Scan barcode
meeranair_54's review against another edition
4.0
David Vandergraff, father of five teenage children, is a firm non believer of all things unexplainable. So when his daughter, Evangeline declares herself a witch and her brother, Xavier, a wizard, David plays along so as to not offend his children. He consoles himself with the thought that such fantasies are spun as a coping mechanism that help his two children (from an extramarital affair) – Evangeline & Xavier – deal with their traumatic past. But soon he learns that keeping secrets is a ‘family’ thing. His wife too has some secrets of her own. Much to his shock, he learns from her that everyone in their family are dark wizards. And being a dark wizard isn’t a choice. According to her, every magic you perform has a greater possibility of causing destruction than doing good. Then how is he to be alright, with that part of him, he never knew existed?
Gradually he begins to pinpoint magical incidents that he had earlier brushed off as being bizarre. Banning all magic in the household leads to greater disasters than he had ever thought possible in a house full of rebelling teenagers. The real question is will he settle into this world of wizardry fast enough to prevent further harm to his family?
Initially it was a simple story of a man who had cheated on his wife and his feelings when he finds out the whereabouts of his two children from the affair. It was an ordinary story nothing captivating. But the synopsis was what kept me going. Somewhere or the other the magical elements would have to pop out of the story. And so they did. But even till then I didn’t find it boring at any point. The fine line between good and bad magic is sort of blurred in the story. There is heavy emphasis on dark wizards because for one the protagonist’s whole family is a bunch of dark wizards. And secondly even some of the good wizards’ spells tend to go awry causing problems for other characters. It is not just about David trying to absorb news of his inborn power but there are several suspense elements in the story. I think this novel can be read as a standalone because the ending doesn’t hint at a second book. I really really liked Evangeline’s character. She is an adorable twelve year old and very brave for someone who has suffered abuse at such a young age.
I like stories about big families and so this one was perfect in that way. We get to know quite a lot about each character from what goes on. It was a fun, light read without much intensity that you’d expect in a fantasy novel.
Gradually he begins to pinpoint magical incidents that he had earlier brushed off as being bizarre. Banning all magic in the household leads to greater disasters than he had ever thought possible in a house full of rebelling teenagers. The real question is will he settle into this world of wizardry fast enough to prevent further harm to his family?
Initially it was a simple story of a man who had cheated on his wife and his feelings when he finds out the whereabouts of his two children from the affair. It was an ordinary story nothing captivating. But the synopsis was what kept me going. Somewhere or the other the magical elements would have to pop out of the story. And so they did. But even till then I didn’t find it boring at any point. The fine line between good and bad magic is sort of blurred in the story. There is heavy emphasis on dark wizards because for one the protagonist’s whole family is a bunch of dark wizards. And secondly even some of the good wizards’ spells tend to go awry causing problems for other characters. It is not just about David trying to absorb news of his inborn power but there are several suspense elements in the story. I think this novel can be read as a standalone because the ending doesn’t hint at a second book. I really really liked Evangeline’s character. She is an adorable twelve year old and very brave for someone who has suffered abuse at such a young age.
I like stories about big families and so this one was perfect in that way. We get to know quite a lot about each character from what goes on. It was a fun, light read without much intensity that you’d expect in a fantasy novel.
samhainreads's review against another edition
2.0
This was not a book for me, unfortunately. It wasn't bad, but for me, it was very confusing. I missed that "pull" books are supposed to have, to draw you in and get lost in the book and pages. And yeah it was confusing, particularly in the beginning.
marissa_writes's review against another edition
1.0
As I was given a digital copy of this book by the author to read for an honest review, I am giving my honest review.
I am not a fan of sci-fi that focuses on witchcraft, which this book did. And I'm even less of a fan of "dark" magic in stories, which was the whole premise of this story.
Even more of a put off for this book, for me, was the mixing of the characters behavior as witches/wizards and Christians.
To top it off this book was full of cursing that was not necessary at all, violence that was never well discussed, or the consequences of the spirit from such behavior and I was often distracted by inconsistent grammar tenses and usage.
