Member Reviews
Omen's Bite is the fantastical sequel to Spells Trouble. P.C. and Kristen Cast have done a spectacular job with the second book in the Sisters of Salem series. The story starts where Spells Trouble left, with the gates separating the supernatural realms from the human realm failing, some mythical creatures that may be friend or foe, and the sisters are lost in grief and anger without the guidance of their mother which only adds to the situation.
Twins, Hunter, and Mercy were so close but with the death of their mother and the events that have taken place after have caused a huge rift. Hunter is struggling after giving up her god Tyr and with Mercy not willing to admit she was wrong to convince Hunter to give up her God. Both of the twins are digging in their heels, refusing to see reason. Hunter is done being her sister's shadow and is finding herself without Mercy. And Mercy is learning to finally deal with things herself instead of Hunter saving the day.
Mercy is starting to stand on her own feet and maybe starting to realize how much she relied on her sister, although she won't admit it. Both of the girls are working on themselves and struggling to overcome the events of the past few days and some patterns they have previously set. Each twin has their own issues, Hunter making questionable choices that leads further from who she is and Mercy once again not seeing the fault in her own actions. Truth be told, by the end of Spells Trouble I was highly annoyed with Mercy and her selfishness and in this book, I'm even more annoyed with her self-righteousness. Mercy is so self-absorbed which may be forgiven if she recognizes that she might be at fault, or at least take some ownership of the blame, but she doesn't.
Oh, the story was good. Bullies who might start the next witch hunts, suspect supernaturals, the rift between the twins, and something sinister is lurking, things are most definitely not good in Goodeville. Not to mention one of the biggest character changes I have ever seen. Mercy's ex Kirk Whitfield was a jerk in Spells Trouble but he's reached a whole other level of bad guy in this one and this character development had Kirk right in the center of things which of course made the story that more intense, well, that and the compounding bad decisions the twins keep making. I was on the edge of my seat, it was so good.
Omen's Bite was a wonderfully witchy read, the magical rituals and spells, feuding sisters, gods, goddesses, and demigods, other realms, mythology, and so much more. This book is emotionally charged and dark as heck and it all added to the detailed witchy atmosphere. The twins' story isn't over yet, I can't wait to see what they have yet to face in the final book.
Omen Bites is the continuation of The Sisters of Salem series which follows twin sister who just so happen to also be witches. Not really a huge plot twist because the title pretty much gave that away in the first book. I am going to attempt to stay out of spoiler territory since this is an early review but know that I advise you to read the first book, so you understand what is going on, since this book picks up exactly where Spells Trouble left off.
I do praise The Cast for improving on this story and finding their footing with this continuation. I like the first novel, but I feel like this one was more developed and fleshed out. It reminded me of their House of Night series which I adore more than I can begin to tell you. I can tell the world building is coming into the forefront and this could turn out to be fascinating to see how it grows and develops. I really enjoyed how nature plays a large part in their magic verses an outside source. That is a breath of fresh air, pun intended, when it seems that most witch stories are all about a higher entity giving them their power. I mean I understand that in some ways nature herself is a being but it’s natural and not some other outside force. Overall if you enjoyed the first novel, or have an interest in magic or anything to do with witches or the Salem witch trials, I would suggest you check out this series.
I want to thank Wednesday Books, PC and Kristin Cast for sending me this Advance Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review.
Hunter is furious at Mercy after Mercy made her forsake Tyr and her sacrifice didn't help the Guardian Tress. After their mother's funeral, Hunter moves out and refuses to speak to Mercy or Xena. She vows to find her own solution to fix the trees which involves her new patron goddess Amphitrite and a spell book that craves human blood. Meanwhile, Mercy spends more time with the Egyptian Guardian Khenti and visits the Egyptian underworld. Will Hunter and Mercy finally be able to come together and fix the trees or will the gates collapse and end humanity?
I really hope that the story is wrapped up in the next book because Amphitrite is really creepy and up to something horrible. I hated that the twins were fighting. I love Xena and her tuna obsession. I want Mercy and Khenti to end up together, but they are literally worlds apart. @WednesdayBooks
Thank you so much, St. Martin's Press and Wednesday Books, for the chance to read and review this book in exchange of an honest review.
