Paige Adams's Reviews > Wicked 2: Legacy & Spellbound
Wicked 2: Legacy & Spellbound (Wicked, #3-4)
by
by
I can't believe I'm doing this. Despite the many problems I found with the first book or two*, I'm continuing the series. Will these next two installments be any better than the first two were? Let's find out.
Taking a brief glance before we begin, I noticed that there's still no cast of characters or family tree, so I feel like there's not much point in trying to remember everyone. I still feel there's too many characters, even if some of them (like Richard, Tommy and maybe Silvana) are getting bits and pieces of character development.
Much like last time, I'll be dividing the book in half, reviewing each one separately. Once done, I will tally everything up and divide by two to get a final score. With that said, let's begin.
Legacy;
I will say, I do like the updated chapter titles for this book, being named after minerals and gemstones used in practicing magic. Examples include Moonstone, Bloodstone and Amber.
The first chapter is an interesting case- it's titled "Black Obsidian". I'm rather surprised it wasn't just called "Obsidian" since, at first reading- I thought obsidian only came in shades of black. But, after doing some research, it turns it it comes in other colors as well. Perhaps this was done to emphasize the dark situation that (view spoiler) found herself in as well as the stakes for our heroes if (view spoiler). Still, it's a nice touch.
All of the poetry (chants for each book part) is still on point. An example in chapter six (Jade);
(view spoiler)
And another from chapter ten (Sodalite);
(view spoiler)
Magic, chants, combat and poetry wise, the story is still going fairly strong. In terms of character development for the side characters, there's... a lot to be desired.
For starters, Kari has no real reason to be here. Even if she once dated Jer Deveraux, she's not a member of the Cathors family line and I don't think she's an actual witch. (Or at least, wasn't born with powers.) And I thought she said she wanted to leave anyway. The reason the authors give for her being there was for safety and power in numbers but honestly, I'd say her entire character didn't even need to exist at all. She brings nothing to the table and she should have stayed in Seattle with the protective shaman (Cecile?) who's guarding Richard and everyone else not on the quest, worked from home with her research while pursuing her college degree and helped out the Cathers-Anderson (CA) Coven from afar. It feels like a major contradiction given what was said at the end of the second book Curse.
Or so I thought at first. Kari's bottling up a lot of negative emotions, so we might get something out of this. (after finishing the book) A few outbursts here and there, but we still haven't gotten much out of this. Where's Kari running away from this conflict or turning on Holly?!
Then there's (view spoiler) I was extremely worried for her. Thankfully, she was (view spoiler) But while Jer reuniting with Holly was very nice to see, Nicole seeing and being with Phillipe again kinda felt... forced.
Unlike the last book, it didn't really fell like there was much chemistry or longing between Nicole and Phillipe. Also, I can't tell if (view spoiler) I don't think she was, but there are times where feel maybe there aren't enough details. I'm also a bit confused, I thought (view spoiler)
And after all that (view spoiler) been through, it doesn't seem very believable that she'd want to kiss Phillipe, especially because they weren't truly dating to begin with. Same goes for the "Lord and Lady Ritual" that those two plus Amanda and Tommy went through. (Honestly I feel that Jer and Holly should have been the ones to do it instead, regardless of the risks.)
I feel that if (view spoiler) was going to go through said ritual, that we should have had a more personal conversation between her and Phillipe. Why aren't we getting more drama between them or inner turmoil for our runaway witch?!
Even a small conversation like this would have been nice to see;
(view spoiler)
We also never got to see Nicole react to (view spoiler) either. It feels like we're not seeing any emotional arcs there when we should be. I'd also argue that the Mother Coven and the White Coven don't need to exist as a whole. Save Phillipe maybe, but otherwise it's just a bunch of characters eating up valuable pages.
Many of the flashbacks (especially the one with Claire Cathers' death and the aftermath for Ginny and her father Peter) also seem unnecessary, and need to be either trimmed down or cut out completely. While some of the flashbacks in this series were nice or helped to provide context (such as Isabeau and Jean's love/conflict and how the Cathors family came to be Cathers and forgot about their magic origins), now they're getting to be annoying and largely unnecessary.
Between Nicole's lack of PTSD and unnecessary visions of the past with too many characters (Dr. Deveroo? Seriously?), it feels like the authors aren't always putting their focus on the right places.
