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Crushed (The Witch-Game #1)

by K.C. Blake (Goodreads Author)

3.91 of 5 stars 3.91 · rating details · 138 ratings · 82 reviews

The Noah sisters rule Titan High with their beauty, brains, and magical powers.

Each year they play a secret game: Crushed. The girls pick their targets carefully and blow enchanted dust into the boy’s faces, charming them, but this year Kristen makes a grave mistake. She chooses the wrong boy and almost dies that same day. Coincidence? Maybe.

But something isn’t quite righ...more

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Published July 13th 2011 by Smashwords and Amazon

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Apr 18, 2013 Stephanie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, self-published

Wow. This book was amazing. I was kept guessing until the end.

I very much enjoyed the characters. I liked the switching point of views from the main character, Kristen Noah, to her boyfriend, Zach Bevian. The role Kristen's sisters played was appropriate and excellent for the book. One sister in particular, Brittany, was written in such a way that her personality alone would keep you guessing at whether or not she would end up being the bad guy. And, of course, there's another person that could...more

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Mar 14, 2012 K.C. Blake rated it 4 of 5 stars · (Review from the author)

You can find Crushed here:
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/...
and here:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/BOO5CJ8H9A
Also at B&N.
Also at print at Amazon.

ATTENTION: Each Witch-Game book has a new set of characters and a new game. Kristen's story begins and ends with Crushed. Starr's story is told in Witch Hunt (released April 2012).

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Oct 17, 2012 Mae rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Crushed is different compared to other fictional witchcraft driven books. It's a light, surprisingly fun and a refreshing read. The characters showed diversity in their personality. The story is unique and amazingly good, though there were flaws along the way.

The Noah sisters are called "The Titan Royalty". They are popular. But above all they are also Witches. Witches that plays a little game called Crushed. Every year each of the girls choose a target, a boy, who they will put a spell on and...more Crushed is different compared to other fictional witchcraft driven books. It's a light, surprisingly fun and a refreshing read. The characters showed diversity in their personality. The story is unique and amazingly good, though there were flaws along the way.

The Noah sisters are called "The Titan Royalty". They are popular. But above all they are also Witches. Witches that plays a little game called Crushed. Every year each of the girls choose a target, a boy, who they will put a spell on and command them to do anything what they want.

From the past few years of playing Crushed nothing way too disturbing happened until Kristen Noah crushed the wrong guy, Zach Bevian. Ever since Zach knew what the Noah sisters are up to he planned to keep a low profile to protect his sister despite the fact that he wanted to accuse them for their wrong doing. But as the time has come when Zach was crushed, there's nothing he can do to stop it but to comply with her. Throughout their time together a lot of things unfold.

Kristin Noah is the goody-good type of girl. Among her sisters it is usually her that gets the attention of teachers and their father, because she's mostly the one being trusted in doing paper works and other stuff related to work. She started off as a self-absorbed, conceited and worrisome teen. Worrisome in a way that she thinks that her reputation is fragile as glass. But along the way, Kristen's "true" self was shown. The reasons behind her not-so-good attitude were revealed.

Zach Bevian is your typical and mysterious bad boy hottie in school Having an image of a bad boy doesn't literally mean they're evil, they also has their soft side. And Zach Bevian is one of those boys. Even though from the start it was against his volition to comply with Kristen's little joke he was still determined to follow her for his sister's safety. It was so sweet of him to be so protective of his sister, Morgan. It was because of Morgan's true identity that he restrain himself from having close friends and from falling for someone.

Brittany and Cyndi are twins. Unlike Kristen, both dressed the same and has telepathy because of their situation in life. Brittany is the moody and bitchy type of sister. She's the person you don't want to mess with. It was Brittany and Kristen who happens to fight a lot in the book. Cyndi on the other hand is the peacemaker among the Noah sisters. But there are just times that despite Brittany's wrong doings she still sticks with her in a way.

