Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “Wicked: Witch & Curse (Wicked, #1-2)” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

Wicked: Witch & Curse

(Wicked #1-2)

Nancy Holder (Goodreads Author),

Debbie Viguié (Goodreads Author)

3.62 · Rating details · 10,213 ratings · 681 reviews

Complete text of Witch and Curse in a single volume.

Holly Cathers's world shatters when her parents are killed in a terrible accident. Wrenched from her home in San Francisco, she is sent to Seattle to live with her relatives, Aunt Marie-Claire and her twin cousins, Amanda and Nicole.

In her new home, Holly's sorrow and grief soon give way to bewilderment at the strange inc ...more

Get A Copy

Or buy for

Paperback, 672 pages

Published September 9th 2008 by Simon Pulse

More Details... edit details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about Wicked, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Series I've Given Up On...

905 books — 3,508 voters

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

Best Books With Witches

1,395 books — 2,217 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

3.62 ·

Rating details

· 10,213 ratings · 681 reviews

Filter

Sort order

Apr 20, 2009 Tracy rated it it was ok

OK. My friend Mandy and I picked this up on a whim. "Cool cover" we said to each other. Little did we know it is a series that has been out since 2003 and seems to have been published by a small publishing company. The two books in the store are really the first 4 books. The final book comes out in September. Apparently there was some publishing house issues. I am telling you all of this because. I feel so sorry for the people who read this book in 2003 and had to wait until 2009 for the conclus ...more

flag 17 likes · Like · see review

Jun 23, 2010 Kumiko (Keri) K rated it did not like it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Warning: The following contains spoilers but PLEASE do yourself and favor and be spoiled.

Title: Wicked
Book One And Two: Witch and Curse
Authors: Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie

Caption on the cover: "The first two novels in the captivating series..."

Summary: Holly Cather's world shatters when her parents are killed in a terrible accident. Wrenched from her home in San Francisco, she is sent to Seattle to live with her relatives, Aunt Marie-Claire and her twin cousins, Amanda and Nicole.

In her new ...more

flag 14 likes · Like · see review

Jul 12, 2012 Micheline rated it did not like it

Shelves: dnf-did-not-finish, urban-fantasy, magic-witches-wizards, young-adult

I had high hopes for this book when I bought it. Being that I'm a huge fan of anything having to do with witches, I was excited by the premise and the write-up seemed promising. After about 100 pages though, I had to give up and stop reading. I very rarely give up on a book, but this one is sadly, a DNF. The plot was difficult to get into, the explanations on the world and it's characters were sorely lacking. I didn't care for the protagonist, and the stereotypical dark magic was disturbing and ...more

flag 7 likes · Like · see review

Jul 30, 2007 Samantha rated it it was ok

Sort of a Romeo and Juliet with witches. No real character development, I never grew attached to any of the characters and I couldn't understand why the "Romeo and Juliet" were in love at all since they spent a cumulative maybe 2 hours in each others presence over the course of almost 2 years.

The villains, the Devereauxs, have little to no sense when trying to kill the Cahor, or Cather, women. They weave these long complex spells that make all manner of monsters and goblins appear when I honestl ...more

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Apr 03, 2009 Renamski rated it it was ok

This book started out ok. With many characters and motivations it had a lot of potential. The first book was a good introduction... lots of action, star-crossed lovers, evil bad guys to destroy. But, in the second book (this book is two in one), the story begins to unravel. The main character, Holly, loses momentum in the second book. Her story line just seems to plod along. One of the secondary characters, Nicole, is actually far more interesting in this book.

The second book lost me when Holly ...more

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Nov 05, 2009 Joanne rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-urban-fantasy

Witch - I have always been fascinated as magic. As a child, I found magicians and the idea of magic just so awesome; I was in awe of Paul Daniels, he was practically a god. As I got older, my fascination didn't fade, but grew as I discovered there were real people out there who thought themselves witches. Whether or not people believe they have any power is down to each person's individual opinion, but I'm fascinated by the witches' personal beliefs. So, understandably, I was ecstatic to discove Witch - I have always been fascinated as magic. As a child, I found magicians and the idea of magic just so awesome; I was in awe of Paul Daniels, he was practically a god. As I got older, my fascination didn't fade, but grew as I discovered there were real people out there who thought themselves witches. Whether or not people believe they have any power is down to each person's individual opinion, but I'm fascinated by the witches' personal beliefs. So, understandably, I was ecstatic to discover that the fictional story of the Wicked series is based on the beliefs of those who are Wiccan - serious research has gone into this series and I think it's awesome!

