I enjoyed the world that was built in this book and I look forward to seeing what kind of adventures Maren goes on in the future (I'm assuming there will be a sequel as it was certainly set up that way). The setting was gorgeous, the characters were fun, and there were a couple of minor plot twists that I didn't see coming. Overall, this was a very fun read and I'd recommend it if you like YA fantasy that is very much set in the human world.

I will say this book is hard to get into at the beginning but well worth the work. I hope she will writing more books in the future.

In the beginning, the book was a treat to read! I liked the way I felt like I related to Maren, being sent over seas to new relatives you didn't even know, learning customs that made you feel kind of out of place. I also really liked the mysterious vibe added once Maren learns more about her parents' past. But then Gavin came along and ruined everything! Once he got on the scene, I felt as if the storyline suffered. Maren wouldn't be seen interacting with her friends as much to the point where I wouldn't even call them friends (more like acquaintances). Or she wouldn't think of herself in such a great light, thinking that if he didn't like her, it was all her fault, even at times when Gavin clearly states that the fault is his! Plus, with Gavin there, Maren doesn't have as much chance to be a hero, with him saving her all the time! I get that he's otherworldly, but come on! Maren shouldn't have to be such a damsel in distress because she has an otherworldy being on her side! And then there was the fact that the instalove is way too much for me in this book! It was extremely unbelievable, so much so that I cringed every time they were together.

Also, the plot seemed really unorganic to me. I felt that they were sacrificing some serious tension and suspense by just by explaining things right off the bat, not making the protagonist or the reader work for them. I don't want to read exposition that's lazily put in there just so that the story can move along. Overall, I felt as if the story could have been really something, but a lot of the potential, both in the character development and plot, was lost...

Well, that's all I have to say about Toward a Secret Sky by Heather Maclean. It wasn't my cup of tea, and has certainly taught me to be really careful with wishing on NetGalley, just as much as you have to be careful of requesting books that you'd like as well. I think that this might be a good fit for Twilight fans though, even if I didn't like it...

I think this is the perfect book for a youngster (or adult) to make the first venture into the "young adult" genre. Yes, as said before, it was somewhat reminiscent of Twilight, but a great story. I look forward to the rest of the trilogy!

I'd like to thank Blink & Heather Maclean for the opportunity to read & review Toward a Secret Sky on my blog however, I was unable to finish. I DNF'd mainly because I was unable to connect with the writing style or characters in this book. Yes, it's true that YA as whole is chock full of tropes & so it's to be expected. I just wasn't expecting this one to be overwhelmed by them. I hope the series goes on to improve and again am very thankful for the approval. I do not believe in giving negative reviews, I air on the side of neutral but since I did not finish this one I will refrain from posting a review on any of my social media accounts. Thanks again, best regards.

Toward a Secret Sky is an exciting supernatural story with a mix of romance, mystery, and history. The story is set in the present day and told in first person by Maren. Maren is a 17 year old girl who has just lost her mother in a freak accident. Since her father died on the day she was born, she ends up having to leave Missouri and go live in Scotland with her grandparents on her father’s side that she has never met. At first, Maren hates Scotland and complains about the food, the land, and the weather, but eventually starts to like Scotland as she makes some friends, Jo and Stuart, and starts attending school. She also meets a mysterious and very good looking guy, Gavin, in the woods. Maren feels an instant connection to Gavin and can’t stop thinking about him. Then Maren receives a box of her mother’s things, where she finds a rose necklace, a journal full of sketches of buildings, and an unfinished note started in her mother’s hand. Maren is confused about items, but then meets an orphan girl about her age named Hunter, who has the same necklace. Hunter explains that the necklace represents an organization that works with angels to fight demons. Maren always thought her parents had both worked with computers, but the more she uncovers about the items in the box, the more she believes Hunter is correct that her parents worked for the organization. Then Gavin reveals a secret about himself that confirms to Maren for certain that angels and demons exist. After a huge party, her classmates including Jo are infected with a poison that from her mother’s note Maren knows was released by demons. Through her mother’s things, Maren learns where they may be able to find a cure and travels with Gavin to get the antidote. Will they be able to get the antidote back to Scotland in time and is the poisoning the only threat in Scotland Maren has to worry about to save Jo?
The story has a good pace, great characters, and a well-described setting. The story keeps you entertained to the end. Maren is a realistic character in accepting her mother’s death and realizing her mother’s secrets, and dealing with her own psychic powers. Maren is also brave, smart, and a loyal friend. Gavin is kind, strong, and a little old fashioned. Maren’s friends, her grandparents, and the other secondary characters are very well written with distinct, vivid personalities. The author does a great job describing the setting of Scotland making you feel like you are there. The romance between Maren and Gavin happens fast, but is sweet and their deep connection feels right. The story does not have any racy scenes, all Maren does is kiss.No love triangles, a couple jerky guys from her school want to get with her, but Maren only likes Gavin and does not encourage advances from the other boys. The violence is minimal, Gavin battles demons and demons attack, nothing too gory. The story wraps up enough, but leaves an opening for a sequel with Maren’s accepting her new destiny. I really liked this book and would definitely continue with the series. Fans of the Mortal Instruments series, the Fallen series, the Unearthly series, the Conspiracy of Us series add other books about angels or secret organizations would like this book.

