The Thirteenth Sacrifice

Apr 01, 2012 Michelle Leah Olson rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: literal-addiction-books, reviewed

Our Review [by Michelle L. Olson – LITERAL ADDICTION’s Pack Alpha]:
I was sent this book by the publisher to review. When it arrived in the mail unexpected I wasn’t sure what to think until I read the synopsis on the back cover and was immediately interested. I actually even bumped it up in my To Be Read queue (which is very unlike me) and settled in on a Saturday afternoon to see what it was all about. In one sitting I had devoured the 368 pages and wanted more. I was very glad I had taken a cha...more Our Review [by Michelle L. Olson – LITERAL ADDICTION’s Pack Alpha]:
I was sent this book by the publisher to review. When it arrived in the mail unexpected I wasn’t sure what to think until I read the synopsis on the back cover and was immediately interested. I actually even bumped it up in my To Be Read queue (which is very unlike me) and settled in on a Saturday afternoon to see what it was all about. In one sitting I had devoured the 368 pages and wanted more. I was very glad I had taken a chance and went against my normal processes to read it. It was an incredible story, and for a reader like me who thoroughly enjoys and seeks out meshing of sub-genres, this was truly an incredible find!

Samantha is an amazing character. She’s a strong, sassy, reinvented woman with a past she’s trying hard to forget and a promising path to the future. When a serial killer goes on a rampage, as a Boston police officer, Samantha is naturally called in to investigate. When she discovers that there’s a definite pattern to the killings, and recognizes the symbol that’s been carved into the victims’ necks, she knows that she needs to stop the people responsible no matter the fall out. After struggling with the decision and deciding that she needs to ‘take one for the team’ so to speak and do what’s best for the greater good, she comes clean on a secret that she’s kept from almost everyone she currently associates with (and pays for it dearly in some cases) and embarks on a dangerous journey with the attitude – May the best witch win.

Returning to Salem, her city of birth and the city that houses so many terrible childhood memories for her – several of which were so awful her mind repressed them as a coping mechanism – she reinvents herself yet again to be the adult product of the girl she was back then and begins her lie to try and draw out the bad guys (the bad guys being a new evil coven of witches who are dabbling in the darkest of the black arts and using Samantha’s previous family and coven as their stepping stone).

While there, she meets Anthony. Anthony is a young man running an Occult Museum and driven by the need to get vengeance on those who murdered his mother and avenge her death. He and Samantha have instant chemistry, but seeing as she is exactly what he has sworn to hate and destroy, and he is a constant reminder of everything she wants to forget, it’s definitely not a match made in heaven. Regardless, and despite the conflicts the two of them encounter along the way, they find a way to work together to try and bring down this rogue coven of evil witches and stop the murders.

One of the things that appealed to me most about this book was that it wasn’t easy to classify. It’s a murder mystery with urban fantasy, horror-thriller, and even a few paranormal romance aspects and that’s precisely why I fell in love with it. It was dark and dangerous and incredibly thrilling with tons of action, more intrigue than I knew what to do with, surprises around every corner, and psychological and theological undertones that made me as a reader think, which just immersed me into the story even further.

The Thirteenth Sacrifice was exactly my type of book and I am so incredibly happy that the Publisher decided to mail me a copy. I absolutely cannot wait for the next book in the Witch Hunt series and I’m excited to check out more of Debbie’s work to see if the rest of her backlist is anything like this. If it is, I may have just found myself a new author to add to my list of favorites. As it stands, I definitely found a book to add to my “Best New Book Discoveries of the Year” list.

LITERAL ADDICTION gives The Thirteenth Sacrifice 5 Skulls and would recommend it to Dark Urban Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Horror-Thriller, and even Murder-Mystery lovers if you don’t mind a bit of paranormal thrown in to your whoedoneit story. This is definitely a book to check out!
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Mar 21, 2013 Fangs for the Fantasy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Samantha was a witch along with her mother, a dark witch in a powerful coven that practised the darkest of arts. Sacrifice and demons were not unknown in their pursuit of power – until she turned 12 and a horrific ritual went terribly wrong and the deeply traumatised Samantha was the only survivor.

She has a new life now. New parents, a new faith and a new job, as a cop no less. Her past is behind her. At least, she thought it was until a murdered young woman revealed a pattern of ritual murder v...more Samantha was a witch along with her mother, a dark witch in a powerful coven that practised the darkest of arts. Sacrifice and demons were not unknown in their pursuit of power – until she turned 12 and a horrific ritual went terribly wrong and the deeply traumatised Samantha was the only survivor.

She has a new life now. New parents, a new faith and a new job, as a cop no less. Her past is behind her. At least, she thought it was until a murdered young woman revealed a pattern of ritual murder victims. Dark witches were back in the area and, worse, they have ties to her old home, her old life and her old coven.

She is the only police officer who can possibly infiltrate and expose this new coven, the only person who can save countless possibly future lives – but doing so means facing the demons of her past and becoming everything she has fought so hard to avoid.

I liked this story a lot; it managed to draw me in very quickly and kept me hooked through the duration. We have some very compelling characters, a pretty original world and a plot that moves ideally.

I won’t say the plot is especially twisty; once we have an idea of what is going on after the first, say, third to half of the book, the rest is pretty guessable. I could see roughly what was happening and how the book would end once the reasons behind the murders had been unearthed – but that didn’t make the plot dull. I knew the end but getting there was still very interesting with its own revelations and explorations. I think if you’re going to write a book with an ending that is at least roughly known then it becomes important to keep the plot moving (otherwise you get the “get on with it!” sensation) and it’s important to put enough other elements in the book to keep it fascinating.

And this book succeeded on all counts. At no point did I feel the book was dragging things out; Samantha is very on target. Once the bodies are discovered she focuses on finding out how and why they died. Once that is discovered, she focuses on infiltrating and bringing down the coven. She doesn’t get sidetracked, she doesn’t twiddle her thumbs and she doesn’t curl up in a corner – she gets on with it and the book is always moving forwards

The book also had some really good twists along the way – the rage and hatred flaring up against witches turned out to be much more involved than I imagined. And we had Samantha herself confronting her buried demons of her past.