Mercy and Hunter are twins and witches and they are direct descendants of the founders of their town, the Goode family. After their mother was killed by a demon, they became the protectors of the Gates to different underworlds, portals between their world and other realms, where monsters exists. Each of them reacted to their mother's loss in a different way, the grief driving them apart and pushing Mercy to try to save the crumbling Gates without help and Hunter towards a goddess. Trying to look for help from Khenti, Guardian of the Egyptian underwold, on the other side Hunters starts to realize the real nature of the goddess with her. In need of her sister's help, both of them will have to find to save themselves and their own world, before it's too late.
Omens Bite is a windwhirld of emotions and actions, between powers, deities, underworlds, magic and so much more in this brilliant and captivating book, filled with adventures and with two amazing and complex main characters. Mercy and Hunter are brilliant, complex and driven apart by their loss and grief, bringing them towards dangers and complicated actions. Their actions and reactions are very relatable and I love their bond and how they find themselves in such complex situations, trying to save their world.
The setting, the descriptions and writing style is captivating and intriguing as always and I truly loved this book!
Another fun, magical read from PC and Kristin Cast, Omens Bite brings us back to Goodeville with the Goode twins, who are still working to heal the trees in their town which guard various underworlds. I’ve always been fascinated by mythology so I enjoyed the intertwining of different pantheons in this series, especially the Egyptian underworld parts in this book.
Omens Bite gets a little darker than Spells Trouble, which felt a bit lighter and sassier as we were being introduced to the characters. Now with the characters established, this book dives straight in and focuses more on the sisters personal turmoil and less on their outer friendships/relationships. It was interesting switching perspectives between the twins because throughout the first book and coming into this one I felt more empathetic towards Hunter but this time my feelings about them kept flip flopping with every perspective change, empathizing with each of them in turn…until perspective switched again. It kept me on my toes as I couldn’t decide who I felt was doing the “right” thing and I think it kind of demonstrates how, as in real life, we’re all just doing the best we can within how we personally experience life and the things that happen to us. And I think it makes a
poignant commentary on grief and how it can overwhelm us, make us do things we wouldn’t normally, and twist how we perceive everything around us.
Looking forward to the final book in the trilogy to see how everything plays out in the end!
Normally I love P.C. And Kristin’s writing. I love HON. But I can barely stomach this series. I never write negative reviews. I love YA and maybe its because I set a high expectation for the two of them that I find this series severely lacking in character development. I was really hoping that this second book would make me wrong about my thoughts in where this series was going and how much I disliked the first book. I gave the first one 3.5 stars and rounded it up to 4 because of my love of Cast. This I just couldn’t get around. I got about 50% through the book and am not DNFing it. I am intrigued about the story, I want to actually know what happens and how they fix the trees/gates. But I can’t stand the twins anymore. When they are with their friends they are usually fine…UNTIL one of them thinks or mentions the other. Maybe it’s becuase I am the only child. But I do have cousins. I grew up very close to them buy i never had such animosity towards any of my family. The way the twins whine and how Mercy constantly blames Hunter or thinks that Hunter is at fault just makes me not want to continue. I am sorry but this series/book is not for me. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to receive a copy of this book but I feel let down so much by this series and the authors that I will be hesitant to pick up anything else written by them.
I requested this book not realizing it was a sequel so I borrowed the first from the library and read it.
And absolutely hated it. It's on my blog and as you can tell, I did not enjoy it.
In short: White Saviorism, homophobia, atrocious writing.
This book is no different and I would recommend the authors donate to the Trevor Project. Slurs for lesbians are used in both books and neither has a trigger warning. Queer kids go through nightmares at school, sometimes even at home.
Books are meant to offer an escape from reality. Trigger warnings let them make informed decisions on whether or not a piece of media is for them. More things need trigger warnings. I'd hoped after the first, they would have added one. It was in vain.
As in the first book, the writing is impossible. Teenagers do not talk like this. It's like these two have never actually spent time with teenagers of the current time. All they use is a ridiculous amount of slang. I've got a kid sibling this age and they hated the dialogue. It's laughable.
Now, this book picks up where the first ended, not long after either. Hunter, after having betrayed her patron deity and Mercy on on the outs. Kirk, Mercy's now ex-boyfriend is abusive, vindictive and borderline criminal in his behavior after their breakup.
It's aggravating to read about. Just because they're teens doesn't mean it needs to be melodramatic. There's also a romance that just falls flat.
In the first book there was a character who said "kitten" way to often. She said it 40 times in the first book. I couldn't bring myself to count it this time. It was old.
When it comes to characterizations, it's just one character angry at the other. Lot's of showing not telling, similar to the first book.