A fun YA read for fantasy fans. Reminiscent of Wendy Higgins among others.
Well developed characters and setting, and an interesting mythos.

I look forward to future installments in the series.

I will admit, the cover is what drew me to this title on NetGalley. After reading the description I was intrigued. Unfortunately, after finishing this one I think the cover was the most interesting part of the book.

Maren is seventeen so some of the high-schoolishness I expected (her dislike of warrior Gavin turned crush turned love). But the storyline jumped around too. It would have been better to slowly build this world, the characters and some of the backstory to give us a better foothold as readers moved into the next book (I'm guessing there's going to be a next book based on how this one ended).

Gavin, I think, was supposed to be this broody, sexy warrior who was trying to fight off his attraction to young Maren. Instead, he came off like Maren, flip-flopping with his feelings. The confessions of love just didn't feel sincere.

After the death of her mother seventeen year old Maren Hamilton finds herself being sent to Scotland to live with grandparents that she has never met before. Maren’s father had died on the day she was born and his parents didn’t keep in touch with her mother over the years but now she finds herself stepping into their world with no one else for her to turn to.

Shortly after arriving in Scotland Maren receives some of her mother’s things including a cryptic journal that has Maren questioning just who her mother was. As Maren works to unravel the clues left behind by her mother she finds that there is also a world she never knew existed involved including Angels and Demons when Maren meets Gavin, an angel that is now tasked with protecting her. With clues of a secret organization her parents were a part of and the world around her falling into madness Maren finds herself racing to save those she loves.

Toward a Secret Sky will probably not be for everyone as it has a huge case of the old young adult insta-love trope involved. A lot are comparing this to Twilight and I can see the similarities, the young clueless girl who is instantly attracted to the boy she shouldn’t be with her having something special about her that has yet to be discovered, just switch out the vampires and werewolves with angels and demons in this.

But that being said I really thought this had a life of it’s own if given the chance with the story involving a secret organization and the war between the angels and demons. The story is rather fast paced bringing readers straight into the intrigue of just what Maren’s parents had been a part of and did a decent job building a world with angels and demons in it. So if you look past the swoony oh my gosh this boy is hot cheesiness it becomes a fun little story overall. I don’t see anything about this being a series but there was plenty of room for the story to continue on and I’d be certainly interested in seeing what happens next.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Toward a Secret Sky is a VERY cringe worthy book for someone who has read a lot of YA. I would say this is a mixture of Twilight and Fallen. I mean, if you're into really cheesy YA books, you might love this but I had to put down the book a few times and say out loud "is this for real?".

This novel is about Maren, a girl whose mother just died. She now has to move to Scotland to live with her grandparents and finds the forbidden love of her life. Maren also discovers that her parents were part of a secret organization and now has to decide whether or not she wants to take part in the cause.