I think this book served as an excellent introduction book. The plot was good but also served as an excellent frame work on which the world could be built with it’s interesting, involved and well researched magic system and the complex protagonist could be introduced and show cased all without excessive info dumping

I did like the portrayal of Samantha’s trauma in this book. This is always shaky ground because Urban Fantasy is so full of dead or absent parents, horrific childhoods, abuse, torture etc etc etc – in fact, an Urban Fantasy protagonist with living parents and a happy childhood is really really rare; so I did look at another example with a lot of skepticism. But as far as this overused trope went, it was well done. The trauma fit the story and the character, it wasn’t an unnecessary addition just for the sake of it to provide quick and easy “development”. It was an integral part of what she was, the path she’d taken and the character she’d become.

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Mar 08, 2013 Kenneth Hursh rated it 2 of 5 stars

A novel in the Witch Hunt series. Samantha (yes, like Samantha Stevens a la Bewitched) is a witch who has forsaken her powers to become a cop, so she can help people, although one would think if she really wanted to help people, witch power would be a definite plus. Her fellow cops know she is a witch, but just don’t talk about it.

When a Salem coven seeks to resurrect Sam’s late, evil witch mother and the vaguely-defined evil beast her mother tried to summon when Sam was a child, Sam has to go...more

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Feb 17, 2013 Dave Freas rated it 2 of 5 stars

I rarely read supernatural novels. Something in me refuses to buy into the general concept. Plus the ones I've read all seem to have a 'sameness' about them, as if there is a list of stock characters and things to be included. Novels involving witches all seem to have spellbooks, pentagrams, blood-letting and drinking, sacrifice, black robes, flowing black mists, and hell-spawned creatures with long fangs dripping saliva or blood.

This novel had them all.

Yet I read it partly because a friend read...more

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Jan 27, 2013 Gayle rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, magic, mystery, paranormal

SHE STARED DOWN IN TERROR AT BREAKS IN THE CIRCLE THAT WERE HER PROTECTION, TO KEEP HER SAFE FROM WHAT WAS OUTSIDE...BUT ONLY IF IT WAS UNBROKEN!

Samantha Ryan has memories of growing up in a coven of black witches. The coven regularly spilled blood. She has memories of strange chants and the blood, oh, the blood. It was a coven of power and greed.

Now, she is the last in the long history of ruthless black witches. She struggles daily to keep the horror in her past. She now wears a cross around he...more

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Apr 28, 2012 Dark Faerie Tales rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed-by-kiwi

Review Courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: An exciting paranormal thrill ride.

Opening Sentence: Everywhere she looked there were shadows.

The Review:

In beautiful Boston there is something sinister in the works, and its trail leads to scenic Salem, Massachusetts, legendary home of the witch trials back in the times of the Puritans. When the bodies of young women turn up with strange markings, the determination is ritual killings with a root in black magic. And one of Boston’s finest is...more

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Apr 23, 2012 Paranormal Haven rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviews-by-beth-guest-reviewer

Samantha Ryan is a cop who investigates the murder of a young college student. She discovers that the victim was sacrificed using a symbol that comes from her past. She was born into an evil coven of witches, and now it looks like someone has resurrected her old coven. It is up to her to go under cover and find out what is going on, and put a stop to it before the witches raise a greater evil.

The story is easy to slide into, and went by pretty fast. Samantha spends the first part of the novel wi...more Samantha Ryan is a cop who investigates the murder of a young college student. She discovers that the victim was sacrificed using a symbol that comes from her past. She was born into an evil coven of witches, and now it looks like someone has resurrected her old coven. It is up to her to go under cover and find out what is going on, and put a stop to it before the witches raise a greater evil.

The story is easy to slide into, and went by pretty fast. Samantha spends the first part of the novel with her partner Ed. They find clues linking the murder to the coven, and along the way Samantha struggles with her dark past. Like most mystery/thriller stories—the heroine is a cop and/or detective. When it is clear that Samantha has to go undercover she struggles with the decision at first, but gives in. She vowed never to use magic again when she was adopted as a young woman, and turned Christian. Going undercover means she will have to use her powers again. Her internal struggle with what she was, and is forced to do is emotionally taxing. When she goes undercover, magic becomes a huge part of the story. Magic powers fly around with ease. She also meets a guy, Anthony, who she feels an instant bond with. There is a side romantic plot going on, but it isn’t the focus of the story, and felt a little off base.

Samantha is easy to like. She wants to take down the killers. While she can be judgmental at times she is morally sound when it comes to the big picture. Her nearly instant connection with Anthony I let slide since she was a witch, and he has a connection with her past. Anthony, I had serious doubts about. Some of his actions don’t seem organic, and the way he was there constantly to catch Samantha when she fell was a little annoying. At the end I had a ‘Samantha against the world,’ vibe. I didn’t dig it as much as I should.

The mystery/thriller story line was nice. There is a twist ending that I didn’t see coming. The pacing is also done very well. There is always a reason to flip the page, and I found the use of magic pretty neat. I wondered more than once why some humans were born with the ability to manipulate energy, and others are not. The witches reminded me of the Jedi and Sith (Star Wars reference). Where the story fell for me was in the characters. Samantha feels like the most organic character, but the story is also told from her perspective. The other characters around her didn’t feel organic. They were place holders that motivated, or demotivated Samantha to get her to point A to point B.

The Thirteenth Sacrifice as a first installment left just enough unanswered questions for me to want the next book. It isn’t an earth shattering story, but felt more like a run-of-the-mill mystery. The action is well done, and the plot as a whole is exciting. I would recommend it to someone who was into thriller/mysteries with a paranormal twist.
- Beth(less)

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Apr 13, 2012 Dana Wright rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: witches-fiction, page-turner

This book is awesome!

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Sep 29, 2012 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars

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At 12, Samantha was the sole survivor of her coven. Now, with much of her past repressed, she is a cop. At first, there didn't seem to be anything supernatural about the murders that were taking place, but then she noticed a symbol carved into the victims that is used in a terrifying black magic ritual. She knows that she is the only one who can stop what is taking place, so she agrees to go undercover. She has to dig into the past that she doesn't want to remember and bec...more

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May 07, 2012 Tonya rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, magic, mystery

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I was worried it would be another boring character with a mundane mystery to solve. I was mistaken.

