The Witch of Willow Hall by Hester Fox

Title: The Witch of Willow Hall
Author: Hester Fox
Publisher: Graydon House
Rating: 📖📖.5 / 5

Guys, it seems more common these days that I'm finding books that just disappoint me. Unfortunately, this is one of those books. I wanted to like this book. The cover rocks, the premise alludes to the Salem Witch Trials (which is always interesting in my opinion) and it promises magic and overall doom and gloom. But in all three of these categories the story falls short.

We meet Lydia Montrose and her family who move to Old Newbury in 1821 after a family scandal uproots the family from their home in Boston. The home they move into is the epitome of countryside, lacking the familiarity of the city that the family is used to. It also comes with an overall supernatural presence that Lydia and her family can't seem to shake. Lydia finds herself at the center of a power that has lived in her but is starting to grow without her control. How will this power affect her and her family and will she be able to control it before something happens to those she loves?

If you're looking for a horror story centered around witchcraft, look elsewhere. I would call this book more of a romance with some witchcraft thrown in the background. There were so many times where the author started a good thread of plot but then ultimately did nothing with it. There are ghosts that appear to Lydia, both good and evil, but they never actually DO anything. Evil little boy ghost? Well all he does is laugh. Ghost lady that walks through the garden? Not even a word.

Nothing really happened until the end, and even then it was a big letdown. A conflict with no real resolution and no real action. I'm sorry to sound so negative, but this is a book that never grew any legs. It is a good base for a story but overall did not feel developed. But if you're looking for a historical fiction/romance/quasi-witchcraft story, then this book is up your alley.

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Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas

Title: Heir of Fire
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Rating: 📖📖📖.5 / 5

The third installment of the Throne of Glass series here! And it sure was the most interesting of them all thus far. We are introduced to a host of new characters; including some Fae, Demi-Fae and a whole bunch of witches. But, unfortunately, most of them are either underdeveloped or so hopelessly devoted to Celaena that I thought for a moment I was reading Twilight. Finally by the end of Crown of Midnight I felt like I could like Celaena. That she had gotten strong and gotten over the whiny little girl that she was portrayed as. But most of the story revolves around her STILL not getting over the fact that people had died in her life and it is a major hinderance to her. Yawn.

And what is up with all the witches?? They are introduced and then forgotten, then brought back, then ignored again. And while I'm sure they'll play a big role in the upcoming book, they served no purpose to this particular story at all. It almost took away from the story as I had to slog through that portion of the book. But, at least, I liked the Wyverns they end up riding and ended up liking them more than the witches themselves.

But I digress. The book isn't all bad. It was pretty good once the story got going. Celaena and Rowan's new friendship was nice to see. I got a kick out of Rowan giving Celaena a hard time. She needed to be put in her place. A lot of the actual overall plot is starting to come together and we can really see what the King is up to. Overall, I would suggest the book if you liked the first two. It is decent for what it is and I'll finish out the series at least to see how it ends.

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