Legacy of the Witch (The Portal 0.5) by Maggie Shayne

RATING:

5 Out Of 5 Stars

REVIEW:

When Amarrah was a child her parents disappeared in Iraq. After their disappearance she went to live with her grandmother. Ever since she arrived at her grandmother’s her grandma would tell her stories about three witches Lilia, Magdalena, and Indira. One of the times, when her grandmother was telling one of the stories, she shocked her grandma by telling he “I know this story.” In which she preceded to tell her, her part of the story that she was a place slave to the slave girls in the harem. Throughout the years when her grandma would tell the story, they would tell the story together, her grandma telling one part and Amarrah filling in another part. When she was thirteen, her grandma was on her deathbed, telling the story of the three witches and after she finished it she told Amarrah that these stories are not just stories, but of three actual people in the past. Then she gives Amaarrah a treasure box, that belonged to the witches that was given to their descendants to protect it, and to pass down the stories and the treasure box until the witches come back and claim it. After her grandma died, she was sent to live with distant cousins, and at the airport a customs agent took it from her. After chanting a spell for the box to return to her someway, and after giving it to him, she never saw it again…
Ten years later when Amarrah was on her way to the library, she happened to see her box on a TV Appraisal show. After seeing it she had a strong inkling that she needs to go get it back. Even hearing her grandmother’s voice telling her not to forget her promise to protect it. She then sets off on a trip to recover it and after gaining information of the owner, she went to his house to see if she can somehow search the house of Harrison Brockson.
When Amarrah knocks on his door and he answers it, Amarrah feels he is familiar to her. And after she remembers her dreams, or what she believes are hallucinations, she comes to realize that she knew him long ago…

I thought this book was a really great introduction to the upcoming Portal Series. Which I am now really looking forward to after reading this book. I really liked reading how Amarrah sets off on a journey to self discovery. I really liked how you learn that Amarrah was there and that she knew the three witches. I really enjoyed that when she meets Harrison Brockson you learn that they knew each other during the period of the three witches, and during the story you read about their past memories. It was fun when the Amarrah had told Harrison how their relationship turned out in the past.
All in all is was a great book to read. I really can’t wait until the upcoming Portal series. I really hope that during the upcoming books that they mention Amarrah and Harrison so I know how things turned out for them. And I hope that I enjoy the new series as much as I did this one.

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Once Burned (Night Prince #1) By Jeaniene Frost

RATING:

5 Out Of 5 Stars

REVIEW:

Ahhh. I can’t wait until next spring!!!! I really love the Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost. And I enjoyed reading the other books involving the side characters in the series. So I was really looking forward to when Vlad’s story came out. And I wasn’t disappointed other then the fact that it left me hanging and now I have to wait until next spring for the sequel.
Vlad’s and Leila’s story was told from Leila’s point of view like the Night Huntress series was told from Cat’s point of view. Though I was kind-of hoping it would be from both Vlad’s and Leila’s point of view, I still really enjoyed it. I like reading more about Vlad’s history and I liked how Ms. Frost portrayed his character. Leila was an interesting character and fits in with the kick-butt girls of Ms. Frost’s vampire books heroines. I thought Leila had interesting abilities and very curious how she was able to obtain them do to that incident that occurred when she was younger, if they powers she originally had that was just jump started with the power cable or if something else occurred during it that we get to look forward to in the sequel.
I liked the pace of Vlad’s and Leila’s relationship and how they got to know each other and were able to talk about their pasts. And I am looking forward to how their relationship develops. I am looking forward to next spring and any other books in the vampire series!!!