Hexed

Recommended?: Not really. I’m tempted to try the next book in the series, but I was highly disappointed by this one, and am not sure whether I’ll stick with it due to pacing issues and a horrible love interest treated as the Greatest Thing Ever.

I really wanted to love this book. I love witches and witch stories, and all the buzz about this debut was amazing. Witches! Cheerleaders! Secret wars! Teenagers trying to save the world! This is going to be awesome!

It wasn’t awesome. The pacing was weird, uneven, and did not do the rest of the book justice, because there is some interesting world building here, even if it sometimes strained my suspension of disbelief, and the potential for an exciting, wonderful story about a girl trying show more to save her mother and embrace her secret powers. And there are good things here, but the story kept kicking me out of my reading because the pacing was so uneven and awkward.

There are things I loved: Namely, Indie, our snarky, angry, sometimes whiny main character, who is annoying and obnoxious and obsessed with things I found completely unimportant in high school and absolutely wonderful. Her voice is the best part of the book by far; I am very interested in her story, and I want more, though I’m not sure I can ignore the problems I had with the book in order to read the next.

The world building is pretty awesome at times. Like I said, I love witches, and the magical world here is very interesting. Centuries old war, rules, powers that come and go — I’m a fan. Unfortunately, the weird pacing buries the world building a lot of the time.

Some of the characters are fantastic. Indie, of course, but also her two girl friends, Bianca and Paige, are really interesting in very different ways. The villains are creepy and dangerous (if sometimes in ridiculous, over the top ways). Again, there’s potential for so much more, and I want to keep going with the series to see more of this, except.

Except for the things I loathed:

There’s a ton of body shame and girl hate between Indie and her friends, as well as Indie and her allies. That sucks.

The pacing, as I’ve already mentioned.

But besides the pacing, the biggest issue I had was with Bishop, who is one of the worst love interests I’ve seen in a long time. He’s supposed to be this intriguing, dangerous, mysterious bad boy, but what he comes across as is a controlling asshole who needs to fuck off into the sea. His teasing comes across as cruel rather than fun and romantic, and he’s basically a jerk at every turn. Ditch him, Indie. You deserve better. show less

I really enjoyed this book. It's got some mystery element to it and some surprising twists/reveals towards the end of the book. My favorite character in this book is Paige (she reminded me of Penn from the Fallen series by Lauren Kate). I loved Paige and how she was always there for Indie no matter how Indie treated her in the beginning. I did not like Indie in the beginning; I thought she was stuck up and superficial but towards the end she starts to change and I liked her more towards the end. Bishop at times felt really immature for his age. He's supposed to be 18 and I know teenage guys can be pretty immature but at times he felt more like a 14 or 15 year old. I liked Indie's aunt Penny, we don't see her too much in this book but show more hopefully she'll be in the 2nd book more. The ending is a major cliffhanger and leaves you with so many questions and wanting to know more right away. This book was a quick read and overall a really good start to a series. show less

Michelle Krys' remarkable writing has me wrapped around her little finger - she brilliantly has created a one-of-a-kind 'witch' story with witty humor, loss and an intriguing plot.

Indigo is at the top of her game - most popular girl, dating the most popular hot guy, cheerleader, top grades, living the high school dream. She's quite into herself, and the funny thing about her is that she knows it too. She is so wrapped up in what her peers will think, it has completely taken over her life. She knows its wrong, but what's a girl to do when you've worked so hard to get to the top.

... and then Bishop comes crashing into her life!

Yes, he really does crash into her life, unknowingly at first. And this is when the fun, the magic, the moment show more that Indie starts to question everything in her life, slowly begins.
And then, tragedy happens. And Indie must reach out to an old friend for help. Paige has always been there for her even though she's too 'nerdy' to be Indie's friend now. But Paige won't turn her back on Indie, no matter what Indie's done to her in the past - she gives her a bit of grief and subtly reminds her that she doesn't have to help Indie. Indie slowly comes to realize that things need to change, have changed and she is going to learn to accept these things.

There are witches and sorcerers. Lots of magic flying about.
Who are the good guys? The bad guys? Are the good guys really good?
The mystery!!! The plot thickens and gets better and better deeper into the book...

