When I first began to hear rumbles about The Progeny, I was skeptical. When those rumbles became an avalanche of mass anticipation, I nearly looked the other way because all too often, books fall short of the hype heralding their arrival.But something told me this would be different. So instead I bumped it to the top of my reading list and joined hands with the crowd of avid readers sharing memes and entering giveaways.I cracked open my copy at 7:30 PM the day it arrived, cautiously testing the waters to see if all the excitement was worth it. Four hours and twenty-four chapters later, drained by constant tension and furious pacing, I reached the limit of my endurance.Tosca Lee does not disappoint. The Progeny is an intoxicating blend of historical detail, modern settings enriched by countless hours of research, and a layer of paranormal. These elements combine to create a heart-pounding high that only intensifies from cover to cover.Lee gathers a few common plot elements (namely memory loss and the frustration of chasing half-remembered fragments) and flawlessly fashions them into a unique, gripping story. As an eager devourer of fiction, the one thing that will snatch me from even the deepest world immersion is predictability. If I can spot each tire-burning hairpin ten minutes before it arrives, the yawning starts. Rightly so.Lee’s masterful story-crafting defied my every attempt to ‘find the bad guy’ among a handful of suspects. After several failures, I finally gave it up. In case you were wondering, story-induced heart attacks are a thing. I can’t tell you how many times I moaned pitifully that everything I thought I knew was a lie while gripping the book, white-knuckled.Within the first few chapters, I was wholeheartedly invested in the tangled fates of vivid characters. Emily, the protagonist, is strong enough to be admirable yet not so invincible that she doesn’t need support. A difficult balance to maintain. As for the others…well…you’ll have to meet them for yourself. Introducing them would foreshadow some of those hairpins, and I want your whiplash to be as unforgiving as mine was. But I will say that each one is unique, engaging, and real enough to be your next-door neighbor.Lastly, Tosca Lee’s bewitching wordsmithing constructed an impenetrable, fictive bubble around my bed. Resistance was futile. If the plot and characters had fallen flat – which they certainly did not – her original metaphors, colorful verb choices, and rich descriptions would have shored up any cracks. I could picture everything as if I were gazing at it with my own eyes—as if I were swept up in the danger myself.Only my adoration of words can rival my love of story, and Tosca Lee sates both in this riveting launch of her new series. Join the adventure now, and be ready (or not) for her sequel releasing February 2017.