Spells and Sorcery

After DNFing this book at first, I knew I’d eventually go back and give it another shot. It just wasn’t the right time for me to read it. I’m glad I brought it with me on my trip though because it’s one of those easy to read books that fit with all my running around.

I like Lexie. I feel like she could be a younger me. Yes she’s immature and doesn’t think things through. Name me a teenager that does. I’ll wait. She fits the book perfectly and that’s all that really matters.

Her family though. Oh man. They drove me insane. I hated how in the dark even we were as readers let alone Lexie herself. Their reasoning made no sense to me and I hated not having any idea what was going on. Sure I had my guesses but I needed a confirmation at some points.

The plot was fun and went by really quick. I like being able to read a book fast like I did with this one. No unnecessary drama thankfully. This book didn’t need fillers and side plots. It stood just fine on its own.

I loved this book. While I had my issues with it, such as pacing and character fleshiness, it is a solid start to a new S. Usher Evans series which will definitely be finding a home on my shelf.

First off, Lexie is a brat. But, honestly, can’t a lot of teenagers be brats at times? She’s already dealing with all of the normal teenage stressors, like keeping on top of school work and putting up with an older sister who is prone to being mean, when on top of this, *BAM*, she suddenly gets powers that she doesn’t understand and no one will properly explain to her. So, maybe her being a brat can be excused. Plus, this sets her up for character growth and maturation, which Sush just has a way of writing.

This novel has zero romance, which is bloody fantastic for a change. Instead of focusing on how soft so-and-so’s lips are and what they smell like, we get to experience the magnificent world building and see family relationships, which is something that is not addressed nearly enough in fantasy stories. And, who knows, perhaps a cute magical will make their way into Lexie’s life further down the road, and perhaps not. The girl DOES have other, bigger problems on her hands. Either way, I have confidence that Sush will do an excellent job of it.

Now, speaking of those family relationships, I surprisingly adored Lexie’s interactions with Marie. They act like they absolutely loathe each other most of the time, but then you see those rare moments where the love they have for each other is strong and, as a girl with three siblings, I can assure you that (at least in my family) this is accurate. Her relationship with Nicole and Jeanie, on the other hand, needs work. Lexie is always fighting with them and they’re always punishing her for things that they haven’t exactly explained and I feel that this hinders their character development. Plus, we don’t have the chance to learn much about them. I feel that as the series continues, however, we will see more of them, Nicole in particular, and come to understand them and why they act the way they do.

Lastly, this story does start out really slow. Lexie needs to work on learning how to control and understand her powers, but this slowness allows us to learn and experience the magical world and system with her. Then, before you know it, *WHOSH* you’re thrown into a whirlwind of magic and mayhem ( 😉 ) and are set up for the craziness that is sure to be book 2.