I love how the romance in the book slowly unfolds. It all started as a bet between the Noah sisters, Brittany and Kristen, that Zach and Kristen got to know each other. First off, Zach didn't have a love interest towards Kristen until such time that he meet the "real" her. Though there were times that he's trying not to like her for what they've done he can't deny what he really feels for her. Their first date was so cute!! It was so realistic, it's like a date for starters. The romance in the book even left a big smile on my face!

There were twists and turns in the story. The secret behind Zach and Morgan's true identity was truly genius! Though some happenings in the book were predictable I still manage to like it anyway. The ending was satisfying and I can't wait to read the second book in the series.

Crushed is not only a romantic read but it also talks about sister rivalry, magic-gone-bad, and the value of sisterhood. If you're looking for a fun, light, cute love story then you should try this one out!

My Rating: 4.5/5 :)

**An ebook copy was received from the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Ms. K.C. Blake!(less)

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Nov 26, 2012 Diana rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: my-favorite

I received a free copy of the ebook from the author through the We <3 YA Books! club in exchange for an honest review.

There was I just surfin’ through Goodreads looking for another good book to read when I came across We <3 YA Books! club’s ARR program. After reading the synopsis of Crushed, I just knew I had to read the book right there and then. And boy, was I glad that I did..

Crushed features Titan High’s three popular, rich, gorgeous twin sisters. But what makes them all the more wicke...more I received a free copy of the ebook from the author through the We <3 YA Books! club in exchange for an honest review.

There was I just surfin’ through Goodreads looking for another good book to read when I came across We <3 YA Books! club’s ARR program. After reading the synopsis of Crushed, I just knew I had to read the book right there and then. And boy, was I glad that I did..

Crushed features Titan High’s three popular, rich, gorgeous twin sisters. But what makes them all the more wicked is that they are witches. Every year they have this so-called game “Crushed” and they are very competitive about it. They are to put a boy under “their spell” and command him to do anything – from humiliating to risky stuff.

Crushed is told from the POVs of Kristen Noah and Zach Bevian. I always love it whenever I read a book that features alternating POV between the characters. At least then, it gives us more feeling of “connection” with the characters and we get to see who they really are and what’s going on in their minds.
It was especially fun reading the book and seeing through Kristen Noah’s eyes. She may have seemed a bit self-centered and selfish in the beginning but then as I get to read further in the book, you’d see why she acts the way she does and that she’s just like any other teenager [with the exception of being a witch, that is..] – with the same drama and problems. She’s the perfect daughter and the perfect student with the perfect grades. It is always expected of her to do great and big things – the exact opposite of her sisters. And after deciding that she’s tired of being a do-gooder she takes on a bet to “crush” Zach Bevian, one with a bad boy reputation. What Kristen didn’t know is that there’s something Zach is hiding and now she’ll get herself tangled in a mess-slash-danger she never saw coming.

It was my first time reading a book with such a unique plot, not to mention this is also the first book of Miss Blake’s that I read. It was a perfect world to be sucked into. Not to mention, the characters are all equally intriguing and very well-written. I especially adore Zach, *sigh*. He’s a gentleman and he’s really sweet and charming and awesome and gorgeous and incredible and hot and dashing[and I could name a few more but I’m afraid that would take up too much space and I won’t be able to write my review anymore]. He’s got a lot going on in his life and all that mystery and danger surrounding him makes him all the more swoon-worthy. Oh Zach.. why can’t all the guys be like you? The world would have been a better place to live in, *sigh*

Crushed is one book nobody should miss. It’s a whole package of fun, romance, excitement, danger and humor that would keep you reading until that very last page.
I honestly would have wanted more of Kristen and Zach but I heard that even though this is a series the books are stand alone. I had a great time reading Crushed though that I’d give the second book a shot and see what Miss Blake has in store for us. I’m sure it would be as great as Crushed.. I can’t wait!

