White Witch

The Coven #1

by Trish Milburn

"""Fresh, fun, and dangerous! I can't wait for the next one!"" -Sherrilyn Kenyon #1 NYT Bestselling Author of the Dark-Hunter Series Witchcraft Is Her Family's Business. No One Quits The Family And Lives To Tell About It. ""Jax"" Pherson has power, enough power to know her future will end in service to the dark coven her father controls. Unless she can stay hidden in a small community in the mountains of North Carolina. She must find a way to live without magic and deny the darkness she feels welling up inside her-the same dark power that fuels the covens around the world. All she wants is a normal life. A boyfriend. Friends. Some place to belong, but all too soon Jax's barely begun new life hangs in the balance when she discovers that the boy she's attracted to is sworn to kill her kind. He's a hunter with good reason to kill everything that goes bump in the night. Even the most fleeting use of her power is tantamount to signing her death warrant and will bring both hunter and coven down on her. But can she walk away when her friends are threatened by an old evil? Something created by the magic of witches? Jax's only hope of survival is to convince the boy she loves to forget everything he's ever been taught and help her find a way to fight the covens. To believe there is some good in her. "

Genres: Young Adult, Paranormal, Witches, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Romance, Magic

188 pages, Paperback

First published February 15, 2012

About the author

Trish Milburn is the author of more than 50 romance and young adult novels, a huge fan of Asian dramas and K-pop music, prefers Marvel over D.C. (except Wonder Woman is awesome), and loves road trips and visiting national and state parks, and of course is an avid reader with a never-ending to-be-read pile.

Learn more about Trish on her website, www.trishmilburn.com -- where you'll also find links to her social media. She's most active on Twitter @TrishMilburn. Also, her WordoftheK.com is dedicated to her books set in Korea as well as posts about various aspects of the Korean entertainment industry, Korean culture, etc.

Have a question? Be sure to check out the Goodreads option to ask about my books, K-pop, K-dramas, or writing.

Reviews

[Tara Fuller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me start with saying I loved this book. I may be a little partial to witch stories but this one was done beautifully. The first chapter launches you into a pulse pounding scene and lays out the beginnings of a totally forbidden romance. I enjoyed reading Jax so much. She was strong, determined, and smart. My favorite kind of heroine. And Keller…well he deserves a swoon and a half. I loved the romance in this book. The forbidden connection between a witch and witch hunter. The gradual build between Jax and Keller. If you enjoy The Secret Circle you’ll adore this book as much as I did. And I can’t let Toni go unmentioned. The spunky drummer girl with pink hair. I loved her. She is the kind of best friend every girl should have. Loyal to her core and real. I can’t wait for book two. And I’m definitely hoping to see something more bloom between Toni and Egan.
If you enjoy a sweet paranormal romance with lots of action and humor then you should add this book to your “to-read” list asap. :)

[Jennifer (Bad Bird Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

From: http://readingandwritingurbanfantasy....

3.5 stars

The Good
Love or Hate...
I've noticed that many people either love this book or just feel so-so about it. I can understand the split verdict because there is nothing hugely unique or amazing about White Witch, but I for one had a good time reading it. It was well written, the characters drew me into the story, and the suspense was good. I can't wait for the next book in the series to come out.

Playing Human...
Jax has committed one of the worst offenses according to the covens, she has abandoned her family and ran from her duties as a black witch. Now there is a death warrant on her witchy little head. Jax knows exactly what kind of death she will receive from her evil father, the very man who controls her old coven. And the fear of the pain alone keeps her powers in check, for if she uses too much, the covens can trace it back to her hiding spot. And Jax is just finding a place to fit in within her new sanctuary. A new best friend and a scrumptious boyfriend. Sure, her boyfriend might be a hunter who kills her kind, but nobody is perfect. But as secrets are revealed, new alliances are made, and old and new evils make themselves known, Jax will have to fight for her life, and her friends' lives. Maybe playing human was a bad idea after all.

Innate Evil...and Love
Jax was a perfect mix of feistiness, tenderness, and strength. Her life has not been easy. She has witnessed so much suffering at such a young age that anyone would cringe from her memories. Her coven only believes in one kind of witch, a black one. But Jax struggles with the innate evilness every witch is supposed to foster. Things only get harder when she meets Keller, a hunter. Though she knows he would kill her if he found out about her true identity, she can't help but feel an instant attraction towards him. Their romance was a little rushed but I still liked the young lover feel to this couple. Keller obviously felt the same way about Jax, but only through the encouragement from friends do they finally give in.

Toni's the WoMan...
Keller came off a little standoffish, but you grow to admire his determination. But the character that I loved the most was Toni, Jax's friend and Keller's cousin. She had a great sense of humor and a great sense of taste. She didn't follow the norm, she did what she wanted. She played in a band and wore hilarious shirts that only a few people would understand. She was the kind of friend every girl wants. But I did feel like she lost a little of herself when Egan came into the picture. I am not going to say too much about him since it would ruin the surprise, but overall he was an enjoyable part of the team. I just didn't like Toni's response to him. I figured her for a stronger personality.

