Began reading: 4.5.2015
Completed reading: 10.5.2015
Overall rating: 4 stars
Too many painful memories have forced Nadia’s family to move from Chicago to Captive’s Sound, a gloomy and dull town that contains powerful magic — slowly destroying everyone and everything. As a descendant of witches, Nadia fears that the magic affecting Captive’s Sound is significantly darker and potent than her own. Following a car accident, Nadia realises that her rescuer and friend is the individual that is affected most by the strange magic. Mateo and his ancestors have been cursed, causing visions and ultimately, death. After a series of unexplainable events, Nadia and Mateo must work together to overcome forces that keep them apart, and whatever is set to destroy Captive’s Sound.
I really enjoyed this novel! I’m not much of a fan when it comes to supernatural stories, especially after Twilight, but Spellcaster challenged my prejudice. This novel is a young adult paranormal fiction, with a hint of romance.
The book had an interesting plot. I haven’t read any novels that focus around witches and witchcraft, so this book was refreshing. The novel also explained the differences between the Craft and Wicca. In addition, there is a section where a character rejects racism, and one character has two dads. This use of diversity in a novel is great! These contemporary distinctions are not commonly found in novels, so it was great to see.
Furthermore, when I think about witches and witchcraft, I imagine strange spells and really weird ingredients. That was not the case in this book. There were some gruesome ingredients in a couple of spells, but they were required for evil spells so I guess they don’t really count. An example of a spell is:
The love of a child.
A living thing rising from the earth.
Hope through grief (p. 218).
These ingredients are accompanied by memories, which I thought was a great way to change perceptions of witchcraft.
Plot twists played a big role in this novel, which was awesome! I especially loved how the villain was viewed as sweet and innocent, then became the subject of hatred. I was definitely not expecting that one!
Unfortunately, the story seemed to be a bit disjointed. The ending was sudden, and the epilogue quickly followed. The epilogue did not explain anything about the ending. I don’t understand how everyone in Captive’s Sound could just move on after the town was almost destroyed. With this in mind, I suppose the story will continue in the second novel, Steadfast, so I will get into that book asap.
The book was also a bit repetitive. *WARNING: SPOILER* Nadia kept saying how having a guy as a steadfast was impossible. I mean, yes, I get it. You don’t need to keep reiterating it! Also, she kept going on about how the villain was totally unexpected. Yes, we get it. We didn’t expect it either, but can we please move on?
Another thing that let the book down was that there were far too many perspectives. We had Nadia’s, Mateo’s, Verlaine’s, Elizabeth’s, and a few others, including a bird’s. Um… ok? For example:
I understand that it made the novel better-rounded, but some perspectives just seemed unnecessary.
They saw two girls walking
together along the street, one’s hair was black and one’s nearly white, one
short and one tall… (p. 75).
I understand that it made the novel better-rounded, but some perspectives just seemed unnecessary.
I loved Nadia’s character the most, because she’s the witch. Obviously, she would be the coolest. She is caring, law-abiding, curious and brave, but she was also full of sarcasm. I felt for her when she explored her memories of her mother.
She was a bit clueless when it came to her feelings with Mateo though, haha!
He was worrying about the
monsters less and less now. Maybe he was finally back to being a normal little
kid. She hoped so. He deserved it. Mom had taken enough away from her and Dad —
it wasn’t right if she took away Cole’s ability to feel safe ever again (p.
158).
She was a bit clueless when it came to her feelings with Mateo though, haha!
Nadia turned to him then. “You
have… friends now. You have us. You know that, right?”
What she really wanted to say
was, You have me (p. 181).
Verlaine was my second favourite. She is the cool loner, as she wears awesome thrift store clothes and has silver hair. She is an average teenager: sarcastic, smart, humorous and loyal. I loved her character so much that I created her on the Sims!
They even have their own Twitter accounts! Check them out!
Nadia Caldani: @nadia_caldani
Verlaine Laughton: @verlaine_riffic
Mateo Perez: @CabotMateo
In my opinion, the friendship between Nadia and Verlaine was probably the best thing out of the entire book. I can’t wait to see how that progresses in the next book!
I suggest reading the first novella before this novel, The First Midnight. It will provide more background information about how a witch turned into the villain. I will also be reviewing the next two books, Steadfast and Sorceress. Keep an eye out for those!
Recommendation time! If you like “Beautiful Creatures” by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, you will love this book. Also, I recommend this book to anyone who likes “Witches of East End” by Melissa de la Cruz.
Happy reading!
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