I absolutely had a great time reading Crushed. Miss Blake’s writing style is one that would pull you all the way in but still keep you wanting for more.
Absolutely recommended!(less)

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Sep 01, 2011 Veronica Morfi rated it 3 of 5 stars

Kristen, Brittany and Cyndi are triplets and witches. Every year each of them picks a boy to crush with her colored dust. The boy is supposed to fall in love with them and do whatever his instructed to. But once Kristen crushes the schools bad boy, Zach, it seems that something has gone wrong. Little does she know that Zach is a warlock himself and he doesn't like beeing crushed, so he decides to have a little fun with the little witch while trying to make her uncrush him. But fate has something...more

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Sep 19, 2012 Aliaa El-Nashar rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Let's start with the C.S.T (cover, synopsis & title). The cover would have looked so much better had the black been taken off. The picture in the middle should have been the full cover, that would have made it a seriously attractive cover. Not that it's bad, but it could have used a few tweaks. As to the synopsis, it was good too. I loved it actually - it was the main reason I'd requested said book. Now, to the title, again I liked it very much, so high points on those three.

The book talks a...more Let's start with the C.S.T (cover, synopsis & title). The cover would have looked so much better had the black been taken off. The picture in the middle should have been the full cover, that would have made it a seriously attractive cover. Not that it's bad, but it could have used a few tweaks. As to the synopsis, it was good too. I loved it actually - it was the main reason I'd requested said book. Now, to the title, again I liked it very much, so high points on those three.

The book talks about the three Noah sisters. They're witches - just no one knows that. They enjoy playing a game called 'Crushed' at school. They each choose a target - a boy - who they put a spell on and force to do their bidding. The key was not to push so hard, but to have the most effect. The triplets enjoyed this game immensely until one of the girls dares responsible sister to Crush Zach Bevian who they dubbed : tall, dark and scary. In a fit of anger, Kristen does just that. Though, there seemed to be some sort of problem. Zach follows the rules, but no sign of love or devotion in his actions, he plays it hot and cold with her and she has no idea if the spell didn't take or if it broke because she asked too much of him. To make matters worse, someone seems to be out to kill her. As Zach saves her life, she starts to have feelings for him, which upsets her sister Brittany who'd been crushing on Zach for quite some time. So Brittany is out for revenge, doing all she can to make Kristen lose her social status in school from queen to outcast, but will it just be small stunts or would Brittany really go overboard as to try and kill her? Yet the attempts on her life from another side keep going and she has no idea who's behind them. To top it all off, Zach's sister hates her and is hiding something from him, that might not be so harmless as he thinks.

I loved this book. I mean, really, sister rivalry, jealousy,dares, and hot boys? I'm totally in! The storyline wasn't dark and gloomy at first, though the tone did turn that way in the end as the attempts on Kristen's life got more frequent. The writing was smooth and the pace was stable, I liked it. It was a quick fun read and the style was great.

What I disliked most about this story was Cyndi. The third sister. She was such a jerk. Though not by actively doing anything mean, but by doing nothing. When Kristen tries to defend herself against Brittany's outrageous slights, Cyndi takes Brittany's side. But when Brittany does something bad, Cyndi stands back and does nothing, she was easily the most pathetic sister ever. I mean yes, I disliked Brittany, but at least her character had cause - or what she assumed was a good cause - for her actions. I didn't even like how Kristen would forgive her so easily for the awful things she's done, though I guess her being the responsible sister I did see it coming. No wonder Kristen mostly felt alone, with her parents pressuring her to go different sides against each other, as well as sisters who didn't care much for her, I would feel so too.

But overall, a really fun read I completely enjoyed!

Rating: 3/5(less)

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Sep 05, 2012 Karon rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I jumped at the opportunity to review this book because the premise was so intriguing. Crushed centers on the Noah sisters, three witches, and their annual game. Each sister chooses a target and has to get that target to become, essentially, her love slave for the year. The three Noah triplets, Kristen, Brittany and Cyndi, remind me a bit of a high school version of the sisters in the TV series Charmed. The story opens with the rules of the game and quickly moves into an introduction of each mai...more

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Aug 26, 2012 Danielle rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was great, for me it was that type of book which was easy to read and one which I didn't want to put down. With Crushed you provided a female protagonist whom the female readers could relate to in the sense that we all have had a crush on someone but never truly understood whether the feelings were reciprocated. It also provided a sense of individualism of the protagonist to her sister due to even them being triplets she looks and acts entirely different to them in the sense of sibling...more

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Aug 01, 2012 Jedaia Rose Doñoz rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Quick. Uncomplicated. Adorable.

