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gothmomauthor's review
5.0
An urban YA fantasy that far exceeded my expectations. The main character was fleshed out perfectly with a quirky personality and flaws that made him instantly relatable. I truly cared about him, his plight, and his relationships with those around him.
The small town setting was developed nicely and the side characters were made just as relevant as the main character, Bobby. Best of all, the magical aspects felt all the more real because we are discovering this world just as Bobby does, so we really feel his frustrations and fears. The roller-coaster ride of action and magic had me staying up late to find out what happened next. I instantly fell in love with this book and can't wait to read more about this world.
The small town setting was developed nicely and the side characters were made just as relevant as the main character, Bobby. Best of all, the magical aspects felt all the more real because we are discovering this world just as Bobby does, so we really feel his frustrations and fears. The roller-coaster ride of action and magic had me staying up late to find out what happened next. I instantly fell in love with this book and can't wait to read more about this world.
vondav's review
5.0
Bobby Hawthorne Jr was your typical teenager, not one of then IT crowd, but mainly left alone except by Jimmy Pearson, he knew which buttons to press to make Bobby really angry especially when it came to his best friend and secret crush Angelina Dellapicallo. The only thing that made him different to all the other teenagers was that his mom was a witch. Olivia was a chef and owner of a restaurant, she had been running it by herself since her husband died when Bobby was young. She manages to keep her secret from her neighbours even with Jax the pixie flitting about and with her close friends Crystal and Earlene help keep Bobby safe, much to the annoyance of Bobby who feels that they are keeping far too many secrets and when his granddad turns up he knows to be worried. With the appearance of hellhounds and the dark magic getting stronger can Bobby and his witchy friends survive.
It was nice to have a main character with flaws, Bobby was not your perfect teenager, his anger issues got him referred to a counsellor which even in today’s society is still not a subject that is openly discussed. The story highlighted how close Bobby and Angelina were and although they did fancy each other, it showed that their friendship was a lot stronger than a teenage crush. When Bobby shared his secret with Angelina it showed how mature Angelina was and enforced how much trust they had with each other. Olivia was an overprotective mother, but with what happened to her husband you could understand why. The inclusion of the minor characters was explained in detail and one of my favourite characters was Cactus Rose, who Bobby found out to be his Great Aunt. A witch who was not afraid to dabble with the dark side.
Having read the author’s mystery book, I can say without a doubt, that he is definitely a multi genre author and yet again has written an exciting story. This story is full of action with a hint of mystery and with the use of magic anything is possible. A great read which will suit young and older readers alike and with the story finishing with the hint of book 2 I hope it will not be long before I read more of Bobby’s adventures.
It was nice to have a main character with flaws, Bobby was not your perfect teenager, his anger issues got him referred to a counsellor which even in today’s society is still not a subject that is openly discussed. The story highlighted how close Bobby and Angelina were and although they did fancy each other, it showed that their friendship was a lot stronger than a teenage crush. When Bobby shared his secret with Angelina it showed how mature Angelina was and enforced how much trust they had with each other. Olivia was an overprotective mother, but with what happened to her husband you could understand why. The inclusion of the minor characters was explained in detail and one of my favourite characters was Cactus Rose, who Bobby found out to be his Great Aunt. A witch who was not afraid to dabble with the dark side.
Having read the author’s mystery book, I can say without a doubt, that he is definitely a multi genre author and yet again has written an exciting story. This story is full of action with a hint of mystery and with the use of magic anything is possible. A great read which will suit young and older readers alike and with the story finishing with the hint of book 2 I hope it will not be long before I read more of Bobby’s adventures.
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