To be honest, I'm not one for writing book reviews - but just had to do so with this series! It kept me spellbound and I'm so glad I got the boxed set instead of purchasing one at a time. The characters were well rounded and it was written in such a manner that it was easy to be in the heroine's shoes and experience all that she went through. There were twists and turns and, more than once, I found myself saying "I didn't see THAT coming!" If you like the young adult paranormal with the characters learning their powers and how to use them to save the world as we know it while attending a "magic school" college - you are gonna love this! The romance between Nicole and Austin was so sweet, and innocent, and really weird when he forgot who her and everyone else was when his power was used to its limits....it seemed like one step forward and two steps back for that couple. But, despite all odds, they have an amazing story! Andrea Pearson definitely has talent and I'm looking forward to reading more of her work.

I've been going through my 'free books' library lately, in the mood to read and feeling like I should catch up on all the books I'd downloaded. Most of them were not great and I just really, really wanted to read something good.

And then I opened this set. I was hooked from the start. It's so good, so interesting and intricate. It's fast paced, but not at the expense of details. The author does a good job of explaining the magical world created here and doing it in a way that holds your interest. The characters are fleshed out and not just cliches. The plot is twisty and just murky enough to make you wonder if your assumptions are correct. Mine were, as it turns out, but I wondered often if I was guessing wrong before things were finally spelled out. The only thing that really bothered me was the beginning of the relationship between Nicole and Austin. I love you after what, two or three weeks of dating? I'm not sure exactly, sometimes it's hard to tell just how much time has passed, but I'm pretty sure it was about that. It wasn't a huge thing, just kind of ridiculous and unbelievable to me. I think the only reason it even stood out so much is because nearly everything else was so good. Well, nearly. I still find it hard to believe that letting people have oodles of kids is worth multiple people's lives. And not even the lives of kids that will definitely be born and would've died otherwise, I could've understood more if that was the case. This was just giving people the *option* of having more than a couple kids. It didn't jibe with me at all, but I didn't mind it that much because it ended up coinciding with having to actually save the world and that, to me, justified it a lot more. Anyways, they were really good books despite love at first sight and the fertilization thing.

This is a great chance to get the beginning books of The Mosaic Chronicles at one low price in this boxset. The series is filled with memorable characters, heart-wrenching plots and globe crossing action. It is wonderful for readers of all ages.

Book 1 Discern

Nicole is back in Andrea Pearson's rich world of the magical Aretes. With her best friend she is starting college life thousands of miles away from home and the troubles of the last year. Get to know Nicole better as you see her vulnerabilities when she tries to grasp her still unatainable element and meets a new guy on campus as well as more of the strenghts even she didn't know she had. Meet Nicole's best friend and find out what makes her and the friendship tick in this fast paced adventure equal to the prequel Forsake.

Book 2 Praxis

Three exciting vignettes featuring the characters from Discern. Get to know Lizzie, Nicole and Austin all a bit better during these glipses of adventure from their first year of college.

Book 3 Perceive

Nicole is working hard to control her magic while tiptoing toward a relationship with Austin. Can she achieve her goals when lives may depend on it? Find out in this third exciting novel in The Mosaic Chonicles!

Book 4 Observe

Nicole must surround herself with danger and lies for the sake of future generations! Can Nicole's innate honesty allow her to get through the maze of lies with the fate of the Aretes on her shoulders? Who can she trust in this tangled web? This latest installment of The Mosaic Chronicles brings you further into the plots of the Tarians wicked schemes

I enjoyed the first book, but the second book became far too easy to set down and forget to pick up. The stories are good, and the world is well made, I just found it far to easy to move on to other titles.

Discern (Book 1)

It’s very difficult to find good clean books to read these days. One of the important characteristics I enjoyed about this book is the fact I didn’t have to cringe at a swear word or uncomfortable sex scene as I turned each page. It was an added bonus that this was a book about magic and adventure. And just so I could get a few more of this author’s books, I signed up for her newsletters. I’m hoping my need to read more of her books will be sated, at least a little, until I’m finished with those.