I finished Crushed so quick because it was that enjoyable. The concept -- witches and warlocks -- was something that I liked and not to mention that it's also a love story. Crushed was uncomplicated in a sense that despite the twists and turns of the stories, I understood them immediately and easily. It wasn't hard to accept and adapt to all the changes and revelations in the story.

The Noah sisters are witches and they have an annual game called Crushed wherein th

...more

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Nov 28, 2011 Savannah (Books With Bite) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really enjoyed this book cause of the mixture of witches and mean girls. I loved the idea of mean girls playing games and abusing their powers. The way thew gang up on the little sister and shut her down. This book lived up to my every expectation of it. I'm really excited to get into the next book!
The reader's attention is brought to these three sisters messing with magic that they shouldn't be messing with. They have rules, timing, and certain boys that can play. I like that these sisters ar...more

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Nov 04, 2011 Bonnie Lamer rated it 5 of 5 stars

Kristen and her sisters aren’t ordinary high school students. They’re witches and they have a harmless game they like to play each school year. At least, they think it’s harmless. But, when Kristen tries to charm the wrong guy, something goes terribly wrong. Is he crushed or isn’t he? If he is, then he’s acting differently than anyone else ever has. He runs hot and cold, vacillating between contempt and adoration, and Kristen needs to find out the truth before it’s too late.
Zach is the bad guy a...more

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Aug 29, 2011 Arthistorychick rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

As many of you already know Jennifer has already positively reviewed K.C. Blake’s Crushed on the blog site A Tale of Many Reviews and I have to say I am in total agreement with my colleagues assessment of this young adult novel. I found Crushed to be a smooth read with interesting characters and a fun and slightly devious plot. The Noah sisters are witches and every year they compete with one another in a test of their witchy powers. Crushed follows the sister’s latest competition which proves t...more

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Aug 17, 2011 Krystal rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a very different book as compared to the typical witches and wizards theme. The Noah sisters, the main characters in this novel, are triplets that can seem a little abrasive and careless at times. Their similarities stop there, however. Kristen is dependable and almost more of the "mommy character" while Brittany is volatile and easy to anger. Cindy calms the other two down, she is far more peaceful. The author develops these characters quite well, the reader will be able to read the cha...more

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Aug 15, 2011 Elizabeth "Liza" rated it 4 of 5 stars

3.5 Stars

'Crushed’ is a fast read that has an original premise based on a game played by three teenage witches. Is an interesting take in the world of witches and wizards. There are no wands, but instead there use their power and spells.
The characters were well developed, even if they seem to come across as very volatile and immature at the beginning. Kristen is a complex character that undergoes an incredible transformation, at the beginning she acts the way Zach assume she is: the typical spo...more

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Jul 29, 2011 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

It’s just a game. That’s what the Noah sisters-Kristten, Brittany, and Cyndi- think as they prepare to play the game one more time. However, this time the game gets dangerous. The Noah sisters are witches who are starting their senior year of high school. Zach Bevian is the guy that Kristen zeroes in on to Crush. What Kristen doesn’t know is that Zach isn’t easily crushed. He has some secrets that Kristen is unaware of. So let the games begin.

This is the first book that I have read by this autho...more

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Jul 27, 2011 ephrielle rated it 3 of 5 stars

When offered the chance to review this book I was won over by the idea of what would happen if the game went wrong. I just had to read the book and find out.

Crushed the game was an interesting idea. I wished I had gotten to see more of the game play out. It wasn't necessary of course but my inner curiosity wanted more. What would it have been like to have a boy follow you around and do anything you say. When I was a teen that would have been a dream come true. Or would it? As the book played out...more

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Aug 09, 2011 Jessica rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: for-review

When I first started this book, I wasn't sure if I was going to like it. I felt like the Noah sisters were really immature and I though they were in 7th or 8th grade but ended up being seniors in high school. So it took me a couple of chapters to actually like the characters, but once that happened I thought that this was a fun book to read. I thought it was cute how Kristen Crushed Zach on a dare and then ended up really falling for him, but magic made her doubt if everything was even real. The...more

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Jul 31, 2012 Kelly rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

***3.5 Stars***

As soon as I started reading Crushed, I knew that this was my type of book. It had everything that I liked in a book, and the only reason why I didn't give it more than 3.5 stars is because it also had nearly everything I didn't like. Now, let's start with the good.

