The Coven: Fire and Ice

by Verdell Walker

After her clique's bullying causes a classmate’s suicide, Kat Grey trades the vicious world of the California “in crowd” for the chance to become a better person in Massachusetts. But when she steps in to protect a classmate from being bullied, Kat sparks a war with Hannah, Milton Academy’s resident Queen Bee. Kat’s courage and compassion attract the attention of Blaze Ward, Hannah’s ex-boyfriend. As they fall in love, Kat discovers that Blaze is more than the boy next door. He’s a warlock. He is also the leader of an in-crowd like no other – the Brotherhood, five young warlocks charged with defending witches and humanity from a demonic adversary named Seth. Kat challenges Blaze to become a better man and leader while he helps her find redemption as she makes it her mission to stop bullying at Milton. But when Hannah teams up with Seth to destroy her, Kat becomes a hostage in the age-old war between the Brotherhood and their greatest enemy. Saving Kat will require more than Blaze’s strength and skill; it will mean breaking one of his kind’s most sacred laws. Blaze will have to make a his honor or Kat’s life.

Genres: Paranormal

454 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Sheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a lot going on. You have the beginnings of your typical romance - girl and boy meet, girl and boy fall in love - but The Coven has so much more thrown in to the tangle, including witches and warlocks with some pretty amazing powers, a jealous ex-girlfriend, an evil minion intent on destroying humankind and controlling the world, and some wickedly awesome action-packed fight scenes.

Kat moves to a new school for a fresh start and makes some new friends, and a few enemies. She falls hard for Blaze (but hey, who wouldn't?), and they have to fight against the odds to stay together. Kat is an amazing character. She is strong, independent, and does not follow the crowd. Though this was not always the case and it is not always the easiest thing for her, she is determined to make herself a better person. Blaze is used to girls throwing themselves at him, so when Kat doesn't, he definitely takes notice. Blaze is a nice guy, though he finds out he is not perfect. I have gotta say, he has got some amazingly awesome friends. I love those guys! I am very much anticipating learning more about them in future books, especially Q and Cody; they are my favorites.

The Coven also takes on some very tough social issues, such as bullying and suicide. There are more issues incorporated into the story, but these are the two foremost. As I said, there is a lot going on, but the author was able to weave it all together into an engaging tale that was really fun to read.

I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Sadrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Coven is a what I'd call perfection. I know, I know ─ "Nothing is perfect" ─ but The Coven is as close to perfection by my standard.

First of all, the book itself can be divided into three different stories. One of an ex-queen bee who changed ways and decided to fight against all type of bullying due to reasons that traumatized her; second is a romantic love story with a touch of forbidden-love between two different worlds; last, but not least, an action-packed, fast-paced story of an age-old war between the good and the bad.

The fact that the author can fit all of those into a single book just amaze me. Even better, the story just flows seamlessly, not a single thing seemed out of place. It was the most important thing that I always look for in a book and I was extremely delighted when I did.

From the very beginning until the last page, The Coven got me hooked, each page turned leaving me hungering for more. There characters were all well-described. Kat, our heroine, was a very good friend to everyone with not a speck of evil intentions at all. The Brotherhood and Bronwyn were the best of friends ever, their friendship with each other and with Kat went to a higher level; almost like a family.

There were times when the plot got a bit too predictable, as if the author meant for the readers to absorb that fact. It was like the author was giving a silent warning, like, "Watch, I have a little surprise for you soon." 
But then again, maybe it was just me.

I know I said The Coven is perfect, but then again, nothing is perfect. Wow, I am such a hypocrite. There are times when the events were too unbelievable. Some aspect were just impossible to happen, even by fiction standard. Plus, it seemed like our heroes and heroine were capable of solving their problems way too easily. I'm not saying that I want them to suffer, but I'd like it if they go through the problems a bit longer, or solve it in a way that makes the enemies look a bit tougher to get rid of.

Of course, I simply cannot overlook the romance bits between Kat and Blaze. They started of as friends, slowly taking their time to get to know each other more before jumping the boyfriend-girlfriend status. It was a real and honest relationship where they confide each other with their deepest secret, and accept the others flaws to love them for who they really are. All of those things combined, I say that is the most beautiful form of love.

