Blog Tour: Review -- The Spellspinner's Series by Heidi Kling

The Spellspinner of Melas County Series by Heidi Kling
Publisher: Coliloquy, LLC
Publication Date: January 21, 2014  (for the trilogy pack/ Devil's Frost)

 

Format: Ebook
Source: Author for Review/ Tour

Witch's Brew #1
Goodreads Synopsis:

The Spellspinners of Melas County is a fantasy YA romance series about a witch, a warlock, and their fight for their forbidden but prophesied love.

Once soulmates, the witch and warlock covens of the California coast have been estranged for a century. Raised to hate each other, their teenagers meet in the Solstice Stones, a magical battleground where they draw energy from each other to maintain their balance. 16 year olds Logan and Lily have spent years training for their first Stones…only to discover just days before that the enemy may not be what either of them had thought.

In Witch’s Brew, Lily is torn between her feelings for Logan and her coven’s need to know who—or what—he is. The young lovers race against time, their distrust for each other, and the powerful influence of their elders to unravel the mystery of their pasts before their future is destroyed.

This is an Active Fiction title
"Active fiction" is a new type of e-reading experience that allows the reader and the author to interact with each other and the text in new and different ways.

In Witch’s Brew, Lily and Logan's fate is already decided, but Heidi explores several different possible pathways for how they get there. She shares scenes that wouldn’t normally fit in a book format and gives readers more precious moments between the two young lovers. As the series progresses, you'll see some normal narrative forms, interspersed with smaller scenes, alternate points of view, and a lot of "what if" scenarios.

Rating: 

Review:
I have owned Witch's Brew for a long time, I got it as a Kindle deal and it has sat on my reader forever, I just never had a chance to read it with other blog tours and books that I was reading. I was given the chance to be on the Spellspinner's tour and was thrilled because now I could read the book that I had been wanting to for some time now AND I was getting the other 2 books in the series as well! 

First thing to note is that the Spellspinners books (as stated above) are "Active Fiction" i.e. remember those choose your own adventure books some of us read as kids, well it is kind of like that, only regardless of how you choose you come to the same end, the only difference between the choices is that you get ore of less detail depending on your tastes. SO if you want action ALL THE TIME you can skip over the more informational bits and learn about those thing later in the story, or if you want to know ALL the details, you can read it in that way . I chose both styles depending on where I was in the story, so it was a lot of fun.

Book one begins our introduction into the world of Spellspinners aka witches and warlocks and how they became divided and enemies 100 years prior, not there is a prophecy that may or may not help  to reunite them if they can get past their differences. 

I really enjoyed this book, but it at times let me asking strange questions, like who the heck people were, there were a lot of flower names, names that start with J and then Lily and Logan (the two L's as I started referring to them as) are the main characters. I also wanted to know more about how the Spinners came to be, and you get more and more of that as you read the other books, but I wanted am overview in book one and it was not really there. 

Here Lily and Logan meet, and it is forbidden but also very mysterious and alluring. We learn about some of the background of their worlds and I loved how the book alternated back and forth between their POVs -- small issue though was that when they alternate it is sometimes a reply of what just happened but from the other's POV.

Overall it was a good read, but it took a few chapters to get into the style of the book and writing. 
 
The Gleaning #2
Goodreads Synopsis:

In the second installment of the Spellspinners saga, Lily’s worldview is rocked by fear, mistrust, and heartbreak, as she deals with the fallout from the night of her enchantment.

Someone powerful is determined to keep her and Logan apart. But who? And why?

As the covens prepare to do battle in the Solstice Stones, the lines between good and evil, dark and light, begin to blur. Allegiances are called into question. Trust is broken. And all Lily knows may just be an illusion.

Will the star-crossed lovers unearth the seeds of betrayal before it’s too late? Or will the witches and warlocks of Melas County be forced to say goodbye to their magic—and any chance of reconciliation between the covens—for good?

In The Gleaning, nothing is as it seems. And Lily and Logan will have to tread carefully if they hope to uncover the truth in time to save their love and break the curse. 

Rating:

Review:
In book 2 there was the most action and emotional stress on Lily and Logan, they are about to go into the power exchange battle of The Gleaning and there is a lot of crazy happening around them -- without giving too much away --  Lily and Logan are destined to be together and they are learning more and more why and how. 

So why 3 stars? Well this book, while it had the most action in it, made things confusing for me. There were a few times I had to turn back and reread because I missed a very small detail that was VERY important somehow, and when you are book-binging (as I was) sometimes those moments get lost. I also found Lily to be wishy-washy, one moment she is strong, a leader, and loves Logan and other times she is whine-y, confused and not sure if she can trust Logan.

I also found many of the twists and plot goodies to be predictable and not as outrageous they could have been.

Devil's Frost #3
Goodreads Synopsis: 

Every young witch looks forward to her first Solstice Stones. The pride of representing her coven against the warlocks. The rush from her first taste of dark magic.

But a few short minutes into the Stones, and Lily’s lifelong dream turns into a nightmare of pain and regret. Betrayed not once, but twice, her restraint snaps—with dire consequences.

Lily is wracked with guilt and on the run from the powerful Congression, when her broken confidence is further shattered by an ugly secret from the past. As her options dwindle, Lily is forced into a distasteful alliance.

Will she be able to find her way back to the light? Or will darkness consume her before dawn's new day? 

Rating:

Review:
Ah! Finished and still more...? I thought this series was a trilogy -- just so you know, it is not. There is a lot more to go in this storyline after Devil's Frost. 

This third book in the series picks up at the betrayal and the Stones becoming a huge mess. Lily has to run, Logan is hurt and there are still many questions left unanswered.

The plot of this installment was to clear up a lot of the questions the first two books leave you with. Things that will be helpful later in the story as well. I cannot really say too much about the plot without giving too many good parts away, so I will move on.

Lily is better in this book again, she can be a little too trusting almost all of the time, but that really is her downfall throughout the series. 

Logan is more and more becoming my favorite character, the sections of the book from his POV are wonderful to read and very interesting. I am glad in this book that we are getting both Lily and Logan's POVs there are some scenes that I wanted more of and got them because if it. 

Again this book is an active read, there are a few choices throughout and they are still just as entertaining as the last 2 books. 

I think that the story is going to get  a lot deeper and more emotional as it goes on, because the end of this one was both an aww moment but left me a little anxious for what is to come.