Witchery...
I thought the story and plot were very well done. It kept a good pace and the added mystery layered in really amped up the storyline. Revelations came at perfect times, just enough for us to still ask questions but feel satisfied with what we just learned. The bad guys were absolutely horrible and creepy. The suspense was spot on; I felt like a was taken on a thrill ride of witchery, teen angst, and evil.

The Bad
As many of you may know, I always find reading present tense a little awkward. So as you can guess, it took some time getting use to it in White Witch. The plot and storyline were not very original, but it was different enough that it didn't bother me that much.

I felt like the big action scene at the end fell a little flat. It was simply too short. The whole book was leading up to this point and it was over in a couple of pages. Not very dramatic or frightening.

The Snuggly
Romance and sex wise this is a pretty clean book. A lot of heavy kissing. I liked Jax and Keller together. They had a bumpy beginning, and the whole shy love thing was adorable. Jax and Keller were irresistibly drawn to each other, and I enjoyed reading about their relationship.

Overall
I am going to keep an eye out for Milburn. This is the first book I've read of hers and she did a good job. The story, though not terribly original, was well plotted and fun to read. I didn't get bored. I read White Witch in a day and had a smile on my face at the end. And speaking of the ending, there was definitely some good foreshadowing for future books. The end was left open-ended, which I didn't mind since I felt like I got my money's worth (yes, I got it for free, but you know what I mean). A recommended read.

Excerpt
I gasp when I feel cold hit my scalp. It takes a moment for me to realize Stacy has upended a milkshake on the top of my head.

"Oh, look at that. All her glorious blond hair doesn't look so glorious anymore." Stacy and her followers laugh. "Don't mess with me, witch."

I surge to my feet, anger at how Stacy has filled "witch" with venom propelling me, the blackness of my kind rising inside me until even my vision turns dark. It breathes like a distinct entity inside me. As I catch Stacy's gaze, a gust of wind sweeps papercups and napkins from the outdoor tables, sending them sailing down the street. It makes my chocolate-soaked hair stir around me.

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

This seems to be one of the more polarizing YA titles out there lately. Either you absolutely love it or find it so-so (few people I’ve talked to actually hate it) so it’s definitely one that you should probably check out from the library and decide for yourself on. Personally, I found the plot a bit clichéd and didn’t care much for the main character. The book moved rather quickly, though, so that made it easier. My biggest problem with the book was more from a librarian’s perspective rather than a reader. The audience for this novel is just not specific enough. The book is written in a style for a very young YA reader but contains content for an older audience. It contains references that most kids in that age group won’t understand (such as the Joss Whedon ones). This book will be very hard to place in the correct hands so that the reader gets the most out of the novel. I hope that the second book is more definitive and chooses one audience (older or younger YA) so that the book can find an appropriate home.

ARC Galley Proof

[Julie Witt · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Witchcraft Is Her Family's Business.
No One Quits The Family And Lives To Tell About It."

When I read this description, I couldn't wait to read this book. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations. Jax is a witch who wants to live a normal life, and since she can't do that in her coven (because they are straight up evil), she runs away. She goes to a small town up in the mountains of North Carolina, after leaving a false trail for her family to follow, because she knows that they won't let her just leave. She enrolls herself in high school and immediately meets Keller, a supernatural hunter. Here's where I have my first problem with this book - the dreaded instalove. Within a few days of meeting, they are inseparable and are falling in love. This is a pet peeve of mine, I'll admit. The characters (including Toni, Keller's cousin and Jax's new best friend) are likeable, but I would have liked a bit more time to get to know them before they started in on their romance. It made the story feel rushed. When the book deals with the supernatural aspects of the story, it was really enjoyable, but I had a hard time getting past the all consuming romance between Jax and Keller that really didn't make any sense because again, it was just too rushed. The book was a quick read, though, because it moved so fast.

In summary, I enjoyed the supernatural aspects of this book but can't say the same for the romantic aspects of it. I would be open to reading the next book in the series, though, to see if it fleshes out the characters more fully.

3/5 stars.

[Tori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally posted at http://smexybooks.com/2012/04/review-...

Jax Pherson is a sixteen year old witch. Born into a powerful dark magic coven led by her father, Jax watched her mother die when she tried to leave. From that day on, she saved and plotted until she was able to escape the coven. Now hiding in North Carolina, Jax is going to school under an assumed name and making friends. All she has to do is deny the calling of the dark power inside of her and use no magic. When she meets Keller, Jax figures her life can’t get much better. Until she finds out what Keller is. When evil threatens the town and her new friends, Jax has to find a way to convince Keller to forget everything he has been taught, and to believe in her. If she doesn’t, she’ll never live to see seventeen.