The Good: Crushed has a little bit of everything that I always hope to see in a classic Witch book; secrets, powers, backgrounds for the characters, character development, romances (finally no love triangles!), and it k...more ***3.5 Stars***

As soon as I started reading Crushed, I knew that this was my type of book. It had everything that I liked in a book, and the only reason why I didn't give it more than 3.5 stars is because it also had nearly everything I didn't like. Now, let's start with the good.

The Good: Crushed has a little bit of everything that I always hope to see in a classic Witch book; secrets, powers, backgrounds for the characters, character development, romances (finally no love triangles!), and it kept me on my toes. Throughout the whole book I was so sure that I knew what was going to happen next, however K.C. Blake kept proving me wrong. I especially loved Brittney's character development throughout the story, and thought that she pulled that off well. Normally, when you would have a character like Brittney (typical "bad" girl), it comes off as cliche. However, the twist she pulled with Brittney at the end was very believable. It didn't seem like she just came up with the twist to finish off the story, but rather that the entire story was building up to that moment. Lastly, I also loved how K.C. Blake put the rules for the game right in the beginning of the story. I usually prefer that authors find interesting ways to explain things like the rules for the game as the book continues, however in this case I found knowing them from the beginning of the book to be much nicer.

The Bad: Now, while I enjoyed reading Crushed and many of the things about it, there were also a few minor details that I couldn't let pass me. First of all, the book has one of my top reading pet peeves - text writing. Every once in a while, you'll see a character talk using "text speak", which just got on my nerves since it didn't seem relevant to the character or the book. The second thing I didn't like, was how quickly we learned that Zach was a witch. I don't even feel the need to put that under spoiler, because you learn it within the first few chapters. I think that the book could have been much more interesting if Zach's secret was kept a mystery for longer. I also didn't see what the point really was for playing Crushed in the first place. It seemed like a fun game, but don't Seniors in High School have better things to be doing? I know that any High School Seniors I know are way too busy to be playing childish games. I mean, sure, the bet did bring some motive to the game, but what about all those years preceding the bet? K.C. Blake just didn't have me convinced there.

Over all, if your looking for a quick (took me about 5 hours) and enjoyable read, than Crushed should definitely go on your list!

(less)

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Sep 29, 2012 Jalyn rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 3-star, paranormal, ya, r2r-arc, reviewed

Brief summary
Kristen, Cyndi and Brittany are triplets and witches. Every new school year they play a game called "crushed" where they each pick a boy and blow glitter in their face so that the boys have a crush on the girls. Brittany chooses Zach for Kristen to crush and it ends up changing her life. He responds oddly to the spell and it confuses Kristen. Meanwhile, the girls think a new witch must be in town because someone is after Kristen.

What I liked
This was an interesting story. I liked tha...more

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Sep 01, 2012 Nightquest rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arr, witches, ya

~originally posted in hotcoffeebooksandchocobar.blogspot.com

*4 stars* And yet again, another try at ARR. And a very successful one as well.

A rather different take on ''sisters in magic''. The first though that sprag to mind was a mix between Sabrina and the Charmed sisters. Neither turned out to be even a bit similar. The triplets were impulsive and rather egoistic, treating magic more than a game than something important.Through the novel we wittness them grom up and realise the true value of t...more ~originally posted in hotcoffeebooksandchocobar.blogspot.com

*4 stars* And yet again, another try at ARR. And a very successful one as well.

A rather different take on ''sisters in magic''. The first though that sprag to mind was a mix between Sabrina and the Charmed sisters. Neither turned out to be even a bit similar. The triplets were impulsive and rather egoistic, treating magic more than a game than something important.Through the novel we wittness them grom up and realise the true value of the gifts they have and each other.

