Release Date: September 8, 2011
Series: Witch Eyes #1
Publisher: Flux
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Braden has never been normal. Born both blessed and cursed with the mysterious Witch Eyes, he sees the truth about the world. But all that information comes at a price, and using his power for too long leaves him prey to a debilitating headache. Unfortunately, sometimes the truth has a way of sneaking in -- and when Braden sees something he shouldn't, he has no choice but to leave behind the only home he's ever known and go in search of the most dangerous man in the world: his father. Jason Thorpe has more than a few enemies in Belle Dam, but the most dangerous of them all is Catherine Lansing, head of another powerful witching family and mother of the boy Braden's falling for. The secrets Braden learns in the feuding town threaten to tear him apart, but he must open his eyes to the truth if he ever wants to save the people he's grown to love from their own destructive powers.
In
Witch Eyes,
Scott Tracey envisions a bizarre world, one both modern and mystical. The quaint town of Belle Dam houses more than a few dark secrets, but the longstanding feud between the two reigning families isn't one of them -- everyone in the town is caught up in the fallout. Their feud echoes the Montagues and Capulets in its absurdity and destructive power, and the leaders of both factions will take down anyone who stands in their way. This world of magic and mystery, blood feuds and hell hounds, is a fascinating one and something I would have liked to see further developed in the novel. The hero, Braden, is blessed (or cursed) with the mysterious Witch Eyes, an ability only one other person has possessed -- a woman apparently lost to history. The complex backstory that led to this point in the Belle Dam feud seemed fragmented at times, and though readers can get the gist of what they need to know, the reading experience would have been richer and smoother if they hadn't had to work so hard.
Nonetheless,
Witch Eyes is an exciting novel. Readers will jump from suspect to suspect alongside Braden -- it's impossible to tell who to trust in this war-torn town -- and will never see the final dizzying revelation coming. Speaking of Braden, he's a real gem. Sweet and snarky, shy but brilliantly powerful, readers will fall in love with his wry charm from the very beginning. His relationship with Trey is a tumultuous one, for more reasons than just the obvious star-crossed issues. Trey's family is more than a little dysfunctional, but unlike Braden, he can't see it. His willful blindness can be frustrating, as is his constant impulse to control and protect Braden. But Braden isn't the kind of guy to take overwrought machismo sitting down, and his rebellions against Trey's domineering tendencies are winning (many YA protagon
Witch Eyes by Scott TraceyBraden was born with witch eyes: the ability to see the world as it truly is: a blinding explosion of memories, darkness, and magic. The power enables Braden to see through spells and lies, but at the cost of horrible pain.
After a terrifying vision reveals imminent danger for the uncle who raised and instructed him, Braden retreats to Belle Dam, an old city divided by two feuding witch dynasties. As rival family heads Catherine Lansing and Jason Thorpe desperately try to use Braden's powers to unlock Belle Dam's secrets, Braden vows never to become their sacrificial pawn. But everything changes when Braden learns that Jason is his father--and Trey, the enigmatic guy he's falling for, is Catherine's son.
To stop an insidious dark magic from consuming the town, Braden must master his gift—and risk losing the one he loves.
Today, Trey Lansing is stopping by to give us a peek at his college application essay -- and to tell us a little bit about himself and the Lansing family, one of the players in an age-old blood feud.
"Tell us about where you grew up, and how it helped shape you into the kind of person you are today."
-Washington State University essay prompt
My name is Trey Lansing, and I was born and raised in a town called Belle Dam in Washington state. Don't be surprised if you haven't heard of it, we're a quiet city on the Sound and we keep to ourselves. Belle Dam is the kind of place you go when you need a fresh start: a community that welcomes you whether you sit on the right or the left; where secrets stay buried like they belong.
My family has always been a part of Belle Dam. We were some of the first founders when the city was nothing more than a fishing outpost on the Sound. There has always been a Lansing to help shape the city, like a captain at the helm of a ship. My grandfather, and his father before him, was the mayor for nearly twenty years. Family's always been important to the Lansings - though we've gone through generations of adversity, we always persevere.
Most of what I know about my community, I learned from my mother. A lifetime advocate of education, she sits on the school board, while also running her own restaurant in town. In her spare time, she volunteers and organizes charity events, and yet still somehow managed to make every swim meet or tennis match I had growing up. My mother's dedication to her family, and to preserving our legacy, is one of the core tenets she taught me, growing up.
In a small town like ours, there's always something that needs to be done. There are always people to talk to, issues that need to be put to rest, problems that need to be removed. The thing is, people don't always ask when they need help, and sometimes, you have to provide it for them anyway. You have to go beyond what people tell you what they want, and give them what they need instead.
But it's not all positive.
Most people who aren't from a small town think it's cute, or quaint, the way everyone seems to know your name, and the way that idle gossip travels faster than sound. In some ways it's nice - I still do volunteer work through one of the organizations my grandfat
I have had this on my To-Read shelf for a long time after I found it in a giveaway on goodreads. I hope I get around to reading it now that I read your review! Thanks
I'm currently in the middle of this book and completely loving it. I love how Scott is building the relationship between Trey and Braden--it feels natural and real, rather than forced as so many of the relationships in the books I've recently read do. Can't wait to see where Scott is going to take these characters next!
Smiles!
Lori
I've really wanted to read this book as soon as I saw it! I don't read as many books as I should with male protagonists. This sounds great.