Review: Witches of East End by Melissa De La Cruz (@melissadelacruz @hyperionvoice)

272 pages

Expected publication: June 21st 2011

Disney-Hyperion

From the author of the highly addictive and bestselling Blue Bloods series, with almost 3 million copies sold, comes a new novel, Melissa de la Cruz's first for adults, featuring a family of formidable and beguiling witches.

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.

Melissa De-La Cruz never fails to amaze me. I am a huge fan of De-La Cruz's Blue Blood series and when I heard she has an adult series coming out, I was ecstatic. Especially when I heard it had to do with witches. Two of my all time favorite things to read about are, Vampires and Witches.

What I liked about Witches of East End was that De-La Cruz created three witches who can cast spells and fly on brooms etc., but what was different and made it stand out a bit to me was, that they were pretty much immortal. Joanna and her two daughters have been around a very long time. So I thought that was a nice change.

Melissa De-La Cruz writing style stays the same in Witches of East End. You even get a little visit from characters in her Blue Blood series. I enjoyed the plot and thought it was put together really well. Freya was definitely my favorite character. I loved them all, but she made me laugh a couple of times and got all the action. Freya loves pretty much everything forbidden. Oh yeah, Melissa De-La Cruz can write some hot HOT and steamy scenes.

There is also a nice twist towards the end that I did not see coming at all. It was a nice shock and I really liked that the story took that turn.

Lot's of magic, romance, laughter and twist all around in this novel. I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to the second part. I think it's great that Melissa De-La Cruz decided to write an adult romance. Love her work!

4 out of 5 Stars!