Thursday, November 29, 2018

One Old, One New: The Witchy Edition

One Old, One New features two books - one old, one new, which are connected in some way. Today, I am sharing two books featuring witches.

The Curses
Laure Eva
Series: The Graces, #2
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal
Publisher: Amulet Books
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
Picking up the pieces after the chilling events of the previous year isn’t easy, but the Graces are determined to do it. Wolf is back after a mysterious disappearance, and everyone’s eager to return to normal. Except for Summer, the youngest Grace. Summer has a knack for discovering the truth—and something is troubling her. After a trail of clues leads her to what could be the key to both her family’s mysterious past and the secret of Wolf, she’s determined to vanquish yet another curse. But exposing secrets is a dangerous game, and it’s not one Summer can win alone.

At Summer’s behest, the coven comes back together, reluctantly drawing their erstwhile friend River back into the fold. But Wolf’s behavior becomes unpredictable even as Fenrin’s strength fades, and Summer must ask herself whether the friend she so loves is also planning her family’s ultimate, cursed demise.

This riveting sequel to The Graces is saturated with magic, the destructive cost of power, the complications of family, and the nature of forgiveness.
Kiersten and I both really enjoyed the first book in this series, and couldn't wait to return to the world of The Graces. Eve switched things up a bit with book two, and I really enjoyed the changes.

One of the biggest changes was that the story was told by Summer. This really changed the whole tone of the book for me. Summer was a Grace, and watching the story unfold from an insider's point of view versus an outsider's point of view, really shed some light on a lot of different things. And let's face it, this story focuses on a curse, which affects the Grace family, and therefore, the story should be told by one of their own.

The other difference that really stood out to me was that this one felt like more of a mystery, than the previous book. There were quite a few things the siblings were trying to fix. First and foremost, they were trying to solve the problem of Wolf, and that led them to researching the family curse, which subsequently led to the discovery of some cool magic and how it was linked to a horrible event in the Grace family history. But the mystery continued from there, and I really enjoyed following the path as the Graces uncovered more and more pieces of that puzzle.

The Curses also had all those things I loved from the first book. This book was brimming with magic and Eve did such a fabulous job wrapping it around me. She painted many a mysterious and etherial scene, which kept me captivated and wanting to know more. We also got a different look into the Grace family dynamic, and I really enjoyed this view into the sibling bond.

The ending was rather sweet too. After all the darkness and loss, it was a nice way to leave that world. There was redemption, rekindled love, and revelations, which was all served up with a dash of hope.

Bruja Born
Zoraida Córdova
Series: Brooklyn Brujas, #2
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
Three sisters. One spell. Countless dead.

Lula Mortiz feels like an outsider. Her sister's newfound Encantrix powers have wounded her in ways that Lula's bruja healing powers can't fix, and she longs for the comfort her family once brought her. Thank the Deos for Maks, her sweet, steady boyfriend who sees the beauty within her and brings light to her life.

Then a bus crash turns Lula's world upside down. Her classmates are all dead, including Maks. But Lula was born to heal, to fix. She can bring Maks back, even if it means seeking help from her sisters and defying Death herself. But magic that defies the laws of the deos is dangerous. Unpredictable. And when the dust settles, Maks isn't the only one who's been brought back...
I became a fan of these brujas via Labyrinth Lost. The story was so rich and captivating, and I couldn't wait to get to know the other Mortiz sisters better. I must admit, I was even more impressed by Lula's story.

Lula was struggling with the new family dynamic following their return from Los Lagos. She had to adjust to her sister, Alex, being this powerful witch, her own disfigurement, and the return of her father. Let's just say, that Lula was NOT embracing all the changes in her home life. But she had Maks, or at least she thought she did. When the school bus was involved in a catastrophic accident, Lula found herself the lone survivor, but because she was not ready to move on, she made the mistake of misusing her magic to bring Maks back to life....sort of.

Córdova definitely upped her game in this book. There was so much magic and mayhem, I was in overload, and I loved it!
  • Like I said - so much magic! We got to see a lot of different characters tap into their magic, and there were some really cool powers revealed, but what really excited me was what we found out about Rose's power, and it was VERY interesting. 
  • More of the bruja world was revealed and Lady de la Murerte and the casimuertos were utterly fascinating. If you like zombies, I think you will enjoy the casimuertos. 
  • The sisters spent most of the book working together to solve the problems they created, and I loved the way they played off each other. But, it was not only the sisters who came together, we got to see Mom and Dad join the action, and many other members of their magical community as well. 
  • I really enjoyed getting to meet some of the members of the Thorne Hill Alliance and the Knights of Lavant. I can already tell, that I am going to love these guys, and I hope we get more of them in Rose's book. 
  • There were a LOT of action scenes in this book, and I know they had my heart pumping. 
  • As she did in the previous book, Córdova deftly wove in Latin culture, which just elevated the story. 
I want to thank Córdova for the wild ride. It was magical and action-packed, and filled with family and love. I am SO looking forward to Rose's book, and learning more about that little peek we got at the very end of this book.

**ARCs received in exchange for honest reviews

Do you like witches?
Let us know in the comments!

18 comments:

  1. I love this idea!!! The Graces book covers are SO PRETTY. I have the first book, but haven't read it yet. I definitely want to at some point-- and I really like that the 2nd book is more of a mystery book!! That sounds promising!!

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    1. Cover designer for The Graces definitely did a great job. The two books are really different, but together tell the whole story of the family.

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  2. Both of these are series what I've forever meant to read but still haven't started. I'm especially interested in The Graces! I'm glad to see that book two was so good!

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    1. I felt like a black sheet, because I enjoyed The Graces, and I thought the sequel was great too. I think the Brujas got better with the second book.

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  3. I absolutely love Bruja Born too! Agree 100000% with your review :) Love this feature about books connected because of course I want to read the Curses! :)

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    1. Bujas is a fabulous series, that just keeps getting better and better.

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  4. This is a fun feature and always adds to my list. Both of these sound great and have excellent covers.

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    1. I am a cover lover, and I feel like I need to be more of a synopsis reader, because I bet I am missing out on great books, but I just can't help myself.

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  5. Well can I have both???? LOL Sophie @bewareofthereader

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    1. I enjoyed both series. So, if you are looking for some witch books, you should consider either.

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  6. I still need to read the first books in both of these series but I do like the sound of these. I love a good witch book.

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    1. I am a fan of modern day witch books, and these were both great for me. I hope you get to them one of these days.

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  7. Bruja Born was such a good read, I liked that we got to learn about other factions too. And the importance of letting go (and not glossing over the past for favors le memories).

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    1. There was that really deep element, but honestly, I was all about the sisterly love. Can't wait to get Rose's books.

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  8. I know these ones are both series but do you need to read Labyrinth Lost because you can read Bruja Born? I do want to read Labyrinth Lost as well though. I love witchy reads but I can only think of one I read this year which was Half Bad. I need to read more of them DD:

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    1. I do think you need to read LL, because there is a continuing thread that carries into book 2 and will, hopefully, be resolved in book 3. Could you read it anyway? I think so, but it's better knowing the whole story. Half Bad is on my TBR, but like most books, the older they get, the less likely I am to read it, unless I see it at the library or something.

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