The Kari AnnAlysis

Posts Tagged ‘nancy holder’

I must admit from the get-go that I didn’t like Curse as much as Witch. I thought that I would like it better because it seemed like it was going to be more about the present than the past … not so  much.

I was definitely fooled. Just because there wasn’t a lot of italics, doesn’t mean we weren’t delving into the past. Just like in the first book, we jumped from the present to the past as Holly and Amanda try once again to take over the Deveraux clan.

But this time some new characters are thrown into the midst and Nicole isn’t with her coven … she’s not even on the same continent.

There were a few things I liked about this book. I thought it was super cool that they had invisibility cloaks. I thought that was a cool feature in the Harry Potter series. Speaking of Harry Potter, if you think these books are going to be the same because they’re about witches, WRONG. This is more of the dark magic. In Harry Potter, there’s fun and silly spells. Here, all spells deal with fighting and supreme mastery.

I also like how quickly the girls were able to pick up the magic. It was only 3 months since they learned they were witches and they’re already becoming masters of their skill. I mean, after 3 months without anyone to teach you, how do you know about rites and rituals?

Once again, I have my favorite poem from the beginning of the chapters. This is from Dead Moon:

In the night we dance and laugh
As our foes taste our wrath
Death we are and death we bring
Delivered on a falcon’s wing

We dance upon each dead man’s corpse
Laugh and shout till we grow hoarse
We treasure all our enemies’ moans
As lady hawk talons crash their bones

This book ended with suspense like the last, so I’m still wanting a little more, but it really didn’t do much for me. I was lost most of the time through the book flipping back and forth trying to remember which century and which continent we were on. I guess I liked all the italics in the first book.

I give Curse 2 bookmarks.

This book actually has two books, so I’m going to review it in two parts. I just finished the first book and I’m actually yearning for more, which is a good thing since I still have half a book to read

Holly is getting ready to go into her senior year of high school, finishing out the summer on a white water rafting trip with her parents and best friend. When it ends tragically, she moves to Seattle to live with her aunt, uncle and 2 cousins.

She hadn’t even made it to Seattle before strange things started (magic) and the moment she got into her new bedroom, it got even more serious (magic).

This book takes you back and forth between today and 600 years ago. There are two major witch/warlock covens, The Cathers and The Deveraux. There was an arranged match up between the two covens that ended tragically and risen back from the grave (MAGIC).

Holly always thought she heard her parents fighting about witches, but she had no idea it was true.

One thing I really liked about this book was that although the girls tried to push the weird dreams(magic)  they were having to the back of their mind, when they found out they were really witches, they were cool with it. I mean, this is life changing. Yes, there was some serious drama going on and they really didn’t have a choice but to embrace it, but it would be hard, I think, to just be like “Oh, I’m a witch? Cool.”

I’ve read a lot of books that jump back and forth through time periods and sometimes it’s hard to determine where you are. This one was very self explanatory. If it jumped really far, it told you where it was. Otherwise, they used regular font for today and italics for the past. I always knew where I was.

At the beginning of each chapter, there was a spell. I thought this was SUPER COOL and here is my favorite one:

Feed us now as hunger grows
Let us feast upon our foes
We shall dine upon their eyes
Hearts and brains, ribs and thighs

Our Lady listen to our cry
We throw our heads back to the sky
Bind our family heart and sole
Comfort us and make us whole

When it comes to the chapters, they are labeled by the English Medieval moons, which they use instead of the months. Very cool! I had no idea there were so many different moons. Check out this site to see all of the different moon names.

Being a Twilight fan, one thing that caught my attention and I LOVED during this book, was that Port Angelus was mentioned. I’m sure it’s just a coincidence, but when it caught my eye, I thought it was cool. Witches, warlocks, vampires …. they’re all from the same mold and love Washington Yes, I realize I spelled Angelus with a “u”. That’s how it was spelled in the book. I looked it up online, and yes it’s Angeles! The “u” gives it a little character though!

I am really excited to start this next book. One thing I am hoping for is that we stay in the present  a little more. While I love the old days, I think the characters in this book are really interesting. I love the fact that 3 teenage girls just learned they were witches. I would like to get to know them more. As I flip through the next book, I don’t see any italics so hopefully that means we stick with Holly, Amanda and Nicole!

I give this book 3 bookmarks.

As September begins, I only have 4 books left in my A to Z Challenge and I already have them lined up. Here’s what you can expect in the next month or so.

I: Interview with the Vampire (No secret, I love vampires. I’ve heard great things about this. October read for sure)

K: Killer Cruise (I’m reading now)

W: Wicked: Witch and Curse (I just ordered off Amazon to take Wuthering Heights spot…yay!)

Y: Your Mouth Drives me Crazy (This was an Oprah Book Club book my mom read, not as steamy as she expected lol)

If you’ve read any of these, without giving away spoilers, let me know what you think