Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

Genre:  YA Historical Fiction
Stalking Jack the Ripper Series, Book 1

Kerri Maniscalco's website

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Description (taken from Kerri Maniscalco's website):

Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord’s daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege stretched out before her. But between the social teas and silk dress fittings, she leads a forbidden secret life.

Against her stern father’s wishes and society’s expectations, Audrey often slips away to her uncle’s laboratory to study the gruesome practice of forensic medicine. When her work on a string of savagely killed corpses drags Audrey into the investigation of a serial murderer, her search for answers brings her close to her own sheltered world.

Audrey Rose lives in a historical England where she is growing up to be a society girl.  She is doing everything that a wealthy and privileged English girl should do.  Well, except for helping her uncle dissect cadavers.  And helping him with solving deaths and crimes.  So it's no surprise that when Jack the Ripper begins to appear, she becomes intrigued...

So I can't really go into too much detail to this story.  Because most of us are very familiar with the unsolved mystery of Jack the Ripper.  And this fictional story tells it from Audrey's point of view.  And as much as I had it pegged from the very beginning, I was still disappointed with the ending.  And one of the things that angered me greatly was how many times Audrey was told she shouldn't be doing something because of her female status.  I just got tired of it a little.

This was a decent detective story to follow from start to finish.  And it does give a nice twist at the end.  I'd suggest checking it out if it peaks your interests still.

The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman

Genre:  YA Historical Paranormal

Lady Helen Series, Book 1

Alison Goodman's website

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Description (taken from Alison Goodman's website):

London, April 1812. Lady Helen Wrexhall is set to make her curtsy to Queen Charlotte and step into polite Regency Society and the marriage mart. Little does Helen know, that step will take her from the glittering ballroom of Almacks and the bright lights of Vauxhall Gardens into a shadowy world of demonic creatures, missing housemaids and deadly power.

Standing between those two worlds is Lord Carlston, a man of dubious reputation and infuriating manners. He believes Helen is destined to protect humanity from an unearthly truth, but all he can offer is danger, savagery and the possibility of madness. Not the kind of destiny suitable for a young lady in her first London Season.

Against a backdrop of whispered secrets in St. James’s Palace, soirees with Lord Byron and morning calls from Beau Brummell, The Dark Days Club is a delightfully dangerous adventure of self- discovery and the dark choices of new found adulthood.

Lady Helen is barely debuting as a young and proper adult in old London society.  She is going to do her duty of securing a good match in a man and stay away from the gossip of her mother's betrayal.  However when powerful people point to her mother's past and a man takes an interest in her abilities, she finds nothing is as easy as being right and wrong or good and evil.  And life becomes a little more complicated.

When Helen is introduced to the Dark Days Club, she must decide on whether or not she wants to join.  Will she put herself and her potential betrothed in harm's way to keep the world safe from demons?  Or will she turn her back from it all and be the proper young lady that her society demands? And why is Lord Carlston so vexing?  So many choices at the start of her season...

It took a very long time for me to get settled into this story.  And I find I was quite bored with Lady Helen and the strict life she lives.  I will admit that once the paranormal was finally introduced, I became a little intrigued.  But how the demons worked and the Dark Days Club combatted it was just way too confusing for me.  And nothing of importance was explained!  I wasn't happy with the setting, and I wasn't really invested in the paranormal.  I felt like this big book should have given me more.

There are going to be those who enjoy this book.  And then there's me who's onto another book.

Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers

Genre:  New Adult Historical Romance

His Fair Assassin Series, Book 3

Robin LaFevers' website

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Note:  This is the third in the series, and while each book is from someone else's point of view, I'm warning you now that the plot builds from the previous books.  Although I do think this is a series that you could read out of order and still follow easily.

Description (taken from Robin LaFevers' website):

Because Love is stronger than Death…

Annith has watched her gifted sisters at the convent come and go, carrying out their dark dealings in the name of St. Mortain, patiently awaiting her own turn to serve Death. But her worst fears are realized when she discovers she is being groomed by the abbess as a Seeress, to be forever sequestered in the rock and stone womb of the convent. Feeling sorely betrayed, Annith decides to strike out on her own.

