Post by Charlynn on Nov 4, 2012 17:31:43 GMT -5
Witches of East End by Melissa de la Cruz
Just like in her young adult series, in this book, Melissa de la Cruz presents a supernatural tale aided by mythology. Her witches aren't just magical; they're goddesses who possess a history that spans worlds and time itself. Focusing upon two sisters - Freya the carefree, beautiful bartender who dispenses love potions and Ingrid the staid and straight-laced librarian whose talent rests in talismans and spells - and their mother, Joanna, who boasts powers of restoration, Witches of East End explores North Hampton, a cozy, protected bungalow of a town, and the citizens who live there... including the Beauchamp women. When the ladies start to ignore the rules visited upon them that forbid them their magic, they get pulled into a larger web of sorcery, one which recalls the most fundamental and influential aspects of their long, complicated history.
This is all well and good. In fact, de la Cruz's use of mythological lore is Witches of East End's greatest strength. Unfortunately, however, she saves it until the very end of the novel, instead focusing the majority of her first foray into adult fiction on petty, human frailties. It is not a flaw that the book's characters are both good and bad. Rather, the problem lies in the fact that their less than desirable traits are so predictable, that their personalities and characterizations themselves are trite and unimaginative. In turn, this makes Freya, Ingrid, and Joanna's actions - mistakes and triumphs alike - just as unoriginal as well. Perhaps de la Cruz was aiming to create archetypes given the witches' roots in mythology, but this only would have been possible if she had introduced the women's backgrounds sooner and relied upon them more faithfully to shape her story.
Furthermore, the novel was hampered by de la Cruz including some of her characters from her young adult series. Yes, Freya was introduced in one of the Blue Bloods books, but she was a new character at that point without a pre-established profile. Conversely, Mimi and Oliver who played roles, insignificant though they were, in Witches of East End have established histories, including their own rather complex backstory... which was only hinted at in de la Cruz's first adult piece. Obviously, the author's intention was to intrigue readers who were unfamiliar with her YA series to read it as well, but what she ended up accomplishing was anything but. Instead, not only did she bog down Witches of East End with irrelevant characters and the distraction of a sideplot that had nothing to do with this particular novel, but she also failed to do the Blue Bloods series justice, a series whose development and pacing has been much more successful.
Finally, de la Cruz committed one last grievous writing mistake with Witches of East End: she gave it a deus ex machina ending. Admittedly, these characters ARE gods and goddesses, but what makes mythology so interesting and compelling is its pervading tragedies, not its happily ever afters. And yes, sure, in the book's epilogue, de la Cruz shows how things might not be a rosy and perfect as Freya, Ingrid, and Joanna think at the conclusion of the novel, but it is apparent that this was done to introduce a sequel rather than to give the work a more sophisticated and intriguing ending. For a book which, in its conception, has so much going for it - the Hamptons setting (very in vogue right now thanks to Revenge), the combination of the supernatural with mythology, and strong female leads, its execution is extremely dissatisfying.
Two out of Five Stars
Just like in her young adult series, in this book, Melissa de la Cruz presents a supernatural tale aided by mythology. Her witches aren't just magical; they're goddesses who possess a history that spans worlds and time itself. Focusing upon two sisters - Freya the carefree, beautiful bartender who dispenses love potions and Ingrid the staid and straight-laced librarian whose talent rests in talismans and spells - and their mother, Joanna, who boasts powers of restoration, Witches of East End explores North Hampton, a cozy, protected bungalow of a town, and the citizens who live there... including the Beauchamp women. When the ladies start to ignore the rules visited upon them that forbid them their magic, they get pulled into a larger web of sorcery, one which recalls the most fundamental and influential aspects of their long, complicated history.
This is all well and good. In fact, de la Cruz's use of mythological lore is Witches of East End's greatest strength. Unfortunately, however, she saves it until the very end of the novel, instead focusing the majority of her first foray into adult fiction on petty, human frailties. It is not a flaw that the book's characters are both good and bad. Rather, the problem lies in the fact that their less than desirable traits are so predictable, that their personalities and characterizations themselves are trite and unimaginative. In turn, this makes Freya, Ingrid, and Joanna's actions - mistakes and triumphs alike - just as unoriginal as well. Perhaps de la Cruz was aiming to create archetypes given the witches' roots in mythology, but this only would have been possible if she had introduced the women's backgrounds sooner and relied upon them more faithfully to shape her story.
Furthermore, the novel was hampered by de la Cruz including some of her characters from her young adult series. Yes, Freya was introduced in one of the Blue Bloods books, but she was a new character at that point without a pre-established profile. Conversely, Mimi and Oliver who played roles, insignificant though they were, in Witches of East End have established histories, including their own rather complex backstory... which was only hinted at in de la Cruz's first adult piece. Obviously, the author's intention was to intrigue readers who were unfamiliar with her YA series to read it as well, but what she ended up accomplishing was anything but. Instead, not only did she bog down Witches of East End with irrelevant characters and the distraction of a sideplot that had nothing to do with this particular novel, but she also failed to do the Blue Bloods series justice, a series whose development and pacing has been much more successful.
Finally, de la Cruz committed one last grievous writing mistake with Witches of East End: she gave it a deus ex machina ending. Admittedly, these characters ARE gods and goddesses, but what makes mythology so interesting and compelling is its pervading tragedies, not its happily ever afters. And yes, sure, in the book's epilogue, de la Cruz shows how things might not be a rosy and perfect as Freya, Ingrid, and Joanna think at the conclusion of the novel, but it is apparent that this was done to introduce a sequel rather than to give the work a more sophisticated and intriguing ending. For a book which, in its conception, has so much going for it - the Hamptons setting (very in vogue right now thanks to Revenge), the combination of the supernatural with mythology, and strong female leads, its execution is extremely dissatisfying.
Two out of Five Stars