Readers Favorite 2023 Awards Fiction Fantasy General Finalist
In a remote village, on the edge of a corrupt empire, Minna Hunter wakes one day to find small orbs of light flitting through the trees. But Minna’s delight at finding she has Spirit Sight soon turns to despair. In the Empire, communing with spirits is punishable by death. Branded a witch, she resigns herself to a lonely existence.
When her sister, Alyn, gains spirit sight, Minna promises her she will never leave her alone. But titanic forces are at play, forces with Minna and Alyn’s fates in mind. When the Inquisition captures Alyn, Minna must leave her small life and step onto history’s grand stage.
In the Inquisition prison, Alyn learns she must choose between serving her captors against her own people or die. Meanwhile, Minna evades agents of the Inquisition and discovers her world is not what she believes it to be. To save her sister, she must master her spirit song, grasp her destiny and become the heroine her people need.
Spirit Sight by Ross Hightower is the first novel in the Spirit Song trilogy. Mythic in scope, yet intimate and engaging, this is a story that will draw you in and won’t let go.
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Praise for Spirit Sight
In a world where magic is forgotten and witches who know such things are hunted, we find young Minna and her sister, Alyn, newly awakened to their power and on the run from the Empire. Filled with intrigue, deception, and warring factions desperate to control the fate of the Empire, this book weaves an engrossing tale that is as captivating in its world-building as it is in its character development. High fantasy mixed with mythic tale-telling, the author explores what it means to be a pawn in someone else’s scheme. That is, until the pawn realizes the true extent of her power and the path it will set for the rest of the Empire.
— Eric Hoffer Award for Books, E-Book Fiction Category, Honorable Mention
The cast members, though plentiful, are well rounded and often intriguing, and the relationships and dialogue between them are natural and believable. There’s a great deal of worldbuilding in this opening installment, including maps and helpfully defined terms in fictional languages: “Her father told her they were the lan’and, the land spirits, though, like everyone else, he couldn’t see them.” Hightower moves the story through this thoughtful environment swiftly and concisely, making it easy to grasp, and also provides scenes of action and adventure. Readers will likely be excited to see where the stories take them.
A lengthy but compelling tale that’s packed with essential fantasy elements.
SPIRIT SIGHT blends its classic fantasy premise—the humble commoner comes into magical powers and is thrust into a grand destiny involving monumental forces—with themes of religious and political corruption, with an appealing focus on spirituality and the natural world. That Minna’s quest quickly broadens to encompass immense, earth-shaking stakes is unsurprising for an epic trilogy, but Hightower never loses sight of his heroine’s personal journey. Minna may be a familiar fantasy type, but she is an engaging character who is easy to relate to and root for, written with empathy and personality. Hightower doesn’t skim past Minna’s development from a naive rural villager to a valiant adventurer; her path to mastering her abilities is a fun, engaging storyline, and it’s almost impossible not to be fully invested in Minna’s quest by the time she emerges into the wider world of Vollen.
SPIRIT SIGHT by Ross Hightower is one of the best epic fantasy books I’ve read! The novel was worth every minute for its unusual storyline, brilliant plot, consistent characters, exceptional worldbuilding, and writing style. This story went from laying a solid foundation to featuring nonstop action. There were secrets and lies, power quests and political drama, betrayals, sacrifice, magic, sorcery, losses, and redemption. I had many favorites with unique personalities from Jason to Ulf, Alyn, Keelia, Harold, Marie, Aron, and others. They left a great impression on me. Alyn and Minna were brave, and I felt the former was wiser than her years and would become even more powerful because she was level-headed. The narrative was so descriptive that I lived through Minna in this story. I didn’t like Ragan as much because she used everyone as pawns. This is the first book in a trilogy that shows how people fear what they don’t understand and seek to destroy what they cannot attain. Thank you for a captivating read, Ross.
— Jennifer Ibiam for Readers’ Favorite
Spirit Sight by Ross Hightower is a fantastic start to the trilogy. It fits the genre perfectly and is an engaging story; it grabbed me from the first page and held me there until the end. It is quite long but, once you start reading it, you won’t notice that because you’ll be in the story, living it as you read. The characters are really welldeveloped and quite complex but they need to be for this kind of story. The story is packed with action, with plenty of twists and turns and lots of well-written dialogue. The plot is unique, a comingof- age story with an ending that leaves you really wanting to read the next one. This is a captivating story that will take you away from the realities of life and let you wallow in magic and fantasy for a few hours. When it’s done, you’ll want the story to continue. Looking forward to reading the next installment in this fascinating series.
— Anne-Marie Reynolds for Readers’ Favorite
Five Stars! This was a great start to the Spirit Song Trilogy series, it was what I was looking for when I read this description. I was invested in what was going on in this world and loved meeting the characters. I enjoyed the way Ross Hightower wrote the story and it was a beautifully done fantasy novel. I look forward to the rest of the series and more from Mr. Hightower.
— Kathryn M, Reviewer on NetGalley
Four Starts! Thank you NetGalley for a chance to read Spirit Sight.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I loved Minna and Alyn’s character development and the paths they follow in this book. I loved the magic system, the multiple POV’s, the world building, everything. I can’t wait for the next installment.
— Kaitlin B. Reviewer on NetGalleyJennifer Ibiam for Readers’ Favorite