The Dream time segment was very interesting. Jer and Holly enter the realm to save Barbara's spirit, which they succeed... but at a cost.
(view spoiler)
(sigh) Not again...
And when the Battle for Seattle begins anew, (view spoiler), there's destruction, demons and undead mooks everywhere. An unfocused mess. And the Great Familiar of the Cathors Coven, Pandion? She comes into the book way too late to have much of a useful role. Unless she plays a bigger role in the fourth book, but somehow I doubt that.
And we get another cliffhanger, this one even bigger.
Nicole is (view spoiler) And the Cathors-Deveraux war rages on...
It arguably feels like this entire book... was all for nothing. We got no real payoff. It falls into many of the same problem-patterns that the first two books have. The chapters are too long, the focus isn't in the right places, a lack of character growth for several people, too many characters and just not many reasons for me to continue the series.
This is the weakest installment of the series so far. Also, why is it even called Legacy? I never understood the reason for the title. I wanted more from this book and despite its compelling plot and higher stakes, for the most part- this story failed to deliver.
Rating: 2.7/5 stars.
Spellbound;
Interesting enough, the chapter titles change from gemstones and minerals to the names of goddesses and deities. We have more well known names like Isis and Hecate (Goddesses of magic from the Egyptian and Greek pantheons respectively), and those that might be more obscure such as Dechtere and Rhiannon (respectively from Celtic and Welsh folklore.)
I will say, I do like the amount of research and effort they put into the setting and world building. And the multiple types of magic we see in the series.
First chapter, Isis:
(view spoiler)
From chapter four, Artemis:
(view spoiler)
Soon we get into the plot. At least all of the unimportant people are finally dying in larger droves so I don't have to remember them. It's saddening for our heroes yet also necessary and arguably long overdue.
Damn, Anne Louise has 30 broken bones?! Ouch! How is she even still alive? Or conscious? But she is right to call out the Mother Coven for their cowardice and failure to act earlier. Yet it also strikes a nerve in their High Priestess; Luna finally steps into play, going to Los Angeles to find Alex Carruthers, a long lost cousin of the Cathers-Anderson family in hopes that he can help Holly. (But in retrospect, was it necessary as-(view spoiler)
There's also an error on pg 73, stating, "The band- Kari, Tommy, Amanda and Nicole- left Barbara behind in the motel to inspect the ruins of the cabin." Did they mean to say Richard? Because Nicole had already been (view spoiler)(Again, why?)
And Holly goes through (view spoiler)
Well, fuck. (view spoiler) At least we know the title fits the book.
Yet, despite not having any magic, Richard understood the land of the Dreamtime better than Holly. Good on him for finally coming in clutch to save Jer.
And Kari finally runs away (finally, get out of here!), but I'm surprised she ended up at Michael's house. Why can't she just go away already?!
Surprised that Eli is helping out Nicole. (Does he actually care for her? Probably not.) And why do I have a bad feeling about Alex taking leadership of the Tri-Coven?
Turns out (view spoiler) Okay, you have more of my attention now. But yet... was it really necessary? Why is (view spoiler)
So it turns out I was right... about (view spoiler) Fuck, I was hoping I was wrong. (She didn't deserve such misery.) At least the authors had the courtesy not to show such torture.
On a much brighter note, after spending two-thirds of the novel possessed, (view spoiler) No wonder a normal exorcism didn't work... Armand is really quite skilled to be able to banish several demons in several rounds of highly intense banishing rituals. (Maybe I'd keep him if I were to rewrite the series.)
Sasha (somehow?) disappears into the past while Eli decides to go back to the present. Man, not many of these events make much sense. (Side note; I like the fact that we have a female warlock named Eve. She's surprisingly intriguing.)
Then comes the final battle. Magic and chaos everywhere... (view spoiler) And all ends in sorrow.
Holly is free from (view spoiler) forever, and presumably could bond magically to someone else. But Jer still hates himself, feels unworthy of Holly. The CA coven breaks apart so a new one can form to face other evils...
Then there's the epilogue. Something is amiss.. But if that wasn't Alex Carruthers... then who is he... really?
This book seems... a little better than its sister Legacy yet also a bit worse? I'm hoping that the last book, Resurrection, will give answers as to why the timeline is being messed with and what will become of everyone still alive. (Although honestly I don't have much faith left in this series.)
