Review: A Witch in Love by Ruth Warburton

Title: A Witch in Love
Author: Ruth Warburton
Series: Winter Trilogy #2
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

401 pages
Published July 5th 2012 by Hodder
Purchased

Goodreads | Author | Publisher | Amazon | Book Depository

In A Witch in Love Anna's adventure continues. She has discovered she's a witch, but she doesn't want to use her powers, ever. When her magic starts to spill out at random moments, it's becoming harder and harder to conceal her magic to the outwith, non-magical people.

This is a great follow up to Ms Warburton's debut novel, A Witch in Winter. Where in the first book the cast of characters was introduced, in the second book their personalities are expanded, moving them from relatable to love-worthy. I fell further in love with several of the secondary characters.

The absolute best thing about these books is how Ms Warburton GETS teenagers. The voice of the main character Anna is amazing. It's uncanny how good she captures the true feel and angst of being a teenager, without bringing it too far or overdoing it. I think a lot of teens will be able to relate to Anna, even though they might not have the awesome magic powers she has.

For me it took a while for the book to take off. For some reason the first hundred pages didn't grip me as much as I was hoping they would. Maybe it was just the lack of action and Anna's defiance for using magic, I can't really put a finger on it exactly. The last half definitely made up for the slowness of the beginning though.

The plot thickens, Anna meets a relative that might know more about her past, she ends up in a life threatening situation... I can't wait to read the third and final book in the series. Secretly I'm wishing it was longer than a trilogy.

Blurb

Anna still finds it hard to believe that Seth loves her and has vowed to suppress her powers, no matter what.

But magic – like love – is uncontrollable. It spills out with terrible consequences, and soon, Anna is being hunted.

Other reviews you might be interested in

• Review: A Witch in Winter by Ruth Warburton (4/5 Stars)
• Review: The Girl is Trouble by Karthyn Miller Haines (3/5 Stars)
• Review: Matched by Ally Condie (3/5 Stars)
• Review: Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne (4/5 Stars)

Interview: Ruth Warburton (A Witch in Winter)

It took a little while coming, but I'm super happy to introduce the wonderful Ruth Warburton today! I loved her first book, A Witch in Winter and can't wait for her second. Make sure to visit her site too!

The Interview

Nyx Book Reviews: Hi Ruth, welcome to Nyx Book Reviews! Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Ruth: I grew up in Lewes, which is a small town on the South coast of England. I loved reading and writing, and was always scribbling from the time I could write (or type). Now I live in London and write two days a week - I have a day job the rest of the time.

Can you describe your book, Witch in Winter, in one sentence?

It's about a girl who accidentally puts a love spell on a boy, and then can't take it off again.

Your spells are inspired by many different sources; how did you decide which to use?

I did a lot of online research and basically cherry picked the elements I liked best - the spells that captured my imagination and which fitted with the plot. Nothing is 100% real though, they are all altered to fit the plot and the practicalities of what Anna could/would have done. Plus I'm not sure I would have felt quite comfortable about including real black magic in the book.

Stories about witches are about as old as mankind itself. Why do you think we are obsessed with the supernatural, even now?

Wow - good question! I suppose they are a way of trying to understand the unexplainable aspects of our world. Even today, with all our scientific knowledge, there is so much we can't explain or control, and the more we discover, the more we find out how little we really know. Perhaps stories about the supernatural are a way of exploring that, and trying to control these elements with our imagination.

What do you like best about being a writer?

One, getting paid for doing something that's basically brilliant FUN. Two, meeting readers. I still can't get over the fact that so many people have read my imaginary friends - they spent so long inside my head and computer.

Do you still find time to read yourself? If so, what books have you read lately that you recommend?

I read a lot but mainly for work (I work with adult literary fiction). However at the moment I'm reading CRACKS by Caroline Green which is just brilliant, it's about a boy (Cal) who finds his whole existence begins, literally, to crumble. And then he wakes up. It's really scary, and Cal is an unforgettable voice. She does "teen boy" just spookily perfectly.

The next part of the Winter Trilogy, Witch in Love, is scheduled to be published in July. Can you maybe give us a little hint at what is in store next for Anna?

Hmm... let me see! Well... Anna is left with some questions unanswered at the end of A Witch in Winter. Where did she get her powers? What exactly do the Ealdwitan want with her? What happened to her mother and why won't her dad talk about it? And, finally, does Seth really, truly love her? In A Witch in Love she sets about trying to find the answers for all these questions, but they aren't always the answers she was hoping for. Plus there's a new enemy watching from the shadows...