The characters are so unique -
Indigo is shallow, but not typical. Like I mentioned above, she has a reputation she wants to uphold within her peers, but she doesn't care how she looks or what car she drives. But her attitude really got under my skin, and because of this, in the beginning, it was kind of hard for me to like her and continue on... what can I say, she grew on me.
Paige is an amazing and supportive friend. She's known Indigo since they were little and has always tried to be her friend. What I love most about her is that she's not a pushover and knows how to hold her own and give it right back. So when Paige needs her, she doesn't give in so easy.
Bishop is outstanding, quite the ball-breaker and comedian. He really knows how to emotionally handle each situation. And is quite the mystery-man. We need more Bishop in our lives!
Everyone clicks well together - which is so important. I really do love how the author was able to create such unique relationships. I am really looking forward to seeing all of these characters, and some of the secondary characters as well, grow and move forward in their lives and situations. Hoping to learn Bishop's past and getting more details to the war between the witches and sorcerers.

Cliffhanger ending! BUT, it was done SO well! Things wrap up quite nicely until the author reminds us, hey we're not done! And then you're left wondering when the next book is going to be released; because there will be a next book... right???

I truly enjoyed the new spin to witches and sorcerers. I have always thought that they were the same - I have definitely been proven wrong. I look forward to reading more books from Michelle Krys soon! show less

I am in the minority. I did not enjoy this book. The characters were not well written and truly unlikeable. I found myself wanting to be friend with the "bad guys", and I don't think that is what the author was aiming for. I did not find Bishop to be a good love interest. I mostly found him annoying. I did feel the author's writing was enjoyable, but who wants to read about characters that they don't like. I will not search out the rest of the series, but may read other writings by this author.

So. The opening paragraph of the publisher's blurb turned me off immediately. Based on the description of Indigo Blackwood, our heroine, alone, I already did not like her. Not a good start for a book. But, well, witches. I do like stories about witches. Why not give it a try? I crossed my fingers as I began reading that this would be a light and entertaining book to read.

Fortunately for both of us, Indigo and I made our peace quickly and I enjoyed reading Hexed. It was fun and at times quite intense, especially towards the end. Indigo, or Indie as her friends call her, narrates the story and I came to really like her snarky attitude and sensitive nature. She grows over the course of the book and is someone I wouldn't have minded show more hanging out with in the end.

My favorite characters, however, have to be Paige and Bishop, both of whom proved to be handy in tight situations. I especially liked how strong a character Paige was. She came across as a little desperate in the beginning--if you are to believe Indigo--but she's actually got a good head on her shoulders, which includes some self-respect. Bishop is all mystery at first, but the more of his character that is revealed, he proves he is a force to be reckoned with.

I liked the world the author has created, the mythology around her witches, including how and when they come into their powers. There are two opposing magical forces in Hexed, the witches who are good, and the sorcerers who are bad. The differences between them is slight, but evidently the two groups do not like each other. The sorcerers covet the power and want to destroy the witches once and for all.

The bad guys in the novel were more caricatures than anything else, which was both good and bad. It fit with the overall story's style--a balance of dark and comedy--but it also took away from my enjoyment a bit. It was hard to take them seriously as a threat at times.

While the mystery in this story comes to an end, the story isn't quite over. There is a cliff hanger at the end of the novel. And based on the epilogue, I am guessing the next book in the series will focus on another of the characters. As entertaining as Hexed was, I am looking forward to seeing what Michelle Krys comes up with next. It's always nice to be proven wrong, and I am glad I did not let the synopsis of the book put me off it completely. Hexed was an enjoyable book--just what I was hoping for: a mystery, humor, suspense, romance, and a lot of magic. show less

Actual rating: 4.5 stars

Hexed by Michelle Krys was one of my most anticipated books of June. I was mesmerized by the cover and I simply couldn’t resist a witches-vs-sorcerers book. Besides, there is a “frustrating sexy stranger named Bishop”.

Summary:
Indigo has everything a teenager girl can ask for: she is hot, popular, a cheerleader and her boyfriend is the football star. She has an eccentric and loving mother, who owns an occult shop, and an unconditional and nerdy friend whom she refuses to acknowledge. But Indigo’s world is about to be put upside down.
If watching a boy die wasn’t bad enough, there are some strangers in her high school asking weird question about their family old Bible and a stranger and familiar boy is show more stalking her. This mysterious –and sexy– boy for some reason is constantly stalking Indigo, and she wants to know why. So when she decided to face him, she finds out that his name is Bishop and he knows something that may change Indigo’s live forever.
Guided by Bishop’s creepy advice, Indigo is in her mother’s shop and what’s facing her is a devastating scene: someone has stolen the bible and now Indigo must do everything in her power to get it back, otherwise, all witches in the earth will die, including her.
Dragged to a war between witches and sorcerers, Indigo must choose carefully who her allies are and try not to lose her sense of humor or her life.

