Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Witches of East End by Melissa de la Cruz

Witches of East End by Melissa de la Cruz

A trio of women, two sisters and their mother, live in a majestic house in North Hampton.  All three were persecuted long ago in Salem; immortal witches forced to live without using magic.  But the council has been silent for so long.  And when a few spells don’t seem to have any repercussions the women decide to take their magic, and their witchy lives, back.  Of course that’s when things start going wrong around bucolic North Hampton and memories of Salem’s Witch Trials start seeping into the present.

I have to admit that the Long Island setting was the draw for me.  As a native Long Islander this was pretty spot on.  The North Hampton of this book (for those who don’t know the author made it up) reminded me of the author’s favorite Long Island town/island, Shelter Island.  If you’ve been to the forks of Long Island you’ll be reminded of your visit.

If you’re a fan of Sarah Addison Allen’s southern magical realism you may want to give this one a try.  It’s not as gentle as a southern read; it feels (at least to this reader) more like home.