Praxis (Book 2)

Three great short stories, one featuring Nicole, another Austin, and the third Lizzie from their own POV. These give the reader greater insight into each one’s character and experiences. Austin’s character was most surprising as I realized he was not so stuck up but had an inner turmoil with his feelings. Lizzie may sometimes seem a little ditzy but is rather smart in the ways of the world and insightful and observant of others. Nicole is more intelligent than she gives herself credit for. These stories gave me a more in-depth appreciation and understanding of each character.

Perceive (Book 3)

Totally unexpected! Wow! A lot of serious and weird things happen in this book. I don’t know where Ms Pearson gets her imagination from but it is definitely different. Very dramatic at times and also chilling. But it was also sweet how Austin shows his love, support and affection for Nicole. I definitely recommend reading this book if you have read any of the other books in this series. You will be in for a real surprise!

Observe (Book 4)

A lot is placed on Nicole’s shoulders in this book. She can’t be near Austin without getting physically sick. She has to pretend to hate Aretes and take over leadership of the Tarians. She also has to pretend to follow her great grandmother, Rebecca, all the while knowing that Rebecca was being deceitful. Ms Pearson has lots more surprising adventures for Nicole in this book. I think young adults would love this series and even though I’m not a young adult anymore, (only young at heart ;;-)) I enjoyed reading this. Highly recommended.

The first book was pretty good in this series so I ended up buying the rest of them.

The second book is a bit weird because its three short stories. Other than that the series pulled me in fairly fast and kept me hooked. I loved the main character and the world that was created.

The series is clean of sex and cursing. There is some romance but nothing that is to much for a teenager to read. The characters do grow during the series (same with this authors other series as well). It is nice to see them mature throughout the series. The books got better as the series progressed and I love how everything seems to be done in these five books and then a new series begins with the same characters (or at least main one) in Mosaic afterwards.

This is such a great series. There is an adventure that keeps you going from book to book. The storyline is wonderful and descriptive and the characters are well developed and make you feel that they are friends and pull you into the story with them. Plus with this box set they are all together and easy to read one after the other. I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.

Although I read the whole boxset a while ago (it was then still called The Katon University series:)), I still remember the thrills and emotions I felt while reading the story of Nicole, Austin and Lizzie:)

I liked each and every book in the set; they have great plotlines, developed main characters who change throughout the story growing up in mind, not only in age, and fantastic "supporting cast" - the background characters who play their part in every book in the series and engage the reader to really care about what happens to them. There are moments of wild adventure, moments of sheer joy and moments of emotional heartbreaks... There is enough of the magical and enough of the romantic to satisfy those who love clean paranormal/fantasy romance, and enough of the adventure and suspence to satisfy those who do not really care about the love aspect:).

But there is something more important, too, and that is what I liked best about the books: under the cover of the magical fantastic world, somewhere between the lines they tell a tale of the most important human values - freedom to express yourself, to be who you really are, freedom to make your own choices and your own mistakes; and they are also about loyalty, friendship, helping those who are weaker than us or helpless...

So, if you like stories that are a Hitchcock style adventure set in a fantastic world, with 3-dimentional complex characters who grow and develop on the way, and at the same time you like your books to make you think about what is really important in life - don't hesitate and grab the set. You definitely won't regret it:)

A fair warning: Once you start to read the series you won't be able to put it down. So choose well when you will not be in trouble for binge reading.

For me Andrea is a new author. When I first started the series I soon realized that I needed to get the rest of the books. She has the uncanny ability to send you to other dimensions without leaving the comfort of home. The main characters keep you rooting for them in all their educational trials and learning curves. Give it a go, I don't think you will be disappointed.

Couldn’t put it down from when I started. I really loved the characters and the story is very captivating and an easy to follow.

Loved it! It seemed so real that I forgot its a work of fiction! The characters were loveable and u actually become a part of the story yourself!

So I downloaded this via a 99p sale and boy did I get hooked! Something about the interaction of the characters, the daily struggles or the way magic was presented just spoke to me so well that I went out and bought the rest of the series straightaway! I loved seeing the characters progression, I think I finished this set of 5 books in a weekend. I would definitely recommend this series (and the others now I’m reading them!!)