I don't have anything good to say about it so I won't rip it to pieces because that would be rude. But it really is not a book I'd want anyone I know to read. Kids deserve strong writing and imagery and not to have slurs sprung on them. They deserve strong plots, good dialogue, and believable characters that feel real.
All of that is missing from this book. It's just bad. I read these authors when I was in high school and I'm wondering now if they were even good then. If they were, something's changed and they aren't now.
I will not be finishing this series, nor will I be reading anything else they put out.
It gets one (1) star from me because I have to give it something.
I received this arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to them and the publisher.
Hunter and Mercy are back and they are both still struggling with dealing with the outfall from their mothers death. The trees are still ailing. Having rejected her god in order to supposedly save the trees. Hunter is devastated that is seems for naught. Tensions rise and the twins go their separate ways. Hunter is faced with the recoil from rejecting her god and finds out that the goddess she has vowed herself to is not who she thought she would be. Mercy is dealing with losing her other half. Can both sisters find peace and find their way back towards magic that will help heal the trees once and for all?
This is just such a great continuation of this series. Really P.C. Cast and Kristin are some of my favorite team writers. I have yet to be truly disappointed by a book they have written. I can't wait for the next book to come out and to see what happens with Mercy.
Thank you so much St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for letting me read an advance copy.
Thank you Netgalley for the eArc!
Omen bites if the second book in the Sisters of Salem series. It follows twin witch sisters Mercy and Hunter. They need to protect the 5 gates of the underworld after their Mother dies. I enjoyed the story and thought the characters had a lot more depth in this book than the first. I really like the magical aspects and rituals. I felt like some of the books was very fast paced while others were harder to focus on. I do look forward to the next book.
I definitely preferred Omens Bite to book 1, Spells Trouble. I thought there was a bit more character development in this book; and I was really liking the dark vibe I was getting with Hunter for this novel. Watching Hunter struggle internally with her choice of god/goddess and her personal changes was pretty awesome. I still don't like Mercy - I felt like Hunter played a significant role in both books, and Mercy continues to just be a damsel in distress. The book flip flops between the POV of Mercy and Hunter, and I found myself kinda glossing over Mercy's chapters until maybe the last three or four chapters in total. I didn't care about her the way I did with Hunter. I hope the next novel gives Mercy the opportunity for character growth, because she hasn't changed much over the course of the two novels and if her actions didn't affect Hunter, I felt like I would skip her chapters completely.
Hunter is awesome, the murder and blood magic are cool, and I love the evil goddess vibes. I'm still questioning what the purpose of the trees are. I find it odd that the underworlds haven't been totally explained; like why those five underworlds? Anyway, I'll stick around for Book 3, because Hunter is dynamic and I'm hopeful Mercy will get a chance to redeem her naivety.
This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.
Mercy and Hunter are twin sisters and witches, and Omens Bite is the second book in the "Sisters Of Salem" series. This book continues where Spells Trouble ended.
While Mercy and Hunter are mourning the loss of their mother, they are simultaneously working to save the ancient trees that serve as gateways to other planets, which are still damaged and dying. There's a lot of tension between the sisters, and it doesn't appear to be going away anytime soon.
I adored watching both sisters grow into their own selves. Throughout the story, we saw a lot more individuality from each of them.
A big benefit in my perspective is how much character development there was in this chapter, giving Mercy and Hunter a much more fleshed-out and developed feel. It was difficult to tell them apart in the first story since their perspectives seemed to shift or become lost in the middle of a paragraph, whereas this narrative had a much cleaner and neater line drawn.
One of the main problems I've observed in both this and the first book is that some portions of the tale feel rushed, while others appear to drag on for pages with little action. There may be times when the action is intense and captivating, and then there can be pages where virtually little happens, leaving you wondering when the other shoe will drop. The book ended on a cliffhanger, albeit it felt a little abrupt; with death and demons closing in on Mercy from all sides, it'll take some swift spell work to get Mercy out of her predicament.
Book: Omens Bite
Author: PC and Kristen Cast
Rating: 4 Out of 5 Stars
I would like to thank the publisher, Wednesday Books, for providing me with an ARC.
I personally really enjoyed this book. I don’t know if anyone else feels the same the way or not, but there’s just something about PC and Kristen Cast that takes me back. I read their House of Night series in high school and really enjoyed them. Of course, when I was offered an ARC to read their newest series, I knew I had to do it. Now, I will admit that the writing and characters are not the best, but there is just this certain charm that allowed me to keep on going. There was just something about it that made me want to find out what was going to happen. It’s almost like you know the book isn’t perfect, but there is just something about it that makes you want to keep going.
