Author: Melissa de la Cruz
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Pages: 272
Where I Got This Book: LibraryThing Early Reviewers
Rating; 4 Stars
Goodreads Summary: 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.
With a brand-new cast of characters, a fascinating and fresh world to discover, and a few surprise appearances from some of the Blue Blood fan favorites, this is a page-turning, deliciously fun, magical summer read fraught with love affairs, witchcraft, and an unforgettable battle between good and evil.
My Thoughts: This was a fun, fast read. I'm surprised I enjoyed it so much because I didn't particularly like the characters, and that's usually a must for me in order to enjoy the book--or, if the character is supposed to be unlikeable, then I should at least find him/her interesting.
However, I thought Ingrid was very dull. I don't usually call an independent female character frigid or classify her as a spinter, but there's no getting around that with Ingrid. She turned down every single guy who asked her out (nice, smart guys too), and had been doing so for centuries. I just didn't get it. How could she be so completely closed off to dating? What's her reason for feeling that way? Then there's the mother, Joanna, who I had a hard time getting interested in.
The only one of the three women I liked was Freya, which was surprising since she was cheating on her fiance with his brother, and as a rule I hate anyone who resorts to cheating. There's no excuse for it. However, Freya was the only one with any spice to her and she really carried the story for me.
The ending was amazing! I never saw that plot twist coming and I loved it! And then, of course, we're hit with that awful cliffhanger, which I refuse to really give much weight to. I was really hoping that Freya could have her amazing, meant-to-be relationship with her soulmate, but it looks like there's going to be some major complications. I can only hope that it all turns out to be a horrible misunderstanding in the end. I seriously cannot wait for the second book to see how it all plays out.
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