So I read the first story in the first book, Witch. I really liked it! The whole idea of witches and warlocks who can perform magic and spells, as I said, is fascinating to me, so the story of this girl who not only finds out that she is a witch, but has the burden of dealing with the present day conflict based on the events of centuries past is just awesome! There are so many characters, so many POVs, six that I can remember, and so much going on, you'll be completely gripped throughout.

There are qite a few characters that play quite a big part. First there's Holly, the main character. She struggles with the loss of her parents and her best friend, and having to fit in with these family members she never knew she had. Her greif is such a big part of this story that the only other thing you know about her is that she likes horses. Amanda and Nicole, Holly's twin cousins, are completely different; nice, mousey, friendly Amanda, and vain, popular, and selfish Nicole. There's Aunt Marie-Claire, who I disliked immensely, I felt she was just so shallow. The best characters in my opinion are Jer, Holly's love interest, and his evil father Michael. Their relationship is brilliant, and finding out about their beliefs, desires and goals - they are the story for me.

To be honest, I found the story of Jer and his evil family more interesting than Holly finding out. It just felt to me that there was more research put into what Jer and his family believed and did, as they grew up knowing of their power, it was more solid. Where as Holly puts two and two together after strange things happen. That was a little odd, though. Although it took Holly a while to come to that conclusion, when she did start adding things together, she came to the conclusion of magic straight away, and automatically guessed she must be a witch. I think it would be a little more believable if she tried to believe it was something else first, or questioned her sanity. Then she tells her cousin, and her cousin believes her straight away, no problem. It just felt a little off.

What also felt a little off was the "relationship" between Holly and Jer. I have no problem with unexplained magnetism, I can deal with that, I find it quite intriguing. But with Jer and Holly, there was hardly any build up, any interaction between them before, BAM, the big deal that's happening between them is, well, happening.

The action is fantastic though! Seriously. I can't even begin to really go through it without spoiling it, but it is based on some awesome spells and chants and other things linked with Wicca. Seriously awesome story, and I'm hoping Curse will be just as good!

Curse - If Witch was great, then Curse is amazing! I absolutely loved it! Curse picks up a few months after Witch finished, and not a huge amount has happened other than the Cahors Coven has grown in strength and knowledge.

Curse is a darker novel compared to Witch, and more action packed. It’s a lot more graphic, but not sexually, rather in terms of what one does when practising black magic. You find out in the first story, but you actually see it in this book. It’s a little disturbing, which shows how great the authors’ talent is as they’re doing their job and effecting the reader. With the darker elements, you find yourself sucked into the book that little bit more.

There are so many points of view in this story, you get to see through almost everyone’s eyes at one point or another. Where in Witch the blood feud between Isabeau and Jean is explained, in Curse, we get more history, but from after the events we already know about from the 13th century to the 17th century. The history is just fantastic, the detail that has gone into it so that present day story is more understandable.

A lot of the story is the history. There is quite a bit of action set in present day, but most of the story is relating the history to now. A whole slew of great new characters in introduced in this story, involved in a connected subplot, a new coven. I can’t go into detail about them without spoiling the story, but I’m sure they will play an integral part in the future book when paths cross.

I wouldn’t say there was a resolution to this story, it’s more of a progression; both sides make moves, consequences happen, and more questions arise. This is not to say that nothing major happens, a few major things happen, but there is no definitive end to the story. All I can say is that the next book, Wicked 2: Legacy & Spellbound, is going to be absolutely rivoting! I implore you to pick up this book, it’s fantastic! ...more

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Aug 26, 2009 Ancient rated it did not like it

Recommends it for: no one

Recommended to Ancient by: Mona

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This was recommended to me by a acquaintance. After reading the works of Nacy A. Collins, Laurell K. Hamilton & J.R. Ward I can take the dark. I've got spoilers in my review, read on only if you don't care/mind.

