Publisher: Masterful
Publishing Date: October 2015
ISBN:9781517761738
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 2.4/5
Publishers Description: When Rowan Middlebrook left Secret Hallow for college, she swore she would never return home. It’s not that she doesn’t like her hometown. It’s just kinda weird there, what with the eternal autumn thing, the hauntings, and…oh yeah, all the witchcraft.
Review: I am on the fence with this one. Most of the novel was complete drivel. Rowan, our reluctant hottie hero, lacked depth as did all her cohorts. The storyline was rushed, and where a mystery could have easily been inserted, in its place was a mundane love triangle and a dying tree. Epithets or exclamations were adolescent outbursts that sought to bring a “witchy” vibe to the dialogue. “Oh cauldron/goblins”, “Oh my pumpkins!” and “Oh, dragon eggs” were a few unmemorable moments.
The idea that a college girl that has been gone for 6 years has no contact with her world traveling parents is ridiculous. If you’re estranged, then yes but she gets all her info about her parents from her Grandma. Rowan constantly is sniffing out the musky sweat scent of men while denying her birthright yet fights for her place as the leader of the coven. Huh?
Despite all the negatives, this was well written. The writer has talent yet trended the novels as a serialization rather than putting in real effort to make a substantive novel. Insert a mystery, create some character depth through movement and quite possibly you have a winner.
