Review: Wicked (Resurrection)

Resurrection picks off where Legacy/Spellbound of the Wicked series of books ends. A joint collaboration by Nancy Holder and Debbie Vigiué, Resurrection‘s primary focus is on the feuding families of Cahors and Deveraux (their descendants, to be exact), with star-crossed lovers Holly and Jer being the Romeo et Juliette equivalent in a tale of blood, gore, and betrayal.

The plot was all over the place in Resurrection. It was difficult to get my bearings, with all the new characters added to the mix (including Nicole’s new Mamma Mia! baby, Owen – more on that later) and to my horror, the return of Kari/Karienne, Jer’s annoying ex-lover. Reanimated by her professor, Kari becomes a lifeless zombie speaking in monosyllabic sentences. Creepy.

Scenes jump from France, to India, to Japan and back again – the coven splits up into various groups and the story moves along from there, which was extremely difficult to follow. Another point that irked me was the copious (and unnecessary) amounts of French inserted randomly into the story. Yes. Je m’appelle Jeraud. Et bien. It was like reading a poorly written fanfic, with appendix of phrases to boot. A lot of flowery, hoity-toity malarky thrown in here and there to give the story a more “authethic” feel, which in actuality makes it fall flat.

Somehow, Catholic elements were also dragged into the story: Mary Magdalene makes an appearance, as well as numerous other not-too-subtle references (Star of Bethlehem? sigh.) It turns out Nicole’s child had three probable fathers – Eli, James, and Philippe (jeez, sleep around much?) but in zomg!plot twist, it’s more of a case of immaculate conception.

The problem with Resurrection was that there were too many elements, too many characters and too many sub-plotlines branching off the main story, making it one big, convoluted mess. The romance that I was waiting for between Jer and Holly ended up being extremely half-assed, and the ending (where everything was resolved nicely and most of the minor characters killed off) was a complete load of rubbish.

Do. Not. Read.

See also: Witch/Curse, Legacy/Spellbound

Plot/originality: 2/5

Characters: 1/5

Writing style: 1/5

Total score: 4/15

Review: Wicked (Legacy & Spellbound)

I dug into Legacy/Spellbound straight after Witch/Curse, which, in retrospect, was probably a bad idea. One book flows right into the plot of the next, making it a highly depressing read at times. Regardless, I barreled on, determined to at least find some enjoyment in the series.

Legacy/Spellbound jumps right into the action where the previous book left off – Holly and her Coven are on the run (again. Does the running never end) from the Deveraux and the Moore, which makes things exceedingly tiring, for both the characters involved as well as the reader – I can honestly say that my stress levels skyrocketed after picking it up. No foolsies.

If you’ve already read Witch/Curse, then you know that the general story circles around Holly and her ever-growing coven (shrinking, at times, when evil warlock Michael Deveraux gets his way). I’d recommend not getting attached to any minor characters, since they drop like hot potatoes – and really, who cares about whether the minor characters live or die? Richard Anderson comes into his own by reverting to his G.I. Joe ways, Nicole hatches an escape plan, Holly undergoes an exorcism, Amanda and Tommy Nagai get together, aggressive bitch Kari gets even more unbearable, Nicole and Jer escape, only to be recaptured/imprisoned in Ayer’s rock, Nicole gets pregnant, more people die, new untrustworthy people join the team (I’m looking at you, Alex Carruthers), and there’s angsting abound. And… that’s the entire plot, condensed in an easy-to-swallow nutshell.

I found Legacy/Spellbound to be a tedious read – though, to be fair, the writing style was alright and there were plot twists at every corner. There was a strong focus on the action and less so on the romance bit, which was a shame since I found the interactions between Holly and Jer to be the saving grace of the series. Sadly, Jer can’t seem to move beyond his scarred visage to actually get it on with an increasingly depressed Holly, which in turn makes everyone else around them depressed as well (except maybe Kari. Who dies at the end. Whoo!). The only romances I detected were between Amanda/Tommy and Nicole/Philippe, which were fairly predictable and boring, for the most part.

I’d recommend Legacy/Spellbound to those who read Witch/Curse and enjoyed it throughly (enough to warrant a second read). If you’re more into the romance aspect of paranormal fiction, then this book isn’t for you.

See also: Witch/Curse, Resurrection

Plot/originality: 3/5

Characters: 2.5/5

Writing style: 3/5

Total score: 8.5/15

Review: Wicked (Witch & Curse)

The books of the Wicked series are the result of a collaboration between authors Nancy Holder and Debbie Vigiué. The five books in the series have been compressed to three – the first two, Witch & Curse, the next two, Legacy and Spellbound, and the final book, Resurrection.

Wicked follows Holly Cathers, an average girl who loses her parents and her best friend on an unfortunate rafting trip whilst on vacation. At a loss, she gets adopted by her best friend’s mother, Barbara Davis-Chin. Nothing’s that simple, though. She barely gets time to grieve when disaster strikes in the form of one cunning Michael Deveraux. Michael’s the father of two warlock sons, Eli and Jeraud (Jer) Deveraux, and he has an agenda. Descended from the line of the noble Deveraux family, he’s adamant in exterminating the last of the rival family line (the Cahors).

It turns out that the history of the family feud between the Cahors and the Deveraux goes way back – to the 1800s of France, or so it seems. Both families betrothed their offspring, Isabeau Cahors and Jean Deveraux, in marital union. Though the two powers loved each other intensely, betrayal and politics tore them apart, with their story ending tragically in the Black Fire. Subsequently, the Deveraux line has tried numerous times to end the Cahors family line – all was thought to be lost until Holly Cathers appeared on the radar.

Now, Holly must move to live with her biological aunt to Seattle, where she gains two new sisters, Nicole and Amanda Anderson. Unbeknownst to Holly, her aunt and Nicole are practicing witchcraft, and it isn’t long before a chance encounter with Jer Deveraux that she realizes the spirit of Isabeau Cahors is within her. As such, Holly and Jer are inexplicably drawn to each other. Amanda’s powers awaken as well, and the three sisters find themselves part of their own exclusive circle of power as the treachery of Michael Deveraux comes to light. Jer is lost to the Black Fire, leaving behind a distraught band of witches and friends.

The attacks grow stronger and increase in frequency, and Nicole, unable to cope, decides to flee to Europe to find a safe haven. Instead, she finds herself running from chapel to chapel from Michael’s evil minions and spies, finally finding allies in a coven of men, who are determined to bring her to safety. Holly becomes the High Priestess of the Coven, and is torn between leading her coven to Nicole’s location and leaving the coven itself to find Jer (or what remains of him). Burned and scarred beyond recognition, Jer lives in self-loathing in his prison located in the Supreme Coven’s headquarters. Things spiral out of control when the gang finally lands in Paris and have to navigate their way to Nicole, who has been captured and forced to marry James Moore, an evil warlock in his own right. Familiars get killed, sacrifices are made, Isabeau screws with Holly’s mind at every turn, and the final showdown’s on the watery horizon. Fun times.

The book wasn’t as lighthearted or fluffy as I thought it would be – by the end of Witch, the plot had become significantly darker and went in that general vein from there. Numerous flashbacks interspersed with the actual story made it somewhat confusing to follow, though the writing, in general, was decent (if a bit heavy at times). While it wasn’t the most terrible book I’ve ever read, I don’t think I’ll be revisiting it anytime soon.

See also: Legacy/Spellbound, Resurrection

Plot/originality: 3/5

Characters: 3/5

Writing style: 3/5

Total score: 9/15