So after reading the first book I thought that this had some potential with some interestingly and surprising dark situations for a YA novel. Clearly shouldn't be in that section at all. This is put in the wrong section and marketed towards the wrong audience. I'm not saying YA reader This was recommended to me by a acquaintance. After reading the works of Nacy A. Collins, Laurell K. Hamilton & J.R. Ward I can take the dark. I've got spoilers in my review, read on only if you don't care/mind.

So after reading the first book I thought that this had some potential with some interestingly and surprising dark situations for a YA novel. Clearly shouldn't be in that section at all. This is put in the wrong section and marketed towards the wrong audience. I'm not saying YA readers can't handle "the ugly truths of life". Just because you have a teenage hero/heroine doesn't make your work YA.

What was interesting was the idea of reincarnated souls being in the present and having to deal with their past. I feel like that was hurried along as was the introduction of characters. If you're going to have reincarnated souls, then please have a feeling of de javu or the character drawn to certain things from that era.

If your going to do flashbacks, please make them relevant to the plot. I realize that most of the historical flash backs were to show the history between the Cathors/Devereux. That's fine I get that, its just that more characters were introduced than there needed to be with all the flashbacks. I couldn't keep any of the ancestors straight and I didn't care by the end.

I found the shifting back and forth between times a bit annoying by the end of the second book. Instead of letting the reader find out who was at a location we were told. Times, dates an places are fine if your jumping around, but let the reader discover who's there.

As a practitioner of Wicca I find the "dark magic is okay" theme to be way out of line. There were no repercussions for practicing the "dark magic". Karma is not a factor here. I failed to see the lessons, if any that this was trying to get across. The biggest points of wicca is "Harm thee none, do what ye will" and Three/Ten/Hundred Fold Law [What you put out comes back to you.:] weren't even bought up. I realize that this is fiction, but come on no attempt was made to even try to keep to the ideas behind it.

The Cathors made no attempt to seek out anyone for guidance until the second book. I don't even remember any of the girls [Holly, Amanda or Nicole:] attempting to read anything about the craft.

The sacrificing of animals in this book was just passed over like it was okay or treated like a item on a to do list. Killing a animal is not done lightly I don't care for what reason.

Characterization would have been interesting if there had been some continuity from the first book. By the second book I found that the heroine, Holly had become so one dimensional and I didn't find anything to like about her at all. Hey, I like to find a reason for motives behind even my villains.

By the second book I was more interested in Nicole than any of the other characters. I found Amanda whiny and childish. Jer was stagnate, Eli a sad shadow of a lackey. Michael and Luc couldn't have been more Villian 101.

I made it through this book in three days, and I'm very likely not to read anymore of the series at all. ...more

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Oct 15, 2013 Amanda Butler rated it did not like it · review of another edition

I wanted to give this book a chance. I wanted to rate this book five stars. As I continued reading it, I was willing to overlook the simplistic writing and call it a guilty pleasure. But I can’t overlook an entire book just because the synopsis is the best part.

I’ll start with the literary tactics, which begins with the fact that this series has two authors. It’s obvious that this book is the result of a compromise between the two, as the writing styles do not match the supposed tone of the book I wanted to give this book a chance. I wanted to rate this book five stars. As I continued reading it, I was willing to overlook the simplistic writing and call it a guilty pleasure. But I can’t overlook an entire book just because the synopsis is the best part.

I’ll start with the literary tactics, which begins with the fact that this series has two authors. It’s obvious that this book is the result of a compromise between the two, as the writing styles do not match the supposed tone of the book. The overall voice of the work seems like it wants to be omniscient, but each paragraph ends up switching perspectives between characters. The main character barely had character development, and the rest of the cast fluctuated between in and out of character dialogue. The book is littered with unnecessary flashbacks that provide known, repetitive information. Allusions to Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” and Ophelia are made once each, as if the authors need to prove to their readers that they are well-read. The plot goes out of its way to specifically mention on multiple occasions the parallel between the main characters and Romeo and Juliet. Incorrect grammar becomes a distracting problem as well, an example being "Some truce's couldn't last..." (Curse, 263).

