This is the second book in the Sisters of Salem series and I highly recommend that you read the first before you read the second, or you will be lost. In this series, the sisters split up and the characters really grow into their own.
Hunter leaves the house and moves into her own place, but trouble, and a spell she cast in book one follow her into book 2, causing major issues.
Both girls are still working on spells to help the trees, in their own ways, using their own gods, and Mercy introduces us to a new pantheon, the Egyptian pantheon, when she starts talking to one of the guardians, named Khenti. This new relationship introduces us to others in Egypt's version of Hell, and yet another secret is revealed that might cause problems for Mercy and Hunter in their quest to heal the trees and bring the order back.
I will definitely keep reading this series because of the great writing and the great characters.

Loved the idea of guarding different gates of the underworld. However, the cringey teenage dialogue was a bit too distracting. Mercy and Hunter are such interesting characters, or would have been without the constant reminders of their age and lack of maturity; "sheesh", it's such a contrast to the roles they are meant to play. I prefer subtle romance woven into a larger story, and, again, the conversations brought too much focus to the rushed, messy relationships creating a more annoying than relatable read.

We dive back into the Sisters of Salem series with Omens Bite, the second book by P. C. Cast & Kristin Cast and I must warn you that it ends with the mother of all cliffhangers! We follow along with twin witch sisters Hunter and Mercy whose relationship has been shattered by overwhelming grief and insurmountable sadness.

Let's start with the plot- there was a LOT going on which was good as it keep me hooked but I kind of expected more ??? Hunter and Mercy have been through a lot and I would expect some fumbles but some of their actions did not make any sense at all. I also think the miscommunication trope was exaggerated to the point of eye-rolling.

The characters were more developed than the first but lacking in emotional connection and quite frankly juvenile at times. I also think that the author tried to justify their silly actions by their age but this was a truly ripe opportunity for her to let the sisters see the errors of their ways.

I was also not a fan of the unbiased way one sister was written as opposed to the other. I know it will all make sense in the end but honestly- what is the reason for the imbalance?

I think there is potential if some things could be sorted out.

Thank you to much to the publisher and the author for providing me with an arc in exchange for an hoenst review.

I enjoyed this book enough but honestly, Mercy ruined it for me. She was so selfish and kept complaining about Hunter.. yet she was the reason Hunter was going through everything. Everything was because of Mercy’s holier than thou attitude and it really irked me how she didn’t get it.

Other than that, I enjoyed the book. The story with the mix of mythology from various cultures is really cool and I wanna know how the series ends.

Omens Bite (Sisters of Salem #2) by P. C. Cast & Kristin Cast
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Genre: Teens & YA, Sci Fi Fantasy
Published: April 5, 2022

Omens Bite is the second book in the Sisters of Salem series by P. C. Cast & Kristin Cast. This book picks up where the previous book ends, so it would be best to read the first book, Spells Trouble, before jumping in to Omens Bite.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. There was a lot going on and I'm hopeful the characters will redeem themselves in the next book. I found this book to be interesting, but felt that it was missing something. I thought the characters were well developed (even though they acted like bratty teenagers). There were some parts I really enjoyed and I will definitely keep reading this series.

This book does end of GIANT cliffhanger, which was kind of frustrating because I felt like the characters are just finding themselves in worse shape then when they started this journey.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

I didn’t realize this was a second in series, or I wouldn’t have requested it. I am giving this 3/5 for the author alone (I’ve read other books). I wish I had read the first one of this series first.

As a fan of the House of night series I had to grab this offering when I saw the title and I'm so glad I did.
This book is a sequel that stands fairly well on its own for me as someone who has not gotten to read the first book. This is the story two witch sisters Hunter and Mercy who are twins driven apart by loss and grief.
Both of our main characters have understandable and even relatable motivation as we move through a plot where the magic takes center stage. The story does leave us on a fairly significant cliffhanger so reader beware if you are the kind to be frustrated waiting for another installment.

This is a great book for fans of the authors, previous works but also a great series to introduce new fans to the magical writing style of this mother, daughter duo.

Omens bite is a continuation from the first book Spells Trouble. What I found though is that the story fell extremely flat in this book. The writing and world building were excellent as always, but unfortunately I was not fond of either main character and how they handle themselves and situations. There were also some confusing plot points.

ok, so I have to admit that I didn't love this book...as far as book two's go this one for sure hit a sophomore slump. the first book in this series was pretty intriguing, but there seemed like a lot of random side plots that didn't really contribute to the larger plot.

it seemed as if each character could have gone through a lot of growth, but none of it really seemed authentic to me.

if you really loved book one, I think that continuing the series is worth it, but if you were just ok with the first book I'm not sure this second book would be worth it.

Mercy and Hunter continue on their path to save the Goodeville gates from whatever it is that is poisoning them. However, the sisters are on opposite sides of a massive divide. Hunter, who had abandoned her own god to please her sister, now has the powerful and tempting force of another cosmic goddess on her side. While things seem great at first, Hunter slowly realizes that things may not be what they seem. Meanwhile Mercy is on her own to find out how she can save the trees that guard their world. Will they be able to work together to stop these evil forces?