Thank you for answering my questions! (:

You're welcome - thanks for having me!

Bio

I was born and brought up in Sussex on the south coast of England, and I spent most of my childhood in the town of Lewes; a small town with a long history.

At university I studied English Language and Literature at the University of Manchester, and the course included Old English and Middle English texts. While I was researching A Witch in Winter I found myself returning to them, in particular to Beowulf and Le Morte D’Arthur. Seeds from these mixed with ancient Mesopotamian demons, Voodoo spells, Tudor superstitions and 15th century witch-hunting guides to create the Winter Trilogy.

Now I live in North London in a house full of boys, and I work as a publicist in the day, and a writer by night. A Witch in Winter is my first book.

Links

> Read my review of A Witch in Winter

> Buy A Witch in Winter

Review: A Witch in Winter by Ruth Warburton

A Witch in Winter by Ruth Warburton
(Winter Trilogy #1)

4 out of 5 stars

Published by Hodder Children's Books

With the arrival of vampires, shifters and angels, witches have taken the background. Luckily, 2012 brings us some very interesting young-adult debuts featuring witches, including Witch in Winter.

When at a slumber party Anna by accident bewitches her crush Seth to fall in love with her, she doesn't know what to do. She has found an old spell-book and she tries everything to undo the spell. But her powers are attracting unwanted notice, and some people might do anything to make her stop...

What I liked about Witch in Winter is the main character Anna. She is believable and a nice girl. She isn't the popular kind of girl, but not the lonely emo kid either. It was nice to have a main character that has a nice group of friends. Her love interest Seth is kind of standard at the begin of the story, the typical popular bad boy. He does change over the course of the novel, and getting to know him was enjoyable.

Watching their romance was a bit of a rocky road for me. At times I liked it, at times I didn't. At the end I wasn't that sure if Seth is the right guy for Anna. I met a character that I think might be a better match for her as she matures throughout the story. I'm looking forward to see how their romance continues in the next book.

Another thing I liked in Witch in Winter is the old-school magic system. There are spells and rituals, different powers, clans and everything. And their magic isn't just for little stuff, but they can do some pretty impressive stuff with it. Witch in Winter contains an epic magic battle that I enjoyed a lot. I'm looking forward to read more about the different kinds of power, and what makes Anna so special.

Witch in Winter is a very enjoyable paranormal read featuring witches, but it left me wanting more. I want more details, more magic, more background. Even though some things in the book are a little bit off, it is a great debut book and I'm definitely looking forward to the sequel, Witch in Love.

Blurb

Anna Winterson doesn't know she's a witch and would probably mock you for believing in magic, but after moving to the small town of Winter with her father, she learns more than she ever wanted to about power. When Anna meets Seth, she is smitten, but when she enchants him to love her, she unwittingly amplifies a deadly conflict between two witch clans and splits her own heart in two. She wants to love Seth, to let him love her – but if it is her magic that's controlling his passion, then she is as monstrous as the witch clan who are trying to use her amazing powers for their own gain.

Other reviews you might be interested in

• Review: Katana by Cole Gibsen (3.5/5 Stars)
• Review: Passion by Lauren Kate (2/5 Stars)
• Review: For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund (5/5 Stars)
• Review: Everneath by Brodi Ashton (4.5/5 Stars)

More links

• Author page
• Press
• Goodreads

Review: The Demon Kiss by Lacey Weatherford

The Demon Kiss by Lacey Weatherford
(Of Witches & Warlocks #2)

4.5 out of 5 stars

Published by Global Authors Publishers
254 pages
Received a review copy from the author
This review may contain spoilers for the previous books in the series

The sequel to the romantic The Trouble With Spells, The Demon Kiss gives us a lot more suspense.

We come back to Portia and Vance after Vance is turned into a half-demon, and Portia is left behind while Vance goes on a search for his evil father.

What I really appreciate in these books is that Ms Weatherford doesn't keep you waiting for the action until the very end. There is enough going on throughout the book to keep you entertained. There were a lot of moments in the book that made me giggle, which is always a very good sign.

The most significant change in the series is that the focus of the story is shifting a bit from the romance between our main characters, to some more action and plot. Trust me, there is still more than enough romance to satisfy your fix of Vance, but it's nice to read some more about his father and learn more about the demon lore.

