Author: Tricia Stirling
Genre: Paranormal
Source: Edelweiss
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Publication Date: February 24th 2015
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Summary:
16-year-old Lacy believes that magic and science can work side by side. She's a botanist who knows how to harness the healing power of plants. So when her father dies, Lacy tries to stay with her step-mother in Chico, where her magic is good and healing. She fears the darkness that her real mother, Cheyenne, brings out, stripping away everything that is light and kind. Yet Cheyenne never stays away for long. Beautiful, bewitching, unstable Cheyenne who will stop at nothing, not even black magic, to keep control of her daughter's heart. She forces Lacy to accompany her to Sacramento, and before long, the "old" Lacy starts to resurface. But when Lacy survives a traumatic encounter, she finds herself faced with a choice. Will she use her powers to exact revenge and spiral into the darkness forever? Or will she find the strength to embrace the light?
Review:
This book was incredibly short, which I liked. It was quick and too the point. At the same time short books lack depth, which When My Heat Was Wicked didn't. My emotions are torn about this book, did I like it? Did I not? The answer is a mix of both things.
Liked Lacy as a character, I didn't connect to her on how I wanted to. I did connect with her on one thing though. I haven't seen a book where I character currently or use to self harm in a long time. It struck a bit of a nerve with me. I did enjoy how Lacy does resist the urge to cut herself. Something she never did when she lived with her father and stepmother. Lacy lived a hard life, you can see in the pages how hurt she it. Even if it wasn't spoken out loud.
I expected this book to focus a bit more on the magic, I think I was expecting witches and secret societies. I don't know. When My Heart Was Wicked focused more on Lacy's battle with the light and dark of herself and her mother. I can't place my finger on it yet, but I feel there is more that this story was missing. There was just something that made it lack its wow! factor.
Overall I wasn't crazy about When My Heart Was Wicked. Tricia is a talented writer though and did manage to suck me in with her writing, so I looking forward to see future works from her.
Rating:
This one sounds very interesting, even if you feel so very torn now... A writing that sucks you in it's good and sometimes we need a short book now and then... Is this one a standalone then, Amber?
ReplyDeleteThank you for the very honest and balance review, Amber!