Medea by Rosie Hewlett

Medea by Rosie Hewlett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - in and out over 2 days

Pages - 432

Publisher - Penguin

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

Shunned by her mother. Beaten by her father. Separated from her sister. Medea has never fit in because she possesses a unique and dangerous power - witchcraft.

When the dashing young hero and leader on the famed Argonauts, Jason, arrives to claim the Golden Fleece that her father fiercely protects, Medea takes her opportunity to escape.

Her offer to help Jason overcome the trials set by her father sets in motion a journey that will test see her battle monsters, dethrone kings, fall in love and reclaim her power.

But when faced with the ultimate betrayal, just what will Medea be prepared to do for love?


My Review

Holding my hands up guys I do not know a lot about the Greek mythology but have found myself picking up and enjoying these retellings. I do feel I should probably get some of the originals but when I come upon these I will be picking them up. This one focuses on Medea and Jason of the Argonaughts. Medea first, her upbringing, how poorly she is treated and how her father uses her for her magic. So when Jason comes and is kind, attractive and promising all sorts Medea takes her chance to try and get some freedom, something for herself and of course love. In doing so she embraces her power for which she has always been judged, shunned, used and of course betrays her loved ones which is a huge no no in any civilisation.

So I liked it, I obviously don't know Medea's actual story nor how close to it this author kept, the few Greek mythology I have read the women have been powerful. Yes Medea is powerful, she is a powerful witch but I was so desperate for her to stand up for herself and I don't think she ever really did. Ok maybe once but I mean like really stood up for herself and Carrie White everyone who was bad to her. I don't feel like she really got her redemption although does anyone ever really in these stories.

And I know I know it happens in these stories, animal harm because of the sacrifices and offerings to the Gods but I really wish they wouldn't. It is just horrible and I hate that stuff, it does impact the enjoyment of the stories like come on, can't we offer other stuff.

Poor Medea couldn't catch a break and made so many bad bad decisions, I did feel sorry for her and a wee bit annoyed at times. It was good but not my fave and if you know her story I am not sure if you will love this or not because I don't know just how different it varies. Sometimes you love a retelling when things are changed for what you consider the better but it swings the other way too, overall 3.5/5 for me.

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Road Trip with a Vampire by Jenna Levine

Road Trip With a Vampire by Jenna Levine
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - in and out as able over 4 days

Pages - 384

Publisher -

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

A vampire who can’t remember his past and a witch with secrets of her own hit the road in this zany, cross-country romantic comedy from beloved author Jenna Levine.

Reformed bad witch Grizelda “Zelda” Watson had hoped to never see another vampire again when she slipped away to sunny California for a fresh start. She'd grown tired of them and their nonsense ages ago. But when a vampire with amnesia unexpectedly shows up on her doorstep with a letter from her old friend Reggie, and asks for her help, she can’t say no. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Peter Elliott is tall and gorgeous, looks great in yoga shorts, and has the kind of dark hair and surly expression Zelda’s been a sucker for for hundreds of years.

Peter isn’t completely harmless—he is fanged, after all—but he’s harmless enough, and soon becomes the only person in Zelda’s new life who knows the truth about what she is. If she can help him decipher the cryptic notes in his journal, the only clues to his lost memories, she might as well try before sending him on his way.

But when an alarming message from Peter's past coincides with a clear sign that Zelda can't keep running from her own, they embark on a cross-country road trip for answers—only to find what they're looking for in each other.


My Review

This is book three of the vampire series but they absolutely can be read as standalones because each book focuses on the individuals involved own story. Zelda is a super powerful witch with a shady past, she really lived it up over her hundreds of years however after some bad things happened she toned it down and disappeared. She hasn't spoken to her old vamp pal for a decade and now had a wee yoga retreat and rarely practices magic now which brings its own perils. Now a vampire (Peter), WITH AMNESIA no less has rocked up to her quiet wee life, sent by her auld pal as he thinks she can help. Zelda has been helped in her time of need so she kinda feels like she needs to but also Mr memory loss vamp is also hot, like HOT so agrees she does and they both head off on a road trip with just a book of his memories and a building sizzling attraction, oh my!

We get glimpses of both their pasts, Peter's brings us up to present day and the fall out. In between trying to unravel his memories, Zelda trying to deal with her magic issues and doing controlled experiments allowing for controlled bursts of magic, Peter they both try to unravel his mystery between his diary, how people seem to react to him and threatening notes from ?who.

It is an attraction slow burn romance that sparks fire, some mystery for both of them, we learn as we go and the threat from an outside party who want something from Peter but neither he nor us know. Magic, sass, amnesia, vampire, witch, road trip and building attraction with some spicey scenes, I am sad this is the last book because they are all great characters, 4/5.

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Witch: The True Story of Las Vegas Most Notorious Female Killer by Glenn Puit

Witch: The True Story of Las Vegas' Most Notorious Female Killer by Glenn Puit
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 4 days

Pages - 352

Publisher -

Source - Bought (in Vegas)

Blurb from Goodreads

Drawing on extensive interviews with the accused herself, here is the sordid, twisted, and surprising story of Brookey Lee West—a successful technical writer from Silicon Valley who became Las Vegas’ most notorious female serial killer.

