Witches of East End (The Beauchamp Family #1)

Published:  June 21st, 2011

Witches of East End (The Beauchamp Family #1)

By: Melissa De La Cruz

Disney-Hyperion

ISBN-13:  9781401323905

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, had 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 hide 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.

Review

       I was never intitally interested in reading this series when it first came out, especially since I quit Melissa's Blue Bloods series by book #4.  Her writing in the past had never impressed me and I didn't even care to try.  Then I checked out Season One of the Lifetime TV show, based on these books, from my library.  I got addicted to the show within just one episode (and took my younger brother right along with me :p) and decided that I should stop being ass-backwards and just give the book a shot already!  This being the first in the series, I wasn't expecting much beyond the normal fluff, world-building and character introductions.  Maybe I enjoyed it as much as I did because I was picturing the wonderfult characters from the TV show.  But I was suprised by just how much I did happen to enjoy this particular bit of fluff!

       We get to see each chapter from a different Beauchamp woman's perspective.  Therefore we get insights into the minds of Freya, Ingrid, and their mother, Joanna.  All of them are immortal witches who have been banned by a council from using their powers, after an incident in Puritan-era Salem.  We aren't told exactly what happened, but are able to gather that it was verging on catastrophic.  The ladies are happy in North Hampton, with Ingrid working at the library and having a possible romance on the horizon with the handsome police detective, Matt Noble, and Freya on the cusp of marriage to wealthy Bran Gardiner.  But something is always missing from their lives.  The pull of magic becomes too strong to resist and they start using again,  Freya starts mixing magical drinks at the bar where she works.  Ingrid starts weaving knots to help people with their problems, doing an open hour at the library when people can come to her.  And Joanna is just using magic to amuse their housekeeper's little boy, who reminds her of her own lost son, Frederick.  

     A lot of people complain that nothing really happens in this book and it is a slow burn, I will admit.  Especially since there is seemingly nothing for them to discover.  Unlike on the TV show, Ingrid and Freya are not continuously reborn/reincarnated and they know about their powers.  It's very much about the daily monotony of life and the choices the women make for their lives.  But a chain of events is set off when Freya sleeps with Bran's brother, Killian, at their engagement party.  Another chain starts when the girls start using their powers.  It all culminates in a girl's disappearance and the start of a witch hunt by people who had previously revered the Beauchamp's recently revealed powers.  The book ends in an answer to the mystery, but opens more questions with a startling mythological revelation.  Let's just say that the witches aren't necessarily witches, but something far more ancient and powerful.  I will not say anything else so as not to spoil, but while I do think the TV show is surprisingly better done, this was a quick and fun, fluffy read.  I'd recommend to those who like a bit of candy-floss now and then.

VERDICT:  3.5/5  Stars

**No money or favors were exchanged for this review.  This book is now available in stores, online, or maybe even at your local library.**

Frozen, But What Can I Do?

Expected Publication:  September 17th, 2013
Frozen (Heart of Dread #1)
By: Melissa De La Cruz & Michael Johnston
Putnam Juvenile
ISBN-13:  9780399257544

Welcome to New Vegas, a city once covered in bling, now blanketed in ice. Like much of the destroyed planet, the place knows only one temperature—freezing. But some things never change. The diamond in the ice desert is still a 24-hour hedonistic playground and nothing keeps the crowds away from the casino floors, never mind the rumors about sinister sorcery in its shadows.

At the heart of this city is Natasha Kestal, a young blackjack dealer looking for a way out. Like many, she's heard of a mythical land simply called “the Blue.” They say it’s a paradise, where the sun still shines and the waters are turquoise. More importantly, it’s a place where Nat won’t be persecuted, even if her darkest secret comes to light.

But passage to the Blue is treacherous, if not impossible, and her only shot is to bet on a ragtag crew of mercenaries led by a cocky runner named Ryan Wesson to take her there. Danger and deceit await on every corner, even as Nat and Wes find themselves inexorably drawn to each other. But can true love survive the lies? Fiery hearts collide in this fantastic tale of the evil men do and the awesome power within us all.

Review

 

     Natasha 'Nat' Kestal is living in the city of sin, New Vegas, as a blackjack dealer.  All she wants though is to find a way out and to the mythical land known as the Blue - which may or may not actually exist.  In a world with nothing but pockets of land left, floating in a sea of toxic waters, the Blue is said to be a land of pure water, sunshine and perfect days.  Nat has a secret though - she is marked, one of those that the government wants nothing more than to exterminate for their special abilities.  When she out-hustles cocky ex-military guy Ryan Wesson, Nat turns around and hires Wes and his crew to sail her out to find the blue.  Drawn to each other, but both wary and hiding secrets, Nat and Wes must learn to trust one another and make some difficult decisions.  If they're both going to survive and make it to the Blue, the time will come to tell the whole truth.  But could that be just as deadly as the secrets they keep?

     I went into this with a bit of hesitance, seeing as when a mysterious 'co-author' is suddenly introduced, it's usually code for "this person is my ghostwriter and I've given up on hiding it."  Thankfully, the difference in the alternating third-person omniscient point of views is distinctly and obviously written by two separate authors.  That said, this was by no means the best book that I've ever read.  Most of the time, reading it was like a cross between an action movie (a la Waterworld), a cheesy romance and a hard boiled noir.  I found myself struggling to get involved in the story at first, but once they finally get out of the city things began to pick up for me.  I loved the character development on the side characters, like Shakes (whose loyalty is beautiful) and the 'little men' that are rescued by Wes' crew from the pirates.  I did feel like I was reading character types, more than actual characters at times with Nat and Wes. 

     There is something that was bothering me about the world-building, sitting in the back of my mind nagging at my suspension of disbelief.  If the water was so toxic, how could there be fish in it that were alive and safe to eat?  And with that in mind, why the HELL weren't they just melting/boiling the damn ice for a water source???  If your whole world is covered in ice, you'd think there'd be a way to utilize that!  I guess that wouldn't make for a very interesting plot though, and would eliminate pretty much the entire conflict of the novel.  So I suppose I can live with that particular plot hole! :)  Even if it is a pretty large one.  This book reminds me of watching an action movie, and that is probably what saved it for me as a reader.  There are some interesting elements to the world-building besides the non-believable water shortage and it did make me do some thinking.  Where the authors lost me was near the end when the fantasy elements came into full swing and added in a dragon.  I guess I'll just have to wait and see if I decide to read the second book when it's released.  If you're able to glibly read some actiony fluff, you may enjoy this.  Otherwise I'd advise you to avoid it.  Unless you live for cheesy, bland romances.  Then you may like it with complete seriousness, heaven help you!

 

VERDICT:  3.5/5  Stars

 

*I received this book as part of Around the World ARC Tours, run by the lovely Princess Bookie.  No favors or money were exchanged for this review.  This book's expected publication is September 17th, 2013.*