On narrowing the scope to specific events in the book, it was never mentioned how the immortal falcons of the families worked; why or how they were immortal, and how they could magically fly “in an instant” across countries. During the climax of the first book, the three witches can somehow shoot energy and lightning from their hands without it ever being explained. Later on, a ghost is so passionate with anger that he becomes a physical materialization. This writing is the result of the lack of rules in the book’s world. These rules were never established, and the world of the book thus leaves the reader confused and disappointed.

I saw only two positive aspects throughout the book. As the first, it parallels Gothic literature with the inclusion of literal daemons. The second positive aspect is the inclusion of a gay couple, whose love for each other is written better than the "love" between the two main characters who have barely spent time with one another. I was more interested in the dynamic between Eddie and Kialish than anything else.

Looking even further into the book will show the singular use of g*psy, an ethnic slur. What really made me want to throw the book against the wall was the description of a ghost dressed as a “Jamestown Puritan.” Basic history will show that the Jamestown colony in Virginia was a completely different settlement than that of the Puritans in Massachusetts. A simple search online would show this.

There is an author’s note before the beginning of the book which states that one of the authors, Nancy Holder, “explored one of the Wicca traditions under the guidance of a Wiccan high priest.” This book does for Wicca what “Fifty Shades of Grey” does for BDSM. Wicca is a real tradition, believed by real people, and yet the authors romanticize it and twist it for the sake of their cliché plot.

This book is better left closed.
...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Sep 28, 2018 Crescent Moon rated it it was ok

I can see why it gets mixed reviews, the concept is ...intriguing but the writing? Horrible.

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Jan 12, 2010 Brianna rated it did not like it

Shelves: urban-fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. (Based only on WITCH, the first book/ first half)

I can honestly say that this was one of my least favorite books I have ever read...

1) Okay, so when I read the back of this book, it seemed like a book that would be a rather light read. The summary on the back of the book seemed so far off about what this story was truly about. It's supposed to be about Holly... But it really isn't.

2) To me, it seemed like the author was trying so hard to make sense of why the Cahors and Deveraux hate each other (Based only on WITCH, the first book/ first half)

I can honestly say that this was one of my least favorite books I have ever read...

1) Okay, so when I read the back of this book, it seemed like a book that would be a rather light read. The summary on the back of the book seemed so far off about what this story was truly about. It's supposed to be about Holly... But it really isn't.

2) To me, it seemed like the author was trying so hard to make sense of why the Cahors and Deveraux hate each other that it only made things more confusing. Really, only a simple explanation was needed. Due to the way the author was struggling to come up with a decent plot, several other important aspects of the tale were left out, such as...

3) The characters were so terribly underdeveloped. I don't ever recall reading a description about what Holly looks like, and I almost always remember that. I can't even tell if she's sarcastic and witty or bratty or sweet, she just seems so incredibly FLAT... Usually if I don't like the book but the characters are amazing, I say I enjoyed the book anyway. The only two characters I'm fond of are Tommy and Amanda.

4) I didn't understand a lot of the book. Some of it just didn't make sense... It seemed so preconceived, like a bad fanfiction with tons of plotholes. A lot of this book seemed rushed to me. Like "Ladida suddenly I love Jer! Whoo-hoo!" But she never acted like it until he died. Sure they loved each other in past lives, but I feel like there's so much more the author could have done.

5) The back of the book states that it is about Holly when in reality, the POV changes so much, I just wanted to hurl the book out the window!

6) What's with the flashbacks? Was there really a necessity for quite so many? The author could have condensed that into one chapter and spent the rest of the time on some of the above issues.

