The Witches of East End - Review

Title:  The Witches of East End
Author:  Melissa De La Cruz
Publisher:  Disney-Hyperion

Goodreads Summary:

The three Beauchamp women--Joanna and her daughters Freya and Ingrid--live in North Hampton, out on the tip of Long Island. Their beautiful, mist-shrouded town seems almost stuck in time, and all three women lead seemingly quiet, uneventful existences. But they are harboring a mighty secret--they are powerful witches banned from using their magic. Joanna can resurrect people from the dead and heal the most serious of injuries. Ingrid, her bookish daughter, has the ability to predict the future and weave knots that can solve anything from infertility to infidelity. And finally, there's Freya, the wild child, who has a charm or a potion that can cure most any heartache.

For centuries, all three women have been forced to suppress their abilities. But then Freya, who is about to get married to the wealthy and mysterious Bran Gardiner, finds that her increasingly complicated romantic life makes it more difficult than ever to hide her secret. Soon Ingrid and Joanna confront similar dilemmas, and the Beauchamp women realize they can no longer conceal their true selves. They unearth their wands from the attic, dust off their broomsticks, and begin casting spells on the townspeople. It all seems like a bit of good-natured, innocent magic, but then mysterious, violent attacks begin to plague the town. When a young girl disappears over the Fourth of July weekend, they realize it's time to uncover who and what dark forces are working against them. 


My thoughts:


I am a huge fan of books with magic and mystery and folklore and legend- I was the kid who loved fairy tales and Scooby Doo, I just never grew out of it.  This book was a pleasant surprise- I didn't know what to expect, and to be honest, I didn't expect too much.  I really enjoyed the three main characters in the book, Freya, Ingrid, and Joanna.  I probably liked Ingrid the best, which makes sense - Freya would be my past, and Joanna my future.  I am at the point in life that Ingrid's character represents.  Joanna got on my nerves a teensy bit, but it was easily overlooked.  She seemed more of a peripheral character, more than a main character too, which was odd.  Maybe that is why is was easy to overlook her.  


One thing I really liked was that these witches were something different- usually when I read a book about witches, they are generally celtic.  The witches in this book were Norse Goddesses, which I thought was unique.  Their history has inspired me to want to read more Norse mythology.  I love when a book makes me want to learn more!  I had heard of Freya and Loki, but not the rest of the myth.  


This book was a little slow moving in places, but picked up at the end- and then leaves you with a cliffhanger!  I am looking forward to the second book in this series, when we get to learn more about Freya and Ingrid's mysterious missing brother.