Sisters of The Craft: Smoke on The Water | Lori Handeland
Published by: St. Martin's Paperbacks, August 4th 2015
Genre: Adult, Urban Fantasy, Magic, Witches
Pages: 352
Format: Ebook
Source: St. Martin's, via Netgalley
Abandoned beneath a black willow tree on the banks of a northern Wisconsin creek, Willow Black spent her entire childhood in foster care. Her entire life she's had terrifying visions, and it is these visions that eventually land her in a psychiatric facility. And so Willow takes her meds and believes she is getting better. Until she meets a fellow patient who doesn't think she is crazy at all. She thinks Willow is a witch.
Willow's psychiatrist, Dr. Sebastian Crane, works hard to resist his feeling that he and Willow are destined to be together while also working to convince her that strange occurrences aren't the result of witchcraft… until he is thrown into the middle of a storm of supernatural events that can't be explained any other way…
Okay, off the bat, these books are really great for the witchy stuff. It's good old fashioned elemental witchcraft and I really enjoy it. The historical bits stretch believe-ability but it's easy to move past.
NOW, here's what really frustrated me with this book and the finale of the series, in Goodreads updates:
Saruuh Kelsey is 59% done
Oh my god why is everyone engaged? That is NOT the natural state of a few-months-old relationship o.O For two sisters to be engaged to their LIs??? Come ON. Does that mean Sister #3 will be engaged by the end of this book????
Saruuh Kelsey is 80% done
Heeyyyyyyy just throwing this wild idea out there but what if we had someone who saw the future AND was mentally ill, and finding out she's a seer didn't Suddenly Miraculously Cure her of her illness????? How Super Neat would that be??????? I'm fed up with this seer-in-psych-ward trope. Kill it.
Saruuh Kelsey is 96% done
Ugghhhhhhhh why is every woman's happy ending pregnancy/marriage????
Saruuh Kelsey is 98% done
Oh my GOD, of course the third sister is getting married too. How else could this love story play out....???
I've pretty much said everything I want to about the mental illness trope in my passive aggression. I hate it with a fiery passion. But the sister's stories ending in engagement, marriage, and pregnancy has got my blood boiling. The pregnancy was used as a plot device so I can sort of forgive that. But why does every sister, after knowing their love interests for bare months (sure, Becca knew Owen long before but she hadn't known him FOR TEN YEARS) get engaged???? I know this is romance, but relationships do not work that way. That's how divorce happens.
And by having every woman's story end in engagement, and having the series end in marriage, it suggests that this is the highest thing a woman can aspire to being. A wife. A mother. And both of those things are really great, and important to women, but I would have enjoyed these endings much, much more if only one of them got engaged. I mean, what are the chances three sisters would get engaged within the same period?? Sure it's fate and magic or whatever, but it's unrealistic and frustrating. And it says that Every Woman's Story should end this way. I'd have been so happy to see the sisters continuing their magic education, for that to be their promise of the future, or for Willow to be recovering from being institutionalised, instead of marriage and motherhood for EVERY SINGLE SISTER.
Okay, rant over.
These books are good urban fantasy. I'm just mad about the message the end sends. Although, I did actually enjoy this book the least. It was a little slow and drawn out until halfway. But hey, a satisfying culmination of the witchcraft and Venatores Mali.
Sisters of The Craft: Heat of The Moment | Lori Handeland
Published by: St. Martin's Paperbacks, June 30th 2015
Genre: Adult, Urban Fantasy, Magic, Witches
Pages: 352
Format: Ebook
Source: St. Martin's, via Netgalley
A spell that tore three sisters apart is broken four hundred years later, when the magic in their blood reunites them. Now, one of them will discover her gift—and reignite a love long thought lost… Flame-haired Becca Carstairs was born to be a veterinarian. Since childhood, her affinity for animals has been special, and her healing touch nothing short of magic. But only Becca knows the truth—that she alone can hear the creatures’ voices. She’s always trusted her sixth sense… until a string of missing pets, an attempted murder, and a face from her past converge into one explosive mystery, with her at its center.
Is haunted Owen McAllister, the boy who broke her heart ten years ago, related to the sinister crimes that have peaceful Three Harbors, Wisconsin, on its guard? Or is his reappearance part of the answer to questions that have troubled her all her life? As Becca delves into her strange heritage, she’ll have to fight for her life… and the man she will always love.
Just as full of danger, intrigue, and magic as the first book.
I really liked Bobby Doucet, but I LOVED Owen. I don't know what it was about him but I really clicked with him. What I liked was that he was disabled. What I didn't like was how he was healed at the end and that was his happy ending. But I did like Becca, the main character, and their relationship with each other. This book also features some pretty great parents. Way to go, Heat of The Moment.
