Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Review & Giveaway: Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft by Jody Gehrman


Title: Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft (Audrey's Guides, #1) 

Author: Jody Gehrman

Rating: 3.5 Stars 

From the surface, Audrey’s Guide to Witchcraft seems to be like any other run-of-the-mill paranormal romance. We have the girl in the beautiful dress on the cover, a synopsis that hints at a female protagonist realizing she has paranormal powers, our classic Missing Parent Syndrome, and, of course, a romantic interest. Yet, when you really begin to read and probe deeper, you find that Audrey’s Guide to Witchcraft is so much more than just a paranormal mystery about a girl who realizes she’s a witch and tries to hone her powers to help her mother fight unspeakable evil. It’s about sibling relationships, friendships, finding yourself, and about maintaining a normal life in a world where your control seems to be slipping with every moment. Thus, I found myself to be pleasantly surprised, enchanted, and enthralled by the world Gehrman had created and I will most definitely be coming back for more.
  
For those of you who know me, you’ll know that I put more emphasis on well-developed characters opposed to scintillating plot lines, so I was both excited and pleased by how deep and thoughtful the characters in this novel were. Audrey, our protagonist, is a girl like any other who feels insecure in high school. In fact, Audrey is often jealous of her beautiful younger sister and feels overshadowed in her lively presence. While I don’t have a sister myself, I was able to understand Audrey’s mixed feelings toward her sibling and I thought their relationship was portrayed very realistically and with a lot of thought. It reminded me a lot of the sister relationship in “27 Dresses” and while it wasn’t resolved by the end of the novel, that only made me love it more for its realistic quality.

In addition to this wonderful relationship though, Audrey herself is such a spunky character. She isn’t easy to like at first as she is often withdrawn, cold to her mother’s supposed “cousin” who comes to take care of Audrey and her sister while her mother is missing, and she is generally morose. Yet, she stands up for her best friend, isn’t afraid to be who she is, speaks her mind, and her difference from others sets her apart. Furthermore, she is determined and perseverant, so when she learns she is a powerful witch, she takes it in her stride and makes the best of her situation which I admire about her.

Nevertheless, the one aspect of this novel that truly blew me away was the romance. It takes a lot for me to jump on the romance bandwagon in a novel, but I simply adored the way the love story in this book played out. For one, there is no triangle of love! *does happy dance* If that isn’t enough to make you pick up this book, the romance is also very normal and realistic. Julian, the older college guy who winds up becoming the manager for Audrey’s sister’s band, Cherry, meets Audrey at a party and they instantly click. Thus, their relationship blossoms through actual dates and conversation which is so refreshing and entertaining to read! Yes, their romance did have quite a few clichés that had me rolling my eyes such as the way a storm occurred when they first touched or how objects fly around when they kiss or how Julian dreams of Audrey and feels a pull towards her, but all those paranormal wonders aside, I really loved these two.

Finally, the last ingredient to making me love a novel has to be plot twists and while there weren’t too many of them in this novel, there were one or two which I totally didn’t see coming! I love when I don’t predict the outcome of a novel, as that is something that seems to happen too often these days, so I was pleasantly surprised by the twists in this story.

Alll of that being said, there are still a few flaws with this book. For one, I found the beginning to be a little slow and hard to get into, especially since the plot idea of making mysterious things happen and then being told you were a witch/wizard had been done before, plenty of times. Furthermore, I was a little disappointed by the ending when Audrey finally faces the villain. I did find him to be evil, but I thought his evil plan was rather overdone in the past and I found that Audrey managed to manipulate him far too easily. I’m looking forward to seeing more showdowns between Audrey and our villain in the future, but I hope they have a tad bit more of originality in them.

Overall though, this novel was brilliant! It kept my attention, had me laughing and sitting on the edge of my seat in worry, and I was thoroughly invested in the sparkling dialogue between Audrey, her friends, and her love interest. I can’t wait for the sequel to release and finished this book with a satisfied sigh. Thus, I’d highly recommend this to anyone looking for a new paranormal read or, at any rate, some sizzling romance because trust me, Julian is swoooon-worthy! ;)

A huge thank you to Jody Gehrman for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

GIVEAWAY!
Jody Gehrman was kind enough to allow me to do a giveaway of her novel on my blog, so one lucky winner will receive a copy of this book! If you live in the US, Jody will mail you a paperback copy of Audrey’s Guide to Witchcraft and if you are an international winner, you will receive an e-book of this novel in any format you wish – PDF, Kindle, Nook, etc.