The pace quickened up a bit towards the ending, effectively building up the atmosphere to a higher level. Then, the end came with a bang. A cliffhanger. I felt a sense of betrayal and disappointment when it came, because there were no more pages to turn.

Overall, I loved The Coven. It has a very interesting concept which made it a deliciously addicting page-turner, and I hate to admit it, but it was worth the sleepless night. Beautifully enchanting, The Coven deserves a solid 5 stars. Lovely read!

[BookLoversLife · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Kat is the queen bee at her school. She is the typical rich girl and has everything. Her clique though, bully people and Kat does nothing to stop it. When the bullying turns deadly Kat knows she has to turn her life around. She flies out to live with her mother and to get away from all the memories of her old life. She starts the new school and befriends Bronwyn. At lunch Bronwyn takes Kat to a trendy restaurant, while there a group of boys walk in. They are all tall, athletic and gorgeous, but Kat finds her eyes drawn to one boy in particular.

Blaze is the son of the First. He is a particularly strong Warlock and leads The Brotherhood. The Brotherhood consists of Etienne, Sebastian, Quintavius and Cody. All of them are strong warlocks and committed to fighting the evil that is Seth and The Dark Ones. When he first sees Kat she ends up in the middle of a fight and gets hurt. He has to wipe her memory and pretend they never met. He knows its dangerous to get involved with her because she isn't a witch but he is drawn to her.

The author approached me to review The Coven, and whilst I'd never heard of it after reading the blurb I jumped at the chance. I love witchy books and this sounded really good, well I'm glad to say it was so so good.

I loved Kat. She totally transforms from the mean girl to a girl you really want as a friend. She is really sorry for what happened at her old school and vows to never let anything like that happen again. She stands up to the Clique and defends her friends now. She is strong, capable, kind and brave.Even though she isn't a witch she is still kick ass and wont go down without a fight.

Blaze and the rest of the boys are awesome. They are all athletic and gorgeous but down to earth. Blaze has never known anyone like Kat and instantly falls for her strength and beauty. Even though its dangerous to date her he cant help but try. I loved how their relationship progressed. Blaze is the type of boy every girl dreams about!!

The romance was well handled. Blazed is used to girls falling at his feet but Kat isn't one of them. She used to date boys just like Blaze and thinks he is nothing but a dumb jock. Its not till she sees how nice and kind he is that she starts falling for him.

I also loved the camaraderie between all the boys. They joke and mess around but they are like brothers and each would die for each other.

The story is well written and with lots of character development. There is a ton of magic throughout the book and its fast paced and action packed. Verdell Walker can sure write swoon worthy boys and awesome fight scenes!! I was engrossed from beginning to end and cant wait for book 2.

[Stephanie Derbas (In Wonderland) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where do I even begin with reviewing this book? I absolutely loved this book! It was so much more than what I was expecting. It was written very well and I was impressed. It's much more than your typical girl-meets-boy romance. It is magical in more than one way. There are witches and warlocks, awesome action scenes, romance, friendship, bullying, a jealous ex-girlfriend, and more.

Kat Grey was born and raised in Beverly Hills, CA. She was the queen bee and she didn't stop her posse from making fun of people or being mean and one of their victims ended up killing herself. When this happened, Kat completely changed. Since her parents had divorced she was living with her dad but now it was time to move to the East and be with her mom. I absolutely loved Kat. It was so nice seeing her become an amazing person. She is definitely one of the best main characters I've read in a while. She took the mistakes she made in Beverly Hills and completely redefined herself in Milton. I applaud her and wish more people realized their mistakes and changed for the better.

I loved the secondary characters as well. Claire (Kat's mom) was a mom I really enjoyed. You could just tell how much love she had for her daughter. Bronwyn reminded me of a few of my best friends and it was really nice being able to connect to the story in that way. And then there was the Brotherhood which consisted of: Blaze, Q, Etienne, Sebastian, and Cody. I loved them and they kicked ass against The Dark Ones (evil, soul-less, face-less minions under their leader, Seth's rule).

