SC Review Roundup
Hi! I spent the last week on a writing retreat in Canada, swimming in a lake and eating watermelon and editing the first half of Cahill book 3. It was fun, but I’m so happy to be home with The Playwright and Monkey and my internet and my air-conditioning! I feel like I’ve spent so much time away from home this summer!
It’s been a month since STAR CURSED came out, and I’ve been so happy with the response from readers. It’s harder for second books in a series to get attention than for debuts – people don’t always tend to buy or read sequels right way, even if they really liked the first book! (I have been guilty of this too) – and so word of mouth is so important for sales. THANK YOU to everyone who’s taken the time to read and then to review it online. I wanted to highlight a few of my favorite reviews:
From bookseller Lelia at Pop Culture Nexus: Fans of Libba Bray’s Gemma Doyle series will appreciate the elegant mix of magic, history, romance, and that extra spark, that ineffable element that makes it impossible to put a book down…I mean, how often in young-adult fiction do you find a relationship where the two people involved are as respectful of each other as they are infatuated…Not only does it maintain the same high level of thrills (and swoons) set by BORN WICKED, but it ups the ante by about double.
From Heidi at YA Bibliophile: Let’s just say I was very pleased to see that STAR CURSED didn’t suffer from “lame second book syndrome.” Action, mystery, secrets, and romance! I loved it all!!
From Meghan at Forever YA: Anyway, this middle book doesn’t have TTS; the tensions and trouble introduced certainly will add to the drama of book three, but they can stand alone here… Additionally, Spotswood keeps up the delicious, secret-sharing tone she established in the first book, and doesn’t short the swoon, either. The secondary characters start to really get their own time stage as well, especially Rory, Maura and Tess. Also, she writes one fucker of a cliffhanger… reads like a cross between Edith Wharton, THE HANDMAID’S TALE, and THE WITCH OF BLACKBIRD POND, and that’s still AWESOME.
From Usagi at Birth of a New Witch: this book takes many risks, and I love that Spotswood wasn’t afraid to go into some of the darker places that other sequels would have avoided. It made me love this book, this world, these characters all the more. This one’s going to kick your feels right in the feels, guys, so hold on as we go into rocky territory in STAR CURSED. I’m absolutely chomping at the bit for book three NOW.
From Jaime at Fiction Fare: As usual, characters do it for me in a story, and Spotswood delivers. I honestly am struggling to think of characters I have despised and loved more than the ones in The Cahill Witch Chronicles… My verdict is that if you haven’t started this series yet, get moving! Spotswood has written an incredible second book filled with conflict and suspense. I am so excited to see what she brings us in book 3 and I’m hoping she’ll unbreak my heart.
From Alice Marvels: It was so lovely to be back in the absorbing world of BORN WICKED. I’d forgotten how cool and frightening this alternate take on New England history is… I highly recommend STAR CURSED—it’s a suspenseful, beautifully written sequel, definitely worthy of its wonderful predecessor.
From Kathy at A Glass of Wine: Jessica Spotswood delivered a sequel that more that lives up to the first installment of the series. Filled with sibling rivalry, magic, romance, and ending in a heart crushing climax that will leave you breathless for the final novel. It avoids the normal hindrances found in sequels and delivers something magical.
HOORAY! *throws confetti* Now I must finish editing this book – it seems like some people are eager to find out what happens! 😉
Just finished Star Cursed, and immediately wrote the review this morning (I did warn about spoilers!). Also, reviewed it briefly on Amazon for you! Loved it! I cried at the end, and I'm rooting for Cate to get some justice from the ending plot twist. Hopefully this will encourage you while you're still writing #3, but this fan/reader/librarian is super excited to read more of your stories, so keep up the awesome work (and I'll keep hoping for the next one to flow from the pen and press sooner rather than later)! 🙂
Thanks so much for reading and for taking the time to review, Kara! I"m so happy you liked it! Book 3 is already written and I'm waiting for line edits back from my editor – but the encouragement is *always* appreciated! 🙂