Wicked (Witch & Cursed) by Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguié

Dark and full of shivers, this book is a perfect precursor for the Halloween season! Pick it up and get your pointed hats out of the closet, I recommend this book to witch lovers, adult and teen alike. Just settle in a for a long ride, because its a hard read, but worth it in the end.

This book was much darker than I expected for a YA novel and from the beginning I must say that I do not recommend this book for younger teens. I don't believe in eradicating sexuality or darker subjects for a teens reading repertoire, but some of the subjects touched on, should be kept for an older audience, 16+.

The book starts with tragedy, as the scene Holly Cathers is introduced in, is where her entire world is shattered with the death of her parents and her best friend. Forced from San Francisco, she accompanies her aunt, whom she has never even heard of before, to Seattle. There she meets her twin cousins, Amanda and Nicole and is introduced to the world of witchcraft as strange occurrences start happening around her.

As more and more tragic happenings occur in her life, Holly and her cousins begin realizing that their life is not their own and they are actually stuck by fate in a battle between witches and warlocks that dates back centuries.

I found myself drawn into the dark depths of this novel.  It was almost a love/hate relationship.  The characters weren't lovable, they weren't cute and fuzzy, in fact I don't even know if I liked them - which is very different for a YA novel. The character of Holly is broken and unsure, she believes she is the tragic heroine that is destined for impending doom.  Because of her grief and almost self-hate it is hard to relate to her, but she becomes memorable and strong, which brings about respect, if not like. The characters of Amanda and Nicole are both characters to be pitied.  Amanda becomes the better liked because of her transition from innocuous to powerful...and Nicole is almost just secondary vapid fodder, so nothing really strikes you as relatable. She is the crutch that keeps the cousins from becoming all powerful too soon.

The Devereux men are almost too evil.  Their embracing their heritage so easily lends them to demonic status and not human.  One of the things that  I did not like about the book was how it focused on Michael Devereux so much, I could have used a lot less of him - because he was just too grimy for me.


The book is non-stop action, one thing after another after another.  The attacks on the cousins are so intense that you almost find that you can't put the book down, because you are always in the middle of an action sequence or flash back.  Which leads me to the hardest part of this book, and the reason I gave it a lower ranking that I would normally.  The constant flash backs are very confusing - and the embodiment of the ancestors had this reader confused as to who was driving... I was lost to whether Holly and Jer were reincarnations of their ancestors, or were they just stuck in the same pattern...destined to repeat fate.

If you can get by the POV switches, it really is a good book.  The writing is excellent and the storyline is unique and fast paced. The authors did a good job of tackling so much material without being bogged down in lengthy descriptions and side plots. I also really enjoyed that their is no discernible line in the sand between good and evil. 

If you enjoy yur paranormal dark, this is the book for you.