Becca's communicating with animals was a nice difference to other books I've read, and I loved how obvious her healing magic was once I got to the end. Very cleverly snuck in through the whole book.
I do have some gripes. The historical Scotland bits are SO out of place it's jarring. And why does every female in this series need a male hero to come and save her? I get that Becca did save herself in a way, but it still ticked me off. There was also a comment about a farmer having only daughters, no sons, so there's no way his farm could continue and that really riled me up. FEMALE FARMERS EXIST!
But hey, apart from the slights to my feminist sensibilities, this book is fun, and fast paced, and the romance is very nice. I'm looking forward to the next book.
Magic, suspense, and political intrigue collide in this sequel to The Witch Hunter, perfect for fans of Graceling and the Grisha Trilogy.
Former witch hunter Elizabeth Grey is hiding within the magically protected village of Harrow, evading the price put on her head by Lord Blackwell, the usurper king of Anglia. Their last encounter left Blackwell ruined, but his thirst for power grows stronger every day. He's readying for a war against those who would resist his rule--namely Elizabeth and the witches, wizards, pirates, and healers she now calls her friends.
Having lost her stigma, a magical source of protection and healing, Elizabeth's strength is tested both physically and emotionally. War always means sacrifice, and as the lines between good and evil blur once more, Elizabeth must decide just how far she'll go to save those she loves.
In this sequel to The Witch Hunter, Virginia Boecker delivers a powerful story full of action, suspense, camaraderie, and romance.
My heart has been stabbed half a dozen times. This heartless book. First off, Elizabeth is my fave, forever. She's capable and deadly with a sword but sensitive and caring. I love her so much. And John. And them together. But the corrupt!John thing KILLED ME. I cried about three times, and it was so unfair. He didn't deserve that. (Plus WHY with the ending? So, so cruel. Worst ending ever.) Other things I adore about this book are: the perfect tension that really made it feel like a war was building, Blackwell's vulnerability - he really came into his own as a villain in this book, Caleb's cunning, incredible setting details, scary as hell plot (I'm talking about John not loving Elizabeth here), and pretty damn awesome friendships, by which I mean Elizabeth and Schuyler, Elizabeth and Fifer. I didn't like Elizabeth forgiving Malcolm, but you do you (plus she thought they were about to die, so I forgive that.) And it did have some lovely romantic moments that were a balm to my sore heart - I will never forget Elizabeth and John in the apothecary shop. Please print that scene on my tomb stone. A thrilling and tense historical fantasy series, with romance that hurts and soothes at once, and characters that are impossible to forget. I love this series so much.
Seven girls tied by time.
Five powers that bind.
One curse to lock the horror away.
One attic to keep the monsters at bay.
After the storm of the century rips apart New Orleans, sixteen-year-old Adele Le Moyne wants nothing more than her now silent city to return to normal. But with home resembling a war zone, a parish-wide curfew, and mysterious new faces lurking in the abandoned French Quarter, normalneeds a new definition.
As the city murder rate soars, Adele finds herself tangled in a web of magic that weaves back to her own ancestors. Caught in a hurricane of myths and monsters, who can she trust when everyone has a secret and keeping them can mean life or death? Unless . . . you’re immortal.
About the Author
Alys Arden was raised by the street performers, tea leaf-readers, and glittering drag queens of the New Orleans, French Quarter. She cut her teeth on the streets of New York and has worked all around the world since. She either talks too much or not at all. She obsessively documents things. Her hair ranges from eggplant to cotton-candy-colored.
One dreary day in London, while dreaming of running away with the circus, she started writing The Casquette Girls. Her debut novel garnered over one million reads online before being acquired by Skyscape in a two book deal. Rep’d by ICM.
Website
Twitter: @alysardenFacebookBlog
The Casquette Girls: The Casquette Girls | Alys Arden
Published by: Skyscape, November 17th 2015
Genre: YA, Gothic, Paranormal, Witches, Vampires
Pages: 565
Format: Ebook
Source: Skyscape, via Netgalley
Seven girls tied by time. Five powers that bind. One curse to lock the horror away. One attic to keep the monsters at bay.
**
After the storm of the century rips apart New Orleans, sixteen-year-old Adele Le Moyne wants nothing more than her now silent city to return to normal. But with home resembling a war zone, a parish-wide curfew, and mysterious new faces lurking in the abandoned French Quarter, normalneeds a new definition.
As the city murder rate soars, Adele finds herself tangled in a web of magic that weaves back to her own ancestors. Caught in a hurricane of myths and monsters, who can she trust when everyone has a secret and keeping them can mean life or death? Unless . . . you’re immortal.