Debbie Viguiédid a wonderful job with introduction the first 20 pages or so had me wondering if I would love or hate this book but it turns out I was happy with it. Samantha Castor/Ryan was a great character, she was well written and easily liked by the reader. She was raised a witch until she was 12 years old and became the sole survivor of her coven and s...more

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Mar 21, 2013 Chibineko rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was very pleasantly surprised by this book. It tries very hard to stand out from the paranormal mysteries and urban fantasy genre and succeeds pretty well at it. This would very technically be considered a PNM or a UF novel, but it's not really a good fit in either of them. I loved this about Thirteenth Sacrifice, although I know that this book will probably be one of those that you'll either rave about or be somewhat disappointed with.

The good is that this book is relatively free of romance o...more I was very pleasantly surprised by this book. It tries very hard to stand out from the paranormal mysteries and urban fantasy genre and succeeds pretty well at it. This would very technically be considered a PNM or a UF novel, but it's not really a good fit in either of them. I loved this about Thirteenth Sacrifice, although I know that this book will probably be one of those that you'll either rave about or be somewhat disappointed with.

The good is that this book is relatively free of romance or sexual intrigue. It's there, but it's such a background element that it almost could have been removed entirely without it really hurting the overall read. This is one of the things that I enjoyed about the book because given the subject matter, I think that having Samantha go bonkers over a guy would've detracted from the main storyline of evil witches and facing your past. Speaking of evil witches, that's part of what I enjoyed most about this. Witches are normally given a fairly romanticized treatment in books nowadays. They're usually misunderstood and for every evil witch there's one that's nothing but goodness and light. You don't get that here. Viguie's witches are evil and treated as entirely separate from the modern idea of witchcraft such as Wicca and Harry Potter. We're given a hint that this could potentially change in the future, but so far there's no "magic isn't evil, it's just magic". No, the magic here is entirely evil. Again, this could possibly change but that it's seen so negatively in this book was pretty intriguing. It makes sense that Samantha, someone whose childhood was filled with nothing but evil magics, would see magic as an entirely evil force.

Now the downfall of this book is that it's very obviously a setup for the series as a whole. We're given details on everything, but no one character is really given that deep of a look. This is pretty much par for the course with most series, although it might bug some of the people who want to have a deeper read. What I think might really be divisive with readers is that this doesn't fit cleanly into any one genre. People looking for a PNR/PNM/UF read will yearn slightly for this to fall into some of the more familiar patterns of those genres while people looking for something that is supernatural but entirely removed from those genres will wish for it to stray further from those patterns. If you can resist the temptation to long for the more familiar and well worn paths, you'll find one heck of a treat in this book. I think I liked this more because it straddles so many genres, giving us something new to look at.

I'd actively recommend purchasing this book. If you're unsure then you could flip through it a little in the bookstore, but this is one that I'd recommend as a purchase. I guess the best endorsement of this is that I checked this out from the library since I had trouble locating a copy in my local bookstores and before I'd finished this book, I purchased the next volume. (less)

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Mar 03, 2012 Julie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

Samantha Ryan is haunted. She is haunted by traumatic childhood memories of growing up in an evil coven. Some of these memories are repressed, too horrific to remember. At age twelve, Samantha escapes the coven and is adopted by a new family. She becomes a Christian, and later a Boston police detective.

Now at 28, it seems like Samantha’s past is coming back to haunt her. Gruesome murders are occurring in the area, and Samantha recognizes it as the work of witches. With her background in witchcra...more

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May 15, 2012 Remi D. rated it 5 of 5 stars

O MY GOSH!!!!
That was amazing. Everything about it was just amazing. Parts were freakin hilarious and parts were some of the creepiest things i've read! I COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY LOVE AND RECOMMEND THIS BOOK! My only disappointment is that i have to wait until NEXT YEAR to read the sequel. Ughhh! How will we survive! I love how she slips in to her disguise so easily. She puts everyones' lives before hers and doesn't complain about it. All of the characters were extremely developed. They had their...more

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Mar 04, 2012 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery, book-giveaway-winnter

“The Thirteenth Sacrifice,” written by Debbie Viguie, is about a dectective, Samantha, who grew up in a coven. After her coven was slaughtered when she was 12, Samantha was able to turn her back on witchcraft and try to live a normal life. Her biggest fear is going back to her former life, but as people start showing up dead, Samantha has to go undercover back into the world of witches to stop the murders.

Debbie Viguie keeps the reader on the edge of their seat from the get-go. The book begins w...more

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Oct 04, 2012 Raven rated it 2 of 5 stars

Debbie Viguie's new Witch Hunt series introduces readers to Samantha Ryan, a Boston police detective with a unique and quite dangerous past. Raised within the confines of an evil coven in Salem, Samantha is imbued with the dark powers of witchcraft passed down through generations of her family but having escaped the torment of her childhood physically, the deep mental scars remain with her. So, when a number of bodies appear marked with the points of a pentagram Samantha is called upon to go und...more Debbie Viguie's new Witch Hunt series introduces readers to Samantha Ryan, a Boston police detective with a unique and quite dangerous past. Raised within the confines of an evil coven in Salem, Samantha is imbued with the dark powers of witchcraft passed down through generations of her family but having escaped the torment of her childhood physically, the deep mental scars remain with her. So, when a number of bodies appear marked with the points of a pentagram Samantha is called upon to go undercover back in Salem to root out the perpetrators of these evil deeds and to rekindle her powers of witchcraft to foil a dastardly plot of raising a dead witch. There's also a slightly ludricous plotline involving a virus which makes members of the public see witches everywhere causing them to randomly attack other people and an obligatory romantic subplot where Samantha is drawn to the debonair owner of a witchcraft museum whose mother was murdered by the coven that Samantha grew up in. Yes...I know...

I don't know if it's just me, but I found the whole book quite unbalanced with the witchcraft storyline holding the majority of my interest throughout and being quite well written but I felt the whole thing was a little out of kilter. It was if Viguie had to keep reminding herself to juggle the demands of the horror, police procedural, and romance genres with the latter two elements feeling slightly crow-barred in at times to disrupt the fairly strong central plot. Samantha was a likeable enough character but seemed too participate in far too much naval gazing about her predicament instead of steeling herself to the task in hand and concentrate on thwarting the raising of the scaberous witch Abigail and at some points I just wanted to give her a bit of shake. However, I did enjoy the portrayal of the rites and rituals within the coven and how readily people could be manipulated into behaving in a certain way. A goodly amount of bloodshed too which is always a bonus...

