GoodReads Descriptions:
BOOK DESCRIPTION:
Ten years ago, Quinn Jacobs’ mother made a bargain with a local witch—steal away Quinn’s memories from the first eight years of her life and in return, Quinn would spend a year in servitude to the witch.
On Quinn’s eighteenth birthday, she’s forced to leave her home and friends behind. For the next year, she’ll live at the Chadwick House, learning everything she needs to know about being a spellcaster. As her powers grow, Quinn begins to unravel the secrets of the past and the reason her mother was so desperate to conceal the horrifying truth.
On Quinn’s eighteenth birthday, she’s forced to leave her home and friends behind. For the next year, she’ll live at the Chadwick House, learning everything she needs to know about being a spellcaster. As her powers grow, Quinn begins to unravel the secrets of the past and the reason her mother was so desperate to conceal the horrifying truth.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Heather Topham Wood’s obsession with novels began in childhood while growing up in a shore town in New Jersey. Writing since her teens, she recently returned to penning novels after a successful career as a freelance writer. She’s the author of the paranormal romance Second Sight series and the standalone The Disappearing Girl .
Heather graduated from the College of New Jersey in 2005 and holds a bachelor's degree in English. Her freelance work has appeared in publications such as USA Today, Livestrong.com, Outlook by the Bay and Step in Style magazine. She resides in Trenton, New Jersey with her husband and two sons. Besides writing, Heather is a pop culture fanatic and has an obsession with supernatural novels and TV shows.
Series: The Memory Witch #1
Release Date: December 15th 2013
Publisher: Crescent Moon Press
Purchase: Amazon
ISBN: 1939173612
Edition: Paperback
Rating: ★★★★☆
Review Written: 4 February, 2014
Review Written: 4 February, 2014
Received as part of the IFB Book Tour, I anticipated getting my hands on a copy of this book. It was intriguing, and to be honest, I was more than a bit curious to see whether or not it'd be worth my time. The wait for the e-book copy was making me grow anxious, I knew I'm a bit limited on time for reading right now with some personal upheavals, but I was determined to get the book read and a review queued up.
The Memory Witch follows the story of Quinn, a young woman who has spent the last ten years of her life with an amazing case of amnesia that her mother seems unwilling to treat. Still, Quinn reasons her life isn't all that bad beyond her lack of memory considering she's dating the most popular boy of her high school experience and she's well on her way to a scholarship at a nearby college. That is until she comes home the day before her eighteenth birthday to find her mother entertaining Stella.
Stella, a witch whom Quinn's mother employed to save her daughter ten years ago, has come to gain the debt that has to be paid for the spell. The price? A year of Quinn's life. Enraged, Quinn seeks a way to escape this year long servitude, but the magic requires payment and it's already been put off for ten years. Over the course of a year, Quinn manages to unlock the secret to her amnesia and discover the truth about her past, one that's overshadowed by the real reason behind her father's death and a path that if she takes, she won't survive.
Wood's writing skills are superb, bring forth a sense of empathy towards Quinn. I'll admit, in the earliest parts of the book, I found myself disgusted with Tanner and Quinn. It wasn't overly hard to see that he was a spoiled child who'd had everything handed to him except for Quinn's virginity. And some of Quinn's erratic behavior was slightly hard to grasp at first. Wood does do a good job at keeping the reader wanting more however. The hints and tendrils of Quinn's past that echo throughout the book as her nightmares gives a fleeting glimpse at the hard truth waiting to come.
There was almost a feeling of dread that settled over me when I reached the last 30 pages, realizing that there wasn't enough time for everything to be resolved. I will confess, I did feel the regaining of Quinn's memories felt a bit rushed. An influx of eight years worth of memories at one shot seems a bit difficult to handle, and while I realize that the point of the series is to follow what Quinn will do with the knowledge of the events, it felt a bit far-fetched to believe she'd be remotely able to function normally after that amount of memories flooding back.
All in all, I'm filled with anticipation of the second book, eager to see where Quinn's path will lead her down.
Favorite Quotes:
"Your mother seems to lack the backbone to break the news to you, so I'm guessing the honor falls to me," Stella said crisply. "When someone makes a deal with a witch, there must be a payment of some sort. It has to be something of great value - otherwise the spell will upset the balance of nature. You can't just hand over a bundle of cash and expect that to be enough." (pg. 22)
"I really thought long and hard about something that I would have a hard time parting with." Madeline wiped at a few stray tears falling from her eyes and reached for her purse. Pulling out a ring, she gripped it tightly before prying away her fingers. Displaying it in her palm for Stella to observe, she said, "It's my engagement ring from Steven."
"Oh my god... are you serious?" I blurted out.
Stella cast me a withering gaze and I swore she would smite me right then and there if she could.I was apologetic for interrupting, but I was also flabbergasted. The diamond solitare had a huge princess cut gem in the middle of it. It must have been worth thousands of dollars. I was shocked at how easy this woman was just handing it over for a second shot at love. (pg. 81)
"I want you to do a spell that gives me the daughter I deserve. Make Celia a lovely and talented girl."
Before she could continue, I shot out of my seat in rage. "You despicable human being!" The woman cowered back as I glared at her. "How dare you try and change your daughter? Just because she's doesn't fit in your perfect little mold!" (p.179)
Wood's writing skills are superb, bring forth a sense of empathy towards Quinn. I'll admit, in the earliest parts of the book, I found myself disgusted with Tanner and Quinn. It wasn't overly hard to see that he was a spoiled child who'd had everything handed to him except for Quinn's virginity. And some of Quinn's erratic behavior was slightly hard to grasp at first. Wood does do a good job at keeping the reader wanting more however. The hints and tendrils of Quinn's past that echo throughout the book as her nightmares gives a fleeting glimpse at the hard truth waiting to come.
There was almost a feeling of dread that settled over me when I reached the last 30 pages, realizing that there wasn't enough time for everything to be resolved. I will confess, I did feel the regaining of Quinn's memories felt a bit rushed. An influx of eight years worth of memories at one shot seems a bit difficult to handle, and while I realize that the point of the series is to follow what Quinn will do with the knowledge of the events, it felt a bit far-fetched to believe she'd be remotely able to function normally after that amount of memories flooding back.
All in all, I'm filled with anticipation of the second book, eager to see where Quinn's path will lead her down.
Favorite Quotes:
"Your mother seems to lack the backbone to break the news to you, so I'm guessing the honor falls to me," Stella said crisply. "When someone makes a deal with a witch, there must be a payment of some sort. It has to be something of great value - otherwise the spell will upset the balance of nature. You can't just hand over a bundle of cash and expect that to be enough." (pg. 22)
"I really thought long and hard about something that I would have a hard time parting with." Madeline wiped at a few stray tears falling from her eyes and reached for her purse. Pulling out a ring, she gripped it tightly before prying away her fingers. Displaying it in her palm for Stella to observe, she said, "It's my engagement ring from Steven."
"Oh my god... are you serious?" I blurted out.
Stella cast me a withering gaze and I swore she would smite me right then and there if she could.I was apologetic for interrupting, but I was also flabbergasted. The diamond solitare had a huge princess cut gem in the middle of it. It must have been worth thousands of dollars. I was shocked at how easy this woman was just handing it over for a second shot at love. (pg. 81)
"I want you to do a spell that gives me the daughter I deserve. Make Celia a lovely and talented girl."
Before she could continue, I shot out of my seat in rage. "You despicable human being!" The woman cowered back as I glared at her. "How dare you try and change your daughter? Just because she's doesn't fit in your perfect little mold!" (p.179)
Nice review and quotes. Thanks for participating!
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