The magic that was inside this book was really cool. More than your typical witch powers. Dematerializing, manipulating the weather, morph into any animal, control elements, influence others' minds, and much more. Not to mention Verdell Walker brought in some history with the Salem Witch Trials as well. It was really cool having that within the book.

I also have a new book boyfriend and his name is Maximilian 'Blaze' Ward. He is so dreamy! He's gentlemanly, protective, hot, charming, smart, humorous, and quick-witted. The chemistry that Blaze and Kat have was perfect! I loved reading the scenes between them. They had a lot of obstacles including his ex-girlfriend, Hannah and The Dark Ones, but they prevailed.

I can't wait to get my hands on a sequel because this is just one world I don't want to leave. And Verdell Walker definitely knows how to make swoon-worthy boys and write some pretty awesome action-packed scenes. I will definitely be wanting to read more of her work!

[Damaris (GoodChoiceReading) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read The Coven: Fire and Ice a couple of weeks ago and decided I needed a moment to really absorb it all and think about what to say. This book isn't bad at all. It’s actually really good and entertaining from beginning to end. I started reading it on my lunch break at work and could not stop. I would sneak little breaks in the back just to read a page or two. I read it on my iPhone so that was a bonus. I was able to read the entire time. I just did not want to stop reading it. When I put it down all I did was think about it that’s how good it is.

So why the 3.5 stars? I found way too many similarities to other books out there. Particularly one – and I really hate to say this, but I had to do a little research and find out if this was originally a Twilight fanfic. It seems there are so many and I can’t keep up with them. I did not find any information or clues that it was, so I kept on reading. But there were plenty of things that reminded me the Cullen family, only this story isn’t about Vampires, it’s about witches.

The Coven has everything a YA novel needs to be great. It has action from beginning to end, a romance that is forbidden, tons of secrets, and a hot boy that every girl wishes would pay attention to her. Of course the new girl (who has her own demons to hide) grabs hot guy's attention, but not in your typical boy meets girl way. She gets caught up in one of their battles and nearly loses her life. All of that happens in the first couple of chapters. I thought that was a great start and it grabbed my attention immediately.

I was hooked while reading it, and when done, it consumed my thoughts for days. I really liked it, but did not love it. It just didn’t stick out from anything else that I've read.

Do I recommend it? Yes. I am sure there will be tons of readers who will pick this book up and fall in love with Blaze and the world Verdell Walker has created.

Would I read a sequel? Heck yeah. Verdell Walker can write one hell of a fight scene. I hope there is a sequel, actually. I liked it a lot.

[Michelle's Paranormal Vault of Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Of course I love books with magic and stuff anyway, but I really liked the characters and the way the book was written too. I see a great future for this series, at least I hope so.

I was impressed with the writing for sure, as I said, its well written, the story just flows seamlessly and there is not a single part out of place, which was nice.

The characters were very well described, and could see them in my head. Kat, our heroine was a great friend to everyone, not a bit of evil intent in her at all. The Brotherhood and Bronwyn were great friends, their friendship with Kat and each other went to a high level, more like family.

I love how Kat is such an amazing, strong and independent person, who does not follow the crowd.

Now Blaze is a hot, and nice guy, but he finds out about himself that he isn’t perfect, and he does have some great friends. I really liked Blaze.

In a lot of ways this book does remind me of The Secret Circle, has those same elements, new girl to town, “circle” of friends, who are more than they seem, the magic of course. I read those books and seen the tv show, but I think in many ways this one is even better.

I do not want to spoil anything, but do highly recommend this book. I was on the edge of my seat, and think you will be too.

5 out of 5 stars.

I was provided a copy of this book from the author for my honest review.

[Momma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let's just start off by saying I've read this book twice already. Enough said, right? This is one of those books , for me, that I want to sit everyone I know down and force them to read it because I know they are going to love it. Plus, Kat isn't a witch.. It's a change to have the main female character be 'normal' (okay, there is the twilight series but I'm talking witches here).
In her effort to reform herself from the Queen Bee of her old clique, Kat finds herself across the country in a town where she has become the protector instead of the bully. It's amazing watching her transformation and feeling her real remorse over how she was before. She is definitely a changed girl.