So to sum up I would say that this was quite a nippy little read for me and good for getting in the mood for Halloween but the cross genre balance was a little off which marred my overall enjoyment of the book. Shame...
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Apr 09, 2012 Tori smexys_sidekick rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, horror, read-in-2012, review-for-smexybooks, urban-fantasy, series

Originally posted at http://smexybooks.com/2012/04/review-...

Favorite Quote: “I can barely live with the things I have done. How can I ask him too? “

Samantha Ryan grew up in one of Salem’s most powerful covens until a spell worked by her coven destroyed them all…except for her. Found and adopted, Samantha suppressed her traumatic childhood and did everything possible to distance herself from the evil that surrounded and embraced her as a child. Now grown and a Boston cop, Samantha is being pulle...more Originally posted at http://smexybooks.com/2012/04/review-...

Favorite Quote: “I can barely live with the things I have done. How can I ask him too? “

Samantha Ryan grew up in one of Salem’s most powerful covens until a spell worked by her coven destroyed them all…except for her. Found and adopted, Samantha suppressed her traumatic childhood and did everything possible to distance herself from the evil that surrounded and embraced her as a child. Now grown and a Boston cop, Samantha is being pulled back into that world when a series of horrific murders show that witches are once again back in Salem. As the only “witch” within the police department, Samantha agrees to go undercover and ferret out the witches and their nefarious plans.

Once Samantha arrives in Salem, she begins to “reinvent” herself into the powerful witch she would have been had she continued to practice her coven’s black magic. While there she meets a witchcraft museum owner, Anthony, who also has a personal interest at stake concerning the covens’ return to Salem. Samantha begins to infiltrate the coven; attempting to locate the high priestess, and learn the real reasons behind the murders.

Debbie Viguie’s The Thirteenth Sacrifice is a dark and intense supernatural suspense thriller with a strong police investigative feel. A heavy mal permeates the story and the descriptive prose makes for a haunting tale. It’s not often that a book actually gives me the creeps anymore, but this one did. Ms. Viguie doesn’t hold back as she sets up the storyline and main conflict. We aren’t spared the gore and horror that Samantha both endured in the past and now in the present as she finds herself placed in the middle of a supernatural war. Our heroine, Samantha, is a tough and intelligent woman, with a vulnerability that is appealing. She is one of those people who you know will sacrifice themselves to save the innocent. I enjoyed watching her come to grips with her fear of having to enter back into a world that both scares and tempts her. The magic she has buried deep inside her is a seduction that becomes easier to accept as she is forced to use her magic more in her undercover investigation. Yet, even with her powers, she isn’t an instant “fix.” She sacrifices much to solve the mystery, stop the coven, and stay true to herself.

A steady pacing kept me entertained as Ms. Viguie intertwines the main plot and backstory with no confusion or abruptness. Witchcraft and religion are a solid foundation, but doesn’t give the story a “religious” feel. Ms. Vigue does a wonderful job with explaining the differences between wiccan, black magic, and Christianity, and allowing Samantha to use her faith as a shield against the dark powers that be.

The romantic aspects are very lightweight with the potential being hinted at with Anthony but the storyline doesn’t allow for romantic entanglements. Secondary characters are well developed additions that help to carry the tension and suspense of the story. Samantha’s partner Ed and her Captain play large behind the scenes roles and bring to light deep seated prejudices that still surround witches and witchcraft. I would have liked more physical interaction with Ed since he is her partner, but the storyline explains the reasons they are separated. The witches that Samantha face are malignant human beings whose evil intents ooze off the page. Their reasons for being in Salem come to light slowly through the book and led to a climatic powerful ending that assures us that this is not overfor Samantha Ryan.

The Thirteenth Sacrifice combines all my favorite genres into one enjoyable tale that will leave you looking over your shoulder after you close the book. I look forward to reading more about Samantha Ryan and her witchy ways.

Overall Rating: B(less)

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Mar 05, 2012 Rebecca rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Supernatural/horror lovers

Recommended to Rebecca by: Goodreads Giveaway

Let me start by saying that this was a great book. It was well written, and it was fast paced from the get-go.

The story is about a detective, Samantha Ryan, who happens to be a non-practicing witch who, after being the only survivor of an attack on her clan, has found God. After a string of murdered women, all who happen to be virgins, with no tattoos, no piercings, and who are religious, she is pressured by her partner (who after the murders tells him she is a witch) and her captain (who knows...more

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Apr 23, 2012 Beth Dawkins rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

Samantha Ryan is a cop who investigates the murder of a young college student. She discovers that the victim was sacrificed using a symbol that comes from her past. She was born into an evil coven of witches, and now it looks like someone has resurrected her old coven. It is up to her to go under cover and find out what is going on, and put a stop to it before the witches raise a greater evil.

The story is easy to slide into, and went by pretty fast. Samantha spends the first part of the novel wi...more Samantha Ryan is a cop who investigates the murder of a young college student. She discovers that the victim was sacrificed using a symbol that comes from her past. She was born into an evil coven of witches, and now it looks like someone has resurrected her old coven. It is up to her to go under cover and find out what is going on, and put a stop to it before the witches raise a greater evil.

The story is easy to slide into, and went by pretty fast. Samantha spends the first part of the novel with her partner Ed. They find clues linking the murder to the coven, and along the way Samantha struggles with her dark past. Like most mystery/thriller stories—the heroine is a cop and/or detective. When it is clear that Samantha has to go undercover she struggles with the decision at first, but gives in. She vowed never to use magic again when she was adopted as a young woman, and turned Christian. Going undercover means she will have to use her powers again. Her internal struggle with what she was, and is forced to do is emotionally taxing. When she goes undercover, magic becomes a huge part of the story. Magic powers fly around with ease. She also meets a guy, Anthony, who she feels an instant bond with. There is a side romantic plot going on, but it isn’t the focus of the story, and felt a little off base.