But across Brittany, the tides of war are drawing ever nearer, with France pressuring the beleaguered duchess from all sides. Annith’s search for answers threatens to rip open an intricate web of lies and deceit that sit at the heart of the convent she serves. Yet to expose them threatens the very fabric of her existence and risks an unforeseen chance at love, one that she can no longer deny. Annith must carefully pick a path and, gods willing, effect a miracle that will see her country—and her heart—to safety.

It's been quite a while since I've touched this series.  But I've been wanting to dive back into this story.  We are at the end of the 1400s where Brittany is struggling against an invasion by the French.  And Annith is a follower of Mortain, the god of death.  But she's never left the convent until one day she takes matters into her own hands.  She's lost faith in the Abbess of the convent, but she refuses to lose faith in Mortain.

As Annith works her way across France to confront the Abbess, she runs into quite a few characters.  We've got the minions of death who chase bad souls as well as lost souls in order to bring them to the Underworld.  We've also got another group of girls who follow another god.  And as Annith works her way to the Abbess, she finds the Duchess in quite a political battle that is threatening to become an all out war.  Needless to say, a lot happens...

Although I find these stories a little long-worded and slow in the beginning, I quickly fall into them and am engrossed by the story.  While I did find some bits and pieces quite predictable, I enjoyed learning the history of Brittany.  A lot of historical characters are thrown around.  I just wish I got to see more intertwined into the main story.  But at least there's going to be more books to this series coming.

I like this series.  It's like a breath of fresh air compared to what I normally read.

A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly

Genre:  YA Historical Fiction

Jennifer Donnelly's website

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Description (taken from Jennifer Donnelly's website):

It is 1906 and Mattie Gokey is trying to learn how to stand up like a man -- even though she’s a sixteen-year-old girl. At her summer job at a resort on Big Moose Lake in the Adirondack mountains, she will earn enough money to make something of her life.

That money could be a dowry to wed the handsome but dull Royal Loomis. It could save her father’s brokeback farm. Or it might buy her a train ticket to New York City and college and a life that she can barely allow herself to imagine.

But Mattie’s worries and plans are cast into a cold light when the drowned body of Grace Brown turns up – a young woman who gave Mattie a packet of love letters, letters that convince Mattie that the drowning was no accident.

Inspired by the sensational Chester Gillette murder case of 1906, which was also the basis for Theodore Dreiser’s An American Tragedy and the film A Place in the Sun, this story evokes novels such as To Kill a Mockingbird, Little Women, and other classics that hark back to times of lost innocence.

Mattie lives in a small town in New York where eery girl's dream is to get married and help their husband on the farm while having a family of their own.  But Mattie has a way with words and is one of the first to get a high school diploma in her town.  Her teacher helps her dream of college and a degree.  Her best friend wants her to go to New York City with him for school.  But is this dream within reach?  With her father's farm needing more help and a boy catching her eye, will she be able to leave it all?

Mattie is currently working at a resort where a lot of rich folk stop for a vacation.  One of the guests gives her a pile of letters to destroy before disappearing one day.  When they do find her, Mattie begins to read the letters and relate them to her own life.  At the crossroads of youth and adulthood, Mattie must decide who she wants to be.  And just maybe, Grace Brown's words will leave an impression and help Mattie choose the life she wants.

This was such a good coming-of-age novel set in the early 1900s.  And hearing Mattie's story reminded me so much of my own life, and the choices I made as a young adult.  Since I might be a little biased for having also moved away for college and career, I was definitely rooting for one path over the other.  And while the small subtleties and plot lines were easy to see, it was still endearing to see the main character eventually catch on and see things in a different light.

This was definitely a refreshingly different read for me.  While it has a slower pace than other novels, it still caught my attention pretty early.  I had to know what Mattie decided to do with her future.

My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows

Genre:  YA Historical Comedy

Cynthia Hand's website

Brodi Ashton's website

Jodi Meadows' website

Expected publication date:  June 7, 2016

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Description (taken from Cynthia Hand's website):

For fans of The Princess Bride comes the comical, fantastical, romantical, (not) entirely true story of Lady Jane Grey, written by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows.

Lady Jane Grey, sixteen, is about to be married to a total stranger—and caught up in an insidious plot to rob her cousin, King Edward, of his throne. But that’s the least of Jane’s problems. She’s about to become Queen of England. Like that could go wrong.

A lot of historical English buffs are fascinated with the era of King Henry VIII.  But does anyone know what happened after his death?  This story is a re-imagining of what happens after King  Henry and King Edward's death.  But I'll give you a little spoiler.  It absolutely does not follow our history books at all.  This story's a little more comedic and fun-loving than the real history.