White Witch is a pragmatic YA with a first bloom romance. Ms. Milburn captures a nice tone for her teenage characters without miring it down with the oft present emo angst and ‘woe is me’ that is sometimes present in this type of storyline. Smooth writing and a steady pace made this very easy to follow. The plot is pretty straight forward. Supernatural girl in hiding meets boy of her dreams only to find out he is sworn to kill her kind. Add in snarky friends, love at first sight, a few villains, and we have our story. The characters and the sub pots that are intertwined with the main conflict. Love, loss, and growing up are a huge part of this story.

Set in the mountains of North Carolina, we follow our heroine, Jax Phersen, as she attempts to change her destiny. She was born a witch and told all her life that she will eventually succumb to her dark powers and take her place in her father’s coven. But Jax doesn’t feel dark. She wants a normal life and flees the coven in search of it. Using extreme caution, Jax manages to find a home, car, and enroll herself in school. Unfortunately, she has to use some magic to procure all this which almost guarantees the coven will eventually find her and punish her for her defection.

Jax doesn’t care though because for the first time she is making friends who won’t try to kill her. Or so she thought. When she first spots high school hottie Keller, the connection is instantaneous. Until she realizes what he is. Keller comes from a long line of hunters sworn to hunt and kill supernatural beings. As she and Keller deal with their attraction to one another and try to over come a serious romance killer, she is also researching ways to stay alive.

Jax is a heroine whose intelligence and fortitude made the story interesting. She understands the danger she is in and doesn’t downplay it. She has a refreshing attitude and takes no crap from anyone-teenager or adult. I like seeing a teen heroine who is steadfast and quick on her feet. Keller is a steady love interest who’s back story adds credence to his “side job”. Secondary characters add depth and humor to the story with Jax’s new BFF, the wacky t-shirt loving Toni or Jax’s uber sexy cousin Egan who has come to “join the rebellion.”

The main conflicts are wrapped up in an action packed finale that adds a little mystery to the storyline. We learn more about the town and the coven which leaves us a solid lead into the second book.

A problem I had with the story is I would have loved more fleshing out. As I stated earlier, it’s pretty straight forward and lacks emotional and physical depth. It’s almost as if we are reading a well edited first or second draft. We only get the bare bones of the story. There isn’t much intrigue or mystery. Another problem I had was the similarities in the character make ups and storyline to Sophia Jordan’s Firelight. Both heroines are remarkably alike. Below you will find some of the similarities I found.

Similarities

● Heroines are wanted for their powers and have to flee their respective clan/coven.

● Heroines names start with J.

● Heroines start a new school, both were home schooled.

● Heroines meet and fall instantly in love with a hunter of their kind.

● Heroines meet a wacky non dating girl who becomes their bff

● Heroes can "scent" their prey.

● Heroes lost their mothers.

● Heroes have fathers who ignore them.

● Heroes have ignored all girls in the school until heroine arrives.

● Heroines tells hero entire life story almost right off the bat.

● Heroines lost a parent who tried to break away from their families.

● Heroines are subjected to a mean girl who wants love interest for themselves.

● Heroines have a sister who allie with the enemy.

● Heroines reveal themselves to save the heroes life.

● Both stories bring a sexy male in that is tied to the heroine.

● Both heroines are forced to leave their new homes and the ones they love in a cliffhanger

I found the story a pleasant read; but the underlying problems caused some issues for me. Hopefully in book two of the series, we will see more growth and development and less Firelight.

Overall Rating: C-

[Anya · Rating 4 out of 5]

White Witch is a YA urban fantasy about a teenage witch, Jax, who doesn’t want to be evil in a world where all witches get their power from dark forces and leaving the family business is not an easy task. Just when things seem to be getting better for this runaway, things get rather explosively bad again….
I was in the mood for some more urban fantasy and cruised through Netgalley requesting any covers that caught my eye and seemed to fit the genre (Netgalley loads so slowly for me that I can’t really read the descriptions…. Anyone else have this problem??). I wasn’t expecting anything too out of this world since I have bad luck with Netgalleys, but wow I am so glad I requested White Witch :D. I really want to read the next one like right NAO. Also I love this cover! It’s very accurate for the big finale :D.
Goodreads