So, like the other PC and Kristen Cast books that I have read, this one does pick right up where we left off. You are not given any sort of recap or anything like that-so don’t pick this one up without reading the first book. I personally really do like it whenever authors and series to do this. It allows those who are either fans or beige reading a series to get right into the midst of things. We have the plot moving and we have it moving rather quick. This allows for several things to happen in the plot. Yes, this does mean that we get to spend a lot of time with the characters and get to experience their trials, difficulties, and hardships. We also get to see those little moments that allow us to from a deep bond with the characters.
I guess that is what I’m getting at. By having no recap and going right into what is happening, we do get a little bit more invested in the characters. I will admit, though, there were times that the characters did come across as being rather immature and not the best developed. However, you do have to keep in mind that these are teenagers, who have been put through some rather difficult things. They are acting and handling these events like teenagers would. They are acting like their age. I think it does work. It allows us as the reader to see how teenagers do handle these very difficult and very trying situations.
Overall, I really did enjoy this book. I will admit that it’s not perfect, but it is still a pretty good time.
This book comes out on April 5, 2022.
Youtube: https://youtu.be/M74-j5BIf5I
Omens Bite picks up right where Spells Cast left off. Mercy and Hunter are guardians to the gates to the underworlds AND they're reeling from the death of their mother. This book sees them going their own way, and gets a little darker than the first as Hunter gets closer with her new goddess.
I enjoyed reading from each sister's POV. Getting to know Khenti and explore the Egyptian gate was really interesting too. This story drew me in and was a pretty fast read, but then it left me on a cliffhanger!!! Ready for book 3!
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an early copy for review.
I was drawn to this book because I love reading about witches, magic, and mythology. I made sure to read the first book in the series (Spells Trouble) in preparation for this one--if you don't you will miss a LOT, so read them in order. The disconnect between Mercy and Hunter was frustrating. At times I wanted to jump into the book and smack both Mercy and Hunter for being so stubborn and whiny. Mercy's tendency to say things like "bloody hell" and "sodding" really got on my nerves (as it did in the first book) because well, she was raised and lives in Illinois. She is not British, she wasn't raised by someone from England, and she doesn't have any friends who are British. I don't think she has ever left Illinois, let alone left the country. It just comes across as inauthentic. That being said, I loved the budding romance with Khenti and the exploration of the Land of the Dead. Overall, this was a quick read, and I enjoyed the storyline and the pace of the book.
This was entertaining, it was good, but just not for me. It didn’t help that I was sent this arc when it’s a series. I haven’t read the first book and I should have. I’m sure it’s Berger when you’ve read book 1 first.
This was a fun sequel to Spells Trouble story. I'm loving this series and really hope to see more. Great for younger readers.
Omens Bite picks up where Spells Trouble left off. The sisters are trying to figure out what is happening with the guardian trees in their town, while also dealing with the fallout from the humans around them.
As a teenager I was a huge fan of these authors and would read pretty much everything they wrote together, but I was not a huge fan of this book. I found the book to read more as a filler for the next one. The plot did not feel like it progressed and the characters felt very one dimensional. I was excited to see where the book was going when it was hinting to Hunter becoming evil, but it felt more like a little girl throwing a temper tantrum than someone who has lost everything and everyone important to them.
The beginning and the end of the book were probably my favorite parts. I could visualize the plot in my head and could see where it could potentially be going. I love the use of different cultures’ mythos in the book and how the sisters embrace these different cultures. The last two chapters were engaging and gave a hint to the next powerful villain that could actually be a challenge for these sisters. If I was still a teenager, I definitely think I would have liked this book a lot more. It is very YA, so if that is not your thing, I would not recommend this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This was a fun second book to the Spells Trouble story. I enjoyed the first book, but I did have some struggles with the young feeling in that book. I got through it fine but found myself with the same issue in this one. It feels like someone is trying to make us believe the characters are young, rather than just letting them be young. It was something that pulled me out of the story, and I just struggled with it. It is a great story line, and I enjoyed the plot!
Thank you netgalley for the ARC.
It took me a while to get to this book but I'm so happy I read it. I love the whole vibe of twin sister witches. I'm hoping the writer, writes more books because I loved her work in this.
I'm so happy to be seeing a different kind of witch story in this series. This book picks right back up after Spells Trouble so you get thrown right back into everything. If you enjoyed Spells Trouble you need to come read the sequel!