Review Detail

Melissa Albert’s use of imagery leads to a suspense-filled story of mystery and intrigue that is hard to put down. The story is set in two timelines. In the past timeline, we have the step-by-step slow descent into darkness by Dana as a teenager being seduced into the world of spells and magic with her best friend Fee and her new friend Marion. The present timeline is her daughter, Ivy, who is realizing strange things are happening and her mother seems to be at the center of it all.
For most of the book, I had two diverging feelings about Dana. Her discovery of magic and its lure to blaze a path past any barriers with her two friends is completely understandable. She was in dark and dangerous waters before she realized the true cost. What she did to break from that course is terrible and tragic, yet I am not sure we can blame her for her actions that forever stain her future. Then there is Dana the mother who is distant and cold to her daughter. There are secrets that Ivy does not know and her ignorance puts her in danger as Dana’s past comes back for retribution. I disliked Dana the mother until the timelines caught up with each other and we learned that Ivy’s own past is not what we were first led to believe. Then somehow Dana is an understandable character again and I was left impressed that the author pulled off such a masterful manipulation of my feelings for her characters.
Final Verdict: The story has enough suspense to draw the reader in and make them turn the pages to find out how Dana’s past led to Ivy’s present. The two tales are expertly woven and the descriptions put you right beside each character as they navigate through the dangers they face. This is worth a read if you like magic and suspenseful stories.