The action in Titan High took off quickly, becoming almost an instant page turner. I really enjoyed the unpredictability of it. After reading all kind of books, it gets harder and harder to be taken by a surprise, but Crushed managed it wonderfully. Already from the beginning it drew me completely in. At times it was cartoonishly funny. Almost anime-like. I so imagined Zach frantically spinning around, trying to find a place to spit the "witch concoction". Haaah!

Main characters are fun and different. How often have you encountered pretty and terrorising triplets in their senior year, of whom two are identical "twins"? Already promising. And it gets better. They're all so different. And the hero. He actually manages to hate the girl pretty successfully, not like other sparkly creatures, I might name. Khmkhm.They did change in the midst of the action and were not as fun or impulsive as at first, but I guess that was kind of the point.

The characters were quick. There was no beating around the bush or wallowing over a painfully obvious truths. They actually managed to act like every other sensible character would. Following them was logical. I enjoyed the interaction between the sisters. All of them had their certain role while dealing with each other. So typical and sweet.

The second half did come across a bit slower and at times, even repetitive. Still, the villain was believable and the danger kept me reading well enough. It wasn't the first time meeting a character like her, but she was well thought through. The lies and deception made her pretty scary.

In the end I can't say it enough, but the plot was made of pure awesomeness - full of giddiness and surprises. Quick and enjoyable read. Even the last chapter managed to be charmingly surprising. We had action, romance, sibling rivalry, banter, sexual tension and the plot was thick with lot of different characters. Superawesome! And it managed to be seriously scary. Everything a book needs to glue you to the pages :) (less)

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Aug 01, 2012 Adriana rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance-all-types, witches, own, ebook

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. How to play Crushed!

Each witch needs to choose a boy.
Each witch needs to prepare her own potion using the usual components.
At the agreed upon time, each witch will blow the dust like substance into the face of the boy.

One of the rules are:
No crushing on a boy you have dated, are dating of want to date in the future.

This is the game that the Noah sisters play every year, the aim of the game is to get the boy to do everything the sister say. Then Kristen suddenly decides to pick the local bad boy...more

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Aug 07, 2012 Yzabel Ginsberg rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal-supernatural, young-adult, romance, requested-reviews, magic

(Book provided through ARR #27 in the We ♥ YA Books! group, in exchange for an honest review.)

Although I didn't find this book exceptional, it made me spend a good time. Its good sides managed to balance the peeves I had with it.

The characters were fun and pleasant to read about. While they appear as cookie-cutter high school caricatures at first (the bitchy twin-nice twin pair, the perfect popular girl, the tall, dark and scary guy with a bad reputation...), they all proved to be deeper and mor...more (Book provided through ARR #27 in the We ♥ YA Books! group, in exchange for an honest review.)

Although I didn't find this book exceptional, it made me spend a good time. Its good sides managed to balance the peeves I had with it.

The characters were fun and pleasant to read about. While they appear as cookie-cutter high school caricatures at first (the bitchy twin-nice twin pair, the perfect popular girl, the tall, dark and scary guy with a bad reputation...), they all proved to be deeper and more complex people by the end of the novel, each with his or her motives to act the way they did. They had their strengths and weaknesses, and both of those played a role in how the story evolved. The relationship between Zach and Morgan was pretty touching, the 'bad boy' act being pretty much a way of keeping people at bay and protecting what was dearest to him. And I liked how Kristen managed to grow up emotionally and mentally, her experience allowing her to understand what she should do and not do.

The Crushed game itself (complete with rules stated at the beginning of the book) was intriguing, and has the potential to raise a lot of questions in the reader's mind. As in, 'would I be happy to have a boy obey my every whim like that', 'would I do it if I could', 'how would I react if I knew I had been under such a spell'... While those may seem evident to a mature audience, I think their answers aren't so obvious no matter what, especially for younger readers. And I'm always up for anything that challenges people's opinions and makes them reflect, whether they're teens, young adults or older.

