by Lacey Weatherford
Ages: 15 and up
This book is the third in the Of Witches and Warlocks series.
I received a copy of this in exchange for a fair and honest review as part of the Blood of the White Witch Blog Tour.
Description:
A perfect romance.
A heartbreaking betrayal.
An ancient ritual.
A fight to the death.
Who will survive?
When love came knocking on the door of novice witch, Portia Mullins, in the form of handsome bad boy, Vance Mangum, she had no idea how quickly the attraction between them would escalate. Now she finds her relationship with Vance taken to a whole new level, in a way she had never dreamed possible at this point and time of her life. Yet even as the personal connection between them explodes, the two quickly find themselves in a world of shifting balances. While searching for Vance’s missing mother, they realize they are suddenly unsure of who to trust, learning that sometimes things are not always as they appear. When Vance’s demon characteristics abruptly begin to resurface again without warning, the horrible truth comes out, crashing down upon them and shattering some of their most precious dreams. Once the deadly plan is uncovered, Portia and Vance find themselves hastily rushing against the hands of time in an attempt to stop an ancient ritual from being performed. But will they be successful before fate reaches out to twist them cruelly, possibly separating them and changing magic forever? Passion, loyalties, powers, and family ties, will all be tested when dangerous adventures abound in this third installment in the Of Witches and Warlocks series, Blood of the White Witch.
Note:First of all, I have to warn you that this most definitely the third book in a series. To read this one, you have to read the first two. And you won't regret it. These books are way too much fun. My mom often calls the books I read "candy." This appellation usually irritates me, but in this case it fits. Think of this series as a bag on M&Ms; once you devour one, you just have to have the rest. They are extremely addictive.
I have decided to divide this review into two parts; the Spoiler-Free and the Tell-All. I can't really do justice to this book without giving away the huge surprise at the beginning because it affects the entire story. So, the first part of this review may have some hints and such, but the second part will be for those who have already read it so that I can share my opinion.
My Review, the Spoiler-Free Portion:
Blood of the White Witch jumps right into the story with a shocking and highly original twist. I will leave you the delight of gasping over it in surprise. I had my hand over my mouth to stifle my giggles for the first five minutes of the book.
I love Vance and Portia. They are both so very young but in possession of wisdom beyond their years. They have real problems sometimes in their relationship (though often exaggerated by magical mayhem) and they work through them intelligently and with understanding.
Vance is totally swoonworthy. He is handsome, strong, very protective, occasionally fierce, passionate, kind and loyal. He also has a strong belief in God, which is unusual and welcome in a YA hero.
The characteristic that stood out most in Portia, to me anyway, was her pure stubborn determination. No matter how bad things get, she finds hope and no matter what happens with Vance, be it evil relatives or demonic possession, she retains her belief that they will prevail. I also love their sense of humor. They are forever teasing each other and their friends, reminding you that they are still teenagers.
The plot is interesting, full of strange developments and disturbing twists. With this series, one never knows precisely what will happen next...and where would the fun be if you did?
I would recommend this book to lovers of (mostly) light YA romance and paranormal fantasy.
Content Ratings: Profanity, Sexuality and Violence
1 (mild) through 10 (extreme).
Profanity:
I rate it a 2.10 for one dang and one insult.
Sexuality:
I give it a 5.10 for multiple fadeaways, references and innuendos, all of which were pretty clean.
Violence:
I rate it a 7.10 for multiple murders and a brief threat of rape.
It is my great pleasure to have Lacey Weatherford herself visit my blog today, I got to ask her a few questions and she is giving away e-copies of Blood of the White Witch to every comment on the interview post! Just click on the button on the upper left sidebar and go get your copy!
Now, here is the part of the review where I tell you the rest of my feelings about more specific events in the book, and if you haven't read it yet you should turn back now. I mean it, I am putting a nice big gap in the post and writing the spoiler in a tiny font so you won't read it accidentally. I also put the semi-spoiler (aka, the spoiler that doesn't spoil much) on top of the huge spoiler so that if you glance down you will just see that.
**********SPOILER ALERT!**********
Lacey Weatherford has the dubious distinction of being very high up on my list of Evil Authors. Evil Authors being those who have perfected the exquisite form of torture that is a cliffhanger. I read her first three books, ending with this one, in a single day because I couldn't stand the cliffhangers that lurked at the end of each one. And then this one! I was left with the dilemma of knowing that the fourth book, The Dark Rising, was available on Amazon but also knowing that it would have a cliffhanger as well and that the fifth one has not yet been released. I gave in the next day and bought it, reading it in just a couple of hours and tearing my hair out once again from the ending. And the next one doesn't come out until February!!! I know this because I Tweeted my frustration at the author and she told me she was working on it. Lacey is a lovely lady and I had fun talking to her, even though there are moments when I could throttle her for her endings....
Vance and Portia got married!!!! First paragraph and I went into a state of happy shock. I love the way Lacey handled it, with Vance getting permission from her parents and everybody there to celebrate with them. In the previous books, I had really liked that they decided to wait for sex until after marriage (a wait that is sadly underrated in modern culture) and I really liked the way it was handled after their marriage. There is definitely passion and sensuality, but no details past kissing and some caresses. Also, when it comes to the idea of possible pregnancy, abortion is never considered an option despite the terrible circumstances. It is wonderful to read a story featuring teenagers who share the same values that I do.
Lieder Madchen
