Puss Reboots: Blog: August 2012: Witch Eyes

Comments for Witch Eyes

Witch Eyes: 08/15/12

Witch Eyes is Scott Tracey's debut paranormal fantasy. After having a shocking vision that foretells of his uncle's death, Braden leaves Montana for Belle Dam, Washington. There he is trust into a decades long feud between two magical factions and a mystery that goes back to the founding of the town.

Braden's magic is tied up in his eyes. He has "witch eyes" as he calls them. When he removes his dark glasses, he can see the world for what it really is, including memories of the past, ghosts, lingering magic and active spells. Like Cassel, in Holly Black's Curse Worker Series, the blow back is a bitch. For Braden, it means debilitating migraines.

Braden has to quickly make decisions and pick his allies. As he doesn't know who is on which side of the quarrel, he draws up a very unusual set of friends. In there, too, he begins a potentially volatile relationship with a man who may very well betray him.

Although Braden is gay, his sexual orientation isn't the big ISSUE of the book. Nor does he like to be called "boy." Nor is he effeminate in any way. He is, instead, a well rounded, interesting lead character.

My only minor complaints with the book are the slow beginning and the strange segues. To show Braden's magic in action, the book opens on a training scene. It would have been better to jump right to him being on the bus and fill in the details of the vision later. Next, there are the weird jumps between scenes that don't always have enough of a segue to explain how Braden got from scene A to scene B. These, though, are minor problems in an otherwise great read.

Recommended by Brantasia Books

Five stars