All in all, I'm still deciding whether it's worth my time to read the other half of this book and the following even though I already own all of them.
...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Aug 07, 2014 Darth J rated it liked it

Shelves: witch-wizard, series, romance-ruins-good-plot

This book was recommended to me by my cousin, Gianna. I was skeptical at first because it's a YA romance and it does contain insta-love and a Capulet/Montague-like family rivalry between the main characters, but I did like the fact that this was a witch book that focused just as much on the male characters having powers as the female ones. Usually with witches you find that stories are more woman-focused and that if any men are witches/wizards, they tend to be underdeveloped side characters or l ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Sep 18, 2010 Miss_ rated it really liked it

Shelves: finish, nota-4

Es mi primer libro que leo en ingles integramente y me ha costado
un poco leerlo, pero porque no estoy habituada, poco a poco
harè mejor las reseñas de libros en inglès.
E de comentaros, que es el primer libro que leo de Nancy
y me dejo¡¡¡asombrada¡¡se nota que tiene tablas y que
ha escrito muchos libros, su estilo, su forma de narrar las cosas
y lo que pasa me encantaron.
La historia es sencilla pero te atrapa desde el primer momento
la hermana del padre de Holly ,Marie Claire no se hablaba con este pe ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Dec 17, 2009 Elizabeth rated it really liked it

As a lover of all things magic and fantasy fiction, I absolutely loved these books. The Wicked Series takes its readers into the world of witches and warlocks, ancient battles with modern rivalries, and soulmates. It was a thriller, tragedy, romance, history, and even at times a comedy. It integrated magic into the everyday real world of a normal girl. I really enjoyed reading these. I finished all four books in just two days (obviously I have no life).

As I am a bit more conservative, I don't th ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Nov 08, 2010 Heather rated it it was ok

No matter how hard I tried I just couldn't really enjoy this book. I think that the overall story was an awesome concept but the delivery was crap. There are way too many characters so it makes it in credibly difficult to keep track of whose who and when. Well I guess the main characters stay the same but they jump back and forth through time and some people remain the same while other change and it just gets utterly confusing. I also didn't like the writing style, I dobnt really know how to des ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Oct 16, 2017 Yoru || ~Cyanide Latte~ rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: nobody ever.

Shelves: dear-god-the-tropes, i-actually-hated-this, oh-so-edgy, what-a-letdown, lgbtq-characters, the-horror-we-do-not-speak-of

This book is absolute garbage and here's a long rant about why.

(view spoiler)That was why I originally DNF'd this book.

Fast-forward to present-day. I wanted to give this book a second chance bec ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Jul 07, 2018 Annika rated it liked it · review of another edition

I mean, the first book is essentially like
My parents are always fighting, that sucks. Now let's swing wildly over to these people that we won't find are related until later in the book Dealing with my parents fighting is tough, but at least I have my best fr-MORE INFORMATION ABOUT UNKNOWN CHARACTERS IS BEING FLUNG AT YOU-iend, which is nice, and Oh No! Water turbulence! Now everyone but me is going to HEY GUESS WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW THESE PEOPLE BUT YOU KNOW MORE ABOUT THEM THAN THE MAIN CHARACTE ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Nov 27, 2017 A rated it did not like it

Picking up these books, I expected something good, based on the synopsis. Instead, I got something truly awful. I'm sorry, but this is a terrible excuse for a book. Warning: long review because I've really got reasons for disliking this. If you so wish to just see my reasons and not the reasoning, look at the following paragraph.

It had a plotline that went all over the place, the characters were flat, there were no consequences for horrible actions, a romance that was completely unrealistic, go ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Feb 16, 2010 Angelic Zaizai rated it really liked it

Shelves: ghost-djinn-witch-fairy-immortal-de, non-terjemahan

udah hampir setahun dibeli, akhirnya dibaca juga, soalnya ntar keburu terbit terjemahannya hahaha

Ini dua buku yang dijadiin satu...jadi tebel gitu deeh.
Tentang permusuhan antara dua keluarga: witches (Cahor) dan warlock (Deveraux).

Buku Pertama Wicked

Menceritakan asal mula dendam membara di antara kedua keluarga.
Jean Deveraux dan Isabeau Cahors dijodohkan dengan harapan mendamaikan masing-masing keluarga, apalagi jika telah memiliki anak.
Tapi ternyata both families punya agenda masing.
Dan berakh ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Nov 02, 2017 Wren [t(he)y] rated it really liked it

Shelves: theme-magic

this review can also be found at http://fortheloveofbooksreviews.blogs...

Holly Cathers is devastated when her parents and best friend die in an accident. Expecting to move in with her dead best friend's mother, her aunt comes forward, and her friend's mother falls ill suddenly. With no where else to go, she moves to Seattle to live with her aunt, uncle, and two cousins.