While I can credit the author for a unique point of view, and for portraying a story that is unique - it was not my kind of book on too many levels.
I am not a fan of sci-fi that focuses on witchcraft, which this book did. And I'm even less of a fan of "dark" magic in stories, which was the whole premise of this story.
Even more of a put off for this book, for me, was the mixing of the characters behavior as witches/wizards and Christians.
To top it off this book was full of cursing that was not necessary at all, violence that was never well discussed, or the consequences of the spirit from such behavior and I was often distracted by inconsistent grammar tenses and usage.
While I can credit the author for a unique point of view, and for portraying a story that is unique - it was not my kind of book on too many levels.
artemishi's review against another edition
5.0
Destruction was surprising. I expected, from the synopsis, something cheesy about how Christian faith overcomes to inherent eeeeevil of magic. But this was so, so much more developed, intense, and well thought-out than that.
Bayliss has applied a logic to her plot (mainly, to magic) that is flawless. Every time I thought "but, wait a minute!", one of the characters brought up the exact same point. Every time I started analyzing, Virgo-style, a breadcrumb, one of her characters did as well. That's not to say this book is predictable. Not at ALL.
I don't want to give too much away, as the plot is a tense roller coaster ride (filled with...well, destruction) but it's also a character exploration, and it centers on the question of what makes evil, and what makes good. Is it intention? action? unintended consequence? awareness?
I lovelovelovelovelove that Bayliss kept any trite "good witch/bad witch" ridiculousness out of this book. Truly, everyone is shades of moral gray. EVERYONE. And so even after someone does something horrible, it's hard to fully hate them because they're just fallible folks with good intentions/flawed rules/confusion/etc. She also writes conflict and reaction very realistically. Some of those conversations felt incredibly organic (like maybe the author has been through them, herself) and it added to the depth of the novel.
I have to say, Patrick is my favorite. I really related to him in a lot of ways. And I think I, too, am probably an Autumn Witch (September, maybe? Or October?). I thought we maybe got a breadcrumb at the end, during Rachel's ramble, but I'm not totally sure, now. Regardless, I had a difficult time putting this book down. And I really need her to write Book 2, so I can continue the adventure/drama.
I highly recommend this for fans of supernatural contemporary, strong character development, family dynamics, magic, the question of what defines good and what defines evil, and a compelling read that draws you in.
Be forewarned- the plot contains some violence, in action and word.
Bayliss has applied a logic to her plot (mainly, to magic) that is flawless. Every time I thought "but, wait a minute!", one of the characters brought up the exact same point. Every time I started analyzing, Virgo-style, a breadcrumb, one of her characters did as well. That's not to say this book is predictable. Not at ALL.
I don't want to give too much away, as the plot is a tense roller coaster ride (filled with...well, destruction) but it's also a character exploration, and it centers on the question of what makes evil, and what makes good. Is it intention? action? unintended consequence? awareness?
I lovelovelovelovelove that Bayliss kept any trite "good witch/bad witch" ridiculousness out of this book. Truly, everyone is shades of moral gray. EVERYONE. And so even after someone does something horrible, it's hard to fully hate them because they're just fallible folks with good intentions/flawed rules/confusion/etc. She also writes conflict and reaction very realistically. Some of those conversations felt incredibly organic (like maybe the author has been through them, herself) and it added to the depth of the novel.
I have to say, Patrick is my favorite. I really related to him in a lot of ways. And I think I, too, am probably an Autumn Witch (September, maybe? Or October?). I thought we maybe got a breadcrumb at the end, during Rachel's ramble, but I'm not totally sure, now. Regardless, I had a difficult time putting this book down. And I really need her to write Book 2, so I can continue the adventure/drama.
I highly recommend this for fans of supernatural contemporary, strong character development, family dynamics, magic, the question of what defines good and what defines evil, and a compelling read that draws you in.
Be forewarned- the plot contains some violence, in action and word.
More...