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The Witch Within Her
A possessed child is caught in a war between witches!Spanning centuries of horror and witchcraft, the powerful sequel to Taken By Witches tells how the great Babcia Czarownica must do battle with far more seductive members of her craft. She must confront a lustful priest, a predatory lover, a vengeful undead beauty, and the unspeakable evil hiding at the top of Rapunzel’s Tower... all to save her beloved grandson and his family. And she must accomplish all this while sharing the body of an eight-year-old girl.
402 pages, Paperback
Published May 11, 2017
About the author
Nick Iuppa
31 books141 followers Nick Iuppa is also known as Nicholas Victor.
Always wanted to work in the movies. College got me an internship at MGM, and I worked on TV specials with Dr. Seuss and Chuck Jones (creator of the Road Runner). Became good friends with both of them. Later wrote for the Wonderful World of Disney. Went to Paramount Pictures where I designed internet entertainment and built Hollywood-style training simulations for the military. But the movie business made it hard to express my own personal creativity. (Too many decision makers). So, I started writing novels so that I could control everything. My first sci-fi novel was about a high tech simulation that was invaded by vampires. Wrote others inspired by Stephen King's deep, creepy characters. Now I work with a writing partner, John Pesqueira, and things are much simpler, only one person to argue with. I love developing characters and letting them tell me where the story is supposed to go. These days, my one of my favorite people is Babcia, the five-hundred-year-old witch who is the power behind all the goings on in 1960's Hollywood animation storytelling and in Zakopane Poland... gateway to Rapunzel's Tower where Adolph Hitler once spent a horrific night. Check it out along with my latest blog posts at www.nickiuppa.com
Always wanted to work in the movies. College got me an internship at MGM, and I worked on TV specials with Dr. Seuss and Chuck Jones (creator of the Road Runner). Became good friends with both of them. Later wrote for the Wonderful World of Disney. Went to Paramount Pictures where I designed internet entertainment and built Hollywood-style training simulations for the military. But the movie business made it hard to express my own personal creativity. (Too many decision makers). So, I started writing novels so that I could control everything. My first sci-fi novel was about a high tech simulation that was invaded by vampires. Wrote others inspired by Stephen King's deep, creepy characters. Now I work with a writing partner, John Pesqueira, and things are much simpler, only one person to argue with. I love developing characters and letting them tell me where the story is supposed to go. These days, my one of my favorite people is Babcia, the five-hundred-year-old witch who is the power behind all the goings on in 1960's Hollywood animation storytelling and in Zakopane Poland... gateway to Rapunzel's Tower where Adolph Hitler once spent a horrific night. Check it out along with my latest blog posts at www.nickiuppa.com
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 19, 2022
Dark and Twisted
I received this book as a gift from the author. His generosity is second to none!
This book is full of consuming intensity! It is extremely vivid and explicit. I really enjoyed reading it. The characters are well developed and some of them were even more likeable this time around. As with the first book, this has a story within the story which I always enjoy. It's just a lot of fun to read! The plot has many layers but is not overly complex. I felt like it was easy to follow. The author's descriptions seemed well thought out and were stunning. My favorite character is definitely little Joy! She is super sweet and cute but at the same time, tough and wise and irrepressible. She's able to withstand and recover rather quickly from whatever rough situation she happens to find herself in. Goodreads says this is book 2 of a trilogy. I'm not sure if the third book has been written yet but I very much look forward to reading it. Books one and two are both amazing from start to finish! I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a well told, graphic story with many horror elements throughout.
I received this book as a gift from the author. His generosity is second to none!