Title: White Witch
Author: Trish Milburn
Pages: 188
Genre-ish: YA Urban Fantasy (no werewolves/vampires so far…)
Rating: ★★★★☆ - Compelling plot and characters, minor flaws
Setting: Like most urban fantasy, White Witch takes place in a US much like ours except that witches and ghosts exist. Witches are also all powered by evil forces and pretty obsessed with revenge for Salem and the other killings back then, and start killing humans at 17.
Premise: Jax, however, was (un)lucky enough to have a mother who didn’t want to kill humans, and was able to mostly get away with doing other things for the coven, until she tried to run away and was killed for it. At that point Jax decided she needed to plan better and get out before her 17th birthday, and that’s just what she did. With a little mind control she was able to enroll in high school and now she’s trying to keep a low magic profile so that her family doesn’t find her and brutally murder her as well!
Strengths:
The writing and plot of White Witch are very compelling and even for someone who doesn’t read a lot of YA (and doesn’t tend to like high school settings), I really wanted to keep reading!
I loooooove Jax’s friend Toni! She is the bomb. Also with such a short time-line their very close friendship could have felt forced, but Milburn is able to set up situations that completely justify how close the friends become so quickly.
I really like the lore and world-building that has started in this book and hopefully will be continuing. It’s a little different than all the vampire and werewolf stories that have been coming out and that is quite refreshing!
Weaknesses:
The Kindle version that I got was really horribly formatted in places. The formatting switched between indenting paragraphs and not indenting paragraphs half way through chapters and at times would have three lines with only one word on them when that was definitely not supposed to be the case. Minor typos etc aren’t a big deal, but this formatting started making it difficult for me to read the awesome writing :(.
While Jax is a teen, and they tend to be more dramatic, there were a few too many “question” paragraphs where she lists off all of the dramatic questions going through her head. Those are best reserved for one or two crisis moments, not seven….
And again, Jax and Toni are teenage girls, so boys will obviously be on their mind, but the boy obsessing dominated a little teeny bit too much of the text for me when there was the whole life and death thing going on.
Summary:
I was honestly really surprised that I liked White Witch as much as I did, since YA paranormal/urban fantasy tends to get a bit too much for me. I have to say, though, that White Witch was so well written and had enough interesting lore hinted at that I buzzed through it very quickly and am putting the second in the Coven series on my to-read list! Definitely get a copy if the premise sounds interesting to you but count on reading it fast. :D

[Wicked ♥ (Wickedly Bookish Reviews) aka Bat-Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reviewed for Wickedly Bookish
http://wickedlybookish.blogspot.com/

Jax is a young witch on the run. She does not want to live her coven's black magic lifestyle and dreams of a normal teenage experience. Then she finds Baker's Gap, a tiny little town where everyone knows everyone else, and Jax settles in. Can she keep her powers under the radar and avoid being tracked down by her coven? When things get crazy, will she stay and protect her new found friends, even if the price is death?

When we first join Jax as the story opens, she has already flown the coop, bought a used slug bug and a small RV, and has procured herself a campsite to live in. She already has a plan for getting herself enrolled into the local high school in Baker's Gap, after failing numerous times in other towns. This is also where she gets her first sight of the local supernatural hunter who ends up being the school hottie. Don't worry, that wasn't really a spoiler as you find this out almost immediately. That was one of my problems with this book, there was very little mystery. Most of the plot is straight up with only a few minor plot twists. It was very easy to feel like absolutely nothing was going on.I would have liked to have experienced the escape with Jax and gotten a better feel for the hostility of the life she was leading rather than just being told, "this is this, and that is that."

The awkward toss of the reader into the already executed escape was a rough start, but really the whole book feels rough and underdeveloped. There is just not enough world building for the reader to feel either comfortable in the story, or confident that it is going somewhere. This is not helped by the fact that the meat of the book is made up of silly teenage stuff. Jax gets a crush on her super hot hunter, Jax gets a BFF, Jax goes to local dinner and gets milkshaked by local bitch, Jax pines over hottie hunter, Jax goes to homecoming! It just goes on and on and it was disappointing for me because I was looking forward to a fun YA paranormal experience not teen time with residual magical effects. This felt like a story about a contemporary runaway landing in a new town and doing silly teenage stuff. The witch aspect plays a very small role until the very end of the book.

My other main problem with White Witch was that I never really connected with any of the characters. There were plenty of fun, likeable characters, but this book was so short, and there was so little development, that these characters just felt like faces put there for the direct purpose of furthering Jax's journey. Although this is exactly what characters are in relation to a hero/heroine, the reader should never recognize them as such. A reader should be so lost in the story that they see supporting characters as people, not tools to move the story along.

That being said, there were things I enjoyed very much. I loved Jax's new bestie Toni. She's a tough young lady who isn't afraid to be who she is. As a fellow Buffy nerd, I had a lot of fun with all the references to the show and definitely though Hostile 17 would have been an excellent name for Toni's band. Although I still couldn't quite connect to these nearly transparent characters, Toni was my favorite. I think this really sums up how I felt about the entire experience; fun, cute, but just not quite completely there.

The bottom line is, this was a cute but lacked direction. The story and characters were rough, underdeveloped, and felt more like a sketch of what this could have been rather than a final product. White Witch could use some more action and a final polish, but definitely has potential behind it. There is a stronger version of this story somewhere and I would be glad to read it once it is found.