Samantha is easy to like. She wants to take down the killers. While she can be judgmental at times she is morally sound when it comes to the big picture. Her nearly instant connection with Anthony I let slide since she was a witch, and he has a connection with her past. Anthony, I had serious doubts about. Some of his actions don’t seem organic, and the way he was there constantly to catch Samantha when she fell was a little annoying. At the end I had a ‘Samantha against the world,’ vibe. I didn’t dig it as much as I should.

The mystery/thriller story line was nice. There is a twist ending that I didn’t see coming. The pacing is also done very well. There is always a reason to flip the page, and I found the use of magic pretty neat. I wondered more than once why some humans were born with the ability to manipulate energy, and others are not. The witches reminded me of the Jedi and Sith (Star Wars reference). Where the story fell for me was in the characters. Samantha feels like the most organic character, but the story is also told from her perspective. The other characters around her didn’t feel organic. They were place holders that motivated, or demotivated Samantha to get her to point A to point B.

The Thirteenth Sacrifice as a first installment left just enough unanswered questions for me to want the next book. It isn’t an earth shattering story, but felt more like a run-of-the-mill mystery. The action is well done, and the plot as a whole is exciting. I would recommend it to someone who was into thriller/mysteries with a paranormal twist. (less)

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Mar 16, 2012 Cynthia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: goodreads-first-reads

I am conflicted. I enjoyed this book but I did not like it. The premise is quite exciting. As a child, Samantha lived with her mother and a coven of witches. She was the only survivor of a summoning gone wrong. She was adopted by a loving couple and grew up to become a police officer. She has a normal life or at least as normal a life as someone who has lived through something like this can have. When dead bodies begin popping up with pentagrams on their heads, she realizes that witches are abou...more

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Apr 04, 2012 Kelly rated it 3 of 5 stars

The Thirteenth Sacrifice is the first in the new Witch Hunt series by Debbie Viguié. In it, we are introduced to Samantha Ryan, a Boston cop who comes from a traumatic past. As a child, she was raised in a coven of evil witches and was the only survivor when they accidentally destroyed themselves. She was adopted by a kindly couple, became a Christian, and has put all that behind her, but a series of sacrificial murders draws her back into the dark underbelly of witchcraft.

Samantha struggles wit...more The Thirteenth Sacrifice is the first in the new Witch Hunt series by Debbie Viguié. In it, we are introduced to Samantha Ryan, a Boston cop who comes from a traumatic past. As a child, she was raised in a coven of evil witches and was the only survivor when they accidentally destroyed themselves. She was adopted by a kindly couple, became a Christian, and has put all that behind her, but a series of sacrificial murders draws her back into the dark underbelly of witchcraft.

Samantha struggles with her conscience but eventually agrees to go undercover in Salem, posing as a witch to infiltrate the coven that is committing the murders. Viguié does a good job of depicting Samantha’s moral crisis as she returns to practices she has shunned for many years, both to maintain her cover and to protect herself against magical attacks. Magic use is like a drug for her — the more she uses it, the more addictive it gets. While trying to keep from losing herself and her faith, Samantha must figure out what the coven is trying to do, and stop them. Meanwhile, other problems have arisen. Witch hysteria seems to have arisen in the area, to the point that people are attacking suspected witches and even Halloween decorations. And she meets a man and begins to fall for him, knowing that he’d want her dead if he knew her history.

I sympathized with Samantha in her battle with her inner demons and in her fight against the evil witches. I had more trouble, however, liking her on a more personal level. For example, she concludes that a young woman is insincere about being Wiccan based on some really shallow judgments, and later she throws a stranger to the metaphorical wolves to get herself out of a tight spot while thinking snarky thoughts about the woman’s clothes. I liked Samantha when she was facing the big problems such as elemental evil and her dark memories. I liked her less in the smaller moments that revealed more about her personality.

The Thirteenth Sacrifice is a middle-of-the-road book. The prose is simple and moves the story along at a rapid pace, and the plot isn’t revolutionary — in fact, there’s something of a retro appeal to it. It probably won’t change your life or stick in your mind forever, but it will entertain you, give you some good scares, and throw you a nice twist at the climax. If you like evil-witches plots, give this one a try.

Originally written for FantasyLiterature.com(less)

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Apr 06, 2012 Kt from A Book Obsession.. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: hardcopy, received-for-review

Review originally posted on my blog: A Book Obsession..

As a child, Samantha grew up in a coven of witches consumed by the black side of power, A coven who regularly spilled blood. Now, years later, she is the only survivor, and she struggles day to day to keep the horror in her past. Now a devout christian and a detective firmly on the side of good, she devotes her time to helping others. However, her latest case hits a little too close to home as woman are dying with ritual symbols carved into...more Review originally posted on my blog: A Book Obsession..

As a child, Samantha grew up in a coven of witches consumed by the black side of power, A coven who regularly spilled blood. Now, years later, she is the only survivor, and she struggles day to day to keep the horror in her past. Now a devout christian and a detective firmly on the side of good, she devotes her time to helping others. However, her latest case hits a little too close to home as woman are dying with ritual symbols carved into them, meaning the witches have returned. She'll have to go undercover and infiltrate the coven as she is the only one who stands a chance at stopping them. But that mean she'll have to use her power again despite her vow, and that may just break her.

Whenever I think of witches, I always picture a mixture of both good and evil, just as there are both types of normal people. I just figure that it doesn't take a supernatural power to be evil, so why wouldn't there be some good ones as well? The author does seem to brush on this as she separates the witches out from the more benevolent wiccans who believe in not harming others. The witches in The Thirteenth Sacrifice are nothing short of pure evil, with Samantha being the only possible exception, and even she struggles to stay on the side of good. The greed for power is so all consuming to them that they commit unspeakable acts, and definitely ratcheted up the creepy factor in this book.

Samantha is such a tortured soul and really quite broken. Her horrific past haunts her, threatening to consume her, but no matter how much she fights it, she cannot ever really escape it. My heart really went out to her when she was forced back into the world of power and witchcraft as it nearly crushed her, especially since it goes against everything that she believes since she converted to Christianity over a decade ago. She knew that once she opened that door, it could never be shut again. To be honest, I'm surprised she made it as long as she did without boiling over on her own. Even so, Samantha is a character you can really get behind due to her determination to not let the seductiveness of magic consume her. In fact, as she learns to control her powers as well as an acceptance of herself, she will truly become a force to be reckoned with.

