This review is really about the whole Sweep series, but I'm putting it with Book One because that's where people will go to find out whether all of them are worth reading. I started out really enjoying the series, then HATED WITH A PASSION what seemed to be going on, and then am left now feeling really sad and cheated. I've never started out liking a series and then turned around and felt so angry and disappointed and sad after it ended. Firstly, I have to say that I really enjoyed books 1 - 6. Some are stronger than others, but overall they are well-written and packed with action, plus the whole wicca thing is well-researched and really interesting to read about. Morgan is also an interesting character who goes through a lot of personal growth and development, and her attraction to the new boy in town and her feelings about her friend Bree and her parents and her sister (et al) are completely relatable. I also liked books 8, 9, and 12, and would give these nine books 3.5-4 out of 5 stars. Spoiler-free things I never cared for, right from the very beginning: * the books are too short. They're literally half the size of a typical YA novel (way to drag out a series) and nearly every one ended on an abrupt cliffhanger. I kept clicking forward on my Kindle, thinking there was something glitchy going on with my e-reader, but it turns out the writing just...stopped. Annoying and unnecessary, since there is a way to both give closure to a volume and whet an appetite for the next novel without making your readers feel as if you've yanked the covers off them. * the stories that did not relate directly to Morgan's narrative diluted the books. Some detail is enjoyable, but when so few characters really have anything to do at all (back to this later) and there is so much time spent re-hashing everyone's mundane dating details in every single book when it doesn't affect anything else, it gets really boring really fast. As such, I never really cared for the bit at the beginning of each chapter that was an "excerpt" from a journal entry or book on magick. The only time I felt it really added to the book were when you got a glimpse of what Hunter was feeling in towards the earlier part of the series. And yes, this means Alisa too--one of the least interesting secondary characters who shows up late and then suddenly got POV narrative and her own book. The more the series went on, the more time was spent with other characters, and the series was less strong as a result.I did think narrating a book from Hunter's point of view was interesting, until his story went way far away from Morgan's. This might've been okay if the book had been longer and their relationship more fleshed out after he returns AND....**SPOILER ALERT for the rest of this review** ....if he didn't freaking cheat on her while he's gone. (for just two weeks! in Canada!) This was such a slap in the face after everything that happened with Cal and drawing out their will they-won't they relationship for more than 10 books. I don't understand why this was put in at all, because there is nearly no time devoted to resolving how Morgan would really feel about this happening afterwards. There are literally maybe 5 short paragraphs contained over two books to deal with this, which is completely unrealistic for any girl, no matter what else was going on. And for someone like Morgan, who was already betrayed by his brother? Completely impossible that she would have gotten over it so quickly.* By the time I finished Book 13, I was so ready for Morgan and Hunter to get things resolved already. Since I was already pretty much skimming through anything that wasn't Morgan or Hunter's narrative, I skipped Book 14 entirely and then I read about the HUGE thing that happens in the beginning of Book 15. After reading the sample chapter (read it, read it, it's linked on Amazon), I couldn't believe an author would invest so much of her readers' time and emotion only to kill off a main character like that for no apparent reason. I felt so angry and so cheated, and I swore I would never read anything by this author again. It was only after I read the spoiler-y reviews on Good Reads that I decided to read the rest of the book--and even after things were resolved, I still have very mixed emotions about the whole thing. You barely spend any time with Morgan and Hunter in the beginning before things end (literally, maybe 15 pages in) and the whole thing just goes off-kilter from there. Morgan doesn't learn anything from Hunter's death and we have no time at all to mourn him ourselves until all the sudden she's married, had a child, and had her husband die on her. Everyone whose lives you heard so much about in the series is also pretty much dumped here, with just a couple mentions of what happened to Bree and Mary K. This is because they don't matter in the big scheme of things, and apparently they never did.Like many of the other readers here, I was fine with Moira but I really could have done without her and mostly just skimmed the book impatiently until Hunter shows up again. And while I'm happy they got a happy ending, I still feel drained and sad and upset over the whole thing. Poor Hunter is hugely diminished in this book, and you never really get a sense of how awful his island imprisonment was. You also don't get much emotional satisfaction once he comes back--so little time is spent on his homecoming and recovery, and as another reader pointed out, is he really going to stay in the guest bedroom once he (soul mate and father) comes home? There is no anguish, no comforting, no healing, no real emotional truth or connection. It all just felt completely unrealistic and sad. I've never been so disappointed in a series that I liked. Because of the way everything was dragged on and on (these would have been better condensed into maybe 5 - 6 books, with a lot of things edited out) and because of the huge emotional battering that did NOT make me feel fulfilled and happy at the end, I would not recommend this series to anyone. I started out giving this series a 3 out of 5 stars, but as I wrote this review I realized a more accurate rating would be a 2. Because no matter how much I enjoyed some of the books, the others were not worth the time and money and emotional investment.
