Book of Shadows

I really am unsure how I feel about this book. On one hand, I love witches and stories which break down stereotypes and the demonization of Wicca. On the other hand, I didn’t think the story was very well constructed.

Book of Shadows was short, only 175ish pages. That would not bother me if a complete story had been constructed. Sanderson proved that 175 pages is sufficient to craft a fantastic story, but this isn’t so for Tiernan. The story stops before any real climax happens, and worse, the book ends with a random kiss.

The book felt like a cross between The Secret Circle Series and The Craft. Bloodwitch finds out she has powers when she starts practicing with a circle? Straight out of The Craft. And the amount of similarities between The Secret Circle are too numerous to mention. Then I found out that Tiernan edited The Secret Circle Series (in her biography on Shelfari). I cannot believe that L.J. Smith hasn’t sued Tiernan into the ground…

There were also some lines that made me want to punch the editor for negligence:

The beginning:The beginning is so Twilight-esque I wanted to throw up. Basically it was “My life started when I saw Cal. He was so hot.” Warning strobe lights going off in my head…never a good way to start a story if you want to be taken seriously.

First interaction with hot guy: As he walks away from their first conversation she comments that she can still feel the warmth of his touch. I re-read that section three times…he never touched her.

Horrendous line: “Just looking at the books’ spines, I felt that my mind was blooming like a flower.” First of all…cliché simile alert!!! And second, it is so poorly phrased I can’t even… I read it, snorted, and then promptly wondered why the heck I was reading this nonsense.

But I am intrigued. Because there was no real climax, I want to keep reading to find out what will happen. Specifically I want to know more about Cal. He causes so much trouble between best friends, Bree and Morgan, I cannot imagine he is good. Why would anyone with half a brain sleep with Bree while trying to get Morgan’s attention? Either he is stupid or malicious, and I intend to find out which it is.

I give Book of Shadows two and a half stars. The faint stench of plagiarism ruins any exciting story material, and the editorial mistakes dock it further.

Don't forget to check out the October Giveaway! It's free to enter, just a Facebook like and a comment on the blog (or FB) with the title of your favorite book. Entry ends October 1st at 11:59 pm!