There is something wrong in North Hampton. It is a small close-knit town, not found on any map. Fair Haven, the old manor house, has stood empty for years. Owned by the same family for hundreds of years, no one has seen anyone near the house, so it is with surprise when neighbors first begin to see lights in the old home.
This seems to be only the beginning of strange and deadly happenings, as an elderly couple is attacked on the beach. The man is killed and his wife left for dead, but now in a coma in the hospital. On the surface life continues and yet there is one other family who is beginning to feel the undertow of danger. Freya Beauchamp and her sister Ingrid are different, with just a hint of their own mysterious past bubbling just below the surface. Strange occurrences often follow them as well. They are not alone in their difference. How could they be? Their mother also lives in North Hampton, and the young women have inherited many of their mother’s characteristics.
Freya has the most difficulty. She is young and full of energy, and magic rolls off her, igniting incidents without fail. Careful to keep her calm, she still is often unable to control her excitement. Her kind has been banned from practicing magic as part of the agreement after the Salem witch trials. Freya is the first to break the rule. Just a tiny bit – no one will know. Soon Ingrid and their mother Joanne find themselves using 'small' enchantments, 'small' magic, only to help their friends. How can that be wrong? Will their disobedience be noticed?
Even as they begin to worry about the attention they are receiving, people are beginning to disappear. There is an odd growth in the water around North Hampton, reported in several other areas around the world. People are beginning to act out, with no provocation. Ingrid first becomes aware of the way this substance connects itself to people. Can she and her family find the answers before their lives are destroyed? Can they stop the one responsible for spreading the poison?
How will they explain the use of magic, and why now after hundreds of years does it seem right? In Witches of East End by Melissa De La Cruz, we are introduced to an intriguing story of what happened to witches after the Salem witch hunts. It is a unique and quite fascinating glimpse of life after the trials. De La Cruz has taken the usual witch tale and twisted it into a fantastic story. She has used her unusual approach and layered it in with an all-encompassing evil, though her characters are very altruistic.
Article comments
1 - SenoraG
Great review. I am adding this to my TBR mountain!
2 - Leslie
Thanks Senora,
I enjoyed it. I appreciate your comment.