Witches of East End by Melissa de la Cruz
Hardcover, 288 Pages
2011, Hyperion
ISBN: 1401323901
Series: Book 1 of The Beauchamp Family
Synopsis
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.
Review
I had a good feeling about Witches of East End when reading the synopsis and while I had high hopes for this book, it was so much more amazing than I could have possibly expected. The characters, the magic, the mythology, everything clicked perfectly. The pages flew by as I read, utterly entranced by the easy tone of the novel.
The Witches of East End, Joanna, Ingrid and Freya, were wonderful characters. I love a good witch novel, but even without powers, I would have fallen in love with these women. Freya's fun nature, Ingrid's love of knowledge and Joanna's loving kindness all shone well beyond their magical abilities. Not to discount the magic, though, as there was much of that as the novel moved forward.
Not everything is as it seems in Witches of East End and readers with a love of mythology will be particularly delighted. My knowledge of Norse mythology is rusty and I found myself only recognizing a name here and there. Nonetheless, even those who've never learned anything about Norse mythology will love the way the myths are woven into the story.
Witches of East End blew me away. It's a paranormal mystery of sorts that includes just the right amount of romance - enough to make the reader root for certain couples, but not too much as to distract from the overall plot. Melissa de la Cruz has crossed over to writing for adults beautifully here and I am on the edge of my seat waiting to see what's next for the Beauchamps and the rest of the East End residents.
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