One would think that with two writers at the helm, you'd get a high quality piece of work as you have multiple minds working on the same project(s). Alas, it feels like a mismatched collaboration. I don't know if this is the result of two authors with very different writing styles (as I've never read any individual books from either author), but this entire series seems really messy and that all of their thoughts just clashed together.
Here's probably what I would have changed about these books if I were writing them (aside from including character casts and family trees);
At the end of the second book, (view spoiler)
The third book (now titled Arcane), would still involve (view spoiler)
Kari probably wouldn't exist in my AU, but if I had to put her in, I'd have her be at the house with Richard, Cecile, and anyone else not on the quest. I'd also cut out William and just have his son James rule over the Supreme Coven from the beginning. I'd also cut out Eddie, Kialish, Alice, Karienne, most if not all of the Mother Coven, Jose Luis, Alonzo, and probably Pablo, among others.
After (view spoiler)
(view spoiler) Among other possible changes...
(sigh) But once again, I'm thinking about what could have been, and not what truly is...
Rating: 2.3
Rating both calculations; 2.7/5+ 2.3/5 stars=5 divided by 2...
Final score=2.5 (Rounding down due to too many problems)
Overall, I've seen worse but I've also seen a lot better. I'm afraid the quality of this series hasn't improved and instead only deteriorated, as writing this review hurt my brain. (Seriously, it feels like my brain mostly melted.) Still, there's one more book left... For better or for worse... I think the real question is not whether I can read Resurrection, but will I?
*See author's review over Wicked: Witch and Curse by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie.
[Review originally written Oct. 29th, edited Nov. 15th]
Taking a brief glance before we begin, I noticed that there's still no cast of characters or family tree, so I feel like there's not much point in trying to remember everyone. I still feel there's too many characters, even if some of them (like Richard, Tommy and maybe Silvana) are getting bits and pieces of character development.
Much like last time, I'll be dividing the book in half, reviewing each one separately. Once done, I will tally everything up and divide by two to get a final score. With that said, let's begin.
Legacy;
I will say, I do like the updated chapter titles for this book, being named after minerals and gemstones used in practicing magic. Examples include Moonstone, Bloodstone and Amber.
The first chapter is an interesting case- it's titled "Black Obsidian". I'm rather surprised it wasn't just called "Obsidian" since, at first reading- I thought obsidian only came in shades of black. But, after doing some research, it turns it it comes in other colors as well. Perhaps this was done to emphasize the dark situation that (view spoiler) found herself in as well as the stakes for our heroes if (view spoiler). Still, it's a nice touch.
All of the poetry (chants for each book part) is still on point. An example in chapter six (Jade);
(view spoiler)
And another from chapter ten (Sodalite);
(view spoiler)
Magic, chants, combat and poetry wise, the story is still going fairly strong. In terms of character development for the side characters, there's... a lot to be desired.
For starters, Kari has no real reason to be here. Even if she once dated Jer Deveraux, she's not a member of the Cathors family line and I don't think she's an actual witch. (Or at least, wasn't born with powers.) And I thought she said she wanted to leave anyway. The reason the authors give for her being there was for safety and power in numbers but honestly, I'd say her entire character didn't even need to exist at all. She brings nothing to the table and she should have stayed in Seattle with the protective shaman (Cecile?) who's guarding Richard and everyone else not on the quest, worked from home with her research while pursuing her college degree and helped out the Cathers-Anderson (CA) Coven from afar. It feels like a major contradiction given what was said at the end of the second book Curse.
Or so I thought at first. Kari's bottling up a lot of negative emotions, so we might get something out of this. (after finishing the book) A few outbursts here and there, but we still haven't gotten much out of this. Where's Kari running away from this conflict or turning on Holly?!
Then there's (view spoiler) I was extremely worried for her. Thankfully, she was (view spoiler) But while Jer reuniting with Holly was very nice to see, Nicole seeing and being with Phillipe again kinda felt... forced.
Unlike the last book, it didn't really fell like there was much chemistry or longing between Nicole and Phillipe. Also, I can't tell if (view spoiler) I don't think she was, but there are times where feel maybe there aren't enough details. I'm also a bit confused, I thought (view spoiler)
And after all that (view spoiler) been through, it doesn't seem very believable that she'd want to kiss Phillipe, especially because they weren't truly dating to begin with. Same goes for the "Lord and Lady Ritual" that those two plus Amanda and Tommy went through. (Honestly I feel that Jer and Holly should have been the ones to do it instead, regardless of the risks.)