[Michelle's Paranormal Vault of Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally Posted at my blog Michelle's Paranormal Vault of Books

No On Quits The Family And Lives To Tell About It. That’s the motto “Jax” Pherson’s family goes by. All she wants is to have a normal life, so Jax escapes to a small town in North Carolina where she meets some great friends and a guy that has some kind of pull on her. She has planned to leave ever since her father and the coven killed her mother for wanting to leave. They are evil, like a mob with superpowers. Not a good combination. She finds her family and coven has lied to the younger generations for a long time. She has to keep herself from using her power, so she does not attract the coven to her. It’s like sending up a bat signal for them to follow. (As Jax said in the book)

I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked this book. I am picking up the 2nd one Bane as soon as I write this review. I know I will be itching to get the 3rd Magick coming out September 9 2012. This book is fresh and fun with some danger and adventure mixed in with all that cool magic. What’s not to love? We have some magic, romance, and friendship, and an evil coven out to find them.

The writing is brilliant, Trish really did a great job weaving this story, we get to like the characters a lot, and care what happens with them.

I only would have one small complaint. That is that it felt too fast, like stuff happened to quick, like a span of a week total. I sort of get that she is making these two lead characters not be the traditional love connection, but more of a supernatural one, or fated one. Like soul mates maybe. They seemed to fall in love way too quickly, but like I said there could be more to that than we know, as this is a series, so it could be building up to something more, or more reasons behind the sudden love connection. I was a bit skeptical about the sudden feelings of “love” between Egan and Toni, but other than that, it was a great read.

Here is a quote from the meeting between Jax and Keller:
Kindle location 284

‘Awareness arcs between us like fingers of lightning. He has to feel it, too. That kind of power can’t just be one way. Right? The thought nearly stops me. Despite my previous dismissal of the idea, could he be more than a hunter? Have I been wrong in what I’ve always believed about how bloodstones work? Could Keller have some sort of supernatural power, too? My heart skips a beat, almost hoping he isn’t completely human. But that’s crazy. As a rule, supernatural hunters aren’t themselves supernatural.’

This new Coven series is a really good one. I suggest you give it a shot, really. I read many books, and would hate to see you pass this chance up because of a few reviews that are just hater’s, and people who never gave it a chance and didn’t even finish. I was sucked in from the first part of the book. And like I said, the whole love connection between Jax and Keller, I think there is more going on there, than we know.

I gave this a 5/5 but if I could have done 4 1/2 stars I would have to been fair. Only for the rushed feeling of some of it. Still, overall very good start to a good series. Review for Bane, the 2nd book will be up soon.

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Info: Genre: Urban Fantasy Reading Level: YA

Disclosure: I received a free eGalley eBook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: Witchcraft Is Her Family’s Business. No One Quits The Family And Lives To Tell About It. “Jax” Pherson has power, enough power to know her future will end in service to the dark coven her father controls. Unless she can stay hidden in a small community in the mountains of North Carolina. She must find a way to live without magic and deny the darkness she feels welling up inside her — the same dark power that fuels the covens around the world. All she wants is a normal life. A boyfriend. Friends. Some place to belong, but all too soon Jax’s barely begun new life hangs in the balance when she discovers that the boy she’s attracted to is sworn to kill her kind. He’s a hunter with good reason to kill everything that goes bump in the night. Even the most fleeting use of her power is tantamount to signing her death warrant and will bring both hunter and coven down on her. But can she walk away when her friends are threatened by an old evil? Something created by the magic of witches? Jax’s only hope of survival is to convince the boy she loves to forget everything he’s ever been taught and help her find a way to fight the covens. To believe there is some good in her.

My Thoughts: This follows the well-established YA paranormal genre norms – very pretty girl, paranormal, wants to be normal, all the boys want her, most of the girls hate her, she falls for the absolute worst guy for her, etc. etc. etc. However, there are differences, and it is in these differences that this book finds its redemption. The “absolute worst” guy is actually quite nice, and likes her back. There is no artificial “dynamic tension” where they constantly fight for no good reason; he is not full of himself, he is not a “bad boy”, and he treats her kindly. Therefore, this book is saved from mediocrity by daring to break the mold and be different – just slightly different, but that bit is exactly what was needed.

I need to say that I absolutely adore Toni; I’m also a huge fan of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer and I can totally relate to her geekiness on this point. I also quite liked Egan, although I was initially not quite sure what to make of him. One thing that bothered me was Jax’s insistence that, if her family figured out where she was, she should leave – it seems to me that, if her family is as retributive as she feels they are, just because she is gone that doesn’t mean they won’t destroy everyone she had anything to do with while she was there just out of sheer spite.