When it seems that life can't get any more bleak, she discovers that she is a witch from a powerful magical bloodline....and th ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jun 19, 2015 Martha rated it did not like it

El plot era interesante pero las autoras no supieron aprovecharlo.

Los padres de la protagonista mueren y ella piensa que se queda huérfana, cosa que no es cierto ya que tiene una tía que nunca había visto, por diversas razones se tiene que ir a vivir con ella y su familia. En su nueva casa empiezan a suceder cosas extrañas, Holly (la protagonista) tiene alucinaciones, siente que la persiguen y hay un chico por el cual siente una gran atracción.

Resulta que la familia de nuestra protagonista es d El plot era interesante pero las autoras no supieron aprovecharlo.

Los padres de la protagonista mueren y ella piensa que se queda huérfana, cosa que no es cierto ya que tiene una tía que nunca había visto, por diversas razones se tiene que ir a vivir con ella y su familia. En su nueva casa empiezan a suceder cosas extrañas, Holly (la protagonista) tiene alucinaciones, siente que la persiguen y hay un chico por el cual siente una gran atracción.

Resulta que la familia de nuestra protagonista es descendiente de los Cahors, una familia de brujos muy poderosos que existió hace seiscientos años. Holly descubrirá cual es su misión en esta vida y quién es Jer, el chico que llama su atención, también, tendrá que cargar con el odio de los Deveraux. Holly tiene que estar lista para la gran guerra de magia entre brujos que se avecina.

Ok, como ya lo dije las autoras no desarrollaron bien el tema. Cuando comienzas a leer el libro no entiendes nada, no tiene una introducción, te meten al trancazo. Hicieron mucho uso de los flashbacks pero no de la manera adecuada. Estás leyendo que Holly está sentada en la sala y de repente tiene una "alucinación" ok, el problema es que no te da referencias de que cambiaste del presente al pasado y eso hace que te confundas horrores. No te explican los hechizos que los personajes hacen, cuando ves según ya están cantando para invocar no sé qué cosa, no hay una explicación del por qué las familias se odian ¡no hay nada! Casi todo el libro es texto y muy pocos diálogos, y si lo hay son fríos. Los personajes son muy planos, no sientes simpatía por ninguno y casi todos terminan muertos. Sinceramente no hay sentimientos en la historia todo pasa muy rápido, las autoras quisieron hacer mucho y terminaron haciendo nada. Supuestamente los protagonistas ya tienen una historia de amor por lo que pasó hace seiscientos años, pero en el presente apenas y cruzan una mirada y se están besando ¿qué es eso? Ni siquiera interactúan.
Y para terminar la traducción está espantosa, tiene faltas de ortografía, algunas palabras están separadas cuando no deberían, hay pensamientos de los personajes narrados en tercera persona no, no, no. Inclusive tienes que adivinar cuando están hablando y cuando no, porque le hace falta los guiones. No voy a continuar con esta saga, tan sólo eran 281 páginas del primer libro y sentí que tenía el doble. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jun 12, 2008 Scribblegirl rated it did not like it

Recommends it for: readers of fantasy and fans of magic & witchcraft.

Shelves: chicklit, scifi-and-fantasy, mean-teens, promiscuity, meh, teen-reads, girl-power