In Edward, Jane, and Gifford's world, there's a struggle between plain old humans and those who can shape-shift into an animal.  When King Henry accidentally outed himself as a shape-shifter in a very public setting, he began to support shape-shifting rights.  But after his death and with Edward's reign, things become a little wishy-washy.  Who does the royal family support?  And as the mysterious Jane steps up to the throne, what else could go wrong?  In this world?  A lot.

This story is very much a romantic comedy.  It makes light of a pretty depressing past that England has.  And the retelling is definitely funner to follow.  And while I really enjoyed the story, I have mixed feelings because I have read the history books.  I do know what happened.  And every time this book made me giggle and laugh, I wondered if I should be feeling guilty since that definitely wasn't what happened in the history books.  Eventually, you just can't compare the two and have to accept this is a work of fiction.

I picked this one up because of the trio of authors.  And I think anyone who enjoys these authors is not going to be disappointed...

Thanks goes to Around the World ARC Tours for providing me a review copy.

These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly

Genre:  YA Historical Fiction

Jennifer Donnelly's website

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Description (taken from Jennifer Donnelly's website):

New York, 1890. A wealthy family. A deadly secret. A young woman with more to lose than she knows.

Josephine Montfort is one of the city’s most eligible heiresses, and as such, she understands the importance of doing what is expected. She knows that a suitable marriage and a comfortable life is what she should dream of—but her heart can’t help yearning for more.

But then Jo’s father dies violently, and her charmed life is suddenly shattered. His death appears to have been a tragic mistake, but Jo quickly discovers that the details of his death don’t quite add up. If her father’s death wasn’t accidental, could it have been suicide? Or worse….murder?

Jo is desperate to uncover the truth, but escaping her gilded cage is dangerous, and soon it’s hard to know who can be trusted. A chance encounter with handsome journalist Eddie Gallagher shows Jo just how dangerous digging up her family’s past will be—but some secrets can’t stay hidden, no matter how deep you bury them.

Jo is the editor of her school's newspaper.  All she dreams about is being a reporter like Nellie Bly.  Unfortunately, she spends her life in a rich woman's cage doing what's best for her family.  But when she's unexpectedly called home due to her father's sudden death, she can't leave it to rest.  She's determined to find out what happened in his final moments even if it means uncovering secrets.

When Jo shows up at her father's newspaper company, she meets a reporter called Eddie.  Eddie is looking for the next big story, and when he sees her looking for answers, he sees a future for himself.  As they agree to help each other, they get more than they bargained for.  As they're unlikely friendship evolves, Jo realizes the world isn't as nice as she was brought up to think it was.

This was a classic who-dunnit story set in early New York.  We got to see how sheltered a life an heiress can lead as well as how bad the slums were.  I loved seeing Jo break free from her cage.  And even though I had every plot twist and spoiler figured out, I still loved the writing.  And the ending was one I kind of love yet hate.  It's hard not to love it once you've fallen in love with the characters.

I love Jennifer Donnelly's writing.  It brings more to a story instead of just the plot.  I recommend you pick up at least one of her books.

Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray

Genre:  YA Historical Fantasy

The Diviners Series, Book 2

Libba Bray's website

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Description (taken from Goodreads):

The longing of dreams draws the dead, and this city holds many dreams.

After a supernatural showdown with a serial killer, Evie O’Neill has outed herself as a Diviner. With her uncanny ability to read people’s secrets, she’s become a media darling, earning the title “America’s Sweetheart Seer.” Everyone’s in love with the city’s newest It Girl…everyone except the other Diviners.

Piano-playing Henry DuBois and Chinatown resident Ling Chan are two Diviners struggling to keep their powers a secret—for they can walk in dreams. And while Evie is living the high life, victims of a mysterious sleeping sickness are turning up across New York City.

As Henry searches for a lost love and Ling strives to succeed in a world that shuns her, a malevolent force infects their dreams. And at the edges of it all lurks a man in a stovepipe hat who has plans that extend farther than anyone can guess…As the sickness spreads, can the Diviners descend into the dreamworld to save the city?

