Secret Ones – Nicole Murphy (Dream of Asarlai #1)
Harper Collins, 2010
416 pages
RRP: AU$22.99
ISBN: 9780732291617

Reviewed by Liz Grzyb

Secret Ones is the first in the Dream of Asarlai trilogy from Australian author Nicole Murphy. It follows Maggie, a teacher who has a talent for annoying the wrong people and a big secret. She’s not quite human. She is one of the Gadda, magical beings who look and seem to be indistinguishable from humans, apart from their amazing and sometimes terrifying talent with magic. Secret Ones starts with Maggie being banished from Sclossin, the Gadda enclave in Ireland, back to her family’s home in Australia. She resigns herself to a long while in banishment, until the arrival of Lucas, an intriguing American stranger who seems to have all the hallmarks of being Gadda, but doesn’t seem to belong to any of the known clans. As they become closer, we find out that there is something much bigger afoot than Maggie’s disgrace: someone is sending magical monsters to harm her grandfather. Can the two work together to save the family, and the Gadda, from this new threat?

Maggie is a wonderful heroine: she’s feisty, independent, and not afraid to go after what she wants. This, understandably, makes her somewhat unpopular in some quarters! However, she is incredibly loving and loyal. We see how deeply her relationships with family and friends run. Her entanglement with Lucas is spicy, and the extra zing Gadda have in their intimacies helps to make this relationship gain momentum quite quickly.

The settings are beautifully constructed, especially the Shaunesseys’ homestead and the university town, which feel authentically Australian. The plot is pacy and relaxed by turns, echoing the rhythms of the contrasting settings. After meeting Asarlai in the prologue, it takes a while to come back to her again. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as Maggie is an infinitely more sympathetic character, but these changes in perspective help keep the conflict and suspense at the foreground.

Those who enjoy a mixture of magic, romance with a frisson of danger will love this series. I certainly found it enjoyable and very engaging, and will be looking out for the second installment, Power Unbound, when it hits the shelves in January 2011.