the comfort of the familiar and the potential enlightenment of the strange, Abbey is thrust into a journey that demands more of her at every turn. She must learn to trust what she sees, and trust what she can't. ​ Essence is the first instalment of the young adult fantasy series - The Essence Chronicles. This Limited Edition features exclusive art and a world map.

Limited Edition

Essence

Chiara Vitale Zelaia

It’s safe to say that  Essence quickly became one of my favorite summer reads! It is the story of Abbey, an ordinary teenage girl whose world is made up of her mom and her inseparable friends. But when a peculiar brooch transports her Ethra, a land where human qualities are called Essences and roam free in flesh that only she can see, Abbey learns that she is far from ordinary and that her world is much more complicated than she thinks. Torn between the desire to be reunited with her family and the draw of this strange new world, Abbey must choose where she belongs.

Hayley Gabrielle’s simple yet vivid writing was certainly the key element that made enjoying this book so easy. The world and its characters were presented with such attention to details that reading was like standing next to Abbey and discovering the peculiarities of Ethra and its denizens alongside her.
It is needless to say that the characters were the highlight of the book for me. The interactions were extremely fun to read, and the Essences were not only whimsical but incredibly relatable! I doubt that anyone who reads this book will not find one of their own traits emphasized in one of them and I found that extremely funny! (I myself think I might be a mixture of Gwin and Thorne with a sprinkle of Balvinder on top). 
The bonds of friendship were a delight to read, but I won’t deny that the love story was yet another element that surprised me! It’s rare to find a book where an instant attraction story does not also turn into an insta-love trope, but Hayley Gabrielle managed to create such a beautiful chemistry between Abbey and Zac that was adorable and exasperating at the same time. The shipping is real, my friends! 

This is a very fast paced book. I recommend it to every lover of fantasy who is looking for an original magic system and a quick read. But be warned: there is a cliffhanger and it’s breaking my heart. I am  desperate  to know what happens next!

Shannon Jade

Essence is what happens when fantasy meets human spirit. Read my full review on the Shannon A. Jade blog.

Lisa van der Heijden 

*4.5/5 stars 

First of all, I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review. Thank you so much to the author for the opportunity of reading this book. Always when I sent a book, I am afraid I will not enjoy it. I want my reviews to honest and a true summary of my feelings and thoughts during the reading experience, but I am also scared that I might hurt someone’s feelings. Fortunately for me, I enjoyed Essence – a lot! This book gave me butterflies in my stomach when I was reading it. That does not happen often. 

Essence is an interesting YA story; I cannot exactly pinpoint the genre. It feels like fantasy but it also has a paranormal and sci-fi vibe to it. The main protagonist is Abbey, an “ordinary” teenage girl living on earth. She has a normal life with friends and family and she has insecurities about her future like the most of us. One day, she finds a brooch in her bedroom and she is transported towards a parallel world. In Ertha, she is considered to be the Medler, a chosen person who determines the balance character traits on Earth and Ertha. On Ertha, the character traits have human bodies and the Melder is supposed to keep them in control. In this strange world, Abbey embarks on a journey with a Essence Balvinder and his adopted human son Zac (who is very handsome) to see the Overseer. During this journey, Abbey has to decide if she will be the new melder of if she wants to go back to her friends and mum. 

It took a while to get into the story, but when it happened this book captured my heart. Arc of the story felt very organic. There was no information dumping and the pacing of the story was constant throughout the story. I really enjoyed the travel aspect of the story. As the reader you got to see different aspects of the world, which were fascinating. The author mixes cliché plot twists with original scenes, which familiarises the reader while keeping him/her entertained. My main critique about the plot is that I felt a lack of suspense. Especially with the essence of evil on the loose, I would expected a more pressing atmosphere. 

The characters made the story for me. Abbey is a lovely protagonist. She was relatable (especially her uncertainty about her future after high school). I love how sceptic and critical she was. She does not accept automatically what her is told, but very piece of information is hilariously evaluated in her head. Zac was an obvious love interest, but I would not have had it in any other way. He cannot see the Essences (only the Medler) can, but he can hear them. That caused hilarious situation because he cannot see what is going on. The characters of each Essence were well developed. You could definitely guess the trait of each Essence by the behaviour and the way they talked. They conversations and interactions were so funny. The author did a great job of developing each character especially the difference of the major Essences (Good and Evil have multiple traits) and the minor Essences (They have only one trait like honesty). 

The writing style fitted the story well. It was quick and fun with a healthy dose of irony. The conversations between the different characters came across natural. Props for the author for making the jokes actually funny! She has great comical timing! 

The world building is not the most complex or the most neat I have ever read. However, the world of Ertha was fascinating with interesting characters and nature. I loved the golden rain and trees shining with moonlight. For a short book (just over 200 pages) the world building is really good. The whole system with the major Essences and the minor Essences felt very original and was understandable when you had all the puzzle pieces. Lastly, I never read a book before where a complete fantasy planet coexists next to earth. That was very interesting too. 

In conclusion, this was a very enjoyable read. The characters were the stars of the show. This book is perfect of people loving original fantasy worlds and people just looking into the ya fantasy genre.

Essence Limited Edition

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