Thursday, August 4, 2011

WITCHES OF EAST END by Melissa de la Cruz

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 have previously attempted to read a novel by Melissa de la Cruz, in fact the first book in her Blue Bloods series, but I never finished it because I didn't care what happened in the end, and that's a dead giveaway that it's not the right book for me. Now you can bet I will be picking up that series again! Though at first a little slow, Witches of East End was an (no pun intended) enchanting novel. The contrast between the characters' personalities was perfect and the intricacy of their differing powers was so interesting to read about. Admittedly, the story did take some time to get started, but once it did, I couldn't put it down. The romance was intriguing and well-written, not to mention confusing, as it sometimes can be. Freya and Ingrid have a very realistic sisterly relationship, one that was entertaining to discover. They're close, but not too close, and they obviously enjoy bickering with one another. Joanna is portrayed as your classic motherly figure but is nevertheless very endearing. My heart was broken at a couple different points, and I loved the plot twists Melissa threw at me. A wonderful fantasy novel, Witches of East End just made me want to pick up the sequel even more. I can't wait to read more of this author! You can bet I will be delving into Blue Bloods in the coming months!

4/5 stars

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