Monday, June 30, 2014

Review: The House of Ivy and Sorrow by Natalie Whipple

Publisher: Harper Teen
Pages: 352
Received: Received an e-copy from the publisher through Edelweiss

Release Date: April 15, 2014
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Goodreads Synopsis:

Josephine Hemlock has spent the last 10 years hiding from the Curse that killed her mother. But when a mysterious man arrives at her ivy-covered, magic-fortified home, it’s clear her mother’s killer has finally come to destroy the rest of the Hemlock bloodline. Before Jo can even think about fighting back, she must figure out who she’s fighting in the first place. The more truth Jo uncovers, the deeper she falls into witchcraft darker than she ever imagined. Trapped and running out of time, she begins to wonder if the very Curse that killed her mother is the only way to save everyone she loves.

My Review:

This book was really intriguing, the witch story really caught my attention. The book starts out right away with some great creepiness to it, as we follow Josephine navigating keeping her two lives apart, none of her friends have seen her house because her grandmother is so secretive and very wary of outsiders. But now that danger is lurking around every corner, and this Curse is coming after Josephine and her grandmother, Jo needs to find the mystery of who and what she is going to fight.

The magic aspect of the book was fun, sometimes a little over the top, but what isn't when it comes to magic. It was definitely fun reading about the spells and the way the magic works in this book. There are two different types of witches, those who let the magic control them (who become evil) and those who are able to control the magic themselves. But what really made this book stand out to me was the family aspect of the book.

This is a story that really values family, Josephine is determined to find out what happened to her mother and who gave her the Curse that killed her. Along the way you see those closest to Josephine become targets of major danger and you see all those that mean things to her, and her family slowly grows over the course of the book in different ways. Even though Jo's mother is no longer around, she still makes a huge impact on her life and there are still many great memories.

I really had a lot of fun with this book, and I really did enjoy the magical aspect of it, I think Natalie Whipple did a great job with everything. The characters are tough, yet they still have their downfalls sometimes, but there is always someone for them to lean on, which I really love. Definitely a great read!

1 comment:

  1. I definitely want to read this. It sounds really unique which is really refreshing in the paranormal genre.

    ReplyDelete

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