While I was utterly repulsed and quite terrified of some of the things that happened in The Thirteenth Sacrifice, that did not keep me from being completely engrossed in the story. I was covered with chills as I watched things unfurl and the threat of Samantha's discovery just about killed my nerves, but that only made me enjoy it all the more. I'd recommend The Thirteenth Sacrifice to anyone one who enjoys an on the edge of your seat thriller with a major creepy factor that will utterly haunt you. The next installment as well as other Debbie Viguie novels will be definitely be going on my watch list. (less)

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Mar 21, 2012 Marsha rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

Samantha wanted to put her past behind her. She was doing a pretty good job of it as a detective when bodies started being discovered with very specific, but strange markings on them. She knew what they meant - that somehow members from the coven she grew up in had resurfaced (even though they were all supposed to be gone). Samantha decided to go undercover, finding herself back in the coven world she wanted so desperately to put behind her.

The mystery Viguie weaves is fairly simple to follow,...more

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May 27, 2012 Geri rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: won

WOW! Great book. Loved every minute of it. Debbie Viguie is my new favorite author. Can't wait for book #2 in this series. I got this book free through Goodreads First Reads.

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Mar 03, 2012 Miss Amby rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

This book was won from Good Reads' First Reads contest.

The Thirteenth Sacrifice is a thrill ride that you do not want to miss! This was the creepiest, most suspenseful book I've read in a long time.
The mystery is there, but it's pretty straight forward. We know, that a coven of witches that is practicing human sacrifice are the bad guys from the beginning. We just don't know why they're sacrificing humans, and then once we find that out, we don't know how bad it can really get. This is a book th...more This book was won from Good Reads' First Reads contest.

The Thirteenth Sacrifice is a thrill ride that you do not want to miss! This was the creepiest, most suspenseful book I've read in a long time.
The mystery is there, but it's pretty straight forward. We know, that a coven of witches that is practicing human sacrifice are the bad guys from the beginning. We just don't know why they're sacrificing humans, and then once we find that out, we don't know how bad it can really get. This is a book that I couldn't put down.

Viguie kept the action and reveals to a maximum in this book. Every time I thought I had something figured out, she'd add something else and throw me for a loop. I had what, exactly, the coven was trying to do figured out pretty early on, but I had no idea who the high priestess was. That was a huge shock, and so were her sidekicks. The Thirteenth Sacrifice is also heavy on the paranormal, and I loved that. It is light on the romance, which was also refreshing. The character developments were HUGE, especially for Samantha. She really grew and changed a lot throughout the novel.

Samantha is a strong, yet flawed character. She's broken down, but I don't believe she's fully broken. She's putting herself back together the best she can, and she faces her nightmares every day. She was raised in a coven of witches, and they were really bad witches. Her childhood entailed witnessing human sacrifices, being forced to sacrifice animals, extreme abuse from her mother and the coven leader, and coming into contact with demons (the real ones, not the figurative ones). She locked all of that, along with her magical powers, neatly away after the massacre of her coven in which she was the soul survivor. She went to the police station, and her current boss/captain was only an officer at the time (she was 12). He placed her in a foster home with a psychologist and his wife, and this family helped her heal. She is an excellent cop, and she has no problem not using her powers until murders start happening that are very obviously real human sacrifices. That is when the real character development begins. She is thrown back into the world of the coven, and she has to go back to her hometown of Salem. Samantha has to face her past and all of her greatest fears. Does she make it out alive and unscathed? Well you'll just have to read the book to find out.

Anthony grew quite a bit throughout the novel as well, and it's always nice to see a secondary character well-developed and taking part in character growth. He ended up being a better person, and I really hope to see more of him as the series progresses. The other characters in the novel, aside from the coven, weren't as well-developed, though they still had their own distinct personalities. Also, when the supporting characters changed over the course of the novel, which they did, I didn't like how they ended up. Maybe that was the point, though. It certainly didn't affect how I felt about or read the story, so maybe it didn't even matter how they changed.

The plot for this novel was extremely complicated. It was action and mystery driven. There was very little romance, and that was perfectly fine in my book. Sometimes I feel that I can't get to know a character's emotions very well if there's no romance at all. The books seem to fall flat emotionally. That wasn't the case with The Thirteenth Sacrifice. This book was still an emotional roller coaster, even without much romance. The pacing was spot on, and nothing dragged or felt rushed. It was literally one tragedy after another. Furthermore, the ending wrapped up all of the major questions of this novel nicely, but left room for a sequel. I didn't feel like I was left hanging in any means, but I can't wait to see what happens in the next book. That's how authors should end their novels. Cliffhangers are obnoxious. Also, you do find out why the book is called The Thirteenth Sacrifice. I was wondering that for awhile, but I finally found out toward the end. It's not as simple a concept as you'd think, so don't judge my inability to figure it out, haha.

The one thing I didn't like in this book is that it had a lot of religion in it. Not only Christianity, but also Wicca. The message seemed to be religious tolerance, but it was a bit too obvious. I felt like I was being lectured at some points. Religious tolerance is an extremely important thing, and more people need to embrace it. However, in the middle of a story it just gets on my nerves. It's never good to feel like the author has an agenda when crafting a work of fiction. It not only sidetracks you from the story, but it makes you feel like you're being preached at throughout the novel. I read fiction to escape reality. Therefore, I really don't want the world's problems thrown in my face while I'm reading. I'd have to recommend that Viguie either make her messages more subtle or just eliminate them all together in her next novel. It didn't offend me, but it did annoy me at certain parts.

Overall, I'd recommend this book to anyone who has a strong stomach and doesn't scare extremely easily. It's not as scary as Steven King by any means, but it is creepy and can freak you out if, say, you're reading it when massive storms are going through your area and it's the middle of the night. Yea, I did that. I still slept like a baby afterwards, but I was a bit jumpy every time it thundered for about an hour after I finished the book, haha. Anyway, this is a book you do not want to miss (as previously stated). Viguie has a wonderful voice. It's easy to sympathize with Samantha, even though the book is written from a 3rd person limited POV (following Samantha). It's suspenseful and well-written, and you won't be able to put it down until the very end. You definitely want to pre-order The Thirteenth Sacrifice today!

