Tag: Book series

The Black Witch, from Laurie Forest

Posted on by Nolwenn

I was really excited about this book. I usually love anything that has a witch as the main character. And in this case: a witch without actual power? Count me in!
However… I was pissed at Elloren during more than 3/4 of the book (and this is a 600+ page book we are talking about!). I don’t have anything against a character that is the villain; on the contrary, it’s usually refreshing to read from their point of view. But in this case, she is not a villain per se. She is “just” VERY prejudiced. The xenophobia coming from the main character and others was maybe too realistic for me; striking a personal chord I was not prepared to deal with… I am usually comfortable with characters that are not like me, or that do not share my moral values. But this bothered me too much.
Everything else is good. I like the setting, the universe that was created. And it makes me sad to say out loud how much I could not stand the main character (loved her brothers, though).
I know The Black Witch is book 1 of a series but I don’t think I will read the sequels…

About the author

Laurie Forest lives deep in the backwoods of Vermont where she sits in front of a wood stove drinking strong tea and dreaming up tales full of dryads, dragons and wands.

Amazon.com
Chapters Indigo

The Black Witch Book Cover The Black Witch
Laurie Forest
Harlequin Teen
7 August 2018
608

Evil looms on the horizon, and for Elloren Gardner, granddaughter of the last Black Witch, the pressure to live up to her magical heritage is building. Elloren's people, the Gardnerians, believe she will follow in her grandmother's footsteps. But Elloren is utterly devoid of power--in a society that prizes magical ability above all else. Granted the opportunity to study at the prestigious Verpax University, Elloren sets out to embrace a destiny of her own, free from the shadow of her grandmother's legacy. But the university may be the most treacherous place of all for the granddaughter of the Black Witch, and Elloren soon realizes that the world she knows is not what it seems. If she is to survive the coming danger, she'll have to free her mind from the assumptions she was raised with, and learn to trust the very people she's been taught to hate and fear. 

The “Slammed” trilogy, by Colleen Hoover

Posted on by Nolwenn

I have a confession to make: I try to only read book series once all the titles have been released. I HATE having to wait for a sequel and LOVE reading them back-to-back so I stay inside the story until its end.
Luckily, as a person living in Québec, I have access to our wonderful banQ and can borrow a ton of books for free (!).. I borrowed all the Colleen Hoover’s books I could find, that were available; I borrowed Point Of Retreat, not knowing it was the middle book of a trilogy. So I had to wait another week to go grab Slammed. It happens quite frequently in my bibliophile life 😉

Slammed is about Layken, an 18yo young adult who moves with her Mom and younger brother after the sudden death of her Dad. She is not pleased to be uprooted while she is still grieving. Luckily, she is closed with her Mom and her sibling. Layken is pretty independent and knows she needs to grow up in order to help her Mom in this difficult new situation.
On moving day, she meets her neighbor: the handsome Will, and his younger brother. Will is a few years older, and there’s an undeniable connection happening between them. He brings her into his universe: slam poetry.
However, there would not be a story if it was that easy, right?
We follow them as they navigate their relationship.

I also loved the secondary characters: Eddie, Layken’s instant new best friend; her boyfriend Gavin. The two younger brothers are hilarious, as well. And suffice to say that as a Mom myself, I was really touched by Julia.
This book made me mad, sad, it made me laugh out loud and I could not put it down. It was infuriating at times but that’s the point: it made me feel. And sometimes, that’s all that you need from a book…

The other books in this trilogy:

Point of retreat
The second book takes place after the end of Slammed. A lot of changes happened between the two books but we meet again the characters we got attached to in Slammed. Something about Will’s past will resurface… will Lake & Will fight for a future together?

This Girl
Happens right after Point of Retreat. Now that Layken & Will are happy, Lake wants to know as much as possible about Will. This book is told in his point of view and has two timelines: the one happening in Slammed (but this first book is from Layken’s POV)

About the author

Colleen Hoover is the #1 New York Times and International bestselling author of multiple novels and novellas. She lives in Texas with her husband and their three boys. She is the founder of The Bookworm Box, a non-profit book subscription service and bookstore in Sulphur Springs, Texas.

Indigo | Slammed book
Amazon.ca | https://amzn.to/2JuKvAe
Amazon.com | https://amzn.to/2Fi4ddc

Slammed Book Cover Slammed
Slammed
Colleen Hoover
Fiction
Simon and Schuster
18 September 2012
Hardbook
317

Eighteen-year-old Layken struggles with holding her family together after her father dies, until she develops a relationship with her new neighbor, Will, who has a passion for poetry slams and gives her a new sense of hope.