I feel that if (view spoiler) was going to go through said ritual, that we should have had a more personal conversation between her and Phillipe. Why aren't we getting more drama between them or inner turmoil for our runaway witch?!
Even a small conversation like this would have been nice to see;
(view spoiler)
We also never got to see Nicole react to (view spoiler) either. It feels like we're not seeing any emotional arcs there when we should be. I'd also argue that the Mother Coven and the White Coven don't need to exist as a whole. Save Phillipe maybe, but otherwise it's just a bunch of characters eating up valuable pages.
Many of the flashbacks (especially the one with Claire Cathers' death and the aftermath for Ginny and her father Peter) also seem unnecessary, and need to be either trimmed down or cut out completely. While some of the flashbacks in this series were nice or helped to provide context (such as Isabeau and Jean's love/conflict and how the Cathors family came to be Cathers and forgot about their magic origins), now they're getting to be annoying and largely unnecessary.
Between Nicole's lack of PTSD and unnecessary visions of the past with too many characters (Dr. Deveroo? Seriously?), it feels like the authors aren't always putting their focus on the right places.
The Dream time segment was very interesting. Jer and Holly enter the realm to save Barbara's spirit, which they succeed... but at a cost.
(view spoiler)
(sigh) Not again...
And when the Battle for Seattle begins anew, (view spoiler), there's destruction, demons and undead mooks everywhere. An unfocused mess. And the Great Familiar of the Cathors Coven, Pandion? She comes into the book way too late to have much of a useful role. Unless she plays a bigger role in the fourth book, but somehow I doubt that.
And we get another cliffhanger, this one even bigger.
Nicole is (view spoiler) And the Cathors-Deveraux war rages on...
It arguably feels like this entire book... was all for nothing. We got no real payoff. It falls into many of the same problem-patterns that the first two books have. The chapters are too long, the focus isn't in the right places, a lack of character growth for several people, too many characters and just not many reasons for me to continue the series.
This is the weakest installment of the series so far. Also, why is it even called Legacy? I never understood the reason for the title. I wanted more from this book and despite its compelling plot and higher stakes, for the most part- this story failed to deliver.
Rating: 2.7/5 stars.
Spellbound;
Interesting enough, the chapter titles change from gemstones and minerals to the names of goddesses and deities. We have more well known names like Isis and Hecate (Goddesses of magic from the Egyptian and Greek pantheons respectively), and those that might be more obscure such as Dechtere and Rhiannon (respectively from Celtic and Welsh folklore.)
I will say, I do like the amount of research and effort they put into the setting and world building. And the multiple types of magic we see in the series.
First chapter, Isis:
(view spoiler)
From chapter four, Artemis:
(view spoiler)
Soon we get into the plot. At least all of the unimportant people are finally dying in larger droves so I don't have to remember them. It's saddening for our heroes yet also necessary and arguably long overdue.
Damn, Anne Louise has 30 broken bones?! Ouch! How is she even still alive? Or conscious? But she is right to call out the Mother Coven for their cowardice and failure to act earlier. Yet it also strikes a nerve in their High Priestess; Luna finally steps into play, going to Los Angeles to find Alex Carruthers, a long lost cousin of the Cathers-Anderson family in hopes that he can help Holly. (But in retrospect, was it necessary as-(view spoiler)
There's also an error on pg 73, stating, "The band- Kari, Tommy, Amanda and Nicole- left Barbara behind in the motel to inspect the ruins of the cabin." Did they mean to say Richard? Because Nicole had already been (view spoiler)(Again, why?)
And Holly goes through (view spoiler)
Well, fuck. (view spoiler) At least we know the title fits the book.
Yet, despite not having any magic, Richard understood the land of the Dreamtime better than Holly. Good on him for finally coming in clutch to save Jer.
And Kari finally runs away (finally, get out of here!), but I'm surprised she ended up at Michael's house. Why can't she just go away already?!
Surprised that Eli is helping out Nicole. (Does he actually care for her? Probably not.) And why do I have a bad feeling about Alex taking leadership of the Tri-Coven?
