Saturday, June 11, 2011

Review: The Trouble With Spells (Of Witches and Warlocks #1) by Lacey Weatherford

Synopsis (Goodreads):
Portia Mullins had always lived the life of a normal teenager, up until her sixteenth birthday. She is then informed by her grandma that she is actually a witch who is a descendant of a long line of witches and warlocks. After overcoming her disbelief she finds that being a member of the coven comes with one great perk in the form of the school's handsome bad boy, Vance Mangum. Vance and Portia have an immediate connection as a budding romance begins, only to be threatened by turbulent skies on the horizon as Vance's checkered past rears its ugly head to haunt them. Portia is forced to use her untried powers in defense of everything she loves in a desperate attempt to hold on to the one thing that really matters in her life.
My Thoughts:  I didn't expect to like this book as much as I did.  Which isn't to say that I didn't think I wouldn't like it at all because, hey, witches and demons and magic are my bread and butter, but I wasn't expecting to be drawn into it to the point of feeling extreme annoyance when people would interrupt my reading at work.  Some of you might be thinking that I shouldn't be reading at work and all I can say to that is pfft.  I go big chunks of my day without seeing or talking to anyone, I have to get my kicks somehow.

Anyway.  I liked this book.  I did think the writing in the beginning was geared toward a younger audience but either the writing matured or it stopped bothering me because I didn't notice it at all toward the end.  I also think that there were times when Portia talked or acted a bit older than she was supposed to be but I could easily overlook that.  As an aside, where Vance would often act older than he was I was able to accept that because of the trauma he'd dealt with in his life at such a young age.  Portia, sheltered and surrounded by family and friends, didn't have that type of dark life experience that would account for her mature attitude.

Despite that, I liked her.  I liked Vance.  I liked that they felt this immediate, soul-deep connection to one another.  I liked that Portia was willing to believe in her magic practically sight unseen.  I liked the family connections - both blood and emotional - that were explored.

All in all, this was a very satisfying paranormal young adult read.  Although it ties up the main storyline and answers a lot of questions, it ends with Portia preparing to throw herself whole-heartedly into her next adventure.  I now feel like I have to hunt down book 2 and give it some loving.

More books by Lacey Weatherford

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