Wicked: Witch and Curse by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie Review

Book: Witch and Curse 

Authors: Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie

From: Author

Summary:

Holly Cathers's world shatters when her parents are killed in a terrible accident. Wrenched from her home in San Francisco, she is sent to Seattle to live with her relatives, Aunt Marie-Claire and her twin cousins, Amanda and Nicole.

In her new home, Holly's sorrow and grief soon gave way to bewilderment at the strange incidents going on around her. Such as how any wish she whispers to her cat seems to come true. Or the way a friend is injured after a freak attack from a vicious falcon. And there's the undeniable, magnetic attraction to a boy Holly barely knows.

Holly, Amanda, and Nicole are about to be launched into a dark legacy of witches, secrets, and alliances, where ancient magics yield dangerous results. The girls will assume their roles in an intergenerational feud beyond their wildest imaginations...and in doing so, will attempt to fulfill their shared destiny.

Review: The first Wicked book is made up of Witch, the first novel, and Curse, the second. It is told in third person, with changing views in order to keep the story flowing.

In Witch, I found myself surprised just how dark this novel got, and loved every second. Holly starts out as a normal girl, who suffers through a terrible ordeal in the beginning, and has to now live with her aunt and uncle in Seattle. This is when the story really started for me. Amanda comes off as sweet, if a little bit of a pushover. Nicole is pure attitude, and I wasn't really sure just how I felt about her in Witch.

The Deveraux men are out for blood, and Holly is the one they want to see die. Things get complicated when Holly and Jer Deveraux fall for each other, just as two of their ancestors did many years before...

In Curse, all of the characters grow into themselves, and their strengths. Holly is not as sweet and nice, becoming a little darker but I still found myself rooting for her, because at the end she's trying to save everyone. Amanda grew a backbone, but I found myself beginning to dislike her a bit. Nicole became my favorite character to follow in Curse, and I couldn't get enough of her adventures. I noticed in some other reviews, Curse was were some people felt the book go downhill, but I actually enjoyed Curse a bit more because of how much stronger the characters were.

Forbidden romance and past secrets fill this story in perfectly, and kept me curious. At times, the flashbacks were a bit confusing, though. I don't think I even have enough words to explain this story, but I would definitely recommend it to readers who would love to see the darker side of witches (and warlocks!).

Highlights: The characters seemed to really develop more as the pages turned, especially by the time I got to Curse. I also loved how dark this novel got, and I could tell that Nancy and Debbie really did their homework regarding the magic. I was completely captivated whenever anything magical, dark or light, was happening. Plus, this story is just full of action.

Lowlights: At first, it was all a little confusing. Switching from one character to another had my head spinning, but once I got them straight, it was easier to keep going. The many POV switches was the biggest deal with the story that I disliked.

Also, I really hated one particular scene with Holly and a cat (if you read it, you'll know), but then I just let it go. It's part of the story, and nothing more. At times, the story felt like it was dragging on, but then something would happen to suck me back in.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Lea ;)