This book is full of consuming intensity! It is extremely vivid and explicit. I really enjoyed reading it. The characters are well developed and some of them were even more likeable this time around. As with the first book, this has a story within the story which I always enjoy. It's just a lot of fun to read! The plot has many layers but is not overly complex. I felt like it was easy to follow. The author's descriptions seemed well thought out and were stunning. My favorite character is definitely little Joy! She is super sweet and cute but at the same time, tough and wise and irrepressible. She's able to withstand and recover rather quickly from whatever rough situation she happens to find herself in. Goodreads says this is book 2 of a trilogy. I'm not sure if the third book has been written yet but I very much look forward to reading it. Books one and two are both amazing from start to finish! I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a well told, graphic story with many horror elements throughout.
June 18, 2017
Another very exciting book by Nick! I am always excited to read books by this author. I love how the author reminded us about where we left off in the first book and what happened. We learn more about Babcia and there are great twists and turns in this book. I like the face pace of this book and how things progressed through the book. I didn't want to put this book down and I had to read more. * I received this book from the author and this is my honest review*
November 23, 2017
I usually don’t read horror, but I had to continue the story after reading the first book (a summary is included for those who didn’t read it or want to brush up on it.) This sequel perfectly continues the story. There were more insights into Babcia, the powerful witch whose goal is to protect her grandson, Niko even beyond death. It made me fear for his wife, Holly who loves him but feels neglected and is tempted by other men. In the meantime, other witches are following their own agendas trying to thwart Babcia. I found the inclusions of the Hansel and Gretel and Rapunzel legends great additions to the story. There are lots of twists and turns, and Iuppa does a great job at keeping the story flowing. I frequently kept reading long after I told myself I had to stop. If you’re intrigued by witches, this is the book for you. I really had no idea how it would end and the ominous tone left me wondering what would happen if the series continues. I received an ARC and this is an honest review.
April 4, 2017
Thank you to the author, Nick Iuppa, for gifting me with a copy of The Witch Within Her in exchange for an honest review!
This book was a bit better for me in terms of character development and plot clarity compared with the first one.
1. The characters. I enjoyed most all of the characters this time around. Perhaps it's because I've spent more time with them, but there was also more situations presented that revealed their traits and thoughts. I continued to love Babcia (the 'evil' witch whose goal is to protect her grandson, Niko, from pain and suffering and death) and all her complexity. I loved how she took sometimes unpopular actions to protect him and also showed a soft spot towards his daughter, Joy. Niko, Joy, and Holly grew on me as well. Joy especially as we really get an in depth look at her character and how she deals with living with Babcia inside her. Holly, Niko's wife, undergoes some difficult decisions (more life related than witch related) concerning her fidelity to Niko and I truly enjoyed the chapters from her POV.
2. The plot. I liked the plot this time around much more as well. It was much more clear what the goals of the witches were concerning Niko and Babcia. This book is fairly fast paced most of the time so you really have to be ready for it although there are quite a few moments were things slow down considerably. This book takes place over a shorter time span than the first book and I think the author made the right move as it clarified the main goal and kept me focused on the string of events and the relevancy of each event.
3. The witches. We learn a little bit more about the world of witches in this book although it still wasn't as comprehensive as I would have liked. I wish there would have been some connection or communication network or history or something that would have demonstrated that the witches are all connected. As it stands, there just seem to be bubbles of covens and each isn't really aware of the others. I did enjoy hearing more about Babcia's past (she's 800 years old so there's some history there!) and how her past influences her current views.
4. The romance/subplot. Like I said above, there was a bit of a subplot going on with Niko and Holly's relationship which I enjoyed. It tied in some 'true' real-world elements that helped cement this story to reality and make it more fleshed out. Niko and Holly have problems that many real life couples have and struggle with every day.
The Final Verdict:
The characters, plot, and romance are all wonderfully developed and fleshed out. I do wish there would have been more connection in terms of the witching world although I did immensely enjoy hearing about Babcia's past.
4 stars
This book was a bit better for me in terms of character development and plot clarity compared with the first one.
