Book Review: Witches of East End by Melissa de la Cruz

Witches of East End
The Beauchamp Family #1
Author: Melissa de la Cruz
Pages: 272 paperback
Reading Level: Adult
Published: June 21st 2011
Review Source: Disney-Hyperion
Available: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Indiebound

Summary: (from goodreads) From the author of the highly addictive and bestselling Blue Bloods series, with almost 3 million copies sold, comes a new novel, Melissa de la Cruz's first for adults, featuring a family of formidable and beguiling witches.

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.

With a brand-new cast of characters, a fascinating and fresh world to discover, and a few surprise appearances from some of the Blue Blood fan favorites, this is a page-turning, deliciously fun, magical summer read fraught with love affairs, witchcraft, and an unforgettable battle between good and evil.

When I began reading this book, I felt confused and could not for the life of me differentiate which character was which and what role they played in the story. I felt as if I was being ambushed with so many details about the characters and their surroundings all at the same time, overwhelming me, I almost decided not to continue reading the book. But right when i was about to call it quits, I began to understand who was who, what their role was, their individual history as well as their history together and how they are all connected. I actually began enjoying the book at about the mid section.

What I loved about the book is how each character has it's own personality/power but in one way or another they all need each other. I was a little annoyed at the fact that there was no more history, but I guess it will all come out as the stories unfold. I loved that the three women had different dilemma's going on all at same time, and I really enjoyed each character and their personalities. I really can't go into the book so much as I will end up giving spoilers but it's certainly a good book.

Overall, Witches of East End is a good read, a little hard to get into in the beginning, but once that's over you will enjoy it completely.