Nora Lee

Rowan has returned to Secret Hallow, a town she left years ago and swore never to return to, at her grandmother’s request, to help save the Elder Tree. If the Elder Tree dies, there will be no more magic in Secret Hallow. Rowan’s witch family has lived there, a community coven, for generations. Her parents have cared for the community for years but are now on an extended trip to see the world beyond their small community. Almost upon returning, Rowan meets Caedmon McFarland, a warlock who thinks he can take over the coven by marrying Rowan, though she does not want to marry him and though they have never met before. Though advertised as a paranormal mystery, this is not really much of a mystery here. In fact, there is not even much of a romance. Caedmon tries unsuccessfully to get Rowan interested in him, while, all the time, he is really interested in another witch in the coven, who has rejected him. There is little chemistry between any of the characters as the story unfolds. In fact, I really found most of the characters were underdeveloped. This is not the genre of book I normally read. It is a paranormal story and involves witches, which I enjoy, but I prefer a book with a much lighter tone than this one has. I am just too grounded in reality to read, enjoy and believe all the stuff the book presents about a “hidden” community no one can easily find, a community that remains in the autumn timeframe, a community with all the things we normally attribute to witches everywhere all the time, etc. The story is interesting, but a bit far-fetched for me. I also thought that the author went a bit too far , every now and then, inserting comments by a little girl witch and other characters that we might associate with witches and covens and magic to lend an aura of paranormal witch-like magic to the book. The story is not very long, and moved along almost too rushed to suit me. I felt there was little time for any real development of characters or story line. This is a book for the reader who really enjoys reading about paranormal witches will enjoy or for someone who is looking for something a bit different. The book did show promise, however. The author can write fairly well and can develop a loosely woven plot, but the story still needs work, in my opinion. I received this from NetGalley to read and provide an honest review.… (mehr)