Review: Witches of East End by Melissa de la Cruz
From Goodreads: The three Beauchamp women–Joanna and her daughters Freya and Ingrid–live in North Hampton, out on the tip of Long Island. Their beautiful, mist-shrouded town seems almost stuck in time, and all three women lead seemingly quiet, uneventful existences. But they are harboring a mighty secret–they are powerful witches banned from using their magic. Joanna can resurrect people from the dead and heal the most serious of injuries. Ingrid, her bookish daughter, has the ability to predict the future and weave knots that can solve anything from infertility to infidelity. And finally, there’s Freya, the wild child, who has a charm or a potion that can cure most any heartache.
For centuries, all three women have been forced to suppress their abilities. But then Freya, who is about to get married to the wealthy and mysterious Bran Gardiner, finds that her increasingly complicated romantic life makes it more difficult than ever to hide her secret. Soon Ingrid and Joanna confront similar dilemmas, and the Beauchamp women realize they can no longer conceal their true selves. They unearth their wands from the attic, dust off their broomsticks, and begin casting spells on the townspeople. It all seems like a bit of good-natured, innocent magic, but then mysterious, violent attacks begin to plague the town. When a young girl disappears over the Fourth of July weekend, they realize it’s time to uncover who and what dark forces are working against them.
I really didn’t know what to expect from an adult novel from Melissa de la Cruz. All I knew is I had been a huge fan of her writing since before Bookalicious was even a gleam in the internet’s eye. So at ALA Midwinter I asked (begged) another blogger who was staying a day longer than I was to get me a copy from Melissa.
Usually I am struggling to read a book before the release date and books from conferences come last but I devoured Witches of East End in almost one sitting. This is why:
The world building is perfection. The town that the Beauchamp women live in just feels like a place where magic can truly happen. From the fog to the sleepiness of the town the descriptive tone de la Cruz uses in all her writing made North Hampton feel like somewhere I have previously visited.
Bloody Valentine Spoiler Alert ahead
If you read Bloody Valentine (the latest in de la cruz’s Blue Bloods series for young adults) then you will have already met Freya. She is the witch who helped heal Oliver of his infinite Schuyler sadness and saved him from a life as a blood whore. And just like Freya appears in Bloody Valentine a couple of our favorite Blue Blood characters appear in Witches of East End. It’s like a special little easter egg for those of us who read both series.
End Bloody Valentine Spoiler
I started out really liking Freya the best but by the end of the novel Ingrid and Joanna had moved into my heart as well. The pacing of the story is great. Fast but not as if you miss anything fast. de la Cruz builds the world in such a way that you don’t realize you are taking in huge bits of lore and plot. Deliciously deceptive.
I just didn’t see the conclusion coming. Usually I can predict a good bit of what happens in a book but not with Witches of East End. I loved the ending, and I can’t wait to read the next one!
There are some steamy scenes but over all I think any teens wanting to read the book should go ahead and do so.
I dare you to pick up Witches of East End and not love it!
This book was given to me in ARC form from another blogger.
Review: Firespell by Chloe Neill
From Goodreads: As the new girl at the elite St. Sophia’s boarding school, Lily Parker thinks her classmates are the most monstrous things she’ll have to face…
When Lily’s guardians decided to send her away to a fancy boarding school in Chicago, she was shocked. So was St. Sophia’s. Lily’s ultra-rich brat pack classmates think Lily should be the punchline to every joke, and on top of that, she’s hearing strange noises and seeing bizarre things in the shadows of the creepy building.
The only thing keeping her sane is her roommate, Scout, but even Scout’s a little weird—she keeps disappearing late at night and won’t tell Lily where she’s been. But when a prank leaves Lily trapped in the catacombs beneath the school, Lily finds Scout running from a real monster.
Scout’s a member of a splinter group of rebel teens with unique magical talents, who’ve sworn to protect the city against demons, vampires, and Reapers, magic users who’ve been corrupted by their power. And when Lily finds herself in the line of a firespell, Scout tells her the truth about her secret life, even though Lily has no powers of her own—at least none that she’s discovered yet…
Buy Firespell from Kepler’s and support an indie! (This is not an affiliate link, I make no profit.)
I won this book in a contest from Truth, Beauty and Books. The author sent me the book with a post it on to p saying congrats, the book was signed and some bookmarks and an awesome sticker.
I have to say I was looking forward to this book because I was in the mood for witches. However I didn’t get exactly what I bargained for, I got way more. Lily is a very fun character who is easy to like and follow. Her penchant for mischief is hilarious and the slow going but fast paced way she has her revaluations about her new found friends are brilliantly written.
The side characters are well fleshed out and laugh out loud funny. The boarding school theme which can sometimes overwhelm the book itself was just right.
If you like Hex Hall and Once a Witch you will adore Firespell. Here is a video of me reading an excerpt from the book.
