Salt & Storm by Kendall Kulper

Publication: September 23, 2014

Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers

Source: Publisher

A sweeping historical romance about a witch who foresees her own murder--and the one boy who can help change her future. Sixteen-year-old Avery Roe wants only to take her rightful place as the witch of Prince Island, making the charms that keep the island's whalers safe at sea, but her mother has forced her into a magic-free world of proper manners and respectability. When Avery dreams she's to be murdered, she knows time is running out to unlock her magic and save herself. Avery finds an unexpected ally in a tattooed harpoon boy named Tane--a sailor with magic of his own, who moves Avery in ways she never expected. Becoming a witch might stop her murder and save her island from ruin, but Avery discovers her magic requires a sacrifice she never prepared for.

I didn’t always like Avery’s attitude towards her mother. But she did act  like pretty much any sixteen year old girl, so it wasn’t a surprise.  She doesn’t know much about life and the world beyond Prince Island. All she knows is what she feels and what she has learnt from her grandmother. She feels very strongly that her mother is the bad guy in this situation and is extremely determined to get back to her grandmother’s and become the Roe Witch no matter what she has to do to get there.

Then she meets Tane, an outsider one day and he needs help deciphering his dreams. And he wants Avery to help him, in exchange Avery wants to leave New Bishop and return to her grandmothers, something that Tane says he can help with.

These two….these two tore at my heart a little bit. They reminded me of star-crossed lovers. Both having terrible fates. Both desperately trying to change their fate and fiercely falling in love in the process. I got so caught up in them that I wanted nothing more than to see them get their happy ending.

Needless to say, I enjoyed Salt & Storm. It was a bit of a slow journey for me, and at times I just wanted the story to hurry along, but in the end I liked it. It was a romantic and bittersweet story filled with discovery, magic, and sacrifice.

RATING: 3½ out of 5.

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Witchstruck (The Tudor Trilogy #1) by Victoria Lamb

Publication: September 24, 2013

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Source:  Publisher

If she sink, she be no witch and shall be drowned If she float, she be a witch and must be hanged. Meg Lytton has always known she is different—that she bears a dark and powerful gift. But in 1554 England, in service at Woodstock Palace to the banished Tudor princess Elizabeth, it has never been more dangerous to practise witchcraft. Meg knows she must guard her secret carefully from the many suspicious eyes watching over the princess and her companions. One wrong move could mean her life, and the life of Elizabeth, rightful heir to the English throne. With witchfinder Marcus Dent determined to have Meg's hand in marriage, and Meg's own family conspiring against the English queen, there isn't a single person Meg can trust. Certainly not the enigmatic young Spanish priest Alejandro de Castillo, despite her undeniable feelings. But when all the world turns against her, Meg must open her heart to a dangerous choice. The Secret Circle meets The Other Boleyn Girl in Witchstruck, the first book of the magical Tudor Witch trilogy.

Meg is 16 who is just coming into her powers, with the help of her aunt. And she is also a maid to a banished Princess Elizabeth. But unfortunately, this is a time where witches are being hunted down and killed. So it’s not exactly the best time for Meg and her aunt to use their skills in magic.

And they do use it. They use it to see if Elizabeth will ever take the Throne and for their own personal purposes as well. I wished that Meg had been more careful and a little less reckless when using her magic. Her judgment was not the best.

I really wanted to love this book, but in the end, I just didn’t grab me the way I was hoping it would.  Nothing seemed to drag. It felt like there was almost always something going on.  It was entertaining. I just didn’t really connect with Meg that much.

Witchstruck, is the first book in the Tudor Witch Trilogy. The second book Witchfall is already out, and the third book Witchrise releases September 30th. If you’re a fan of historical fiction with a dash of magic and fantasy thrown in, then this one might be worth pique your interest.

RATING: 3 out of 5.

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