Title: What the Spell
Series: Life's a Witch #1Narrator: Joy OsmanskiAuthor: Brittany Geragotelis
Listening Length: 9 hrs, 41 min
Pages: 288Age Group: Young AdultGenre: ParanormalPublisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
ISBN: 978-1442468153
Publication Date: January 29th 2013
Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, E-Book, Audio
Synopsis:
A teenage witch juggles popularity and romance while keeping her powers a secret in this spellbinding debut.Almost-sixteen-year-old Brooklyn feels invisible, but she desperately wants to be pretty, to be popular, to be adored by a cute guy. Luckily for her, she’s a witch about to come of age—so she’s only a few spells away from making it all happen.
On her milestone birthday, Brooklyn’s conservative parents finally unbind her powers, which include the ability to magically match couples with a love spell. Brooklyn uses her special skills to get a makeover, new friends, and the attention of her crush, Asher. But the popular clique Brooklyn wants to infiltrate puts her in the same precarious position as her Salem ancestors: If she’s found out, she could be vilified—and lose Asher in the process. Can she make the most of her magic, or will she be luckless and loveless? Be careful what you witch for!
My Thoughts
I jumped at the chance to review this one...you all know that I can't resist a good Witchy story. What the Spell was well written and I enjoyed the narration but sadly this just didn't deliver as expected. I found the main character Brooklyn to be pretty unlikeable and incredibly shallow (even for a teenager) and I was never able to make any connection to her. The parents are typically absent in this one...they simply unbind her powers and then let her run wild with no guidance at all.
I also found the plot to be lacking in substance...I hoped and expected that we would be privy to more of her struggles with accepting and learning magick....with her new experiences practicing magick etc. However, the sole plot line seemed to revolve around Brooklyn's efforts to get into the popular crowd and all of her machinations to do so. The love interest Asher was likeable enough and his sister was perhaps the one saving grace in the book...I loved the bits that she was in. I listened on with the hope that Brooklyn would eventually start taking her magic and her life more seriously, but she never really redeemed herself.
There was a lot of potential here: the history of the tribulations of their families as witches, a young girl learning to use her gifts without compromising her values or family's safety, the brewing danger of things to come that was simmering under the surface, Asher's whole family's situation... Maybe these themes will be explored more in the upcoming books in the series...but I don't think I'll be picking up book 2 to find out.
All in all, it was a fairly predictable and pretty annoying tale of a teen girl (who happened to have magick) and how far she'd be willing to go to stay in the popular crowd.
Was It Worth My Time?
I've read other reviews that said similar things, that the MC isn't terribly likable. Sorry it didn't work so well for you!
ReplyDeleteAww that's too bad. It sounded cute. Sometimes the character's development arc takes several books to explore but it's hard to stick with a series if you can't at least enjoy the MC.
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame...I love me a goofd witch story!
ReplyDeleteVery true...if I just felt a lack of a connection I might give the 2nd book a go, but I really didn't care for her at all.
ReplyDeleteThat's too bad...I thought the book sounded good...and I love the cover! I hate when books don't live up to your expectations. :(
ReplyDeleteSounds like a total pass.
ReplyDeleteHow was the narrator?
The narrator actually wasn't bad...I'm listening to her now on another book and really enjoying it!
ReplyDeleteMe too :(
ReplyDelete