This book WAY exceeded my expectations. I thought it'd be a pretty cool gothic story but it's so much more. You need to add this to your to-read list immediately. The first thing I loved about The Casquette Girls was the amazing writing, and how detailed the world building is. You can literally feel the author's love for New Orleans when you read this, and it made me fall in love with the city too (It's now added of my list of places to visit!) Along with the setting, the rich gothic tone of this book sucked me in. Plus there's a guy described as part James Dean part Italian Vogue and that always helps. The book only got better the more I read it, and while I could have done without the love triangle (I still don't trust or like Isaac...) I ADORED Nicco, my precious Italian child. I actually loved most of the characters, both past and present, and instead of just being implanted in a setting and reacting to it like in most books I read, these characters felt like they were part of the city, like they'd truly lived there their whole lives. They were as strange and wonderful as all the part of New Orleans I loved. AND the minor characters were as vibrant and interesting as some of the main characters! AND the romance is sweet and dangerous and everything I ever wanted (Nicolo, my love!!) AND the plot is tense and suspenseful and mysterious, and there's betrayal and plot twists (that I totally called way earlier!) and witches and girls being amazing friends. This book is perf. (EXCEPT FOR THE ENDING. DO NOT READ THAT EVER.) If you're looking for a YA gothic that literally feels like you're reading Dracula in places, this is the book for you. If you're not looking for that, read it anyway.
Azeril is a ward of the Church, and their most cunning weapon. By day he hides in plain sight as a student, but with his beloved obsidian knife, he also kills wizards. Az has no memory of his life before the Church, until one night, when a wizard recognizes him from his past. The killer in Az never misses his mark, but he can’t destroy the only potential link to his life before this. For the first time, Az has a lead on who he used to be—if only he could escape the watchful eye of the High Priest long enough to investigate.
Azeril discovers that the line between good and evil—the primal forces of the Fire and the Chasm—is as shifting as his own moral compass. And the truth about who he is will put his entire world in danger.
This book had all the elements for an amazing book, but it just didn't click with me personally. I liked plenty - the characters and their motives were easy to understand, the threat was fairly unique, and I didn't mind the world/lore of the Fire and the Chasm. Some points felt a little overly religious like the ending where the MC overcame the Chasm (bad, corruption, sin) by accepting Fire (pure, wholesomeness.) For a book about a church I expected less of that, for some reason. But I did like a lot about this - the magic was fairly unique, having been gifted from the Fire, I loved the moments of darkness from the boy, and I'd never read anything like Az's addiction to Obsidian. Az and Leora's relationship was sweet, and I liked how they were friends at the beginning, instead of a growing romance. But nothing about this book really stood out to me. It wasn't bad, but it just wasn't anything new, and I can't imagine I'll remember it.
Published by: Hodder & Stoughton, September 1st 2015
Genre: YA, Historical (sorta), Fantasy, Witches
Pages: 409
Format: Ebook
Source: Hodder & Stoughton, via Netgalley
Witches, watch out... Half Bad meets Kill Bill in this incredible new supernatural series.
Sixteen-year-old Elizabeth Grey doesn't look dangerous. A tiny, blonde, wisp of a girl shouldn't know how to poison a wizard and make it look like an accident. Or take out ten necromancers with a single sword and a bag of salt. Or kill a man using only her thumb. But things are not always as they appear. Elizabeth is one of the best witch hunters in Anglia and a member of the king's elite guard, devoted to rooting out witchcraft and bringing those who practice it to justice. And in Anglia, the price of justice is high: death by burning.
When Elizabeth is accused of being a witch herself, she's arrested and thrown in prison. The king declares her a traitor and her life is all but forfeit. With just hours before she's to die at the stake, Elizabeth gets a visitor - Nicholas Perevil, the most powerful wizard in Anglia. He offers her a deal: he will free her from prison and save her from execution if she will track down the wizard who laid a deadly curse on him.
As Elizabeth uncovers the horrifying facts about Nicholas's curse and the unwitting role she played in its creation, she is forced to redefine the differences between right and wrong, friends and enemies, love and hate... and life and death.
The first book in an incredible new series set in a fantastical medieval world.
This book has been compared to Graceling, Game of Thrones, Kill Bill, Half Bad, and the novels of both Sarah J. Maas and Holly Black. Basically, the comparisons need to chill. I understand the usefulness of them, and have found many a great book because of a comparison, but SIX for one book? This book is awesome and can stand apart from (and above most of) the comparisons. Set in a fantasy version of England, Witch Hunter introduces us to a world where witches are persecuted and witch hunters work for the Inquisitor, a real nasty weasel called Blackwell - who has his own agenda for wanting wizards killed (and a serious plot twist that is!) I loved the world of Witch Hunter instantly. I've read a lot of witch books and none of them really caught my interest as much as this, and once I was fully absorbed in the story I was flying through the pages and unable to stop reading.