Turns out (view spoiler) Okay, you have more of my attention now. But yet... was it really necessary? Why is (view spoiler)
So it turns out I was right... about (view spoiler) Fuck, I was hoping I was wrong. (She didn't deserve such misery.) At least the authors had the courtesy not to show such torture.
On a much brighter note, after spending two-thirds of the novel possessed, (view spoiler) No wonder a normal exorcism didn't work... Armand is really quite skilled to be able to banish several demons in several rounds of highly intense banishing rituals. (Maybe I'd keep him if I were to rewrite the series.)
Sasha (somehow?) disappears into the past while Eli decides to go back to the present. Man, not many of these events make much sense. (Side note; I like the fact that we have a female warlock named Eve. She's surprisingly intriguing.)
Then comes the final battle. Magic and chaos everywhere... (view spoiler) And all ends in sorrow.
Holly is free from (view spoiler) forever, and presumably could bond magically to someone else. But Jer still hates himself, feels unworthy of Holly. The CA coven breaks apart so a new one can form to face other evils...
Then there's the epilogue. Something is amiss.. But if that wasn't Alex Carruthers... then who is he... really?
This book seems... a little better than its sister Legacy yet also a bit worse? I'm hoping that the last book, Resurrection, will give answers as to why the timeline is being messed with and what will become of everyone still alive. (Although honestly I don't have much faith left in this series.)
One would think that with two writers at the helm, you'd get a high quality piece of work as you have multiple minds working on the same project(s). Alas, it feels like a mismatched collaboration. I don't know if this is the result of two authors with very different writing styles (as I've never read any individual books from either author), but this entire series seems really messy and that all of their thoughts just clashed together.
Here's probably what I would have changed about these books if I were writing them (aside from including character casts and family trees);
At the end of the second book, (view spoiler)
The third book (now titled Arcane), would still involve (view spoiler)
Kari probably wouldn't exist in my AU, but if I had to put her in, I'd have her be at the house with Richard, Cecile, and anyone else not on the quest. I'd also cut out William and just have his son James rule over the Supreme Coven from the beginning. I'd also cut out Eddie, Kialish, Alice, Karienne, most if not all of the Mother Coven, Jose Luis, Alonzo, and probably Pablo, among others.
After (view spoiler)
(view spoiler) Among other possible changes...
(sigh) But once again, I'm thinking about what could have been, and not what truly is...
Rating: 2.3
Rating both calculations; 2.7/5+ 2.3/5 stars=5 divided by 2...
Final score=2.5 (Rounding down due to too many problems)
Overall, I've seen worse but I've also seen a lot better. I'm afraid the quality of this series hasn't improved and instead only deteriorated, as writing this review hurt my brain. (Seriously, it feels like my brain mostly melted.) Still, there's one more book left... For better or for worse... I think the real question is not whether I can read Resurrection, but will I?
*See author's review over Wicked: Witch and Curse by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie.
[Review originally written Oct. 29th, edited Nov. 15th]
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Reading Progress
August 22, 2022
– Shelved
August 22, 2022
– Shelved as:
to-read
October 19, 2024
–
Started Reading
October 20, 2024
–
13.89%
"Hmm... I thought Kari would have little importance in this novel, but maybe I was wrong. She's burying her feelings..."
page
91
October 23, 2024
–
24.58%
"About a third of the way through book three; Legacy. Phew. Okay, our damsel and distressed dude are finally free. And it seems Pandion, spirit familiar of the Cathors Coven, is waking up. What role could she play here?"
page
161
October 25, 2024
–
38.02%
"Is it just me, or do many of these flashbacks to the past feel way too long? It feels like the authors aren't putting focus in the right places. There should have been more details on Nicole's mental and emotional state and how she feels about the Lord and Lady Ritual... Still, only four more chapters to go before I'm done with Legacy. (Aka- Part 1 of this book.)"
page
249
October 26, 2024
–
48.4%
"(after finishing Legacy) Well... That was frustrating. I kinda feel like this whole book was all for nothing. This series is still suffering from main character syndrome, leaving almost everyone else underdeveloped. But there's still Spellbound to get through. (Oh boy...)"
page
317
October 27, 2024
–
71.91%
"On pg 151 of Spellbound... Well, this book seems to be a little better than Legacy. Still too many characters, but I gave up trying to keep track of everyone long ago. At least Richard got some time in the spotlight."
page
471
October 29, 2024
–
Finished Reading