The Witches of East End by Melissa De La Cruz is the first book in the new adult series about the Beauchamp Family. Joanna and her daughters Freya and Ingrid have been living in North Hampton and haven't used their magic since the council banned them from using it after the Salem Witch Trials years before. The three women slowly start using their magic to help out neighbors: Freya concocting love potions, Ingrid performing rituals to help with infertility and other complaints and Joanna using her magic to bring back the dead and entertain her young charge. Soon bad forces enter the town and the three have to find out who or what is causing havoc in North Hampton.
This book was drastically different than what I expected. The other books I have read by Cruz are fluffy, shallow young adult novels filled with excessive label dropping and lots of angsty romance. When this book promised guest appearances by characters from the Blue Bloods series I assumed that it would have crossover appeal with the young adult audience and would essentially be the same as her other books but with older characters and more sex.. However, this novel fits securely on the adult shelf as women's fiction. The characters are not just adults but two of the three women are over thirty and the young sister is engaged to be married. This novel is a story of three women interacting with their community and coming into the magic that they have suppressed for years. There is no substantial romance and the mystery isn't a major part of the plot. I didn't love the novel but that was mostly because I'm not a fan of the genre. The story while over descriptive at times was interesting and it was a good setup novel for a new adult series.
Appropriateness: This isn't a novel that I'd recommend to teens, not because it's inappropriate but because it's not very relateable to a young audience. This isn't a romance novel about a young single girl who searches for a man but rather a piece of women's fiction written about a family that happens to be witches. As for the details, there is quite a bit of sexual content but nothing that would be considered erotica, just a few well placed sex scenes. There is also alcohol use and adultery.
Bottom line, if you're looking for something like Cruz's YA novels wait until her next Blue Bloods novel comes out in October. If you're looking for an adult paranormal then you'll enjoy the book.
Review copy received from Amazon Vine