I ended up literally devouring this book, reading it in less than 4 hours and, despite not having slept, I was eager to immediately get started on the second book in the series, Bane. Fans of YA paranormal and urban fantasy should really enjoy this book – it’s a great start to a new series and one I thoroughly enjoyed; highly recommended.

[#ReadAllTheBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to say that while this book wasn't perfect, it was insanely fun to read. A lot of the trends for witch books have been to cast witches as poor misunderstood groups with factions who "just" misuse their powers. This book has witches who appear to have deliberately tainted their magic with darkness and are very much the epitome of evil witch. Minus the ugly part, though. Apparently one of the bennies of being twisted around is that you all look drop dead gorgeous.

One of the things that this book has going for it is that while there's a lot (and I mean a LOT) of familiar literary tropes in here, Milburn has such an addicting writing style that you really don't care that you've seen similar versions of this story before. The characters here are easy to like, but I'll admit that it's the secondary characters of Stacy and Toni that I really got hooked on to. I loved Toni because she had the most description (plus she's a Whedon fan) and Stacy was fun because well, it's always fun to have a snotty mean girl around.

I did like the sparks and chemistry between our main character Jax and her love interest Kellan, although part of me does feel that it's more lust driven at times than romantically driven. Don't get me wrong, they do make an excellent couple but I just couldn't see the "OMG love" development until later in the book. Since there's at least two more books for this, I figure that there's enough time to have the relationship develop past the extremes and have more scenes that are more tender and less action or lust driven scenes. This I sort of think was a result of the book moving so insanely fast. Milburn has the book progressing at a pretty fast pace, with me wishing that some things (such as the romance and more background info on Jax and the covens) were given more screen time to develop.

Overall this was a blast to read and if you're a fan of books like Tiernan's Sweep, you'll probably like White Witch. It's well worth purchasing, in my opinion. There's enough here to make me seriously long for the next two books in the series.

4 out of 5 stars

(Arc provided by Netgalley)

[Tahlia Newland · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so much that I found myself saying “I wish I could write as well as that.” It’s got everything I like in a book, an intriguing storyline with just the right amount of action and romance, and a satisfying ending. It had me hooked from beginning to end and left me wanting more. Underlying this book is also one of my favourite themes – empowerment.

Jax Pherson comes from a coven that is a kind of witchy version of the Mafia, gorged with power and bent on revenge for the witch hunts of Salem, the punishment for trying to leave the family is death. When she was a child, Jax watched her father deliver the punishment on her mother, a slow sucking away of her powers, then her life itself, so she knows what she’s up against when she runs away to avoid service to the dark coven her father controls.

From the blurb
All she wants is a normal life. A boyfriend. Friends. Some place to belong, but all too soon Jax’s barely begun new life hangs in the balance when she discovers that the boy she’s attracted to is sworn to kill her kind. He’s a hunter with good reason to kill everything that goes bump in the night. Even the most fleeting use of her power is tantamount to signing her death warrant and will bring both hunter and coven down on her. But can she walk away when her friends are threatened by an old evil? Something created by the magic of witches? Jax’s only hope of survival is to convince the boy she loves to forget everything he’s ever been taught and help her find a way to fight the covens. To believe there is some good in her.

I loved Jax from the beginning, her battle with the darkness she feels welling up inside her when people are cruel to her parallels everyone’s battle with their anger, but Jax has more to lose if she lets it out. Any use of her power is like a beacon for her family who are surely looking for her. She’s got a lot of guts to even try to run from her family and that same strength of character shows all through the book.

If you’re in to excellent YA urban fantasy or paranormal romance then this is a must read.

[Heven · Rating 5 out of 5]

White Witch by Trish Milburn is an exciting tale of a young witch raised by her father and his coven as a “Black Witch”, a user of magic for evil. Jax is a wonderful strong witch that only wants to live a normal life, or a life that she considers to be normal. She runs away to North Carolina leaving a trail that leads her family in another direction. After Jax finds a woman to play her mother, she is able to enroll in high school where she meets Toni and Kessler.
When Jax’s world is turned upside down, she finds she is falling for the one person she should never fall in love with…….a Hunter. Of course, the hunter is Kessler and his adorable cousin Toni, who become fast friends of Jax are faced with several dangers as Kessler and Jax find out more about each other and then finally pushed together by Toni. Pushing instincts aside, Jax stays in Baker Gap, only to be tracked down by a “family friend” named Egan. Of course he is of the witchy persuasion as well, as he and Jax grew up together, both families hoping that Jax and Egan would have a romantic interest in one another, but the only thing they can think of is they are more like brother and sister than lovers.
In turn, Egan falls for Toni, and hard. When Jax and Egan are faced with the task of having to face Jax’s family and coven, it is then that Jax finds the power within herself and the ground on which she stands, to stand against her family and a long line of powerful black witches, and find out the truth about their heritage, and the powers they have acquired and the true meaning of being a witch.
I absolutely loved this book and was sad when the last page was found…..although the way the story ended in this book, it leads me to believe there will be more and I truly hope there are going to be more, as I would love to know what happens next to Jax, Egan, Kessler and of course Toni.

