Witches of East End

By: Melissa De La Cruz

288 Pages

"It’s the beginning of summer in North Hampton, and beautiful Freya Beauchamp is celebrating her engagement to wealthy Bran Gardiner, the heir to Fair Haven and Gardiners Island. But Freya is drawn to Bran’s gorgeous but unreliable brother Killian, and sparks fly when the two decide to play a dangerous game, following an ancient story of love, betrayal and tragedy that harks back to the days of Valhalla.

Witches of East End follows the Beauchamp family—the formidable matriarch Joanna and her daughters Freya and Ingrid. Freya, a sexy bartender, has a potion to cure every kind of heartache, while Ingrid, the local librarian, solves complicated domestic problems with her ability to tie magical knots. Joanna is the witch to see when modern medicine has no more answers; her powers can wake the dead. Everything seems to be going smoothly until a young girl, Molly Lancaster, goes missing after taking one of Freya’s irresistible cocktails. As more of the town’s residents begin disappearing, everyone seems to have the same suspects in mind: the Beauchamp women.

Fraught with love, small-town secrets, and witchcraft, Witches of East End will capture any reader who craves a page-turning, heart-stopping story of myth and magic from an author who knows how to deliver. " - The Website of Melissa De La Cruz

First of all, this is an adult novel, not YA. There were one or two more mature scenes, so if you aren't comfortable with that than this book probably isn't the one for you.

To be honest, as I always strive to be, this novel started off strong, then lulled slowly into a slightly boring middle, before picking up again to create a suspenseful but simultaneously slightly confusing ending that I had to re-read to fully understand what was happening.

This being said, I enjoyed Witches of East End overall, and I will be keeping my eye out for the next book in the Beauchamp Family Series.

The video below has some minor spoilers, nothing central to the plot, but minor spoiler-age nonetheless. You have been warned! (Cue menacing background music)



Have you read it yet? Were you confused about the ending too, or was that just me?

P.S. - SO SORRY for the lapse in posts the past few weeks; I was out of town and had no internet service. :(

But now I'm back! :)

Top 10 Tuesday

Today is a Top 10 Tuesday Freebie! Each and every Blogger can choose what subject they would like to write about, and I have chosen to list my top 10 series of books.

Top 10 Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and The Bookish.



1.        Harry Potter- J.K. Rowling - Eeek!  Anyone else ridiculously excited for pottermore?

2.        The Mortal Instruments – Cassandra Clare

3.        The Hunger Games- Suzanne Collins

4.        Uglies by Scott Westerfeld  

5.        Maximum Ride – James Patterson

6.        The Maze Runner Trilogy – James Dashner - Review coming soon!

7.        The Darkest Powers Trilogy – Kelley Armstrong

8.        The Millennium Trilogy – Stieg Larsson – It`s not YA, I know, but it`s sooooooo good.

9.         The Modern Faerie Tales – Holly Black

10.    The Infernal Devices – Cassandra Clare

      Your thoughts on these? Any you disagree with, or any that aren’t there that you think should be included?

The Mortal Instruments Series

By: Cassandra Clare

2016 Pages in 4 Books

"When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder- much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing-not even a smear of blood-to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know. . . .

Exotic and gritty, exhilarating and utterly gripping, Cassandra Clare's ferociously entertaining fantasy takes readers on a wild ride that they will never want to end."  – Chapters.ca

The Mortal Instruments series, City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass, and City of Fallen Angels, is one that I have re-read DOZENS of times. If you haven’t already, go read them now. Plus, Cassandra already has the next two books: City of Lost Souls and City of Heavenly Fire in the works, and the first book, City of Glass is soon being made into a movie! If that wasn’t enough, Ms. Clare also has a prequel trilogy, The Infernal Devices, the second book of which, Clockwork Prince, is set to be released December 6^th, 2011!

Seriously, go read them now, it will be the best decision you’ve made all year.

Top 10 Tuesday

This week's list is:

Top 10 Trends I Would Like to See More or Less Of 

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.

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1.       Dystopian Fiction
         More! More! More! I’m loving them to be honest, and I hope their popularity continues.