The first half, Witch, is fairly good. The second half, Curse, is tedious, boring, sophomorically written and riddled with cliches, and reads like nothing so much as a Charmed ripoff written in the BTVS vernacular, albeit one in which the heroine is evil. It's not really a YA novel. It deals with more adult themes, and editors, writers, and publishers all need to learn that just because a book has a teenaged protagonist doesn't make it a young adult novel. Definitely NOT for the preteen (or prob The first half, Witch, is fairly good. The second half, Curse, is tedious, boring, sophomorically written and riddled with cliches, and reads like nothing so much as a Charmed ripoff written in the BTVS vernacular, albeit one in which the heroine is evil. It's not really a YA novel. It deals with more adult themes, and editors, writers, and publishers all need to learn that just because a book has a teenaged protagonist doesn't make it a young adult novel. Definitely NOT for the preteen (or probably early teen) set. Coming at this review as one who works in a bookstore and is often asked about the teen novels, I would not be inclined to recommend this for a variety of reasons, to whit:
1. Deals with black magic as if that's normal and completely fine, and white magic is for the weak. Even the "good guys" practice black magic and sacrifice things, and frankly, I would NEVER in a million years recommend this to 99% of the customers asking me for books for that reason alone. Most of them are people who are fine with Harry Potter, but worshipping the devil, sacrificing cats and using magic to murder and get ahead rather puts them off, especially when there are no real repercussions or lessons learned from it.
2. The subject matter is very dark and adult and deals with extramarital affairs and a relationship in which a 17 year old girl is sleeping with her college boyfriend - who happens to be evil. Also, murder abounds as the norm. Frankly, Lois Duncan has done all this before and done it better. And in way fewer pages. Jeebus, yawn. I skipped mass portions of Curse, I was just so sick of it. It could have easily been half as long as it was.
3. There's no real girl power in this at all, which is surprising for a book that's supposed to be about a girl and her witchy female cousins who are all descended from a long line of powerful witches.

I'm sure there's more, but I finished it a couple of days ago and am really just so over it now. Basically it boils down to go get yourself some Lois Duncan instead. You'll be much happier and way more creeped out. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Mar 21, 2014 Noelle Skaggs rated it really liked it

I really do love this book. The cover itself caught my attention. Witch is a great gateway to learn a little about Wicca, but also enjoy a nice nonfiction story. The story plot caught my attention and it was quite the adventure the entire time I was reading. I will admit it was a bit boring at first. None the less, it was a beautifully crafted book. It caught my attention and made me cry, scream in frustration, and laugh. Good job Nancy Holder. I cried like a small child who dropped their ice cr ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Sep 02, 2012 Jay Michael rated it liked it

Refreshing. The only wold that can come to mind to this book. I did quite enjoy this book for several reasons, the main being it revolved around witches. The societal values between the Deveraux and the Cahors seemed too--Romeo and Juliet. The quarrels and the blasphemy between these families is based purely on GREED and POWER, not whats good and bad. Neither family showed a sense of justice.

Preceding to present day, there are many scenes that leave question marks riddled inside my head. I don' ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Sep 08, 2018 Your Common House Bat rated it did not like it

Shelves: action, annoying-main-character, demon, death, don-t-waste-your-time-like-i-did, fantasy, fiction, lame-book, magic, paranormal

Honestly this book was so bad, I quit after book 1 of 2. I just can't picture myself sitting trough 300+ pages more of this. Tbh it was almost laughably bad. The worst part is I loved the premise and it had a satisfying amount of gore and disturbing imagery but the writing fell flat and the overall execution failed horribly. The dialogue is what killed me the most, I hated it beyond hated it. Tommy's in particular made me cringe every single time. To name some examples;

- "Hey hi Mani-chan." Like ...more

flag Like · see review

Jan 19, 2010 innae rated it did not like it

Recommends it for: no one

Shelves: witch

This book was given to me by a friend after she couldn't read past the sacrifice of the falcon. The first book in this double set is Witch -- and EW. I am saddened by the teens who may come away from reading this book and thinking that Wicca is about sacrificing animals and people, that we are an evil lot -- This first book focused on so much EVIL that I did have some trouble getting through it. Beyond that, it seems to jump near the end...teen angst, teen angst, OMG we are all witches -- althou ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Oct 22, 2010 BookLoversLife rated it really liked it

I have to say Ive read a lot of witch books but none that are so dark and that have so much dark magic in it. I really enjoyed it though.
In Witch while I found the book confusing at first, because it seemed to switch from one POV to another with no warning, I still loved the story. Holly is a likeable character and even though Jer Deveraux is one of the bad guys I still really liked him.
In Curse its everything Witch was but more!! This time I wasn't confused at all and the story flowed really ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Oct 20, 2014 Lisa James rated it liked it

This 2 book volume is the first 2 books in a 5 book series. Engaging, fast paced, interesting. The storyline centers around Holly Cathers, a girl who has everything planned out. She is getting ready to start her senior year of high school, has plans with her best friend, etc. On a summer trip with her parents, her world turns upside down when a whitewater rafting trip turns deadly. Holly is the only survivor, & even she herself is nearly killed. She goes to live with her aunt & uncle in ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jun 05, 2010 Tianna L. rated it it was amazing