I think the worst part of this book was Gavin, the love interest. He is actually the creepiest love interest I've ever read about. For an immortal guy, the words coming out of his mouth were horrible. Gavin says he loves Maren not even half way into the book, which is super weird for someone I've barely read anything about. Once you get to the halfway point in the book, he tells the main character he's MEMORIZED her HEARTBEAT. Like, seriously dude?! Later on, when the MC can't fall asleep, he asks her what her mother used to do to get her to sleep. At this line, even Maven's like wtf. I especially liked how Gavin had a temper tantrum involving him punching a tree and screaming when he cannot stop the MC from going to save her grandmother. All in all, Gavin is not book boyfriend material. He may be Scottish and hot, but please don't fall for this weirdo.

I have to say, the world building of this book was kind of non-existent. I have no idea what this secret organization does really and it doesn't explain the origin story of why angels and demons are on earth. The plot was okay. I liked that the story took us out of Scotland and into London. I think at the end of Toward a Secret Sky things seem to look up, but it looks like the plot and world building will start to get better in another book, if that happens.

I did like that Maren was a puzzle solver because it added some thrilling parts. But I really know nothing about Maren other than that. I have no idea about her favourite hobby or if she had any friends at home in Missouri. Maren doesn't even talk about her mother, who just died, that much until later in the novel. The only thing I know about her is that she LURVES Gavin and she is warming up to her grandparents.

I definitely wouldn't recommend this book for older YA audiences unless they want to read something that reminds them of Twilight.

This one was a little difficult to review but I want to thank the publisher for a finalized copy and to Jean Book Nerd Tours for picking us to be on the tour.

There were a lot of elements I loved and some that didn't work for me. I'll start with the aspects I enjoyed which makes this book worthwhile, in my opinion.

Cover and Blurb: That cover and the synopsis is what originally drew me to the story. First, the cover is so simple but absolutely gorgeous. And the story summary promises an international setting complete with love, intrigue, and danger. What's not to love about all these?

Setting: I've never been to Scotland but I hope to someday. Heather Maclean uses great descriptors and I could imagine/picture myself there. It provided a great background to the gloomy tone of the novel.

Premise: Even though the whole angels/demons trope has been done before, this one had a unique spin. You see, we meet Maren. She's lost her mother at a young age and is sent to live with her grandparents (whom she has never met) for the first time now that she is orphaned. You get a sense that there is more than meets the eye as soon as she arrives and there is a world that turns from safe and where she can wallow in her sorrow, to one that becomes immediately terrorizing, given the unearthly war taking place there. And I loved the idea of the Abbey, the counterpart to the Angels fighting the demons here on Earth.

Characters: There were some secondary character which I just adored, like Jo and Hunter. And there were others that I wanted to really like, but they just didn't grow on me.

So now, onto the not-so-good aspects...

There's something about characters instantly falling for each other that tends to rub me the wrong way. I get it, some people love it. But this is one of the aspects I think felt short for me. Maren, upon first laying eyes on the love interest Gavin, is completely smitten way too quickly. This is before she's even had a get-to-know-each-other worthy conversation with him. So for the rest of the book, the relationship felt a bit empty and I was numb to it, not really along for the ride with the both of them.

And that is sad, because as mentioned above, this story does have a lot of aspects and themes that I enjoy in these types of narratives.

But as always, I ask that you make up your own mind because you may feel differently than I did. And the ending seems to suggest that there's a sequel in the works and my thoughts on this one doesn't deter me because I will be reading the sequel. I'm so intrigued by what's to come and there's so many possibilities. Maybe the author will have worked on some of the more critical writing issues I had with this first one. Happy reading!

IF you loved Twilight and you are interested in angels, this is the book for you. Paranormal romance with mystery and good vs. evil, it will help you while away a couple of hours quickly.

While a YA novel, this smart thriller can easily cross target audiences while it crosses genres (supernatural/thriller/romance) - angels and demons at war, a secret agency under attack, intrigue - this story ticks all the boxes. I confess, I've seen a few "DaVinci Code meets Twilight" descriptions, and I have to say, it's accurate in all the best ways.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked up this book, but it did NOT disappoint. The pace was quick as the story unfolded, the writing descriptive and imaginative. Maclean takes a few themes we've seen and works her magic on them, turning them into something new and unexpected. The story was clever, the Scottish setting a beautiful backdrop, and I cannot wait until the sequel to see what happens next.

