Review: Witch Eyes by Scott Tracey

Goodreads description:

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. [...]

To stop an insidious dark magic from consuming the town, Braden must master his gift—and risk losing the one he loves.

Yes, I finally, finally got to read "Witch Eyes" by Scott Tracey. After months and months of waiting for the day I could finally request it at my library (yes, you  have to wait for months after the release date!); and then a few more weeks of waiting and waiting, it eventually found its way into my hands. Needless to say, I was more than excited when the day arrived, and what can I say other than the waiting definitely paid off!

Before really starting off though, I just want to mention I took the liberty of leaving a sentence out of the Goodreads description. It was something I found to be very spoiler-y, and I was actually glad I didn't read the back cover of the book until AFTER I had already found out about said thing.

When I first heard about "Witch Eyes" I wasn't sure if it would be a book for me. I love the whole paranormal genre, but never really got into witches and witchcraft. It was one fellow blogger - I'm sure everybody knows who I am talking about... - who persistently kept saying everybody in their right mind would have to pick it up and read it. She was absolutely right!

First of, I was extremely happy the story was written from a male's perspective rather than female. Braden is such a fascinating character and I love experiencing a new world through different eyes. I think this is only the second young adult series with a male protagonist I have read, and I find it extremely refreshing.

I actually liked it so much, I wanted to make my "Waiting on Wednesday" post this week about "Demon Eyes", but then thought me gushing over a sequel would probably make more sense if anybody saw me gushing over "Witch Eyes" first. You might have noticed though, I didn't end up having a WoW post this week at all. I wonder why...

*****

Back to the book at hand though. When we first meet Braden he lives with his uncle John, who is like a father figure to him, but after having a terrible vision, he feels the need to leave his uncle in order to protect him. He goes back to the place where he was born - Belle Dam which has been divided for many, many years by two fighting witch families. He is trying to figure out Belle Dam's secrets without being used and manipulated by either side.

Braden is a very strong-willed, fierce, fearless, and also stubborn character. I don't believe he ever fully trusts anyone, not even his uncle. I absolutely love seeing the world through his eyes, especially the way Scott Tracey describes Braden's witch eyes' vision is so, so powerful. I can't even begin to imagine what he will see in "Demon Eyes".

Two other characters I thoroughly enjoyed reading about are Drew and Jade. Drew seems like this total badass who has a mysterious side to him. I love his snarky and witty comments, even though you can never really be sure what you get with him.

Jade I find just adorable and so refreshing. She always says her mind and doesn't care if she steps on anybody's toes - not even her own family's.

Then there is Riley who I am not sure about at all. At first, I really liked her, but she has shown a side to her where I'm not sure what exactly her game is - if she has one...

Trey... oh Trey... I have a hard time talking about him because I'm so torn apart. When he first showed up I loved him. I thought he was sweet and caring and protective, but then he just started to irritate me. He didn't seem to have a mind of his own and was simply following along with what certain people told him or made him believe. Without giving away too much, I do understand his "obedience" to some degree, but at some point I felt like screaming "Wake up!" but maybe that's just me. I do still like him though and am looking forward to what he will be like in "Demon Eyes".

*****

Overall I loved it - I loved the writing, the story, the characters, the location, everything. I'm not sure how I'm ever going to make it until October without losing my mind though...

*****

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars

*****

What about you? Have you read "Witch Eyes" yet? If yes, what were your thoughts about it? Are you as excited as I am for "Demon Eyes"? I would love to hear your thoughts!