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A review by deena_
Bewitched by Laura Thalassa
4.0
4.35 stars ☆
➷“I would rather spend a thousand lifetimes forgetting my past than spend one remembering yours.”
Let me tell you, this book in a way did live up to its name. I'm absolutely bewitched. Thanks to Zaynab for suggesting we read this. If you’re looking for a magical, touchy-feely modern day witchy book with amazing vibes, this one is it. This book shifts from the point of 'awwing' to 'gasping' so quickly that it is sure to throw you off guard, the unexpected happens when you’re least expecting it. It was fun to read either way. The soft fantasy aspect of it sucked me right in, it didn’t borrow too much or go too deep into anything; it glided smoothly over the fantastical area and stayed true to its contemporary magical theme. The writing itself was precise and practical, leading your interest to all the right places.
➸ Sypnosis: Selene Bowers has always longed to be a part of a coven, but her unusual abilities stand in her way of acceptance. After multiple failed attempts, when the prestigious Henbane coven offers her a small sliver of chance, she is determined to prove her worth and rub it on their judgmental faces. A last minute magical quest in hopes of polishing up her resume gone wrong, leads her to the other side of the world, where the evil sleeps a cursed slumber. Accidentally waking up the evil who believes her to be his long lost bride and having him threaten her was not something she wanted to add to her ever-growing list of problems; the only good outcome of it is that her crazy magical quest experience earns her a place at Henbane but trouble stirs up as the cursed one follows her home and a series of mysterious deaths follows suit.
➷“Don’t be a pawn when you’re a queen. No one commands a queen.”
Selene is a tough cookie—'I stand up for myself and refuse to take shit' kind of girl. Her magic demanded strange consequences, but she worked extra hard and never thought of herself any less; she never let others doubt that she was lacking in any way. She jumped in to help others without a second thought and cared for her own fiercely. She was more than willing to put down anyone who crossed her. She takes the idea of revenge pretty seriously too, we get to see that eventually.
➷“I will put you at my mercy and I will destroy your world bit by bit until all you have left is me.”
Sleeping beauty, but make it a vengeful, brokenhearted, sexy sorcerer, and there you have Memnon the cursed. An ancient emperor, powerful enough to end the world at will, woke up in a strange world at the hands of his beloved, whom he thinks has doomed him for millennia. He's every bit wicked and manipulative in his ways of pursuing what he wants. He woke up and decided he wanted his scheming wife back and would make her pay the price of betrayal.
➷“I remember the way those eyes looked at me, as though I were everything Memnon loved and then everything he hated.”
Memnon and Selene's relationship dynamics are crazy—not crazy in a swoony-cute way, crazy in a disfunctional way, but I swooned nonetheless. Their angry make out sessions after heated fights are what I live for. The man is whipped, smitten, and every other word in the dictionary that represents 'obsessed' with Selene.
➷“Only fools and warriors pass out under an open sky. Reckless woman, you are a bit of both.”
Memnon hated her in a 'Just because I love you doesn’t mean I'll let you get away after ruining my life' kind of way, and so did she. Despite their undeniable attraction to each other, they were caught between their revenge and desire. I rooted just for that, me and Selene can agree that we both have 'hate-love' feelings towards Memnon.
➷“I had horses, I had warriors and armies, I had palaces and servants and admirers, but most important of all, I had you.”
There were some things that unsettled me. Memnon, for one was always about the past, even after Selene made it pretty clear that she wasn’t the one he thought she was. I get his desperation, but he didn’t stop to consider that he was unintentionally making her feel less than—the only thing she worked hard to avoid her whole life. It almost appeared as if he was in love with a version of her that didn't exist. He could have accepted her the way she is instead of digging for things that aren't there.
I was hoping for the coven and the mysterious murders within to play a bigger part in the story, but for whatever reason they didn’t. I was also hoping to explore the other supernaturals living alongside them and get to know more about the witches at the house. It would have been nice to see Selene make friends, I don’t think she needs any more foes. She has Sybil and Nero. Sybil, to whom I'm personally going to hand over the 'bestie of the year' award. She is that one friend who'd join you in your every bad decision and think of its stupidity later because there's no way she's leaving your side; and Nero, Selene's panther familiar, he's basically an oversized cat who likes to be some fluffy forest creature's nightmare and hates cuddles. Both their interactions are so cute, I swear. He acts all grumpy but is a huge softie where Selene is concerned, he wouldn’t hesitate to claw out anyone's eyes if they meant to do her any harm.