I absolutely fell in love with Blaze, not only is he the hot jock from school.. he also has these amazing abilities and the responsibility of being the son of the First. A prince like figure of their kind. When Kat first meets him, she thinks he's just another popular jock figure until she uncovers all that there is to him. In her quest for redemption, she helps him also become a better person when she sees him act a bit like her old clique.

The romance between the two is endearing. The closeness of the Brotherhood (a group of teenage boys/warlocks tasked with fighting the Dark ones and defending everyone from Seth) is refreshing to see. In school they are normal teenage boys, but at night they seem to mature & work together as a great team.

I was thoroughly pleased with The Coven and personally can't wait to get my hands on more of the series! I hope you'll give it a chance, I honestly don't think you'll be disappointed !

[Howard · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Coven is an interesting story between Blaze (a Warlock), and Kat (a Human). I would give the story itself three stars, but because of all the copy cat ideas, I give the story an overall two. I did like the anti-bullying theme that runs through the book. Then again, I didn't like the image of high school kids drinking, doing drugs, and hooking up after the football games. That leaves a negative impression.

This story is a big take from "Twilight." Lets see..... He, Blaze: reads minds, runs fast, is real strong and tears up a tree to prove it, sneaks into her bed room almost, every night, and a there are a few other things, like coming in and out through her bedroom window, oh, and driving her to school all the time. Plus, he feels guilty for bringing her into "his" world, and getting her mixed up with the bad guy, (but hey, he does rescue her). For her part, she likes to dream of him, and breath out his name while she is dreaming of him, and yes, he is there to hear it. Plus, she has to win over the family, which doesn't take much effort. But Kat does,promise that she would never tell anyone about them. Of course, Bella, I mean, Kat is very stubborn (just like, you know). And, there is even an Indian tribe that shape shifts! Wow, just like Twilight.

I thought I had read it all until she brought up a scene from the Superman movie. The part where Superman flys reeeaaalll fast in the opposite direction of earth's rotation. However, for Blaze, he does it running while dodging things. Then to end the story there is the famous quote from Moses and the Ten Commandments, "So, let it be written, So let it be done."

[Sabrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. With witches, warlocks, and action packed fight scenes high school just got a lot harder.

Kat is a queen bee who changes her way from one terrible incident that her clique caused at school. She moves from California to Massachusetts to start over. She meets Blaze and a whole new world she never knew existed. But with a jealous ex-girlfriend and minion out to destroy her Blaze has to make the hardest decision of his life to protect Kat. Can Blaze break his kind’s most sacred rule to get back the girl he loves?

This book will grab you from paragraph one and have you staying up late into the night causing you to get no sleep so you can see what happens next. Kat is a heroine I found myself loving immediately she feels remorse for what her friends have done and vows to change herself for the better and to eliminate bullying so that terrible incident never happens again. Blaze is just a hero you will love from the moment he comes into the story. He just has that kind of charisma that draws people to him. I love the chemistry between Kat and Blaze. Oh and Blaze’s friends are just plain awesome. I loved them all and can’t wait to know more about them.

This story does have witches and warlocks in it but The Coven also deals with bullying and suicide. Verdell handles this heart breaking topic just right. With a story that has so much going on Verdell is able to keep it all well balanced and not let the reader get lost or confused. I am looking forward to reading more about this world and the characters that live in it. 5/5 Bloody Fangs

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. Kat and Blaze had an instant attraction to each other and no matter what they can't seem to stay away. They are not the typical people that you expect. Kat was a mean girl but when something bad happened to moved to Massachusetts with her mother. She changes her life and becomes a better person. Blaze is hott, intelligient, and a warlock. He cares about his friends and wants to protect the witch/ warlock community from an evil warlock.
I like that this book was about witches and warlocks instead of the typical vampire books. It was easy to read which made it hard to put the book down.
To see more of my review click here to visit my book blog!

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!!