2.       Crappy Paranormal/Fantasy Novels

LESS. Am I the only one who kinda feels that in the wake of Twilight’s success, awful, plot-less, predictable, and just generally stupid, paranormal romances are being mass produced?

3.       Great Paranormal/Fantasy Novels

More. Yes, I know this seems a little hypocritical, but despite the previous rant, I’m actually a paranormal/fantasy fan and would love to see some well-developed novels with a decent plot.

4.       Not-So-Helpless Heroines

More. Who doesn’t love a strong, brave, and intelligent heroine à la Tessa Gray?

5.       Modern Day Fantasy 

More. Holly Black and Cassandra Clare place Faeries, Shadowhunters, Werewolves, and Vampires in present day New-York. Gritty and Realistic, they make it seem as though we could all meet a warlock walking down a street in Brooklyn.

6.       Over-Description 

Less. I quickly become bored when authors go what I see as a bit too far in describing the setting:

“The sunset was orange, and pink, and yellow, and golden, and glittered gently against the pale icy blue of the infinite sky making it difficult to see the enormous rusted ships, merely echoes of their former grandeur, that crowded the small harbour.”

7.       Science Fiction 

More. It’s so under-rated! I love a good Sci-Fi.

8.       IM Conversations 

Less.  I have only seen one or two novels in which IM-ing or texting shorthand has been used that I felt weren’t a torture to read. Occasionally, it does work, but on the full scale I think it’s overused and confusing.

9.       James Dashner 

More. Can I do that? I’m reading his novel “The Maze Runner” right now (expect a review soon!) and I’m enjoying it enough that I will be looking for more of his work when I get the chance.

10.    Second Hand POV 

I truly hesitated to put this on the list as its something I want both less and more of, at the same time. If done properly, without accidentally reverting back to a first or third person, I think it can turn an alright idea into an incredible novel, but written poorly it can ruin what could have potentially been a great read.

What trends would you like to see more/less of?



The Darkest Powers Trilogy

By: Kelley Armstrong

832 Pages

Also available in omnibus format.

 “After years of frequent moves following her mother's death, Chloe Saunders's life is finally settling down. She is attending art school, pursuing her dreams of becoming a director, making friends, meeting boys. Her biggest concern is that she's not developing as fast as her friends are. But when puberty does hit, it brings more than hormone surges. Chloe starts seeing ghosts-everywhere, demanding her attention. After she suffers a breakdown, her devoted aunt Lauren gets her into a highly recommended group home.

At first, Lyle House seems a pretty okay place, except for Chloe's small problem of fearing she might be facing a lifetime of mental illness. But as she gradually gets to know the other kids at the home-charming Simon and his ominous, unsmiling brother Derek, obnoxious Tori, and Rae, who has a "thing" for fire-Chloe begins to realize that there is something that binds them all together, and it isn't your usual "problem kid" behaviour. And together they discover that Lyle House is not your usual group home either…” - Chapters.ca

The Darkest Powers Trilogy, which consists of The Summoning, The Awakening, and The Reckoning, is definitely worth reading. Chloe, the Steven-Spielberg-Wannabe protagonist, is both resourceful and quick on the uptake: trying to use her new found powers to help herself and her comrades escape the nasty Edison Group that’s hunting them. Afraid and on the run, the gang is unsure of who they can trust, if anyone. As she learns about her ability to see and speak to ghosts, many with less than kind intentions, Chloe must also sort out her confusing relationships with the teenage sorcerer Simon, and his werewolf foster-brother Derek, while avoiding the many people who have put a target on her back. Welcome to the madhouse, you’ll be glad you came.

Your thoughts?

First Post!

Welcome to Kae on YA!

I'm Kae, a lover and reviewer of books. More about me can predictably be found in the 'What's This?' section.

I’m really excited to start blogging and I can’t wait until my first review is ready to go. As you can see over there in the side panel, I’m reading The Darkest Powers Trilogy by Kelley Armstrong. It’s looking good, and I’ll soon be sharing my opinion on it with all my 0 readers. J

Your Thoughts?