Book Review: Wicked Magic

 

Earlier this month I read an ARC (advanced reader copy) of Wicked Magic (A touch of Darkness, book 1) , written by Candace Osmond and Rebecca Hamilton.

Every Wicked Born must accept whatever fate the Sorting Ceremony grants them…

Being the Daughter of a Light High Priestess means Lydia Laveau has one fate: the life of a light witch. But when her ceremony chooses her for the Dark Faction—something deemed impossible—her world crashes down around her.

Soon, Lydia finds herself wrapped up in a clandestine whirlwind of blackmail, illegal magic, and betrayal. She has one goal: keep her head down, get through her five year pledge at the school for dark witches, and return to the human world she calls home.

But when she meets Anson Abernathy, a drop dead gorgeous third year Wicked Born accused of murder, she finds herself drawn to him…and all the danger that comes with their attraction.

Can Lydia survive her five-year pledge without unraveling centuries of tradition? Or will her own secrets unlock answers that threaten her very existence

I couldn’t wait to sink my teeth into this novel. Being a fan of witches, magick, books like Harry Potter, I knew I would love this book from the start. It did not let me down! It was so good, that when I finished the roller coaster ride I would have lit a cigarette if I smoked. 😉

Lydia is certain of her life and its path. Turn eighteen, have her sorting ceremony, attend Arcane Academy and then get back to the human world and be a reporter with her best friend. But her life and her plans make a drastic turn when she is sorted into the Dark Faction, instead of the Light.

She is thrown into a world where she can’t trust anyone, aside from the small few who befriend her. But even when it comes to them she can’t know who to fully trust. Her fellow students dislike her, as she’s not ‘one of them’. On top of that she falls for Anson, who allegedly murdered another student, and the Dark Dean is pressuring her into an event she wants nothing to do with. Lydia is trying to find her place, get through her five years, but it’s hard when she’s being black mailed over a secret she can’t risk getting out.

Wicked Magic flows so well, is full of twists and surprises, and kept me wanting more. I needed to know the answers: who could Lydia trust, what was Anson really capable of and what are the Dark Dean’s real motives.

I can’t wait for book two, and to see what fate has in store for Lydia.

 

 

Broken Hearted. RIP Severus Snape

Yesterday morning I arrived at work, got myself settled in and took out my phone to check Facebook while I ate my breakfast. Pretty quickly an article caught my eye. My best friend had posted something that made my jaw drop. When I seen the line ‘Alan Rickman passes at age 69’, I didn’t believe it. I had to check the link to prove that this was just another horrible celebrity death hoax.

But it wasn’t. I stared at the cold hard truth and my heart broke.

It is amazing how someone you have never met can have such an impact on you. Can make you feel so strongly. But I can say that while I never met the man (if only!), I have been totally heart broken about his passing.

I have been a huge fan of Alan Rickman since before his famous role as Severus Snape in the Harry Potter universe. From Die Hard to Sense and Sensibility, this man stole my heart. He captivated me, and many others, in his role on Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves as the evil (and a little crazy) Sheriff of Nottingham. No matter the role he played, which was many and varied, he made us believe he really was that character.

My Facebook yesterday was full of statuses in regards to others being just as saddened and people saying what movies of his they would be watching that night or this weekend. I will be having my own Alan Rickman marathon come the weekend. There’s so many great ones, it is hard to choose.

What movies of his do you love the most? What would you watch?

 

 

 

International Women’s Day

For once I am actually on top of things, and not worrying about being late like the white rabbit from Alice in Wonderland.

Today is International Women’s Day, and I have chosen to honor it with my favorite thing in the world: books.

Books written by my favorite female authors, which include some of my most favorite female characters.

I could have picked a bigger stack of books for this, but then I wouldn’t have been able to get them all in one photo. So I narrowed it down to my top faves.

‘Lover Eternal’ is my favorite book written in J.R Wards ‘The Blackdagger Brotherhood’ series, which features Mary Madonna Luce, who is compassionate, kind, and has a heart made from gold.

‘One’s Aspect to the Sun’ is written by Sherry D. Ramsey. Sherry’s novels and short stories always feature strong and interesting characters. I love Captain Luta Paixon, and her secret. (Wouldn’t it be nice to never look older then your thirties?!)

I’ve loved Jodi Picoult since I read ’19 Minutes’, which is a heartbreaking story that hits too close to home for some. I love how she shows the story for everyone’s aspect, and not just one or two POV’s. In stories such as ’19 Minutes’, seeing those extra POV’s adds depth to the story. Bonus Points: I wrote to her and she signed my card I sent. 😀

Jane Austen. If I could have picked an era to live in, it would have been hers. ‘Sense and Sensibility’ is the novel that made me fall in love with her. I’m a sucker for romance, and I have watched the movie and read the book countless times. The Dashwood sisters remain near and dear to my heart. Although sometimes I have wanted to kick Marianne right in the caboose.

Being the sucker I am for vampires, the supernatural and romance, my guilty pleasure is the Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris. Although one of her books, towards the last of the series had me irked at the fantastic author, I have still loved each and one of these books. Charlaine has been one of the authors who inspired me to write dark fantasy/paranormal romance, and Sookie will always be one of my favorite female characters. (I’m a book or two behind. Don’t tell me if Sookie did something to fuck shit up.)

J.K Rowling inspired the world and our imaginations with Harry Potter. And what better female to honor today in the fictional world then Hermoine Granger, the bookworm/book smart/street smart lady full of sass who kept Ron and Harry in line. I am happy that someone had the sense to pull her manuscript out of the trash and seen it for what it was and is: pure gold.

Sophie Kinsella has always made me laugh with Becky Bloomwood’s antics, and made me cry in ‘Remember Me.’ No matter what book of hers I am reading, she never fails to entertain me and leaves me wanting more.

Another author that fills my love of dark fantasy is Karen Marie Moning. I started out reading her Highlander series when a client of mine recommended it to me. I devoured them quickly and moved on to her Fever series. The Fever series features MacKayla Lane aka Mac. She’s a girly girl who loves pink, who is thrown into the world of the supernatural and discovers she has a rare talent. I loved watching her transform from Mac 1.0, to the killer mac 5.0.

These are some of the ladies and characters who have inspired me and continue to do so. Aside from my mom of coarse 😉 Where would we be without those women who loved us no matter what and stuck by our side?

What female authors/ characters have inspired you?