The unique world forms the basis of this story, but the characters really carry it. I ended up loving Elizabeth way more than I first expected, and I fell head over heels for John. Another thing this book does is it introduces a female as the bitchy, jealous rival and then COMPLETELY CHANGES THAT by throwing them together and making them friends. Thank you, Witch Hunter, for this female friendship. And don't even get me started on the romance between John and Elizabeth, the slowest of slow burns that had me wanting to push their faces together and shout JUST KISS. I loved literally everything about this book - the gradual romance, the stand out characters, the vivid world and its dark secrets. I need the next book immediately.
Danny is a fun-loving 16-year-old looking for a father figure and falling in love with a different girl every day. He certainly doesn't want to follow in his mum's witchy footsteps.
Just as his community is being threatened by gangs intent on finding a lucrative power source to sell to the world, Danny discovers he is stunningly powerful. And when he falls for Saba, a gorgeous but capricious girl sorceress, he thinks maybe the witch thing might not be such a bad idea...
But what cost will Danny pay as, with his community on the brink of war, he finds that love and sorcery are more dangerous than he ever imagined?
Wickedness and passion combine in this coming-of-age adventure.
Crow Moonbrings to life the witchcraft and enchantment of Cornwall, and tells the story of Danny, the son of a witch, as he struggles to balance romance and responsibility. I liked Crow Moon. It has a serious atmosphere about it, a tense, temperamental tone that I loved. I've not read anything set in Cornwall and Devon before, but it gave this book a definite gothic undertone that made everything darker, more enticing. Sadly, the characters didn't do much for me. Danny was selfish, thoughtless, and impulsive. He has no idea what he wants, which is evident in him having a friend with benefits, as well as being 'in love' with a different girl called Saba, and then because he can't be with Saba - because she has a boyfriend - sleeping with an entirely different girl just because she's there and because he can. I didn't much like Saba either. There's not much about her and because of that she felt more like a love interest than an actual character. The love between her and Danny seemed plausible but empty, and the romance wasn't romantic at all, not for me. Not to mention Danny's motivations for most of what he did was wanting to get laid, which seeeeriously put me off him. But aside from the characters, this book is great. The setting is so vivid, the imagery of Cornwall and Devon so strong. I could basically see the moors and the cliffs by the sea. I loved that it was partly set in Tintagel, a moody, alluring place I'd love to visit. I enjoyed all the magic, witchy stuff. I liked how it was so traditional, and drew on classic witchcraft, with herbs and rituals and energy. The witchcraft was my favourite thing about this, and how the group of witches that protected Tintagel were called the Five Hands - it sounds mysterious and cool. I enjoyed the magic and setting of this book, but the characters really brought it down for me. Maybe a younger reader would identify more with the reckless love of the characters.
The Lovegrove Legacy: A Breath of Frost | Alyxandra Harvey
Published by: Walker Children's, January 7th 2014
Genre: YA, Historical, Paranormal + witches
Pages: 496
Format: Ebook
Source: Purchased
In 1814, three cousins—Gretchen, Emma, and Penelope—discover their family lineage of witchcraft when a binding spell is broken, allowing their individual magical powers to manifest. Now, beyond the manicured gardens and ballrooms of Regency London, an alluring underworld available only to those with power is revealed to the cousins. By claiming their power, the three cousins have accidentally opened the gates to the underworld.
Now ghouls, hellhounds—and most terrifying of all, the spirits of dark witches known as the Greymalkin Sisters—are hunting and killing young debutante witches for their powers. And, somehow, Emma is connected to the murders…because she keeps finding the bodies.
Can the cousins seal the gates before another witch is killed…or even worse, before their new gifts are stripped away?
A Breath of Frost is one of those books I've seen everyone talking about and loving, but I was never sure if I'd personally like it. Had I known it was a book about Regency era witches, I'd have snapped this book up a hundred yesterdays ago. I'm serious. I LOVE the Regency era. And witches! This book is wonderful and complex, packed with magic and secrets, heartbreak and heartwarming love. The story is energetic and genuine, the magic so flawlessly blended with the historical period that it's impossible not to fall for A Breath of Frost. I loved the characters (Penelope became my fave) and the romance and the general tone of the book. The ghosts were cool, the spooky old house was cool, the murders were cool. The only problem I have with it is that I didn't wait to read it until it was Halloween. A perfect Halloween read if ever I saw one. Recommend to everyone.
Characters ★★★★★
Setting/world building ★★★★☆
Writing Style ★★★★☆
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"Ladies did not punch. Ladies didn't have antlers either."
"'No one's coming for us.' Gretchen agreed. 'Shame, really. I tied a small dagger above my knee, just in case. It took forever to secure it properly. Stocking ribbons aren't very practical.'"