It's been a long time since I've been in this bad of a reading slump and honestly this book might have done me in. The miscommunication in this story is so drawn out that it becomes infuriating after a while. Mercy and Hunter can't seem to talk it out for the life of them, which is fair because I'm still not a huge fan of Mercy after she basically forced Hunter to abandon her god.

On top of this, I'm just not a huge fan of how the authors have paved these different paths for the sisters. Mercy becomes the equivalent of the golden child as her powers really flourish over the course of the book, and this also includes from godly favoritism. Unfortunately Hunter really gets the short end of the stick in the case that she really is suffering socially and mentally. She gets called homophobic slurs that I really wish there was some kind of content warning for. She gets manipulated by her "goddess" and doesn't feel as if she's going anywhere, leaving her extremely desperate.

There was one question I kept asking myself while reading this entire book, which was "Why can't Hunter just go back to her God?" And honestly, it's a logical question! Hunter finds out that her changing her deity doesn't really have an impact on the tree gates. In fact, it kind of makes it worse? So why can't she say screw it and ask Tyr for forgiveness? A lot of this would be solved if she did that. I know it counteracts her character growth and the guilt she feels for leaving Tyr, but it would make so much more sense than whatever is going on right now.

There are also some weird romance subplots that I don't think I'm a huge fan of. This includes both Mercy and Hunter in their respective POVs. I think the story could go without the romance, especially with the focus on sisterhood.

I received a copy of this book as an e-ARC from NetGalley. Any and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Omens Bite
by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast
Audiobook Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
Published by: Wednesday Books
Publication Date: 04/05/22

**I received this book as an E-ARC on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. **

Synopsis:
In the second book of the Sisters of Salem trilogy, we continue the story of Mercy and Hunter Goode, who have lost their mother and are working to heal the trees that stand as gates to five mythological underworlds.

Thoughts:
Honestly, I enjoyed the first in the series, Spells Trouble, but I didn't love it. Rating the first, 3.5 stars, I didn't have the highest expectations for this second book in the Sisters of Salem trilogy. With that said, this book exceeded all of my expectations. Mercy and Hunter saw major character growth from the first to the second, which I not only enjoyed but helped me feel more connected to the story as a whole. The plot continued to amp up, which increased my level of intrigue. Was this novel, a fictional masterpiece? No, but I had a damn good time. I'm officially looking forward to the third and final. I'm ready to see how the story ends.

The bond between sisters should never be broken...

Still struggling to find a permanent solution for the Gates, Hunter and Mercy can't seem to agree on anything. Reeling from the loss of their mother and the stress of keeping the Underworlds out of the mortal realm, the sisters have a falling out. Mercy stubbornly decides to try and fix the Gates on her own, while Hunter falls under the influence of a dangerous goddess. As the girls get themselves into deeper and deeper messes, they need each other more than ever. Will they fix their bond and work together, or will they be driven even further apart?
I flew through this sequel to Spells Trouble. I couldn't wait to see how their journey would continue and if their respective powers would grow. It was nice to see Hunter explore a different side to herself, as many of us do at that age. I read the eARC and listened to the audiobook, and the narrator was excellent, continuing on with the voices for each character exactly as she had performed them in the first book. I definitely can't wait to read the conclusion to this trilogy next year!!

This is the second book in The Sisters of Salem series and follows witch twins Hunter and Mercy as they recover from losing their mom and trying to save the gates. These twins were super close in book one, but grief and trauma have driven a wedge between the sisters that sees them apart for the majority of this book.

Hunter is pretty well-written as a character in this book - she's angry and hurt, determined to stand on her own, rather than in Mercy's shadow, for the first time and I loved it. Her emotions and reactions felt so genuine, even when they weren't exactly the most healthy. It made her seem so relatable, as obviously everyone grieves differently. While Hunter was unfortunately making some arguably terrible decisions in her anger, I am confident that everything happens for a reason and she will find her way back to herself and her twin.

Mercy, on the other hand, was very selfish and kind of annoying. Like I said, everyone grieves differently, but with Mercy I just kept thinking she needed to get off her high horse and try to be a little more empathetic. I'm curious to see where things go with her, I feel like she may be a bit of a different person in the next book so we'll see.

In terms of plot itself, I liked the storyline here. There was a lot going on with the sisters, the gates, Kirk, etc. We get some hints of romance, but nothing definitive - I have a feeling that might go somewhere in the next book. We ended on a cliff hanger, so I'm interested to see what happens with all of that as well.

In terms of writing style.... I do agree with some people's reviews saying it's got a bit of a younger feel. It definitely does, but if you read their House of Night series and liked it, then I don't think that will be an issue for you. It's the same sort of feel.

Overall, I'm interested to see where this story takes us. I'm not sure if this is a trilogy or more, but let's see where these witchy twins take us!