[Dorine White · Rating 3 out of 5]

Today I review a YA paranormal entitled White Witch by Trish Milburn.
The Story- Jax is a witch, born to a family of witches. The only problem is that Jax doesn’t want to be like them. Her coven, in fact all the covens she knows about, are all evil. So, she runs away, desperately hoping that if she doesn’t use magic, they won’t find her, because if they do, she is dead.
Jax ends up in Baker Gap, a small mountain community. She enrolls herself in high school and begins trying to live a normal life. All is well, until she falls for Keller, a supernatural hunter and son of the local Reverand. Keller falls for Jax too, and soon it is hard to keep secrets. Especially when Egan, a witch from another coven, shows up on her doorstep, claiming to have runaway too.
Things get bumpy when Jax and Egan realize there is an evil influence up the mountain causing people to plummet to their deaths. The only way to stop the evil is to use their magic, but doing so will bring the covens to their front door.
My thoughts- I always like books where the main character is special but is trying to live a normal life as a teenager. Jax is a brave character who is willing to face death just to live a better life. She is sick of the horrible things her family does and wants out. You realize how brave she is when you read that her mother wanted the same thing, and was killed before Jax’s own eyes.
There is also a good touch of mystery in the book, something I love. Egan and Jax seem to be the only good witches out of hundreds of evil ones. How is that possible? Why aren’t there other good witches? To discover the truth they have to look for an ancient book believed to have been destroyed.
White Witch is a fun YA read. The story ends off foreshadowing the second book.
www.dorinewhite.blogspot.com

[Katie_la_geek · Rating 3 out of 5]

For more reviews check out my blog

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for review

I haven’t read many books about witches so this was a bit of a first for me. Generally speaking I enjoyed White Witch. I didn’t love it but I didn’t hate it, it was good. It is a very short book so it doesn’t hang about and doesn’t waste time with unnecessary detail; because of this the book remained interesting but didn’t give enough information about the characters to make you care for them.

The character were ok but weren’t very interesting due to the lack of information about them. Jax and Keller may be the leads in the book but I felt I knew more about Toni (Keller’s sister) then I did about either of them. She is way to bubbly and is completely cliched but she means well and is a massive Firefly fan which means she has to be great.

The romance was sudden, it fell into the insta-love category but in its defence it reminded me of real teen romances. You fall sudden, you fall hard. You know it is irrational but still you feel like your life will end without that person. The big problem with the romance is the same problem I had with the characters; I just don’t know enough about them and was not given enough time to care.

I liked the witch stuff, it was my favourite parts of the book but I found the rest of it to be too quick and maybe at times a little to teeny for my taste.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Also reviewed at Paranormal Book Fan

3.5 stars

This book was short and sweet. I read it straight through in a couple of hours. It was quite enjoyable though there wasn't that much happening here.

Jax (I love the name) is a witch. She is running away from her coven because she doesn't want to be evil. After the Salem witch trials, the witches harnessed extra powers from the earth and vowed revenge on humans. When Jax turns 17, she will be forced to murder a human and her full powers will come. Punishment for leaving the coven is death.

Jax buys herself an RV, moves to a small town and enrols in high school. She just wants to be normal. But one of the first people she meets and falls for is Kellar, and he is a supernatural hunter. And her new best friend? She is his cousin. What are the chances?

I enjoyed this book. It was more romance and high school drama than action with witches and hunters. It was well written and the characters were really likeable. Love at first sight was floating around the place and it just got intense too quick. The ending got a bit more interesting.

I would recommend this as a light easy read and I will be reading the next book in the series, Bane.

[Mlpmom (Book Reviewer) · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is (sadly) rare these days that you can find a really good YA book that isn't riddled with bad language, drinking, sex and other assorted things that you truly don't want a tween or even some teenagers to read about. Truly, I have no idea how some books even get put into the YA genre and it seems like that is especially true in the YA paranormal genre so it was so refreshing to read this book and not come across any of that.

This was such a nice clean read. It had a little bit of everything in it, paranormal elements, mystery, romance, action and you know what? The story wasn't lacking at all for not having any of the bad stuff in it. In fact, I probably enjoyed it even more for it.

I really enjoyed the storyline, the characters were fun and very likeable. I didn't feel any real connection to any of them but that didn't necessarily take away from the story at all, in fact it just seemed to work.

The ending wasn't so much a cliffhanger as it was more of a way of letting you know that there was more to come and I truly want to read the next one in the trilogy to see what happens in Salem.

Overall, I think this was a great read and a fun new series that I think a lot of people, old and younger will really like and enjoy.

