Monday , March 18 2024
Branded a witch by her best friend, Freya now faces the daunting task of trying to save herself as the hysteria of old Salem continues.

Book Review: ‘Winds of Salem’ by Melissa De La Cruz

When a magic spell casts Freya Beauchamp back to 1692 Salem, she is locked in a time when witches are being persecuted. In Winds of Salem by Melissa De La Cruz, we follow the life of a young Freya as she finds the tides against her changing.

De La Cruz moves through the story from present to past and back again as those who are searching for Freya seek to find the reasoning for the transference. When first going through the witch trials of Salem, while they died as did many, they were able to come back at another time and place.

This time though, if they cannot change the fate of Freya. She will die forever. Rips in the fabric of time, and the strange power surges make rescue impossible.

Can Freya resist the urge to use her power, or will she be caught up again and lose her life in the historical challenge of the witch trials> Her family is working all avenues to try to find the answers, hoping that she will make the right decisions, yet knowing that with no memory of prior events she will not understand the possible consequences of her actions.

The characters are the same ones we have come to know through De La Cruz’s Witches of East End series, full of fun and devilment, yet now a darker twist adds a foreboding suspense that will hold you in thrall. To save Freya, her family must face danger of their own, casting a wide net of inevitability to the possible consequences of being caught up in the machinations of those trying to destroy them.

The shift between times and places is done smoothly, and the description of events keeps you on the edge of your seat as the Beauchamp family tries to right the magic.

If you enjoy the Witches of East End series, you will really enjoy this work, which takes you back in the history of the family. If you love suspense and magic you will find both with a clever dash of humor that weaves throughout and relieves a bit of the tenseness, yet the danger is always close to the surface.

This would be a great book for a book club or reading group.

About Leslie Wright

Leslie Wright is an author and blogger in the Northwest.

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