My thoughts:
I must say, though, that when I read that the sexy boy’s name was Bishop…I couldn’t stop thinking about Walter Bishop (Fringe) *shivers*, and seriously, how can I picture a sexy Bishop when all I’m thinking about is crazy Walter? It was a little bit gross…but eventually I get rid of that image and I was able to enjoy and even fall in love with the so called hot Bishop.
So, after my Bishop incident, everything was smooth and I was so into the book that I couldn’t put it down; I was having a lot of fun reading Hexed.

Indigo is the main character, and the voice of the book. Indigo is not the typical heroine we tend to see in books, she is a peculiar character. Usually, I tend to love the main characters and empathize with them. It was not the case with Indigo. Yes, I liked her; she was a fun, smart, but also, she was mean! she treated Paige like if she has leprosy.

“I glanced over my shoulder and groan as I spot Paige lumbering across the field toward me […] I keep walking. Even if I had time for a chat, I wouldn’t stop.
‘Ind, wait up!’
I practically break into jog.”

These keep for a while, but fortunately for Paige, and me, Indigo realizes that Paige is the only friend she can count on.
Aside from that, Indigo’s sense of humor was refreshing and alluring. I loved her inner thoughts.

“Ugh. This guy is seriously disturbed. […] He braces his hand in the roof of the car, and a slice of bare stomach shows from under his T-shirt’s hem. And great – he’s caught me looking […] He rocks back on his heels, and a breeze flutters the edge of his T-shirt. Don’t. Look. At his stomach.”

But if we are really into humor, there is no one as Bishop. Bishop was my favorite character. He was cocky, confident, saucy, and wore an I-don’t-care-about-anyone-besides-myself attitude like nobody else in the world; he rocked the bad boy attitude and his comments were hilarious.

“’She’s so obvious. Blond hair, big tits. It’s really lame. Even if her tits are pretty nice.’
I groan.
‘I’m kidding! They’re just mediocre.’”

But under all the black clothes and the snarky comments, there is a guy with a heart that doesn’t like seeing a crying girl and a is loyal friend.
When loyalty is been discussed, there is no more loyal friend than Paige. She was sweet, and had a few sassy comments, but what I liked most about her was that even when Indigo treated her like garbage, Paige was there for Indigo when she most needed her. I really liked Paige's character; actually she is my second favorite personage, followed by Indigo.
There are other secondary characters, all of them were well written and had a solid personality.

Now, let’s not forget about the love factor, please. The love interest of Indigo is, obviously, Bishop. At first, I could feel the chemistry between those two. It was clear that they had physical attraction, and that lead to something else. Their feelings went from luxury to I-care-about-you step by step and I really liked their interaction.

There are two reasons why this is a 4.5 instead of a 5 stars book for me. First, there is this part were Indigo confided in Bishop without knowing him. I mean, even if it was the hottest guy in the world, I wouldn’t invite a stranger to jump in my car. Second and last one, is the end. This isn’t a big reason but, I was expecting something more shocking, I was hoping to have my heart broken. Not that it was a bad end, and I’m absolutely waiting for the next installments, but definitely not the best one.

Witchy and entertaining, Ms. Michelle was able to write something dark with a sense of humor that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Disclaimer: I received Hexed through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. These are my own words/thoughts and have not been affected by the author or any third party. show less

This book sounds like a fun, paranormal story with a bit of romance that might appeal to fans of Rachel Hawkins. Instead, Hexed is a predictable story packed with the cliches. The dialogue seems like it is meant to be witty or snarky but just comes across as stilted and obnoxious. Indigo herself is not a likeable character. She’s very self-centered, more concerned with maintaining her social status at school than anything else, even the theft of the Bible, which is basically a death sentence for all witches. Since she’s a witch, she’ll die too. But Indie is more concerned with her lunch table companions.

This book is a mediocre rendition of typical high school drama with a thin veneer of magic. If I hadn’t gotten this book as a show more free digital ARC through NetGalley in return for a review, there is no way I would have finished reading it.

Full review at: https://writingboutreading.wordpress.com/2014/07/27/hexed-by-michelle-krys/ show less