I found the plot to be not overly complex, but with enough twists and turns to keep me wanting to know who did what and who was influencing who in the end. There's clearly a game of power and influence here, one that makes use of emotions and beliefs in order to deceive, and that's why the relationships between the main characters were made all the more important: if it had only rested on paranormal means, it wouldn't have been as interesting.

A few things prevented me from giving this novel a higher mark, though. First, I would really have wanted to read more about the Crushed game itself—to see more of the girls toying with people, perhaps, more of Kristen and Zack trying to fool each other, before falling in love. From the summary, I expected more in that regard. The first half of the story also had lengths, especially towards the middle. I also wondered about Kristen's reaction during her 'cold war' with her sister (shouldn't she have put up more of a fight, as the perfectionist and overachiever that she was, and not just give up like that on her reputation?). Finally, there were a couple of occurrences when I felt something was missing, and I had to read again to make sure it wasn't my mind playing tricks on me (I'm thinking more particularly about a chapter that ends with one of the sisters telling the other "your aura is black", which didn't seem to bode well... but then, the next chapter, they're sitting and talking together as if nothing had ever happened?)

That said, it's a story that has a serious potential of appealing to younger audiences. I think age also affected my views on it: it's the kind of book I'd have loved when I was a teenager, but am just feeling a little more detached from, now that I'm older. My actual grade would be more a 3.5 than 3/5.(less)

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Aug 04, 2012 Lucie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A contemporary witches story rather intended for teens.

The author addresses the issue of responsibility when you have some powers and the danger of abuse. Wanting to do things for yourself and not to please others. Face your fears and not flinch at the idea of taking risks and moving forward.

An honest and nice story but not transcendent. I was motivated after reading the synopsis on the idea of casting a spell for fun by a trio of witches on boys to make them fall in love. A spell that will no...more

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Jul 29, 2011 Debbie (at) I Heart YA Books rated it 5 of 5 stars

Crushed is the second book I’ve read by author K.C. Blake, and I’ve come to love her writing. She puts just the right amount or humor, drama, and action in, with a beautiful paranormal storyline and strong plot. Breathtaking romances. Yes, have to have romance. I enjoy and love each of her characters. She gives them so much personality and each one is clear in their own identity. They pull me right into the story. I also love the way K.C. writes from the guy and girl POV. This always makes for a...more

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Sep 12, 2012 Audrey Wilkerson rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-books-read, books-reviewed

It’s not just fun and games any more...

Kristen Noah is one-third of the Noah triplets. She’s the driven rule follower. Brittany is the snarky rebel, and Cyndi is Brittany’s shadow. Every year the three girls have a secret contest to see who is the best manipulator. Each chooses a boy to control; a boy who will do all of their bidding without question or hesitation. The girls keep it a secret because no one knows that they are witches and they use a magic potion to get these unsuspecting males to...more It’s not just fun and games any more...

Kristen Noah is one-third of the Noah triplets. She’s the driven rule follower. Brittany is the snarky rebel, and Cyndi is Brittany’s shadow. Every year the three girls have a secret contest to see who is the best manipulator. Each chooses a boy to control; a boy who will do all of their bidding without question or hesitation. The girls keep it a secret because no one knows that they are witches and they use a magic potion to get these unsuspecting males to “crush” on them. And if any of them is accused of being a witch? They will instantly lose their powers.

In a fit of pique, Kristen acts upon Brittany’s dare to crush the school bad boy, Zach Bevian. The stronger the boy, the harder it is to control him...but there seems to be something else going on with Zach. Most boys turn into puppy dogs when they are crushed; Zach does what he’s told, but with resentment. Intrigued, Kristen begins to spend more time with him. Zach has always disliked the triplets ever since he started at Titan High over a year ago. He is not affected by the charm, but plays along at first so he does not reveal any of his own secrets. The problem is, despite their initial dislike of each other, they find they have misjudged each other. But will their growing, mutual admiration be sabotaged by what Zach is trying to hide?

