Witches of East End by Melissa de la Cruz

Title:  Witches of East End

Author: Melissa De La Cruz

Pages: 288

Genre: Fiction

Source:  Amazon Vine Program

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. [via GoodReads]

I was excited to hear that Melissa de la Cruz was coming out with a paranormal adult series. So needless to say, I was the first one in line searching for an ARC, which I gladly received through Amazon.  But before I can even start my review, I must confess that I have not read Ms. de la Cruz's Blue Bloods series so I can't say how or if the stories are related. 

With that said, I found the Witches of East End to be a unique story of three witches - a mother and her two daughters.  Told through alternating points-of-view, you get to learn more of Joanna, Ingrid and Freya, their very long lives and why they're bound by rules that won't  allow them to use their magic.

While I can't say that I loved this book, I did find the story intriguing at times.  There were times were I found myself sludging to get through some chapters, while at other times I was flying through the pages.  I'm not sure if I was confused for most of the story with trying to truly understand and getting to know (and like) the main characters.  Which I never truly succeeded at - since I did like Joanna and Ingrid but I definitely had my issues with Freya.  Aside from my mild dislike of the main characters, I felt that the story just didn't move along fast enough to keep me entertained.  It almost felt disjointed at times.  When the main plot points were finally revealed I think I was just over the whole thing. 

I did enjoy reading about the haven they found in North Hampton - and I enjoyed meeting the town residents, the love interests, and the mystery of it all.  I also loved the way the Salem Witch Trials and Nordic mythology were weaved into the storyline... yet it wasn't enough for me to fall in love with it.... sadly.

While the synopsis does mention that this is the perfect read for cross-over fans of Ms. de la Cruz'a YA series - I would like to mention that there are numerous "explicit" sex scenes.  And while I'm sure the more mature teens will be okay with this, I found myself a tad uncomfortable with some of these scenes...  like maybe I didn't  need that many of them... I'm just saying.

All in all, Witches of East End fell flat for me.  Yet I see plenty of mixed reviews out there - so my final verdict would be, enter at your own risk.

My Rating: