Book Review: Hexed by Michelle Krys
Title: Hexed
Series: (The Witch Hunter #1)
Author: Michelle Krys
Website | Twitter | Goodreads
Age Group: YOUNG ADULT
Genre Type: Paranomral
Publication Date: June 10th 2014
Pages: 384 pages
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley/ Publisher
Publisher: Delacorte Press
SUMMARY:
If high school is all about social status, Indigo Blackwood has it made. Sure, her quirky mom owns an occult shop, and a nerd just won’t stop trying to be her friend, but Indie is a popular cheerleader with a football-star boyfriend and a social circle powerful enough to ruin everyone at school. Who wouldn’t want to be her?
Then a guy dies right before her eyes. And the dusty old family Bible her mom is freakishly possessive of is stolen. But it’s when a frustratingly sexy stranger named Bishop enters Indie’s world that she learns her destiny involves a lot more than pom-poms and parties. If she doesn’t get the Bible back, every witch on the planet will die. And that’s seriously bad news for Indie, because according to Bishop, she’s a witch too.
Suddenly forced into a centuries-old war between witches and sorcerers, Indie’s about to uncover the many dark truths about her life—and a future unlike any she ever imagined on top of the cheer pyramid.
Review
Something Witchy This Way Comes...
What happens when popular cheerleader Indigo Blackwood discovers that the family Bible her quirky mom hides in the attic of her occult shop has been stolen, and suddenly a tattooed, leather-clad guy named Bishop shows up warning her of all things doom and gloom, including a possible threat against all witches, including herself. A whole lot of TROUBLE!
Indigo Blackwood is having a bad week. Her best friend and head cheerleader is making her life a living hell, a terrible accident happens and a man dies right in front of her, and two odd-ball guys show up at her mom's occult shop and start asking questions about the family Bible, threatening Indigo and her mother. To top off the freaky week a tattooed, leather-clad hottie shows up at one of her football games laughing at all her cheers and making Indie feel ridiculous. But, things are about to get much worse for Indigo as she realizes that her mom's belief in witches and magic are more than real, and that she is caught between a war started long ago between witches and sorcerers, and she's going to need more than a good cheer to get out of this mess.
I enjoyed reading Hexed and thought it was a fun and entertaining read. I actually was expecting the story to be a much darker read than it was. The fun and contemporary high school setting and cheerleading atmosphere lent to it a lighter feel than I first expected. That, and the fact that Indigo Blackwood has a sassy and spirited (snarky) personality which comes across immediately in the story making her fun to connect with. From the blurb you might assume she's a bit of a snob, and to a certain degree she is in the beginning, but it becomes clear that she also hides behind her cheerleading facade. I liked the positive changes and maturing Indigo goes through as she learns about her powers, and the importance of real friends and family. I thought Hexed did a great job of portraying the various teens voices with all their humorous and snarky dialogue throughout the story. It was in fact one of my favorite aspects of the book.
As far as characters goes, Bishop, the cartoon-tattooed and leather-clad guy, steals the show with his mix of sarcastic and sweet, sexy banter and cool warlock-ness. From the moment he enters into Indigo's life I was charmed by him. Laughing at her cheerleading and teasing Indigo until she can't decide whether or not she wants to strangle him of possible kiss him. Sent to help Indigo learn about her magical abilities, he's part of a secret group known as the Family. It's his job to help Indigo become the witch she's suppose to be, but where's the fun in helping if he can't tease her. Bishop completely won me, and I loved all the delightful and frustrating tension he created with Indigo. He's completely sweet in a maddening swoon-worthy way.
The one aspect I was disappointed in was the fact that the story as a whole lacked world-building, and the paranormal aspect itself was actually very small. Readers going into the story expecting more than a just light paranormal atmosphere and with little magic in the story could be disappointed. I wanted to know more about the warring factions between the Family (witches) and the Prior (sorcerers) other than the brief explanation in the beginning of the story. Hopefully in book two, we'll get a better look into what's behind the war between the witches and sorcerers.
Overall, Hexed is a easy and entertaining read. Snarky characters and sweet romance added much to the story. May be a good choice for readers looking for a lighter paranormal read with a modern, contemporary feel.
My Rating: 3.5 stars. I liked it.
PLEASE NOTE: A courtesy review copy of this book was provided by Delacorte Press in exchange for my fair review. Thank you Delacorte Press for the review opportunity!