There is a little bit less magic in The Demon Kiss, but I still love the fact that it all feels so natural. The descriptions make it feel like a second nature of the characters, and not something the author forced on them. It was also nice to see Portia's friends getting some minor powers of their own. I hope to see more of them in the third book of the series.

The relationship between Portia and Vance is clearly more mature now, and I'm very glad for that. They're still deeply in love, but they now realise that there will always be disagreements within a relationship. It was interesting to see them deal with their problems.

Overall The Demon Kiss is a really nice sequel for The Trouble With Spells. It has the same atmosphere as its predecessor, but a bit more mature and with an exciting plot to keep you urging to read on.

Blurb

Can someone else's past come back to bite you?

After being drained of nearly all the blood in her body, novice witch, Portia Mullins, wakes up to find that her warlock boyfriend, Vance Mangum, has fled in search of his demon father. Determined to keep him from facing the evil alone Portia follows after him, unknowingly setting herself on the path of a new adventure that will take her, Vance, and their coven over international borders, into a foreign place where they will discover that the black magic which awaits them is far worse than they ever imagined. Portia finds herself tangled up in a web of lies and deceit in another's quest for demonic power in the excitingly romantic second paranormal novel in the Of Witches and Warlocks Series, The Demon Kiss.

Other reviews you might be interested in

• The Trouble With Spells by Lacey Weatherford (Of Witches & Warlocks #1)

More links

• Blog Tour: The Demon Kiss by Lacey Weatherford (Book Excerpt)
• Lacey Weatherford's Author Page
• Amazon

Review: Every Which Way But Dead by Kim Harrison

Every Which Way But Dead by Kim Harrison
(Rachel Morgan/The Hollows #3)

4 out of 5 stars

Published by HarperTorch
This review may contain spoilers for the previous books in the series

Rereading these books feels like returning to an old friend. Even though you might not have everything in common any more, you can't help but love them anyway.

Rachel is in big trouble, once again. She made a pact with a demon to put a vampire master in prison, promising to be the demon's familiar, yet keeping her soul. She's living together with a living vamp that still craves her blood, and we haven't started on her complicated relationship with the city's drug baron yet. Prepare for another book of Rachel trying to keep her head above the proverbial (and literal) water.

In this book we see a slight shift from the fast-paced plot-driven books we're used to, to a book more focussed on the complex relationships Rachel tries to balance. Ms. Harrison has created a few of the most layered secondary characters I have ever seen. Which is both a blessing as a curse. A good example of this is Ivy, Rachel's roommate. She has so many issues with her identity that at times, she is really hard to like. She takes unpredictable into the extreme, often making choices I don't agree with at all. Yet she is always Rachel's friend when she needs one, and will protect her with her life. A big part of her private life is still shrouded in mystery, making it even harder to sympathise with.

But to make up for Ivy's sometimes not so sociable skills, this series has the most awesome pixy in the world of books. I don't think there is a person out there that doesn't like Jenks. He is so tiny he can fit on a large earring, but incredibly brave and protective. He isn't afraid to say what's on his mind which only makes him more charming. I want more of him!

As for our narrator, Rachel herself, I feel like she is growing up a bit. She is starting to accept help from her friends without hesitation. She is taking more responsibility, without losing her edge. I'm really glad that Nick is kind of fading out of the picture. I always thought he was one hell of a strange human, muddling with demons and such. I really wonder if there will be a happily ever after for Rachel at the end of the series. And if so, with who?

Another great book in a great series. Maybe not the best one tension-wise but there is enough of character development going on to keep you interested. On to the next one!

Blurb

There's no witch in Cincinnati tougher, sexier, or more screwed up than bounty hunter Rachel Morgan, who's already put her love life and soul in dire jeopardy through her determined efforts to bring criminal night creatures to justice.

Between "runs," she has her hands full fending off the attentions of her blooddrinking partner, keeping a deadly secret from her backup, and resisting a hot new vamp suitor. Rachel must also take a stand in the war that's raging in the city's underworld, since she helped put away its former vampire kingpin - and made a deal with a powerful demon to do so that could cost her an eternity of pain, torment, and degradation. And now her dark "master" is coming to collect his due.

Other reviews you might be interested in

• Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison (Rachel Morgan #1)
• The Good, The Bad, And The Undead by Kim Harrison (Rachel Morgan #2) 
• Haunted by Kelley Armstrong (Women of the Otherworld #5)
• Once Dead, Twice Shy by Kim Harrison (Madison Avery #1)
• The Killing Dance by Laurell K. Hamilton (Anita Blake #6)