The world of Diviners from the early 1900s is back.  Our beloved characters including Evie, Henry, Jericho, Mabel, and others are back for another paranormal story.  We also get introduced to new characters like Ling and learn a few more back stories.  We're in New York City where a sleeping sickness is terrorizing Chinatown.  Within the dream, there's a girl who promises you the riches of the world and all you have to do is dream with her.  The only catch is you'll never wake up.

Evie now has her own radio talkshow as a diviner, and she's all about stirring up drama in order to get a story in.  The only problem is some of these fake stories she comes up with begin to stir a little bit of truth around until no one's sure what's fake anymore.  But she's just a side character in this story.  Henry is the one who stands out.  We learn so much about his past in New Orleans and how his dream-walking ability works.  And when he meets another dream-walker named Ling, they find themselves in the perfect dreamworld never wanting to leave.  Yet at the same time, there are plenty of people dying from the sleeping sickness.  Will Henry and Ling have enough willpower to leave their dreams behind and combat the evil creating this sickness?

I've got two opinions on this book.  On the one hand, Libba Bray is an excellent story-teller.  She weaves so many stories together into one, and they all happen to perfectly follow the plot.  On the other hand, did you see how big that book was?!  This book was huge and took a really long time to read.  But I don't want to say I wish it were shorter.  Maybe I just wish I read faster...

This series is from an interesting era where superstition and mysticism still existed.  And if you're a fan of historical paranormal fiction, I think you're going to love these books.  You just kind of have to get over how big the books are (still worth it).

Prisoner of Night and Fog by Anne Blankman

Genre:  YA Historical Fiction

Prisoner of Night and Fog Series, Book 1

Anne Blankman's website

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Description (taken from Anne Blankman's website):

In 1930s Munich, danger lurks behind dark corners, and secrets are buried deep within the city. But Gretchen Müller, who grew up in the National Socialist Party under the wing of her "uncle" Dolf, has been shielded from that side of society ever since her father traded his life for Dolf's, and Gretchen is his favorite, his pet.

Uncle Dolf is none other than Adolf Hitler.

And Gretchen follows his every command.

Until she meets a fearless and handsome young Jewish reporter named Daniel Cohen. Gretchen should despise Daniel, yet she can't stop herself from listening to his story: that her father, the adored Nazi martyr, was actually murdered by an unknown comrade. She also can't help the fierce attraction brewing between them, despite everything she's been taught to believe about Jews.

As Gretchen investigates the very people she's always considered friends, she must decide where her loyalties lie. Will she choose the safety of her former life as a Nazi darling, or will she dare to dig up the truth—even if it could get her and Daniel killed?

Gretchen has lived under Uncle Dolf's wing ever since she was a little girl.  Her father became a martyr when he protected Adolf Hitler during a putsch.  Gretchen's the perfect Nazi girl living the ideal lifestyle.  That is until she is forced to quit her schooling and must work for the National Socialist Party.  But as she gets close to the inner workings, a strange boy makes her question the  very foundation she grew up on.

Daniel has always wanted to deliver the truth to the public.  And he sees Hitler for what he really is.  But when he gets a whiff of a story where the beloved martyr didn't die for his fellow friend and was instead murdered, he will stop at nothing to investigate it.  And all it takes is a very curious girl who has a huge investment on the outcome of this story to pave the way to truth.

Honestly, I loved how well this fictional story ties into the factual life of Hitler and his close companions.  I spent a lot of time googling names and placing people in my timeline of events.  And this is definitely a different book where it follows the life of a very despised yet renowned figure from our past.  My only problem was I felt the pacing was slow, and it took a while before my interest ramped up.

This is definitely a series to look for if you're interested in pre-World War II Germany.  It gives a different perspective while giving some entertainment.

Bad Luck Girl by Sarah Zettel

Genre:  YA Historical Fantasy

The American Fairy, Book 3

Sarah Zettel's website

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Description (taken from Sarah Zettel's website):

After rescuing her parents from the Seelie king at Hearst Castle, Callie is caught up in the war between the fairies of the Midnight Throne and the Sunlit Kingdoms. By accident, she discovers that fairies aren't the only magical creatures in the world. There's also Halfers, misfits that are half fairy and half other--laced with strange magic and big-city attitude. As the war heats up, Callie's world falls apart. And even though she's the child of prophecy, she doubts she can save the Halfers, her people, her family, and Jack, let alone herself. The fairies all say Callie is the Bad Luck Girl, and she's starting to believe them.

