Legacy & Spellbound (Wicked Series) by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie

Holly Cathers is not the same person she was almost a year ago. After discovering her connection to an ancient legacy of witches, Holly has accepted her destiny as a descendant of the House of Cahors. She is determined to end an intergenerational fued that has plagued her family for centuries.

Holly will have to overcome unworldly obstacles as she battles to protect her loved ones - including Jer, a member of the rival House of Deveraux and her one true love. A war of magical proportions is being waged and Holly is at the center of it all.

Lives will be lost and sacrifices will have to be made... (summary taken from book)

I think I liked these two books better than the first two. The story moved a little faster and I feel like more happened. Unfortunately, what happened was more of the same. Really, I'm starting to think that these two authors have no creativity. The whole series so far has been Holly and her friends and family fighting for their lives. Several different people are out to get them, and every other page they are preparing for battle and hoping they won't die. It gets tedious, this looming prospect of death. And as I was reading, I just didn't like the writing. I kept finding things that I would change if I was the editor. It wasn't grammatical mistakes, just things like word choice that annoyed me while I was reading Legacy and Spellbound. The only redeeming quality is the cliff-hanger at the end. I want to know what happens, but I think I'm going to pass on reading the next book.

6 out of 10.

Witch & Curse (Wicked Series) by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie

Holly Cathers's life has been turned upside. After her parents and best friend die in a white water rafting accident, Holly must move to Seattle to live with an aunt, uncle and cousins that she's never met. But dark forces are at work, and Holly soon learns that she is part of an ancient feud that extends back to the Medieval period. Holly and her cousins are part of the Cahors House, a French family that are warlocks and witches. Their rivals, the Deveraux family, are trying to find the secret of the Black Fire and don't like Holly getting in the way. Using her newfound magic, Holly, her cousins, and team of ragtag friends must find a way to stop the Deveraux and end the feud forever.

So for anyone who is confused, the book is actually two books in one. Since they have the same cover, and are essentially the same story, I just decided to review them at the same time. I got this book from a friend, who wanted me to read it first and tell her if it was good. Wicked (the name I will use to refer to the books combined) has been sitting on my shelf for many months, since I did not feel like reading it. But then I saw another friend reading it, and she practically gushed about Wicked, saying it was amazing and so, so good. But I didn't really like it that much. It kind of felt like Gossip Girl for fans of supernatural books. The story was easy to follow, the characters were pretty shallow, and the plot relied on a quick pace rather than actual storytelling. Ignoring the fact that the book is long, it was a light and easy read. I'm not saying I didn't enjoy reading it, but I'm not sure I would recommend it to other people. After finishing both books, I don't really like or care about the characters, and have no desire to find out what happens next. Unfortunately, there are three books after these two, and my friend said that she would bring me in the next two (also combined in one book). I don't want to hurt her feelings, so I guess I'm stuck reading more of Holly and her friends. If it's bad enough maybe I can attempt to snark it.

6 out of 10.