Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Review: Witch Eyes by Scott Tracey

Chosen as one of Amazon’s Best Books of 2011 in the LGBT category!

A boy who can see the world’s secrets and unravel spells with just a glance.

Braden’s witch eyes give him an enormous power. A mere look causes a kaleidoscopic explosion of emotions, memories, darkness, and magic. But this rare gift is also his biggest curse.

Compelled to learn about his shadowed past and the family he never knew, Braden is drawn to the city of Belle Dam, where he is soon caught between two feuding witch dynasties. Sworn rivals Catherine Lansing and Jason Thorpe will use anything—lies, manipulation, illusion, and even murder—to seize control of Braden’s powers. To stop an ancient evil from destroying the town, Braden must master his gift, even through the shocking discovery that Jason is his father. While his feelings for an enigmatic boy named Trey grow deeper, Braden realizes a terrible truth: Trey is Catherine Lansing’s son . . . and Braden may be destined to kill him.

Review:

I picked up Witch Eyes midway through my Thanksgiving weekend, after hours of holiday cooking and didn't put it down again until I was finished. Even then my mind was occupied with questions from the book. I immediately jumped on Scott Tracey's website to search for clues and a possible next book, only to discover that I was in for a long wait. Ugh, an entire year? Although patience isn't my strong suit, I've already added Demon Eyes to my calendar because I'm just that confident in the storytelling.

Braden has such a clear voice and his struggles to navigate the divided town of Belle Dam, never knowing who to trust, kept me mesmerized from start to finish. The feud between Catherine Lansing and Jason Thorpe goes back many years and was portrayed in a Romeo and Juliet type of way, having Braden fall for Catherine's son, Trey. Complicated doesn't even begin to cover it, and my thoughts on the good guy/bad guy front changed dramatically as the book went on. I'm still not exactly sure, which in this case is a good thing. The secondary characters were all equally as interesting, as was the history involving Grace Lansing, Lucien and the creation of Belle Dam.

I just can't say it enough...this is a fantastic debut and the start of an equally fantastic series. I'm recommending this to my YA fans, as well as readers of mystery and romance.
Author website:

Books in the series:
Witch Eyes (available now)
Demon Eyes (Fall 2012)
Phantom Eyes (2013)
*This book was reviewed by Anna Dougherty
*I was given this book for review purposes.


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