An Unsuccessful Serpent's Kiss

Freya, Ingrid, and Joanna are more than just mother and daughters. In fact, they are more than just witches. In the lands that Melissa de la Cruz creates, nothing is ever as it seems. And as the lives of the Witches of East End continues in Serpent's Kiss, it is clear there is more going on than meets the eye.

Joanna is struggling to keep her home together while trying to deal with a budding relationship. Unfortunately, there is something mysterious going on in her house; everything is moved around and things start to go missing. When she finally realizes this may be the act of ghosts seeking her help with cheating death, she knows she must get to the bottom of the message the spirit has let her. The best resource, however, is her ex-husband, who is still pining for her.

Freya has found herself in the middle of her long-lost and recently returned brother and the man she loves and hopes she knows. When her brother Freddie escaped from limbo, he insisted he had been framed for ruining the sacred bridge. He also insisted Killian, Freya's boyfriend, was responsible for his being framed, but that information Freya isn't as anxious to believe. But Freddie insists on revenge, and as gods and goddesses, revenge becomes a much larger issue.

And poor Ingrid, the eternal innocent, has finally found a man she thinks she could open herself up to and love, but nothing seems to go right for her. First a group of pixies kidnap her and insist upon her help. Then she learns her new cop boyfriend doesn't believe in magic. And finally, when everything comes to a head, it looks to be like Ingrid is doomed to repeat the same old cycle she has lived for an eternity.

Together these three women are witches, they are Norse Goddesses, but most importantly, they are a mother and her daughters. Can they come together to solve their problems, or will their problems continue to drive them apart?

I am a little sad to say that I did not like this story as much as I liked the first one. I really liked the story of three witches in a sleepy Long Island beach town, but when the Norse Mythology was injected, it felt like de la Cruz was trying to stuff too much into the story so she didn't really have to focus on doing well with the original premise: the witches. I was sad to see these strange and convoluted story lines taking over this story and crowding out the most interesting part of the series- the three women. And frankly, the whole Freddie thing and this girl he was obsessed with that he met online was just plain silly and distracting. I am sad this series has taken such a wrong turn because I really liked the Blue Bloods series. Still, I will most likely read the last book to see how it ends... and hopefully that road is much more successful than this one was!

More Blue Bloods Filler

If you are really into the Blue Bloods series, I am sure you have wondered about the two companion books to the series: Bloody Valentine and Keys to the Repository. I was told Keys was unnecessary, and it really was- it was just filler to take the place of too much time between books. Bloody Valentine really was new material, but it might have been better as chapters within individual books than separated out into 3 short stories.

In the first story, we see Oliver pining away for Schuyler. Like most forgotten familiars, he is stuck with a love for her that she hasn't returned. But for Oliver, who grew up with Schuyler as his best friend, the loss is even more unbearable. He even considers going to a blood house to let another vampire feed from him to feel the blood ceremony once more. Luckily, a bartender (Freya from the Beauchamps series) notices what is going on with him and leads him to safety.

In the next story, we see how Allegra, Schuyler's mother, met her father. Even though she knew she was supposed to bond with Charles, her brother in this cycle, she can't bring herself to love him the way he loves her. Instead, she desperately wants a normal life, which seems to include Bendix, a Red Blood who makes her happy. Until, that is, she foresees his death and their half-blooded baby being born.

Finally, we get to see Schuyler and Jack's bonding. Against the very nature of pairs and bonding, these two Blue Bloods love each other and want to make it official before jack must return to face the woman he should have bonded with- Mimi- from which he might never return. Unfortuantely, the Venetors have found them and force Schuyler to trick Jack into wearing a ring that will harness all his power as the Angel of Destruction. Can they find a way to finish their bonding with half the world trying to kill them?

As I said, these were interesting stories, but they would have been better as chapters in previous books. Some things about the story were inconsistent with the regular series (like Schulyer's dad's name) which is confusing since they are by the same author (she really couldn't double check on that before publishing the book?). It made me a little annoyed, like perhaps Cruz is not just an author who loves her trade, but rather one who enjoys bilking her readers for all they've got. Especially when considering Keys to the Repository. Ugh. I hope that's not the case Ms. Cruz!

Witches, Potions, Spells and so Much More!

Melissa De La Cruz's new series was written as adult fiction, but it is a great way to get fans of the Blue Blood's series to start reading more advanced books. Witches of East End is the first book in the Beauchamp series. While it is a separate series from the Blue Bloods, a few of our friendly vampires and their human companions make an appearance in this story. I really like the connection to the former series, especially since you don't have to know about the Blue Bloods... you will just enjoy the connection if you have read the former series.

Joanna and her daughters, Ingrid and Freya, are witches. Unfortunately, they are restricted witches. After Salem, the Council has had them on restriction; now they not allowed to perform magic. Joanna is a conjurer, and she can bring people back from the dead. Ingrid can predict the future and her charms can help a variety of issues. Freya is a potion maker working as a bartender; her specialty is romance and relationships. They live in the sleepy town of North Hampton as average women, but their true nature lies right beneath the surface. Slowly they become more and more bold with their magic, tired of the Council's restrictions.

For a while, the magic works fine. The townsfolk know the Beauchamps are different, but they don't question how different until things start going wrong. When a young girl goes missing, Freya and her potions are blamed. When the mayor hangs himself with a knot eerily similar to one of Ingrid's charms, his wife blames Ingrid. And when a friend Joanna saved from the afterlife comes back strange and different, it is clear Joanna may have done something wrong in saving him. These instances combined with mysterious illnesses in town and a deadly substance poisoning the water just offshore make the people of North Hampton turn to the witches with fingers pointed. Now the women must get to the bottom of the mysterious evil that is haunting their sleepy home... before something like Salem happens again.

This was a really great new start for De La Cruz. The book was written for adult audiences, but it is written in much of the same language as the author's YA series. There are a few intimate scenes that some might be concerned about giving to a younger student, but there are only a couple, and they are relatively mild. For an adult book, they are completely tame, but it might be a tad more intimate than some would feel comfortable giving to a young adult. I would have no qualms about giving this book to anyone in upper high school. Besides the occasional intimate scene, the language and content is very approachable for a younger reader.

The beauty of this story is not only the fact that it can appeal to a wide range of readers, but its complex story telling. While it seems to be a simple story about witches, there is so much more tied into it. Norse mythology makes an appearance, along with Norse God Odin, his wife Frigg, and their sons, Balder and Loki. The connection is surprising, but done with style and grace. This story has a multiple levels that will keep the readers enticed and never bored. There is too much going on to put the book down! My favorite part is that all these worlds, the worlds of witches, Gods, vampires, and much more, all come together just outside our own world of realization. All this time, just under our noses, are these amazing, and sometimes scary, creatures and beings! This was an amazing start to a new series, and I can't wait for the next installment.