Check out this review and others, along with giveaways and author interviews at http://falln2books.blogspot.com! (less)

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Mar 30, 2012 Lianne rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads, 2012

I won this book through a Goodreads giveaway.

I'm not quite sure how to rate this one. I've been on a bit of a paranormal/urban fantasy kick lately, and this book fit right in. It was a bit darker and gorier than what I usually read, but I enjoyed the overall story. It was fast-paced, interesting, and easy to follow -- I read it in about 2 days.

The aspect of the novel I'm struggling with is the dichotomy that was drawn between witchcraft and Christianity. The main character, after being raised i...more

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Apr 23, 2012 Michelle rated it 3 of 5 stars

The Thirteenth Sacrifice is the first book in The Witch Hunt series by Debbie Viguie and a Signet Novel.

Blurb:

Samantha Ryan is plagued by nightmarish memories of magic and fear...of strange chants and blood spilled. Because Samantha Ryan grew up in a coven that was seduced by power and greed.

With a cross around her neck and a detective’s shield in her pocket, Samantha has tried hard to put her horrific childhood behind her. But as the last in a long line of ruthless witches, she should know that...more

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Mar 07, 2013 Fangs for the Fantasy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Samantha was a witch along with her mother, a dark witch in a powerful coven that practised the darkest of arts. Sacrifice and demons were not unknown in their pursuit of power – until she turned 12 and a horrific ritual went terribly wrong and the deeply traumatised Samantha was the only survivor.

She has a new life now. New parents, a new faith and a new job, as a cop no less. Her past is behind her. At least, she thought it was until a murdered young woman revealed a pattern of ritual murder v...more Samantha was a witch along with her mother, a dark witch in a powerful coven that practised the darkest of arts. Sacrifice and demons were not unknown in their pursuit of power – until she turned 12 and a horrific ritual went terribly wrong and the deeply traumatised Samantha was the only survivor.

She has a new life now. New parents, a new faith and a new job, as a cop no less. Her past is behind her. At least, she thought it was until a murdered young woman revealed a pattern of ritual murder victims. Dark witches were back in the area and, worse, they have ties to her old home, her old life and her old coven.

She is the only police officer who can possibly infiltrate and expose this new coven, the only person who can save countless possibly future lives – but doing so means facing the demons of her past and becoming everything she has fought so hard to avoid.

I liked this story a lot; it managed to draw me in very quickly and kept me hooked through the duration. We have some very compelling characters, a pretty original world and a plot that moves ideally.

I won’t say the plot is especially twisty; once we have an idea of what is going on after the first, say, third to half of the book, the rest is pretty guessable. I could see roughly what was happening and how the book would end once the reasons behind the murders had been unearthed – but that didn’t make the plot dull. I knew the end but getting there was still very interesting with its own revelations and explorations. I think if you’re going to write a book with an ending that is at least roughly known then it becomes important to keep the plot moving (otherwise you get the “get on with it!” sensation) and it’s important to put enough other elements in the book to keep it fascinating.

And this book succeeded on all counts. At no point did I feel the book was dragging things out; Samantha is very on target. Once the bodies are discovered she focuses on finding out how and why they died. Once that is discovered, she focuses on infiltrating and bringing down the coven. She doesn’t get sidetracked, she doesn’t twiddle her thumbs and she doesn’t curl up in a corner – she gets on with it and the book is always moving forwards

The book also had some really good twists along the way – the rage and hatred flaring up against witches turned out to be much more involved than I imagined. And we had Samantha herself confronting her buried demons of her past.

I think this book served as an excellent introduction book. The plot was good but also served as an excellent frame work on which the world could be built with it’s interesting, involved and well researched magic system and the complex protagonist could be introduced and show cased all without excessive info dumping

I did like the portrayal of Samantha’s trauma in this book. This is always shaky ground because Urban Fantasy is so full of dead or absent parents, horrific childhoods, abuse, torture etc etc etc – in fact, an Urban Fantasy protagonist with living parents and a happy childhood is really really rare; so I did look at another example with a lot of skepticism. But as far as this overused trope went, it was well done. The trauma fit the story and the character, it wasn’t an unnecessary addition just for the sake of it to provide quick and easy “development”. It was an integral part of what she was, the path she’d taken and the character she’d become.

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Mar 19, 2013 Sabina Bundgaard rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Samantha Ryan is Detective in Boston working with her partner Ed, making the city safe. Ed and Samantha been partners for two years, and they’re good friends, but there are things in Samantha’s past she hasn’t shared with her partner. Few know, truth be told.

Samantha was brought up in a coven of witches. And if you’re thinking sweet, gentle, help-your-next- kind of witch… you’re wrong. These ladies made the wicked witch from the west look nice. Samantha grew up with dark magic, learning that pow...more Samantha Ryan is Detective in Boston working with her partner Ed, making the city safe. Ed and Samantha been partners for two years, and they’re good friends, but there are things in Samantha’s past she hasn’t shared with her partner. Few know, truth be told.

Samantha was brought up in a coven of witches. And if you’re thinking sweet, gentle, help-your-next- kind of witch… you’re wrong. These ladies made the wicked witch from the west look nice. Samantha grew up with dark magic, learning that power meant everything, to never show mercy or weakness and most of all; magic is everything.

The Covens high-priestess is one power hungry witch and she shuns no means to get what she wants. This time she tries to summon a demon. In the end, Samantha is the ONLY survivor. She makes it out of the house where the summoning was held in Salem and to a police station where she tells Captain Roberts her story. Let’s just say what they met, what they saw… is not for faint-hearted.

16 years later, Samantha is Captain Robert’s detective in Boston, she has sworn to never use magic again, and haven’t for many, many years –locked her memories away from her past and changed her faith. But still, there are nightmares hunting her at night, making her waking up in cold sweat, screaming and very, very afraid.

Ed and Samantha are called out to a murder; a young girl killed in her apartment, found by her roommate. With a pentagram on her forehead.

So the hunts begin. Murder after murder, innocent after innocent turning up, leaving Samantha no choice than going undercover to take down the new coven. The question is: is Samantha strong enough to stand against the lure of black magic and will she survive it?

