Tuesday, March 25, 2014

[Review: Witchfall by Victoria Lamb]

"Witchfall"
Author: Victoria Lamb
Series: The Tudor Witch Trilogy #2
Pages: 336
Genre: YA, Paranormal, Alternate History
Date Published: March 25th, 2014
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Format Read: eARC provided my publisher (via NetGalley) for honest review

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Summery:

Her darkest dreams are coming true;

In Tudor England, 1555, Meg Lytton has learned how powerful her magick gift can be. But danger surrounds her and her mistress, the outcast Princess Elizabeth. Nowhere is safe in the court of Elizabeth's fanatical sister, Queen Mary. And as the Spanish Inquisition's merciless priests slowly tighten their grip on the court, Meg's very dreams are disturbed by the ever-vengeful witchfinder Marcus Dent.

Even as Meg tries to use her powers to find guidance, something evil arises, impervious to Meg's spells and hungry to control England's fate. As Meg desperately tries to keep her secret betrothed, the Spanish priest Alejandro de Castillo, out of harm's way, caution wars with their forbidden desire. And with her most powerful enemy poised to strike, Meg's only chance is a heartbreaking sacrifice.
-Goodreads
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My Thoughts:

An Open Letter To Witchfall,

Hey there book, it was nice of you to be as awesome as you were.  I liked your big sister, "Witchstruck" a lot and I was looking forward to reading you.  I'm glad that you didn't suck and that you didn't even have middle book syndrome.  It made reading you a really pleasant experience.  This could have gone a lot differently, but you did me right!  You gave me the right hint of romance, the fun of a good mystery and even more historical figures.  Well done!

-The White Unicorn

It's always great when a author delivers a grand second novel in a trilogy.  So often the middle book is filled with all the boring, little, middle bits of a story, but "Witchfall" is not one of those books.  It starts off pretty much where "Witchstruck" left off and rushes us into Meg's newest adventure with all of her old pals.  

Once again Lamb creates a world that is so historically detailed that it's fun to dive into.  Of course she adds her own elements into these well known English facts, but the story is rooted in reality, even if it goes off course to give us a thrill ride where witches actually have powers and real royal Princesses have too much attitude.  

This time around Princess Elizabeth and Meg aren't being held captive anymore.  They are in the walls of court (which is basically still a prison).  The Inquisition is strong, Queen Mary may or may not be pregnant, The King is flirting with Elizabeth and everyone is running around pretending to be devote Catholics and not witches.  Or at least that's what Meg is doing.

Oh Meg, she's an interesting one.  On first hand she looks like she's so brave and then in reality she does things that just aren't that smart.  She's that kind of manic brave that doesn't work for everyone, but I find myself liking her for it.  She rushes headlong into things and ends up making some of the weirdest choices, but somehow they work out for her.  You want her to open her eyes so that she doesn't find herself in large amounts of trouble again, but you also wanna see where her guts will take her.  The girl has guts, even if she's not the best game plan maker.  Seriously, she's not the brightest bulb in the box, but it makes her real and interesting and oddly loveable.

Things heat up a bit between Alejandro and Meg, which I approve of.  Give me a doomed Gothic romance and you'll be my friend for life.  Also the Princess is just as snarky as ever and even though she's not healthy most of the book, she still gets her two words in.  Over and over again.  Meg's brother shows up and there are a few new players this time around too.  They add to the plot and they're so much fun.  

Over all I'm really pleased with this book and I'm a huge fan of the trilogy!  If you haven't given it a shot, you should!  For those of you who are curious, here is my review of "Witchstruck".

Rating:
4 Unicorns = Close to perfect!

2 comments:

Star said...

This is interesting! The synopsis was actually very gripping. What made me curious was why it was classed as a YA and what would have changed had it been adult paranormal historical fiction. O_O

I like the sense of intrigue that seems to be in many historical tales. Double crossers and whatnot. Considering how much I have to read already, I think I'll give it a miss but it was great to read your review. Thanks for sharing!

Nicole said...

Yay no MBS! Love seeing good reviews for the second book in a series. Even more motivation to read this series now! Glad you enjoyed it!