In February, 2001, police uncovered the decomposed remains of Christine Smith bagged like garbage in a Las Vegas storage unit. She’d been dead for years. Next to the makeshift tomb were books on witchcraft and Satanism. It didn’t take long for authorities to discover that the owner of the foul Canyon Gate Unit #317 was Christine’s own daughter, Brookey Lee West. Further investigation revealed something even more shocking—a one-woman crime spree that spanned two decades, stretched from Nevada to California, and may have counted among its victims Brookey’s own husband and brother....



My Review

So I hadn't heard of this one, I have read/seen a lot of true crime but never heard of this case. We effectively open with the finding of a body in a storage unit, the police trying to find the owner of said storage unit. We then get a back history of the deceased person Christine Smith and her daughter and owner of the unit, Brookey Lee West. Christine's early life, upbringing, how she met her husband and their life. The beginning of Brookey Lee's life, the suspected murders and glimpses of who she was or presented to those who were in her life.

This book is different is that we get more of the victims past and lives than really we do of Brookey Lee West. I feel like I don't know a whole lot more of her than I did before I started the book, absolute I know more of her mum, dad, husband and some of the ways she interacted with them but otherwise I don't think we know her much at all. Most books on killers you get quite in depth of who they are/were but this leaves you, well it did me, with a lot more questions.

Interesting read and I would read other books on her, see what information and takes other authors manage to pull together, 3.5/5.

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Bitterthorn by Kat Dunn

Bitterthorn by Kat Dunn
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to red - 3 days

Pages - 368

Publisher - Anderson Press

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

Blumwald is a town overshadowed by an ancient curse: in a sinister castle in the depths of the wild wood lives a monstrous Witch. Once a generation, she comes to claim a companion to return with her – never to be seen again. Now that time is drawing near once more...

Mina, daughter of the duke, is grieving and lonely. She has lost all hope of any future for herself in Blumwald. So when the Witch demands her next companion, Mina offers herself up – though she has no idea what fate awaits her. Stranded with her darkly alluring captor, the mystery of what happened to the previous companions draws Mina into the heart of a terrifying secret that could save her life, or end it.


My Review

A very small town, Mina, daughter of a Duke completely ignored, almost Cinderella vibes although the dad is still alive. She is completely ignored/forgotten about whilst her stepmother and her stepsisters have all the love and attention. The small town is under the curse of a witch, every X amount of years a villager is given to the witch, never to be heard from again. With everything being the way it is and feeling so lonely and isolated Mina tributes herself to go with the witch. The book then follows their journey, the witch being cold, irritated and elusive to Mina's questions. The longer Mina is there with no answers the more she has to explore to try and find out what happened to those before her and what is in store for her.

This is different from anything I have read, a bit of fairy tale hints, witch, town curse, mystery, loner main character who is desperate to be loved/accepted or even just acknowledged. Desperate loneliness, suspicion, hints of a dark truth yet to be revealed. And in between all of that we have some LGBT themes, focusing more on the L. Family, love, relationships, secrets, survival and always with a dark secret looming.

I liked it, I felt it changed and brought something I wasn't expecting nor really hinted at but with witches magic is magic and anything can happen. This was my first time reading this author I would absolutely read her again, 3/5.

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Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt

Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 2 days

Publisher - Tor Nightfire

Source - gifted

Blurb from Goodreads

The English language debut of the bestselling Dutch novel, Hex, from Thomas Olde Heuvelt--a Hugo and World Fantasy award nominated talent to watch

Whoever is born here, is doomed to stay 'til death. Whoever settles, never leaves.

Welcome to Black Spring, the seemingly picturesque Hudson Valley town haunted by the Black Rock Witch, a seventeenth century woman whose eyes and mouth are sewn shut. Muzzled, she walks the streets and enters homes at will. She stands next to children's bed for nights on end. Everybody knows that her eyes may never be opened or the consequences will be too terrible to bear.

The elders of Black Spring have virtually quarantined the town by using high-tech surveillance to prevent their curse from spreading. Frustrated with being kept in lockdown, the town's teenagers decide to break their strict regulations and go viral with the haunting. But, in so doing, they send the town spiraling into dark, medieval practices of the distant past.

This chilling novel heralds the arrival of an exciting new voice in mainstream horror and dark fantasy.


My Review

A small town with a curse, a curse they keep from everyone not from the town. You can come and live here but you can never move. She is a witch, an actual physical entity and there are rules. The town is covered with surveillance and everyone knows, even the kids, they must abide.

The cast is made up of youngsters/families/the towns folk and of course madam witch, she can enter any home. Oooft guys she is a creepy scary biscuit and you don't know a whole lot about her, the story unfolds as you go along. We have some kids who, well, kids are kids and rebel and these handful are no different. However actions have consequences and these kids are way WAY over their heads.

The book has some great suspense, creepy, weird, small time stuff but also also slips in parts into some really dark and I felt unnecessary stuff. Like the animal dream stuff *vomits* - the abuse scenes and I get it is to show the mind slippage/depravity but it did make for uncomfortable reading. There are some really dark taboo bits and also self harm, death, loss, spiralling so just a heads up, it does get dark.

I really liked some of it and the darker threads yeah not so much. Small town, legends, haunting like, curse, witch, actions/consequences. It is a good/dark read but just a bit out there in parts that for me took away from the book a wee bit although am sure some horror fans will love it, 3.5/5 for me.

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