I really struggled with this book for a number of reasons. The story had a great plot and I was excited to read this but the characters and story issues had me telling myself to push through it and get it done.

What I liked was the idea. The idea of a family of witches that have been around for centuries and are trying to protect themselves while also trying to track down the evil guy who attacked their family. It has a spin on the normal witch story which is what hooked me. The characters had a lot of potential as well but they seemed to not really go anywhere with the exception of the end where I saw Lyla's strength while looking at Donovan. Unfortunately I felt like that was super late in the story and she seemed to waver back and forth where there would be glimpses of it woven into the book but then she would flip back to the teenager who just wanted to do whatever she wanted. It was somewhat frustrating. I felt like I didn't get to really get to know Lyla and everything seemed so rushed in the pacing that the other, less central, characters suffered the same fate.

There were a few errors in spelling and random word in sentences that made me have to reread to make sure it wasn't just me putting extra words in. There were some timing Issues...this one stands out only because it was at the end of the book...they had left the church four days earlier and Lyla thinks about how they were supposed to go to the beach yesterday (the third day) but really Caleb had asked her to go the day after the party which would have been the day after they left the church. Not a huge deal but definitely stood out.

Overall this series has a lot of potential. I enjoyed the storyline and am curious to see how things pick up with Hana, Lyla, and Caleb. I am also left wondering what happened to the pastor and what will happen with Donovan now that Nathan is gone.

I really like the plot of this story and look forward to seeing what happens next.

With that said, there were a great deal of issues with sentence structure, verbiage and just overall editing. It made reading the dialogue tough at times. The characters weren't very likable and at times I wanted to just shake all of them.

The story was intersting and held my attention throughout but I thought the story got truly interesting toward the end with the introduction of Oliver. To hear his background in conjunction with Adrian's was important and I think it helped Ria understand what she was facing.

As always, I somewhat despise cliffhangers as I have very little patience to wait for the next book to come out a year later. I think there is a uniqueness to this story and it will be interesting to pick up the next book and see what happens.

I seriously loved this book. The writing, the characters...just everything.

I won't do a recap of the book because if you haven't read this yet, you should just go do it right now. Really.

This book is told from the different point of views of Lucy and Ed/Shadow and it works really well. It was important to see what was happening from each person's viewpoint and actually made me become more invested in each of the characters. I love that Lucy says embarrassing things (and calls herself out on it) and that Ed sees (and appreciates) her uniqueness. It was also nice to be able to look into Leo's head with the poems that were included as his POV.

Everything takes place over the course of one night and although it was a quick read, it in no way felt rushed. The conversations between Ed and Lucy were meaningful and are what should have happened on their first date. There were so many great quotes that had me either laughing ("I don't like the word nipple.") or all tingly ("There was no skin on my voice and she heard the bones in my words.").

Great book and I will be adding more books by Cath Crowley to my list of books to read.

I had a hard time putting this book down.

Jandy Nelson captures each character perfectly - especially Lennie. There are so many things going on in this story. Lennie recently lost her sister and is just getting back to school when she meets Joe. At the same time she is struggling to move forward. The author conveys the guilt that Lennie feels (for everything that is happening and has happened) so clearly. There were times that I wanted to smack Lennie (namely for making out with Toby as I loved Joe) but I got it.

Joe...what to say about him. Who doesn't love a guy who can write you songs and play the guitar (and the trumpet and clarinet...)? To find out he was collecting Lennie's poems and that this (along with his very own poem) is what made him loosen up on his "all or nothing" rule was great. It gave him a glimpse into all the things that were going on in Lennie's head that she refused to talk to anyone about.

Highly recommend this book.

This book picks up right where the first book left off which was great..no lost time. Diana and Matthew have gone to the year 1590 and things are interesting. There is so much going on from the very beginning and although this is a long book, I didn't feel like it dragged along at all. I really enjoy the history and descriptiveness - this is something that I think sets these books apart from others. Harkness definitely provides the details and takes the reader back to Elizabethan times.

There are a lot of characters in this book and at times I had to really think about who was being referenced or who was talking to whom. Each has a significance in the story and reason for being there but it was hard to keep them straight at times. Aside from Diana and Matthew (of course) Gallowglass is one who stands out to me as a favorite. He calls Matthew out when he feels it is needed and doesn't really hide anything from anyone. Another favorite was Phillipe. Although I didn't care for him at first, that quickly changed once I realized what he was trying to do while Matthew and Diana were at Sept-Tours.

I was initially thrown off by the chapters that were inserted here and there with the things going on in the future with Ysabeau, Marcus and the others. The first time it happened I thought it was odd (maybe because it didn't involve any of the major characters) but the other chapters where it happened fit the flow of the story. I understand why it was done and showed the waves that were created by the things Diana and Matthew were doing in the past. It also shows that just because the story was mainly set in 1590, things didn't stop for those who stayed in the present.

I loved seeing Matthew's and Diana's relationship progress. They both recognize they have flaws but are able to work through them and get past their differences. They will always have challenges and things to face just because of who they are but the fact that they love each other and know that won't change is what helps them face it all head on. I am curious to see how things pick up in the next book...not only for them but also the rest of the group.

Now - as always, I hate when things are left unanswered but I suppose that is to be expected with a trilogy...right? There are a number of questions I have yet that I am sure will be answered in the next book but one of my faults is impatience...I admit it.

I really enjoyed this installment and will be waiting anxiously for the next book. I think anyone who enjoyed the first book will enjoy this one as well. I would probably give this 4.5 if I were able to but give it 5 vs. a 4 as I really wasn't able to put this down and loved the entire story.