I'm grateful to have been introduced to this author via an advanced copy from Netgalley. All thoughts are my own.

Toward a Secret Sky is a Dan Brown-esque young adult paranormal story set in Scotland, following the forbidden love between a human and an immortal, and the race to save humans from an otherworldly menace.

PROS:

The Scottish setting was really lovely to read about. I’ve never been to Scotland before, but the way Heather Maclean described the places that Maren lives and visits made it come to life on the page, and really set a unique tone for the book. The countryside, estates, cathedrals and crypts made for some great reading.

I really enjoyed Maren’s character - for the first part of the story she was a very prickly young woman, hurt by the deaths of her parents and the way that her life has suddenly been uprooted and everything she knows is different. Once she realises that her family has a connection to a secret organisation that she never knew about, it gives her focus and gives her something to focus on.

I didn’t realise just how much of a paranormal book this would be before reading it and I loved that entire aspect. Between Gavin and Graham’s worlds, Maclean has taken two very familiar paranormal creatures and given them a unique twist that perfectly suits the story she’s trying to tell.

It was very fast-paced; a lot happens in very quick succession and that really helped hold my interest and keep me reading well after I thought I should have put the book down.

CONS:

There is a bit of insta-love and that would occasionally pull me out of the reading zone to ask ‘Really?!’ It’s not that the relationships between Maren and Gavin and Maren and Graham are interesting - they both are - but I think it would have still been okay to dive more into the mystery before rolling out the romance, rather than the other way around.

I would have liked more character development on the side characters that play important roles within the story - such as Maren’s mother and her grandparents. We get glimpses, and are expected to understand the impact these characters have on her life, but we know so little about them. Hopefully these characters might be fleshed out further in subsequent books.

Overall, I gave Toward a Secret Sky 4 out of 5 stars.

I was pretty excited about this book when I found out that the protagonist and I share a name and that it mostly takes place in Scotland. It seemed like it was going to be a thrilling fantastical adventure with the whole battle between angels and demons. And it was fairly enjoyable, and I probably would have liked it more had it not felt so similar to the Premonition series by Amy A. Bartol. A girl loses her last living parent, goes off to a new place and meets a thrilling but mysterious boy who turns out to be an angel and soon finds herself in the middle of the battle between angels and demons.... It was just too similar for me to really enjoy more.
2.5 Stars

The main problem with the book is that it relies so heavily on what so many authors have already done. No matter the setting, we have a teenage girl that has to join a fight, cannot see the difference between lust and love, is always involved in a love triangle, and then falls apart when the guy leaves.

Maren’s mother is now dead and she is being shuttled off to her grandparent’s house in Scotland. She has never met them, because they did not approve of their son marrying Maren’s mom. As she is adjusting to a new way of life, she receives a box with some items from her mother. Inside she finds an encrypted journal that sets her on a path of self-discovery. Both of Maren’s parents worked for a secret organization and now it seems that this organization wants her to work for them too. Unfortunately, there is something wicked in this small town and if Maren joins her parent’s fight her new friends may be left in grave peril.

Toward a Secret Sky is presently listed as a stand-alone novel, yet Maclean has created a wondrous world and amazing storyline that can easily be carried into more volumes. Maren must make some difficult decisions in a short time and readers will not want to put the book down in order to see how she will react next. Since this is being promoted as a singleton, the storyline is complete without a cliff hanger, but most readers will want to know more about this secret organization, Maren’s parents and what happens next to Maren herself. Toward a Secret Sky should be added to everyone’s TBR list if they enjoy fantasy novels with just a twist of romance.

Unfortunately I was unable to get into Toward a Secret Sky. The writing felt inconsistent at times which kept me from truly connecting to the story and the characters. It also felt on the younger aspect of the young adult spectrum which further disconnected me.. Due to my not finishing this book, I can't go into detail about the entire story, but from the parts that I read, I couldn't get a grasp on the main female character nor the building mystery around her mother. I think it's a case of this book just merely being not for me, but I think others should give it a try as they might enjoy it. .