Callie is a fourteen-year-old girl who has worked to free her parents from the Seelie king.  And now they're trying to hide while a war rages on between the Seelie and Unseelie fairies.  The only problem is Callie's conscience won't let her step aside as she watches innocent victims being dragged into the fairy kingdoms.

After finally meeting her father, the Unseelie prince who abdicated, she sees how the fairy nature affects him even though he's drunk off of the love her mother gives him.  And how he was raised and his values of the magical beings blind him to what's really happening.  Callie, a half-black-half-white girl, isn't going to let this blindness stop her.  Even Halfers deserve a fair chance at life and to be free from others.  Even though Callie wants to obey her parents, she's not going to stand aside while all magical mayhem occurs.

This book had the perfect ending.  I absolutely loved how it ended and would love to tell you all about it, but then you'd all hate me for ruining it.  While Callie's character is a little young for me, I loved watching her grow and gain confidence.  When she stood up to her father and held true to her ideals, I was cheering her on.  And the never-ending trust she had for her parents and Jack.  This book is sweet.  And I think it does a really nice job of tying societal issues into fantasy plot lines.  We get the opportunity to see what was wrong with our past (and how it affects our present) without judging (and we get a fun story of fairies to go with it).

This is a fun series that I'd recommend for tweens.  It's sweet, has character-building, and it has fairies.  And while there is a very small bit of romance, it's something that gradually builds and is not the main part of the story.  Plus, the magic is ever-changing.

Thanks goes to Random House Children's Books for providing me a review copy.

Golden Girl by Sarah Zettel

Genre:  YA Historical Fantasy

The American Fairy, Book 2

Sarah Zettel's website

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Description (taken from Sarah Zettel's website):

Callie LeRoux has put her grimy, harrowing trip from the depths of the Dust Bowl behind her. Her life is a different kind of exciting now: she works at a major motion picture studio among powerful studio executives and stylish stars. Still nothing can distract her from her true goal. With help from her friend Jack and guidance from the great singer Paul Robeson, she will find her missing mother. But as a child of prophecy and daughter of the legitimate heir to the Unseelie throne, Callie poses a huge threat to the warring fae factions who’ve attached themselves to the most powerful people in Hollywood . . . and they are all too aware that she’s within their reach.

This book dives right into where Callie's life left off with the last book.  Callie, the Unseelie Court heir, is on a mission to find her parents.  And while the fae will stop at nothing to control Callie due that pesky prophecy surrounding her, she's not going to let them stop her.

Callie and Jack have landed themselves in California trying to locate the entrance to the Seelie Court.  They have her parents, and she wants them back.  While merging into the movie star spotlight, they meet some interesting characters.  One is a girl named Ivy who is a little spoiled starlet, but all she wants is a friend.  As things are revealed and Callie finds her way into the fairy world again, she finds there's a lot more to these people than she first thought.

Again, I enjoyed the story-telling and the world building set in the 1930s.  We're in the world of old Hollywood (or early Hollywood, whatever).  And we get to see a lot of behind-the-scenes scenes that are used for those movies.  In addition, there's a lot of fairy magic involved.  Every time I think I've got the magic figured out, something new pops up and I can't quite comprehend how it works.  Regardless, it's fun to try to follow.  The only complaint I have about this book is it seems slightly childish to me, but that just means I'd recommend this one for tweens in addition to young adults.

An American Fairy series that I'd recommend for anyone looking for a good fantasy set in the past.  It's fun to follow, and before you know it, you're at the end asking for more.

Thanks goes to Random House Children's Publishing for providing me a review copy.

Review and Giveaway: The Medea Complex by Rachel Florence Roberts

Genre:  Adult Historical Fiction

Rachel Florence Roberts' website

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Description (taken from Rachel Florence Roberts' website):

Based On A True Story

Anne wakes up in a strange bed, having been kidnapped from her home. Slowly, she realizes she is in a lunatic asylum.

1885. Anne Stanbury - Committed to a lunatic asylum, having been deemed insane and therefore unfit to stand trial for the crime of which she is indicted. But is all as it seems?

Edgar Stanbury - the grieving husband and father who is torn between helping his confined wife recover her sanity, and seeking revenge on the woman who ruined his life.

Dr George Savage - the well respected psychiatrist, and chief medical officer of Bethlem Royal Hospital. Ultimately, he holds Anne's future wholly in his hands.