I loved this book. I can’t even begin telling you how amazing it is. Laurie did warn me, she told me it would keep me up all night. I should’ve listened. I started reading 10.30 pm on the couch. Barely two pages in, I quickly decided to take myself and my book to bed, because suddenly the living room was too damn dark and there were too many noises to be heard.

Debbie Viguié has created a tale about dark magic, power hungry witches, willpower and belief. I fell utterly into the story and couldn’t stop turning page after page, reading the next chapter, and the next and the next. There are so many good things in this book, Samantha being one of them.

Samantha is scared of her past, but she overcame it and has fought HARD to get where she is today. I admire her courage and strength, her will and desire to fight back and her reluctance for going back in. The internal battle she has all the way through the book is beautifully described and the way she unlocks her memories are amazing. I’ve never read anything like this book.

The fight scenes are different from things you’ve read before. Because this isn’t man-to-man combat, this is an entire coven against one person, and they’re not afraid to use dirty tricks to get what they want.

Somehow Debbie managed to get a love interest (Anthony) into the story, a twist I think is a wonderful contribution. Without knowing it in the beginning, Samantha and Anthony share something from the past. But not in the pleasant; “oh, we went to the same school”, kinda way. I’m not going to tell what the connection is, I don’t want to spoil the surprise, but its heart stopping, and the way these two circle each other, like a couple of porcupines, desperately attracted to one another and yet ready to fire off quills at the first sign of deception.

Read this book if you are ready to read something different; Something magic. Something terrifying. But be prepared. These are not Wicca, peace loving, do no harm, save the world, witches. These are dark, evil witches with magical power and numbers on their side. And Samantha is just one witch, who hasn’t used her power in over ten years and has forgotten most of what she knew, and she has very little backup. So this book comes with a warning. Don’t start reading it at night. You won’t be able to put it down and when you finally finish it in the wee hours of the morning, your heart will be pounding and you won’t sleep a wink until the sunrises!
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Oct 26, 2012 Starr Reina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Protagonist Samantha Ryan, along with her supporting characters will have you spellbound when you read this novel. I swear I think Viguié cast a spell on me. I think I’m still under it as I write this review!

Detective Samantha Ryan was born and raised a witch, but she won’t admit it. She vowed long ago never to practice again, but when Caption Roberts—her boss and savior—needs her to go undercover to bring down a coven of witches, she agrees, with great hesitation. It is her coven, the one she w...more

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Apr 04, 2012 Danielle rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: n-a-2012, to-review

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. She stared down in terror at the breaks in the circle. The circle kept her safe; the circle protected her from what was outside-but only if it was unbroken….

Samantha Ryan is plagued by nightmarish memories of magic and fear…of strange chants and blood spilled. Because Samantha Ryan grew up in a coven that was seduced by power and greed.

With a cross around her neck and a detective’s shield in her pocket, Samantha has tried hard to put her horrific childhood behind her. But as the last in a long l...more She stared down in terror at the breaks in the circle. The circle kept her safe; the circle protected her from what was outside-but only if it was unbroken….

Samantha Ryan is plagued by nightmarish memories of magic and fear…of strange chants and blood spilled. Because Samantha Ryan grew up in a coven that was seduced by power and greed.

With a cross around her neck and a detective’s shield in her pocket, Samantha has tried hard to put her horrific childhood behind her. But as the last in a long line of ruthless witches, she should know that such talismans are no match for the power of a coven that’s gone bad. And when young women start dying, only Samantha knows what the archaic symbol carved into their flesh means: The witched have returned to Salem. Now Samantha is going undercover-into a town obsessed with black magic, into her past, and into the dark, newly awakened heart of evil….

Samantha has been running from her past, trying to forget what happened to her and the coven she was raised in. Personally keeping herself from using magic, she has been working as a member of the Boston Police Department. Samantha and her partner Ed are called in on a case, a college coed was found dead at her off campus apartment. What made this one a little different was there was a bloody pentagram on the dead girls’ forehead. After a phone call from the coroner, it was determined that the pentagram was done in nail polish and not blood. After questioning the dead girls’ roommate, they get a phone call about a dead nun that was found at the local church, with a pentagram on her forehead also, which turns out to be red wax. Samantha knows something is going on, when after looking at the crime scene at the church, they go back to the college campus to investigate a third crime scene, this time it’s a male and it’s an extremely gruesome killing.

After doing some background checks on the three victims, it is discovered that the nun has a sister that is in the local metal hospital. Samantha and Ed get the chance to visit Jane (the nuns sister) during their questioning it is found out that Jane was “attacked” by these mysterious people, they wanted her blood, she was going to be used as a sacrifice, and Jane claims that she was branded. Samantha asked to see this brand mark, and she knew what it was the second she saw it. After being asked to leave the hospital, Ed basically demands to know what is going on and how Samantha knows so much about this. Samantha tells Ed the truth about how she was raised in a coven that used Black Magic and conducted human sacrifices.

Samantha knows she has to return to her home in Salem, MA. To further investigate these murders and the brand marks. Samantha doesn’t really want to do this, she wishes that someone else could investigate this, but she knows deep down in her heart that she is the only one that can go undercover and find a way into the coven to see what is going on. Despite the feelings of her Captain and her partner, she goes forward and does this on her own. Samantha somewhat steps back into her old role of using magic to find out who is behind these killings and why, using candle magic to summon members of the coven , she finds it a little more difficult to get to the heart of the matter and who it is that is running the show and why. After sometime Samantha finds out what is going on, and she is plans on putting a stop to it fast. It seems that someone wants to bring her old coven leader back from the dead and to let her finish what she had started so many years ago.

I was highly interested in this book just by reading the synopsis, having been to Salem, MA myself a few times, I wanted to see what kind of story can be done in this location and the ties to the magic that it’s known for. I have to say I was not disappointed at all. The mention of The Hawthorne Hotel, Red’s Sandwich Shop, The House of Seven Gables, and The Witch History Museum were a great reminder of why I loved going there to visit. The descriptions that were used for what was going on at that time of year were great also, since the apex of the story happens around Halloween. After reading this I really want to go back to Salem one of these days. There are a few squeamish parts in the book, they are flashbacks from Samantha’s life growing up in the coven, if being a visual type reader like myself and the thought of blood makes you queasy, I’m giving you warning now.
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