Series: Book One in the Hoodoo Apprentice Series
Published By: Entangled (October 23, 2012)
Source: Purchased
Genre: YA Fantasy/Paranormal
My Rating: 3.5 Stars!
Book Description:
Be careful what you search for...
Emma Guthrie expects this summer to be like any other in the South Carolina Lowcountry--hot and steamy with plenty of beach time alongside her best friend and secret crush, Cooper Beaumont, and Emma’s ever-present twin brother, Jack. But then a mysterious eighteenth-century message in a bottle surfaces, revealing a hidden pirate bounty. Lured by the adventure, the trio discovers the treasure and unwittingly unleashes an ancient Gullah curse that attacks Jack with the wicked flesh-eating Creep and promises to steal Cooper’s soul on his approaching sixteenth birthday.
When a strange girl appears, bent on revenge; demon dogs become a threat; and Jack turns into a walking skeleton; Emma has no choice but to learn hoodoo magic to undo the hex, all before summer—and her friends--are lost forever.
My Thoughts and Review:
With Halloween just around the corner what better way to start off the season than with a little magic and mayhem? Add in a nice story filled with creepy monsters, hoodoo, hexes and skeletons and you have one heck of a fun story perfect for the spookiest season of them all.
A small dash of romance doesn't hurt either.
This really was the perfect read to add a little mystery and creepiness into the atmosphere and totally get me in the mood for Halloween. I loved all the detail about the Hoodoo practice and of course the curse behind what starts it all was equally entertaining and somewhat terrifying.
Miss Delia was probably my favorite character. I loved how gruff and no nonsense she was and of course her knowledge about hoodoo helped set the tone for the whole book and really added that element of danger and scariness that the author needed to pull the whole story off. When I think of the old timers of the south, all the superstitions, white magic, black magic and practices, the image of Miss Delia comes to mind.
I wasn't sure if I was going to like Emma at first, not because of anything she did but simply because when the story begins, she and Jack (her twin) are only fourteen and I was afraid that the story would end up being too angsty or come across as to immature. I didn't have anything to worry about. Emma is thrown right into the life of hoodoo and takes it like a champ. And while she does have her moments, for the most part her voice is never too grade school or whiny. They are a lot of things she has to do that she never imagined doing or getting involved in but she does what she has to to save her brother and to help Cooper.
And while the romance wasn't as developed as I would have liked to see it, overall this was a fun read that I think would be perfect for any age group.
*All thoughts and opinions are my own and were not influenced by the author or publisher. I was not compensated for this review.*
Magic and mayhem with a touch of romance are exactly what I need right now. I'm in a Halloween-ish mood already and this sounds like a very entertaining read.
ReplyDeleteGreat review, Ali!
I'd also be a bit scared about main characters being only 14. But I'm glad that that wasn't a problem. I'm not sure about romance here either but it sounds like an interesting read :) Glad you enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteI've been curious about this book! It sounds like something I might like, even if the romance isn't as developed as it could be. I especially like the sound of Miss Delia's character. Great review!
ReplyDeleteI read this one last year and I do remember thinking that their age maybe had me enjoying it less. I'm not sure why since I read MG and YA, but I guess for a darker book like this I wanted more mature characters. However, I really enjoyed it as well!
ReplyDeleteThey do get better in the next book Candace, they grow up a little which is nice.
ReplyDeleteI am glad that you enjoyed this overall, despite the romance not being as developed as you would like. Thanks for the great review.
ReplyDeleteLove creepy books around Halloween time! A dash of romance is always needed too though.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds really cool, I love the idea of reading about hoodoo, and I really want something creepy to get me in the mood for Halloween. Glad to hear Emma's age didn't end up being an issue and that you enjoyed the story! :-)
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