The Medea Complex tells the story of a misunderstood woman suffering from insanity in an era when mental illnesses' were all too often misdiagnosed and mistreated. A deep and riveting psychological thriller set within an historical context, packed full of twists and turns, The Medea Complex explores the nature of the human psyche: what possesses us, drives us, and how love, passion, and hope for the future can drive us to insanity.

So what does Medea Complex even mean?  A little tidbit I had to look up that suddenly made everything make sense...  Medea, in Greek mythology, is a sorceress who kills her children after Jason, her husband, deserts her.  Look it up if you want to know more.

This tale is told from a couple of different point of views:  Anne the murdering wife, Edgar the grieving husband, Dr Savage the psychiatrist, and Beatrix the lady's maid.  Each person has a motive, a hidden agenda, and a little bit of crazy hanging over their shoulders.  This tale will wrap around the emotions that drive us as well as what we are willing to do to get our way.

Anne wakes up in an insane asylum with no memory indicating why she's there.  She must trust Dr Savage when he tells her she murdered her baby.  But Dr Savage is a man from 1885 meaning he's very likely to brush women aside and use womenly wiles as a reason to explain why they do what they do.  He doesn't think they are smart or cunning.  But Edgar, Anne's husband, will soon find out just how smart women can be when his wife becomes sane and remembers what happened.  While grieving for his son, Edgar will find out just how far Anne is willing to go to protect her own.

I didn't exactly know what to expect at the beginning of this story.  It seemed like a whole lot of crazy that wasn't going very far plot-wise.  And Dr Savage's attitude of women just bothered me.  I can't respect someone who doesn't respect me (a woman).  But then the story continued, and we find a lot of motives behind people's actions.  And once the story leaves the insane asylum, we enter the legal world (and everything gets interesting).  Towards the end, I was really enjoying the different perspectives and people questioning whether or not their actions were right.

This story is a good one to check out if you're looking for a tale of lies, crazy, and motives.  Despite Dr Savage's attitude regarding women, I enjoyed this story.

Thanks goes to Rachel Florence Roberts' for providing me a review copy.

Giveaway

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Witchstruck by Victoria Lamb

Genre:  YA Historical Fantasy

The Tudor Witch Trilogy, Book 1

Victoria Lamb's website

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Description (taken from Goodreads):

If she sink, she be no witch and shall be drowned.

If she float, she be a witch and must be hanged.

Meg Lytton has always known she is different—that she bears a dark and powerful gift. But in 1554 England, in service at Woodstock Palace to the banished Tudor princess Elizabeth, it has never been more dangerous to practise witchcraft. Meg knows she must guard her secret carefully from the many suspicious eyes watching over the princess and her companions. One wrong move could mean her life, and the life of Elizabeth, rightful heir to the English throne.

With witchfinder Marcus Dent determined to have Meg's hand in marriage, and Meg's own family conspiring against the English queen, there isn't a single person Meg can trust. Certainly not the enigmatic young Spanish priest Alejandro de Castillo, despite her undeniable feelings. But when all the world turns against her, Meg must open her heart to a dangerous choice.

Take the scene from the Tudor era and throw in a couple of witches.  Sounds like a good mix, right?  I have to admit that I don't read a whole lot of young adult fiction set in the Tudor era.  But I was super excited when I heard about this one.

Meg has been serving Princess Elizabeth ever since Elizabeth was exiled to Woodstock, a palace in the countryside.  Even though Queen Mary would like nothing better than to put Elizabeth's head on a pike, Elizabeth still sees a future on the English throne.  And she uses Meg, a witch, to see into the future to do everything to make this happens.  But Meg is just an apprentice of a witch, and there are others in her life who would gladly see her fail.

When all was said and done, I felt like the plot was a little small for the size of this book.  I loved seeing Meg and her aunt work magic together and seeing the tragedies that followed them.  However, the amount of magic I saw from Meg left me lacking.  I felt like I got the watered-down version of the Tudor witches.  There just wasn't enough excitement to keep me on the edge of my seat.  And the love interest, Alejandro?  I loved seeing him play a really good supporting character, but there wasn't a whole lot of romance (other than smoky eyes and thin lips - is this really sexy?).

I don't think I'm going to continue this series.  Because what I envisioned wasn't what I got.  And the opinion I'm left with is 'it was okay.'  Check out other reviews if you're considering this one.