I was very excited to get to continue Mercy and Hunter's story and see how their characters would continue to develop apart. I'm loving the trend to witchy books right now and this series has a great plot being set up that I can't wait to see how it ends it book three. Have to say I'm not a big fan of Mercy in book two though, I feel like she's got a lot more growth left to do!

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. I am reviewing of my own free will and all opinions in my review are my own.

Omen's Bite picks up immediately where the first book left off, the sisters relationship straining further as they are about to be separated for the first time. While I love the plot, and all things witchy, the characters failed to grab me and their entitled attitude left much to be desired. The dialogue is very YA and left me failing to connect to the sisters. The romance plots involved I found myself unable to root for. Perhaps that the fast pace made everything feel rushed. I definitely felt more like I was reading a middle grade book than a YA.

I'll be honest. I am struggling big time with this series, and I really don't know why. The first book wasn't my favorite. I really hate writing those words, but it's the truth. I was hoping with Omens Bite that I might find that it was the first book world building that I couldn't get into reading.

While Omens Bite was better, I just couldn't get into the story.

https://haleyandherbooks.com/?p=2033Book two in the Sisters of Salem series is finally here! The story picks up following the tragic events of the previous book, and each sister must deal with their grief in the best way they know how. The differences in their methods drives a wedge between them. Mercy is trying to fix the gates on her own when she makes an unlikely friend. Hunter, left godless, finds solace in the arms of a new and dangerous goddess.

*Mild spoilers ahead friends*

I was glad to see the twins split up – not necessarily because I think they work better without each other, but just because Hunter finally stood up for herself and they got some much needed space to explore themselves a little more than they did in the first book. But I do think Hunter was a little foolish to not see right away that she was headed down a bad path. I didn’t understand the introduction of Kylie. I was convinced she was going to be a much bigger character than she turned out to be.

One character I enjoyed seeing more of was Xena. She is delightfully, and understandably weird in her human form. There are several moments where she acts in such an unexpected manner that you have no choice but to laugh. A character I was ~not~ excited to see more of was Kirk. He spends the whole book stirring up trouble and then he just kind of drops off. It was open ended and I’m assuming we can expect more from him in the upcoming books.

We were also introduced to Khenti, a gate keeper to the Egyptian afterlife whom I really liked. I hope we get to see more of him in the next book, which I think will be extremely likely. Khenti and Mercy really hit it off and I liked the direction the story takes when they start hanging out. And can we please address Mercy and her tendency to speak in British lingo. Did I miss where this was explained somewhere? I kept looking for the reasoning behind it but didn’t see anything. It was jarring and felt completely out of place, especially since literally no one else speaks like that, so I have no idea where she picked it up.

Overall, it was a decent read, but even though we know there is more coming in the series, it felt a little too open ended and unfinished. I wouldn’t have minded the cliffhanger ending if we had gotten a little more closure on some of the storylines. I also found the writing to be a bit juvenile for the darkness of the content and age of the characters, and the dialogue was cheesy and unrealistic. I do see myself continuing with the series because ya girl needs to know what happens next.

I liked Omens Bite so much better than spells trouble. There was a lot more of a story to me in this novel. The sisters are at odds and there is no build up to the story since it picked up where the first novel ended. However I found some chapters more enjoyable than others. The Mercy point of view chapters made me really hesitate continuing the novel. She just acts like a self absorbed brat. While this is part of the story and meant to be part of her traits but it was making the story really hard to read at times. I really enjoyed hunter’s chapters better.

Mercys character is very self-centered and likes to be the “pot calling the kettle black”. Everything Hunter did was wrong and no one could tell her differently. This really started to wreck this series for me because it was too over the top.

Hunters chapters were so much more enjoyable and had so much more happening. There was action and suspense where mercys were mostly complaining about Hunter. Hunters character however shows how important boundaries are. She really stands up for herself in this story and I loved it.

Overall I really want to enjoy these books more than I do as a whole. I really feel like Hunters chapters saved this novel for me. I would have had to mark it as a did not finish if it wasn’t for those. Instead I’m excited for the next novel especially with the cliffhanger ending this one had. I feel like it redeemed itself at the end.

I made the mistake of not paying attention to the fact this was a sequel … so I had to read book 1 before I could review this ARC.

While I enjoyed the premise of the book (love anything witchy) the dialogue was difficult to read at times. I sometimes also forgot which twin I was following, which left me confused at times. Thankfully by book 2 I was able to differentiate between them better.

I’m a little confused on the age group this series is for. At times it felt like a middle grade, then more like a YA 🤷🏻‍♀️ I’m not sure if I will continue the series, but I am curious to see how the series ends.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the advanced copy for review. All opinions are my own.

I tried. I really did, but I think this will be my last PC & Kristin Cast book. The characters, story, plot, etc is just all so unlikeable.

Some of the conversations felt more like a history lesson and a question and answer dialogue than just easily revealing the history of everything. The sisters are terrible and once again one of them uses British slang, but they're supposed to be in rural Kansas or something. It's just so out of place and honestly just dumb to have her use it.

So once again. This will be my last one by these authors.