1. The characters. I enjoyed most all of the characters this time around. Perhaps it's because I've spent more time with them, but there was also more situations presented that revealed their traits and thoughts. I continued to love Babcia (the 'evil' witch whose goal is to protect her grandson, Niko, from pain and suffering and death) and all her complexity. I loved how she took sometimes unpopular actions to protect him and also showed a soft spot towards his daughter, Joy. Niko, Joy, and Holly grew on me as well. Joy especially as we really get an in depth look at her character and how she deals with living with Babcia inside her. Holly, Niko's wife, undergoes some difficult decisions (more life related than witch related) concerning her fidelity to Niko and I truly enjoyed the chapters from her POV.
2. The plot. I liked the plot this time around much more as well. It was much more clear what the goals of the witches were concerning Niko and Babcia. This book is fairly fast paced most of the time so you really have to be ready for it although there are quite a few moments were things slow down considerably. This book takes place over a shorter time span than the first book and I think the author made the right move as it clarified the main goal and kept me focused on the string of events and the relevancy of each event.
3. The witches. We learn a little bit more about the world of witches in this book although it still wasn't as comprehensive as I would have liked. I wish there would have been some connection or communication network or history or something that would have demonstrated that the witches are all connected. As it stands, there just seem to be bubbles of covens and each isn't really aware of the others. I did enjoy hearing more about Babcia's past (she's 800 years old so there's some history there!) and how her past influences her current views.
4. The romance/subplot. Like I said above, there was a bit of a subplot going on with Niko and Holly's relationship which I enjoyed. It tied in some 'true' real-world elements that helped cement this story to reality and make it more fleshed out. Niko and Holly have problems that many real life couples have and struggle with every day.
The Final Verdict:
The characters, plot, and romance are all wonderfully developed and fleshed out. I do wish there would have been more connection in terms of the witching world although I did immensely enjoy hearing about Babcia's past.
4 stars
June 15, 2017
The Witch Within Her is the second book and continuation of the story of one of the greatest and powerful witch, Michalina/Babcia Czawonica. Babcia takes on old enemies, Clara and Mother Black, who are determined to destroy Babcia through her beloved grandson. My favorite characters are Babcia and her eight year old great-granddaughter Joy Madonnie. Niko Madonie is a weak man who is constantly having to be protected and rescued by his grandmother, Babcia, because of his indecision and lack of communication with his wife Holly, a serial cheater. Even the smarmy warlock, Pan Wictor, has more appeal than Niko. I would love to know more about the Spell of Becoming and seeing Babcia bring justice to the witch-hunters and their descendants who caused her so much sorrow when she was but a teen girl. I hope that a third book is planned to bring this story full circle.
October 29, 2022
Babcia is back! The Madonie family has grown financially and welcomed a delightful daughter named Joy into their lives. But all is not what it seems on the surface. Holly, growing increasingly neglected by Niko, turns attention to other men. This angers Babcia greatly and she seeks her revenge by taking over Joy's mind. Meanwhile, her old enemies have surfaced to overthrow Babcia and claim the title of the greatest witch of all.
I enjoyed getting to learn more about Babcia. This book is even better than the first, getting into the heart of the story and increasing in plot twists. There is something about Babcia that fascinates and terrifies. Nick Iuppa has an extraordinary ability to scare you just enough that you want to continue to satisfy your curiosity about her.
I recommend this book for witch fans. Don’t be fooled by the touches on the stories of Rapinzel and Hansel and Gretel, this book is not for the faint of heart. I can’t wait to find out what will happen with Babcia next!
I enjoyed getting to learn more about Babcia. This book is even better than the first, getting into the heart of the story and increasing in plot twists. There is something about Babcia that fascinates and terrifies. Nick Iuppa has an extraordinary ability to scare you just enough that you want to continue to satisfy your curiosity about her.
I recommend this book for witch fans. Don’t be fooled by the touches on the stories of Rapinzel and Hansel and Gretel, this book is not for the faint of heart. I can’t wait to find out what will happen with Babcia next!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews