Title: Hinder
Author: Kristin Ping
Genre: New Adult Paranormal Fantasy
Publisher: Fire Quill Publishing
Release: May 15, 2018
Pages: 454
Ethan Sutcliff seems like a normal seventeen-year-old—at least that’s what he’s trying to portray. In a secret society run by the Supernaturals, Ethan is what witches call a Bender. Benders are Witches’ Guardians, who are able to control a witches’ ability, bend it, or move it away from harming humans. In Ethan’s case, he is able to bend the Earth element. But at the age of fifteen, he lost all connection to it, and the reasons behind it could only mean one of two things: His Wielder is either dead, or hiding out somewhere.
Alex Burgendorf has been living in her aunt’s locket for the past sixteen years with her mother—a Fire Wielder, and her father—a Water Wielder. For sixteen years, her parents vowed to protect her, and they have, as she is the last Earth wielding witch. However, time is running out. Alex must find her Bender, or the fate of the Supernaturals might be at stake.
Hinder is a Paranormal New Adult novel about witches (Wielders and Benders). The Wielders make the magic (elemental magic) and their Bender bends the magic, performs the magic. Alex and Ethan are one of that last pair of Earth Wielder and Benders in a world where their magic is dangerous and the most powerful. Dangerous people are out to get them and to help keep her safe, Alex’s family hide her in a locket for sixteen years. When Alex and Ethan finally meet and discover their connection it sets them in for quite a shock.
Now while I really wanted to enjoy this book, I couldn’t. In fact, within the first 3% of the book I already wanted to give up because there was so much info-dumping that it was hard to understand the world properly. In fact, I still don’t really understand what the point was. Benders can’t do anything without their Benders, but Wielders can do just fine without them. Ethan, for example, he is a Earth Bender and when he turned 15 years old he lost his magic because he never found his Wielder. However, Alex still had her magic even without finding her Bender. So what exactly is the point of a Bender anyway?
Another thing that was too over the top was Alex’s mother trying to hide Alex. Because so many dangerous people are out to endanger Alex, her mother, Meredith, uses a ridiculous glamour to hide her. Not only is the glamour ugly and she gets bullied, it didn’t really make sense to me when they are going to use her real name. So she wasn’t really in hiding anymore, she just had a different face. It just seemed a little much.
With underdeveloped characters, a bland plot, underdeveloped, but confusing world, I just couldn’t get into this novel. I wished I enjoyed it more because it sounded interesting and had a beautiful cover. Maybe the published edition will be better and more enjoyable.
Please note, this review is based off an eARC edition provided by Netgalley and the publisher. All thoughts are my own.