I just finished this series and it was really good. If you're one of those Twilight fans anticipated about the release of BD, this will sure keep you occupied. This book's main theme is witchcraft and wicca. It's protagonist is a girl who's parents and best friend has died in a boat accident. She goes to live with an aunt who she never knew existed. Throughout the story the protagonist comes to realize that she is a witch and someone is out to kill her and take her powers. I highly recommend thi ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

May 02, 2016 Anthony Hake rated it did not like it

Honestly appalled I made it as far as finishing the book. I'm by no means a heavy critic, but man this one was just acidic to the mind. Barely any character development (whatever is there is measured by huge unexplainable jumps in ability), blindly driven by a loose plot with hardly any structure besides flashbacks to events relating to the characters ancestors. The transition of perspectives was so frequent and unorganized it added to the difficulty of enjoying the book. I stuck through until t ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Aug 03, 2012 Rhiannon Poirier rated it it was ok

I really wanted to like this book, it was very nicely set up a lot of intrigue, but was an incredible let down in the long run. The editing was terrible, I constantly found mistakes and not 'your' vs 'you're' grammatical errors but missing apostrophes, ending quotes, and the story gets mixed up the farther into the series you get. I would suggest the first book if you are really interested but I caution going further.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
How real was Isabeau and Jeans's love?	2	6	Jun 04, 2013 01:41PM
Thoughts and Opinions	2	13	Sep 08, 2012 08:12AM
What's the Name o...: witches [s]	4	45	Nov 27, 2011 07:56AM

Readers Also Enjoyed

Genres

Young Adult

264 users

Fantasy

233 users

Fantasy > Paranormal

124 users

Paranormal > Witches

104 users

Fantasy > Magic

83 users

See top shelves…

About Nancy Holder

Nancy Holder

2,203 followers

Nancy Holder, New York Times Bestselling author of the WICKED Series, has just published CRUSADE - the first book in a new vampire series cowritten with Debbie Viguie. The last book her her Possession series is set to release in March 2011.

Nancy was born in Los Altos, California, and her family settled for a time in Walnut Creek. Her father, who taught at Stanford, joined the navy and the family t Nancy Holder, New York Times Bestselling author of the WICKED Series, has just published CRUSADE - the first book in a new vampire series cowritten with Debbie Viguie. The last book her her Possession series is set to release in March 2011.

Nancy was born in Los Altos, California, and her family settled for a time in Walnut Creek. Her father, who taught at Stanford, joined the navy and the family traveled throughout California and lived in Japan for three years. When she was sixteen, she dropped out of high school to become a ballet dancer in Cologne, Germany, and later relocated to Frankfurt Am Main.

Eventually she returned to California and graduated summa cum laude from the University of California at San Diego with a degree in Communications. Soon after, she began to write; her first sale was a young adult romance novel titled Teach Me to Love.

Nancy’s work has appeared on the New York Times, USA Today, LA Times, amazon.com, LOCUS, and other bestseller lists. A four-time winner of the Bram Stoker Award from the Horror Writers Association, she has also received accolades from the American Library Association, the American Reading Association, the New York Public Library, and Romantic Times.

She and Debbie Viguié co-authored the New York Times bestselling series Wicked for Simon and Schuster. They have continued their collaboration with the Crusade series, also for Simon and Schuster, and the Wolf Springs Chronicles for Delacorte (2011.) She is also the author of the young adult horror series Possessions for Razorbill. She has sold many novels and book projects set in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Saving Grace, Hellboy, and Smallville universes.

She has sold approximately two hundred short stories and essays on writing and popular culture. Her anthology, Outsiders, co-edited with Nancy Kilpatrick, was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award in 2005.

She teaches in the Stonecoast MFA in Creative Writing Program, offered through the University of Southern Maine. She has previously taught at UCSD and has served on the Clarion Board of Directors.

She lives in San Diego, California, with her daughter Belle, their two Corgis, Panda and Tater; and their cats, David and Kittnen Snow. She and Belle are active in Girl Scouts and dog obedience training.
...more