While there are fresh plot twists and ideas, most of this drama has been done before. I love the idea of the game, but I wish I had learned more about why they started it and what some of the previous years’ stories had been. More about the connection of their grandmother to the potion. It was easy to see where the story was going. The villain and how they became evil is a great idea; however, because it is one of the most important parts of the story, it needs to be richer and more developed. More time was spent on the two main character’s feelings for each other, which, while important to the story, moves the emphasis off of what could have been a more frightening climax.

The lack of parental involvement was unrealistic, even though it is explained away. The father is supposed to be this huge control freak, yet he doesn’t even hire someone to stay with the girls while he is away for a week here and there. I also find it unbelievable that the dad has no idea that, not only are all three of his girls witches, but so is his mother.

I need more filling to this intriguing concept for it to crush it.

3 of 5 Stars (Based on Ink and Page’s Rating System)

Genres: Young Adult Fiction Fantasy Paranormal Romance
Ages: 14 and up
You might want to know: Some use of expletives.

Crushed by K. C. Blake was published July 12, 2011 by Amazon. A free copy of this book was given to Ink and Page in return for an honest review. (less)

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Aug 14, 2012 Raizza rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I would like to thank the author for giving me a copy of Crushed for an honest review.

I had a lot of WTH moments while reading Crush. Why?

1.) Unconvincing - Evil witch? Uh, no. Psychopathic witch? Mm, no. Hot guy and hot girl? *rolls eyes* Whatever. I was not convinced and I did not clearly see or understand the reasons behind everything that happened in the book. It was like every situation the character comes across, she will welcome it with wide open arms without providing the reader a logica...more

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Aug 15, 2012 Rhomy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: magic, pnr, 1st-in-a-series, part-of-a-series, owned-kindle, friend-s-5star-reviews, i-love-that-guy, favorites, tbr-challenge

Oh my! Usually when I finish a book I have tons of things to say but this one just left me speechless!

Witches are not my favorite topic but this book looked appealing, I liked the description and decided to give it a shot!
Lucky me! Because it was totally awesome.

I would have loved a little more "Witch game", I mean, more playing between Kristen and Zach and with the other crushed boys but aside from that it was a very good book.

Original and well written, with no loose endings.

Kristen and Zach'...more

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Aug 14, 2012 Mandy Sickle added it · review of another edition

Shelves: first-in-series, read2review, paranormal, 2012, reading-diaries-reviews

The book is about three sisters who aren't your typical high school girls they are witches with special powers. Every year the girls play a game called Crushed, where the each pick out a boy to be their slave, and follow them around like a love sick puppy. This year Kristen is dead set on winning, and when her sister jokingly says that she should Crush Zach she does. Yet something is off, Zach doesn't act like the other crushed boy. As Kristen get's to know Zach she finds herself for the first t...more

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Aug 11, 2011 Reading Vacation's Mom rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Noah sisters have this game they play. It’s called Crushed. They blow magical dust into a boy’s face and then that boy follows them around like a puppy doing their bidding and falling in love with them. Ha! I love this!

The girls have had great success with Crushed in the past, but something goes wrong this time around. When Kristen Crushes Zach, he doesn’t act like the other Crush boys. Instead, Zach can break Kristen’s commands and he alternates between falling for her and hating her. Whoa!...more

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Sep 10, 2012 Kimber Shook rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Let me start off by saying this book is definitely worth your time. It is refreshing and thrilling. KC Blake is a very talented writer.

Kristen is a triplet, but not identical to her other two sisters. Brittany and Cyndi dress alike and look alike. This turns out to be a good thing for Kristen that she is nothing like them at least in the looks and personality department. However, all three are witches, each with a specialty power.

Kristen and her siblings decide to play their annual Witch spell g...more

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About K.C. Blake

Born and raised in California, I fell in love with writing while reading The Outsiders. Then I fell in love with Stephen King's writing style. I enjoy reading many types of books, but YA Paranormal is my favorite. I used to write for Harlequin under a different name. So that's my background. Exciting, no?

I have three books out now: Vampires Rule, Werewolves Rule, and Crushed.
Link to Crushed: http ...more

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Crushed (The Witch-Game #1)

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