Wow! What can I say without completely ruining this book?In previous reviews; I have complained about books with way too much page filler but not this book! It is a small, quick, easy and entertaining read!Unlike a lot of the other Urban Fantasy books I have been reading lately, this book seemed really lifelike! I could see how this would make someone curious about Wicca. I don't believe in "Wicca" or White Magic but I could see how this book could make someone really want to study into it.Morgan is just an average shy girl with a very popular best friend Bree! Morgan and Bree have been best friends since they were young kids. Even with Morgan and Bree hanging out in two completely different crowds, it never dampens their close relationship.There is a new boy in their school. Cal Blaire. The moment he walks up to the school, everyone's head turns in his direction. All the girls immediately salivate over his olive skin and gold colored eyes. To make it even worse, Morgan isn’t immune to the crazy obsession! Morgan has never been fully in to a guy before now; she has never had a boyfriend or even her first kiss. She is automatically drawn to Cal but she knows that he is way out of her league.Once everyone starts getting to know Cal; just about everyone either wants to be his friend or just “wants him period”. The exception is all the guys that are jealous that their girlfriend gawk at Cal right in front of them. Cal doesn’t fall into a click to “hang” with, he just accepts each person the same as the next. Morgan admires this about Cal; he even goes out of his way to start multiple conversations with her! Her one concern is that she thinks he is a player. He goes on dates with girls but just goes from one to the next.One day, Cal goes around the school to all the Junior and Senior students to invite them to a party. The directions he gives them leads the partygoers to a large field and this is when Cal introduces Wicca. This meeting wakes up something in Morgan.I am going to immediately start the second book to the series and I this is a book that I would highly recommend!Follow my blog at http://MagicalUrbanFantasyReads.com/
What do You think about Book Of Shadows (2007)?
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
—Emmy
Morgan is incredibly attracted to Cal, a new senior at her school, but so is her friend Bree. Cal invites both of them to what ends up being a Wicca ritual. Morgan is fascinated by Wicca, and some weird psychic events that happened to her after that night. But overshadowing her enthusiasm is a rivalry developing between her and Bree. Very readable, with a strong plot. I wish the end hadn't been as abrupt - it's a total cliff-hanger. Not for those who object to the occult and magic, or for sexual themes.
—Jackie "the Librarian"
This review was originally published on Blogs of a Bookaholic.A fantastic first book full of magic, mystery and discovery. This is around the 4/5 time I've read this book now and it never disappoints! I first discovered this series aged 14, and in a weird way, I almost feel like the books chose me. They came to me in a point in my life where I really needed them, and held for me some key advice and life lessons that helped me deal with several big changes going on at that time. These books are incredibly underrated and in my opinion deserve a much bigger spotlight.Now, the writing in this book is not what you would consider ‘good’ technical writing. Character descriptions aren't integrated in a subtle way, they are laid out pure and simple from the first moment we meet each character. There are a few instances of awkward phrasing, and there are no super fancy words. But the beauty of Tiernan’s writing lies in its simplicity. For every standard description there is also a unique or interesting passage from a narrative voice that is yet to reach its peak. It always amazes me how Tiernan packs so much into such a small amount of pages, and there is not one dull moment. The plot is consistently fast paced and there is no unneeded meandering or boring chapters. It brings together a lot of typical YA story-lines, two best friends in an unequal relationship feuding over the same guy, teenage insecurities and family fights, yet I feel like it is dealt with in a much less superficial way. It’s realistic and believable. What I also love about this book is that although romance and lusting after a guy is a key plot point, (and is pretty over-dramatic) it is not the main focus. Instead it centers more on Morgan’s involvement with the religion Wicca, and through it her own self discovery. I would be lying if I didn't say the biggest reason I love these books is my genuine fascination with the religion. Tiernan also has a knack for creating great vivid characters; simple little things such as Morgan's addiction to Diet Coke make her feel all the more realistic. She’s got spunk, but not in a typically cliched over the top YA way, and her integrity and the way she sticks to her convictions make her stand out from the crowd.Bree, who at first seems like the stereotypical sassy boy obsessed best friend found in so many YA books, is quickly given much more depth and complexity. Robbie is sweet and loyal, Cal is mysterious and yet instantly likable. They are all interesting, and remarkably fleshed out for such a small book.One of my all time favourite series, and I would recommend it to everyone! xDYou can check out my full, unabridged review and others like it Blogs of a Bookaholic. :)
—Becky (Blogs of a Bookaholic)
