Once again, being a part of the Around the World ARC Tours site came through for me because I got to read Witch Eyes early. After reading the blurb I knew I had to give it a shot because how many supernatural stories are out there written by a guy? I like reading the guy YA writers every chance I can because they always bring a different perspective to the genre. Plus the story sounded remarkably interesting.
Braden 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 giftâand risk losing the one he loves.
The mystery surrounding Belle Dam is quite the ride. The entire story was laid out in such a way that I literally had no idea what was going to happen from one moment to the next and little clue to what was really going on in Belle Dam. Also, I love the name. I wish this was a real town. There’s a Tumblr account for Belle Dam and Witch Eyes with strange pictures that each tell a bit of the story in them. While they probably won’t make sense until you’ve read the book, you can get spooked and intrigued by what the pictures imply. (Some are a tad creepy, jsyk.)
Through Braden, we see the world in an entirely different way. I found every scene with Braden’s “witch eyes” in action fascinating. And when he was wearing the shades, I couldn’t help but refer to him as Scott Summers in my head. (Any time I can use a X-Men reference, I will.)
I rarely read a YA book with guy-on-guy interest, and I guess I didn’t pay that much attention to the blurb once I read about Braden’s eyes and a witch feud because somehow him falling for Trey was overlooked completely. Well, until it happened in the story. After that point, I had to keep reminding myself I was reading a guy’s POV because I’m not used to reading about a guy really looking at another guy.
Regardless, I loved Braden and Trey together. They were so cute, even though there were times I wanted to slap Trey upside the head. Ugh, that boy is clueless about several things. But there’s one scene I’ll probably always remember where they’re hiding from a nasty thing that wants to get them and they’re clinging to each other to hide in a tight spot. It was just so… I’m probably going to reveal something about me here, but I found it kind of hot. It’s a poignant moment.
Overall, the characters and the mystery drew me in and left me wanting more. I’m very much looking forward to the next book, Demon Eyes.
Witch Eyes comes out September 8th from Flux.