To Enter Giveaway: 
Fill out Rafflecopter below
Must be 13 years or older
Giveaway ends August 26th, 2012 
Open Internationally

36 comments:

  1. I haven't read much about this book, but I'm glad to hear you were pleasantly surprised! Stereotypical aspects aside, this sounds like a very worthwhile read. Plus you have my attention with the romance! I'm glad to hear it was crafted well. Beautiful review as always, Keertana! :)

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    1. Thanks Sam! I definitely agree that this is a very worthwhile read, so I hope you check it out soon and enjoy it! :)

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  2. If I saw this book in book store I too would be a little wary about picking it up, I used to be a paranormal fan but now I find a lot of is a bit too cliched for my liking. But it's good to know that despite some of the issues you had with this book you still enjoyed it! Thanks for the lovely review Keertana and for bringing this book to my attention! :)

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    1. I really hope you check this one out, Jasprit! I know what you mean about paranormal books losing their former interest, but I actually wound up liking this a lot, so I hope you decide to read it! :)

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  3. I haven't though much of this book before because, like you said, it sounds like a normal para read. Fantastic review describing why you enjoyed this story! I love sisterly relationships in books, a non "triangle of love" romance (love your word order), and throughly enjoyable stories. I definitely will be checking this book out now! Terrific review!!!! :0

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    1. Yay! I'm so glad you're going to check this one out! It really has such great relationships and so much potential for a phenomenal series ahead! :D

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  4. I saw the cover for this book on a blog the other day and wondered what in the world the book was about so thanks for the review and giveaway! I'm glad to hear no love triangles too ; )

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    1. I know, so am I! I've come to despise love triangles so much these days, but I'm glad this one didn't have that downfall! I hope you like it! :D

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  5. So glad to see that you enjoyed this one Keertana! <3 The cover is really gorgeous, but it does look and sound a bit cliche, it's so great to see that it's not very cliche! I'm excited for the romance in this book, it sounds really wonderful! No insta-love, no love triangle. This stuff makes me happy! :D I'm definitely going to have to pick this one up! Fabulous review!

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    1. Thanks Aneeqah! I loved the romance in this one too and it was so original and refreshing! I can't wait to see what you think of this one! :D

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  6. I really love the cover for this book. Thanks for the great review and giveaway!

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    1. No problem, Jenn! I find the cover of this to be so eye-catching as well, so I hope you enjoy this! :)

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  7. Wow, fantastic review! I really appreciate well-written reviews where the writer really goes into detail dissecting the separate aspects of the book that worked and didn't work for him/her. This doesn't sound like my typical kind of book, but I think I'll look into it a little more after reading your review.

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    1. Thanks Amanda! I think this book has something to love for everyone, so I hope you give it a shot, someday! :)

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  8. I've never heard of this book before, but I am definitely intrigued now! I LOVE it when I don't predict a plot twist. That whole jaw-dropping reaction is something I crave more of.

    We need more well crafted sibling bonds in YA, I think, so bonus points for that. And I love that Audrey takes time to warm up to. I'm unsure of those kind of characters at first, but then they slowly win me over and the way that reader/character relationship unfolds is something I really enjoy being part of.

    Anywho, awesome review, I'm looking forward to reading this!

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    1. Thanks Brodie!(: I love that jaw-dropping reaction too and this book has all of that, plus amazing relationships! It was such an unexpectedly good book for me, so I'm thrilled that I enjoyed it so much and can't wait till you read this too! :D

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  9. I do appreciate a review where the reviewer has taken the time to list any negative feelings he/she may have had about the book. That, I feel, shows a truer view of your feelings and helps build trust in you as a reviewer.

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    1. Thanks!(: I always strive to do that and I'm so glad you feel that way about my reviews too - it means a lot! :D

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  10. Lovely review, hun! I don't think I've heard much about this book, if at all, but you had me at endearing characters and well-placed romance! Audrey sounds like a girl I'd like to read about (especially being an older sister!) Thanks for opening this giveaway up to us international readers!

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    1. No problem, Mandee!(: I can't wait for you to read this as it's so wonderful! I definitely hope you check it out soon!

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  11. Thank you for the review and the giveaway :)

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  12. No triangle of love? That is enough to make me want to read this book, and then I read that the romance develops at a realistic pace, over dates and conversation and getting to know one another. I wanted to read this book before, but I wasn't in a rush. those two little things make it even more of a priority in my world of reading. And, while there is a girl on the cover in a gorgeous dress, it still feels very different from the standard girl in dress. The plainish brown background makes it very interesting visually, especially the red dress splashed across it. All in all, this is definitely a book that I would love to read!

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    1. I know right? I hate love triangles, but the romance in this was beautiful! Plus, like you, I do think the cover stands out from the usual girl-in-a-pretty-dress covers, so I'm glad you're excited to read this one now! :D

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  13. Wow! New book for me. Thanks for the review, excuse me while I dash off to add to my wishlist.

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    1. Yay! I'm so glad you want to read this now, Lisa! I hope you enjoy it! :D

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  14. I've read a few of Jody Gehrman's other books and I'm excited to read this one!

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    1. I haven't read any of her other books before, but I think I'll check them out! I think you'll really enjoy this one for sure though!(:

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  15. I'm glad to see this wasn't like any other run-of-the-mill paranormal romances and you were pleasantly surprised. Glad to see you liked the romance in it. I love the cover even with the standard "girl in a dress," like you said it's a little different than the rest. Great review Keertana and thanks for the giveaway. :)

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    1. Thanks Rachel! I was so excited to see what I liked this book so much, so I really hope you enjoy it as well! :D

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  16. Thank you for sharing your love of reading.

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  17. the cover of this book made me want to read it!

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    1. I know right? I'm so glad you're going to be checking this one out!(:

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  18. Love the cover, love the premise! Can't wait to read it. Thanks for the giveaway!

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    1. Yay! I hope you enjoy this one, Laura, and I'm so glad I got you excited about this book! :D

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