The Burning of Isobel Key

Title: The Burning of Isobel Key
Author: Jen McConnel
Kindle edition, 286 pages
Published Sept. 2012

Lou is in the middle of a quarter-life crisis. Ever since college, she’s lacked direction, working as a clerk in a local bookstore. But when she quits her job just before the winter holidays, Lou must do some serious soul searching to overcome her fears of straying from the mainstream. On a whim, she accompanies her best friend, Tammy, to Scotland for the winter holidays, but the vacation soon turns into an emotional roller coaster.
When she becomes embroiled in a hunt for information about Isobel Key, a woman falsely accused of witchcraft in the seventeenth century, Lou opens up to her intuition and makes a startling discovery about her own heritage.

Enter the world of the past and bring on the memories to the present.

It's almost the holidays, and Louisa found herself jobless after she decided to quit her job in a bookstore. Her bestfriend, Tammy, however, seemed to have gotten all the luck in the world. Soon, when Tammy asked Louisa to go with her on a business trip to Scotland, she was happy to accompany her without telling her bestfriend her predicaments. And soon her quest for her spiritual self unfolded.

The beautiful and enticing country of Scotland served as a backdrop to this enchanting tale of two equally brave women who might be related to each other even though they are centuries apart.

In the 1600s, Isobel Key was accused of witchcraft after her sister mysteriously died of childbirth in the hands of a physician. Incidentally, her brother-in-law was also killed that night by the attending physician but it was Isabel who was blamed. Following this, she was burned at the stake and her bones were laid on a railroad crossing, preventing her to rest in peace.

Present time, Louisa is having a hard time seeking peace of mind. During her trip in Scotland, she met a handsome tour guide who seemed to like her bestfriend, Tammy. Afraid that she might just be on the road to nowhere, she devoted her time searching for answers about witches and burning rituals that happened many centuries past. Soon her interest was peaked when she learned about Isobel Key. The burning desire to discover what really happened that fateful night was what drove Louisa to go to castles and libraries, in the hopes of finding the answers to her questions.

This book is definitely one of the best I've read which involved witchcraft /Wiccans which have always intrigued me. Honestly, the first time I heard about this, it instantly reminded me of this one episode on Smallville where Lana Lang was possessed by the witch Isobel Thoreaux who died when the village people burned her on a pole. I thought the book has something to do with that episode. But after reading the first few chapters, it was a completely different story and I like this book much better.

Cheers to author Jen McConnel for a successful debut. She  delivered her characters very well and she has crafted a story that was very engaging and in-depth. I can declare that I am now one of her fans. I look forward to reading the Key Inheritance soon.

For my review rating, I'm giving The Burning of Isobel Key - 4 bookmarks! :)

Entangled

Title: Entangled (Spellbound #1)
Author: Nikki Jefford
Kindle Edition; 303 pages
Published February 20th 2012

Two months after dying, seventeen-year-old witch Graylee Perez wakes up in her twin sister Charlene’s body.
Until Gray finds a way back inside her own body, she’s stuck being Charlene every twenty-hour hours. Her sister has left precise instructions on how Gray should dress and behave. Looking like a prep isn’t half as bad as hanging out with Charlene’s snotty friends and gropey boyfriend.
The “normals” of McKinley High might be quick to write her behavior off as post-traumatic stress, but warlock Raj McKenna is the only person who suspects Gray has returned from the dead.
Now Gray has to solve the mystery of her death and resurrection and disentangle herself from Charlene’s body before she disappears for good.

I got this book immediately after the finale of The Secret Circle was aired on TV. I have this thing for witches, warlocks and the sorts, that's why I was kind of sad when The CW network announced that The Secret Circle was cancelled. Good thing, a friend of mine suggested Entangled, where I could enjoy reading about witches and bitches. And bad boys too! Oh Boy! I was spellbound!

Get this... Twin sisters; both are witches, GrayLee and Charlene, total opposites -  the other wanted to jump off from the roof but flew; the other died mysteriously because of SUDS (Sudden Death Syndrome)...

The other girl resurrected but had to be alive every other day - using her other twin's body.. Freaky right? It was and it was full of twists! Twin life has never been this so much.... entangled!

OKay, so it was like a battle of the good twin versus the bad twin. Only they could communicate with each other through letters. Because they cannot see each other, they are unable to slap each other.. Ha ha ha.. Their friends and boys are mystified with their behavior, especially since the other one was supposed to be dead. I love how the author Nikki Jefford build Gray's character. But I would want to know what goes inside Charlene's minds when she did those dark magical stuffs.. I want to understand why she had to resort to doing those crazy spells and incantations - what.. just because of a boy who gropes her butt whenever he has the chance? Ugh! I wanna punch Blake in the face whenever he did that.. Double Ugh!

Anyway, before I get carried away, I am making sure that by September I'm gonna read Book 2 of the Spellbound series, entitled Duplicity. I learned that Graylee finally got her own body - not one but two! OMG!!!

This series is much better than The Secret Circle. Kudos to Nikki Jefford for creating this one-of-a-kind spellbinding tale. Can't wait to read more! :)

I'm awarding 4 (stars) bookmarks for Entangled.. Well deserved :)

The Forever Girl

Title: The Forever Girl (Sophia's Journey )

Author:  Rebecca Hamilton
Published January 2012


What would you do when someone dies in front of you and you've been accused of murdering him?
What do you do when you hear voices in your head? Do you shut them out or do you listen to them?
How about when you discover that your love interest who looks nineteen is actually several centuries old?


These are just some of the questions that Sophia Parsons had to deal with. Aside from having a mother who joined a church led by a fanatic, Sophia had to suck it up with Mrs. Franklin who wished to get her out of her own house because she believed Sophia is a witch. One night, when her friend Ivory took her to a club, she met Charles. And soon, her world turned upside down.

The Cruor, Strigoi, Ankou, Chibold - these are the creatures of the supernatural world. Sophia didn't believe in supernaturals. Little did she know that she belonged with them. When she finally discovered the truth about her and her ancestors, she used her power to protect the ones she love.

Thanks to my friend's urging and suggestion, I was able to buy "The Forever Girl" through Amazon (with my new Kindle). Admittedly at first, I told myself, "another vampire love-story?" But then, I have a knack for paranormal tales so I decided to give it a shot. When I read about Sophia being questioned by the police after being accused of hexing a child, I knew I couldn't put this book (or in my case - my Kindle) down.

What I dearly love about this book is how Rebecca Hamilton didn't use the common words like "vampires and shape-shifters" to depict the creatures in Sophia's world. The story was fast-paced and very well narrated. Furthermore, Hamilton competently described her characters, as well as projected their flashbacks (or their pasts) without confusing the reader's train of thoughts. {sometimes, when I read a book, I usually get perplexed when a flashback is suddenly inserted} but with Forever Girl, I got all excited and it only made me want to read more and more, especially with the unexpected twists and turns.

From Colorado, to Damascus (the Underworld) to Japan. Sophia's journey from one place to another was full of excitement and fear. But the adventure didn't stop in the Japanese mountains. There's a whole lot more about Sophia and I would really love to read about it on her second book..

Like what I've tweeted before: Sophia + Charles = Forever