➷“I would rather spend a thousand lifetimes forgetting my past than spend one remembering yours.”
Let me tell you, this book in a way did live up to its name. I'm absolutely bewitched. Thanks to Zaynab for suggesting we read this. If you’re looking for a magical, touchy-feely modern day witchy book with amazing vibes, this one is it. This book shifts from the point of 'awwing' to 'gasping' so quickly that it is sure to throw you off guard, the unexpected happens when you’re least expecting it. It was fun to read either way. The soft fantasy aspect of it sucked me right in, it didn’t borrow too much or go too deep into anything; it glided smoothly over the fantastical area and stayed true to its contemporary magical theme. The writing itself was precise and practical, leading your interest to all the right places.
➸ Sypnosis: Selene Bowers has always longed to be a part of a coven, but her unusual abilities stand in her way of acceptance. After multiple failed attempts, when the prestigious Henbane coven offers her a small sliver of chance, she is determined to prove her worth and rub it on their judgmental faces. A last minute magical quest in hopes of polishing up her resume gone wrong, leads her to the other side of the world, where the evil sleeps a cursed slumber. Accidentally waking up the evil who believes her to be his long lost bride and having him threaten her was not something she wanted to add to her ever-growing list of problems; the only good outcome of it is that her crazy magical quest experience earns her a place at Henbane but trouble stirs up as the cursed one follows her home and a series of mysterious deaths follows suit.
➷“Don’t be a pawn when you’re a queen. No one commands a queen.”
Selene is a tough cookie—'I stand up for myself and refuse to take shit' kind of girl. Her magic demanded strange consequences, but she worked extra hard and never thought of herself any less; she never let others doubt that she was lacking in any way. She jumped in to help others without a second thought and cared for her own fiercely. She was more than willing to put down anyone who crossed her. She takes the idea of revenge pretty seriously too, we get to see that eventually.
➷“I will put you at my mercy and I will destroy your world bit by bit until all you have left is me.”
Sleeping beauty, but make it a vengeful, brokenhearted, sexy sorcerer, and there you have Memnon the cursed. An ancient emperor, powerful enough to end the world at will, woke up in a strange world at the hands of his beloved, whom he thinks has doomed him for millennia. He's every bit wicked and manipulative in his ways of pursuing what he wants. He woke up and decided he wanted his scheming wife back and would make her pay the price of betrayal.
➷“I remember the way those eyes looked at me, as though I were everything Memnon loved and then everything he hated.”
Memnon and Selene's relationship dynamics are crazy—not crazy in a swoony-cute way, crazy in a disfunctional way, but I swooned nonetheless. Their angry make out sessions after heated fights are what I live for. The man is whipped, smitten, and every other word in the dictionary that represents 'obsessed' with Selene.
➷“Only fools and warriors pass out under an open sky. Reckless woman, you are a bit of both.”
Memnon hated her in a 'Just because I love you doesn’t mean I'll let you get away after ruining my life' kind of way, and so did she. Despite their undeniable attraction to each other, they were caught between their revenge and desire. I rooted just for that, me and Selene can agree that we both have 'hate-love' feelings towards Memnon.
➷“I had horses, I had warriors and armies, I had palaces and servants and admirers, but most important of all, I had you.”
There were some things that unsettled me. Memnon, for one was always about the past, even after Selene made it pretty clear that she wasn’t the one he thought she was. I get his desperation, but he didn’t stop to consider that he was unintentionally making her feel less than—the only thing she worked hard to avoid her whole life. It almost appeared as if he was in love with a version of her that didn't exist. He could have accepted her the way she is instead of digging for things that aren't there.
I was hoping for the coven and the mysterious murders within to play a bigger part in the story, but for whatever reason they didn’t. I was also hoping to explore the other supernaturals living alongside them and get to know more about the witches at the house. It would have been nice to see Selene make friends, I don’t think she needs any more foes. She has Sybil and Nero. Sybil, to whom I'm personally going to hand over the 'bestie of the year' award. She is that one friend who'd join you in your every bad decision and think of its stupidity later because there's no way she's leaving your side; and Nero, Selene's panther familiar, he's basically an oversized cat who likes to be some fluffy forest creature's nightmare and hates cuddles. Both their interactions are so cute, I swear. He acts all grumpy but is a huge softie where Selene is concerned, he wouldn’t hesitate to claw out anyone's eyes if they meant to do her any harm.