[Megsie · Rating 3 out of 5]

White Witch by Trish Melburnt is a story about a witch named Jax. Jax’s left behind her coven behind to start a new life when she behind her became despondent with her coven’s ideals of revenge against the humans that burned them. Jax enters a small town, unaware that that the supernatural life she thought she left behind has caught up with her in her new town. Alongside Jax are her supporting characters, her best friend, Tina; a love interest Keller; and a fellow runaway witch, Egan.

This book wasn’t slow and grabbed me from the first page. What I liked about this book was the unexpected ending, which may lead into a second book. This book reminded me a lot of The Secret Circle but was more fast paced and edgier. Overall, a good book and I look forward to reading the possible sequel.

[Sheyla ✎ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jaxina"Jax" Pherson has ran away from home. She is part of a dark witches coven in Miami. She doesn't want to make the choice and kill or use humans to her advantage. She believes that hiding in the mountains of North Carolina she can live a normal life. She joins a high school after using her powers to convince a human to pass her off as her daughter. She strikes a friendship with a girl, Toni and falls for her cousin, Keller Dawes.
Things become weirder when she discovers that Keller's father is a hunter of supernaturals as well as Keller.
A friend from another coven, Egan makes his appearance and together they may have to fight evil and the covens.

YA literature. It still has some problems with the flow. Some lines were funny.
2/5 Fangs
cross posted at my blog http://mrsleifs.blogspot.com

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jax is no ordinary high-school student. She's a witch with a powerful darkness inside of her. On the run from her coven and her evil father, she settles in North Carolina and hopes for a peaceful life. But trouble shows up in the form of a love interest who also happens to come from a family of witch hunters. And her coven are hot on her trail. She needs to fight her coven, the hunters but the toughest battle will be the darkness inside her.

White Witch is superb Young Adult Urban Fantasy. It does absolutely everything I expect of the genre and does it well. It's very short but I'm inclined to group this book together with the next two in the series Bane and Magick

[Cyp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally posted at A Bookalicious Story.

White Witch is a good mix of YA Romance with lots of action and high school drama. The only regrettable thing was...That cliffhanger!!!

My Summary

Jax Pherson is a witch from the Miami Coven. Witch covens around the world gained power a long time ago by absorbing the powers from the earth at specific locations, but this in turn filled them with darkness. Jax feels that darkness inside her, her power spiking whenever her temper flares. These covens want absolute control, so whenever a witch tries to leave the coven, they will hunt her/him down and drain them of their powers and subsequently, their lives. Painfully.

Jax watched her mother's powers and life get Siphoned away by her father when she was but a youngin', and she has had a terrible fear of escaping ever since. But as she reaches her seventeenth birthday, she will be expected to kill for her coven. And that's when she plucked up her courage and sneaked away.

All she wants is to have a normal teenage life - go to school, make some friends, go for prom, and such. She's tried enrolling in a few schools, but has never gotten a successful application because apparently, a parent or guardian was required to be present. So when she comes to her next destination, North Carolina, she tweaks her plans and manages to enrol in Baker Gap High School. And there, she meets a new friend and her cousin, Toni and sexy Keller, and also a new enemy in the form of cheerleader Stacy and said cheerleader's mindless cronies.

Keller and Toni's families happened to be witch hunters, and all is fair and well for Jax for a time, normal high school drama and romance, until her secrets start to become harder to hide, and her family will hunt her down to the ends of the earth to silence her and take back the absolute control that they demand...

My Thoughts

WHITE WITCH had the epic final battle that BREAKING DAWN didn't have, and the sane romance that Twilight didn't have, but still retaining that little unrealistic instant connection between the heroine and male protagonist. Some cases, like the one in FIRELIGHT by Sophie Jordan, that insta-love relationship was one of the best and most believable insta-loves I have ever read. I could feel the sizzle of attraction between them, the tension when they were alone in some dark place, and the sacrifices that they are willing to make for each other. But I couldn't for WHITE WITCH. Pity, really, cause other than that, I thought that this WW was a pretty entertaining YA Urban Fantasy!

Witches, both female and male, are all beautiful and either really kind-hearted or nasty as hell. Jax falls under the GORGEOUS blonde with a humble heart category. Er, ok. I'm not that big into gorgeous, blonde babe heroines who catches the attention of the entire school - stares and drools from the males, and envy and jealousy from the females. I mean, really? And just so that it is not generic enough, she makes an enemy of the mean head cheerleader and her mindless cronies on her first day of school. But that's not all there is to Jax - thankfully - she's also a mean machine when it comes to using her powers! She's badass and way powerful. More so than anyone could've ever anticipated - even her! Something happened when she fought the people who were after her, who are her power-hungry father and coven, that made them afraid of her. Something big. Something "bright" and magnificent. Ok, bright was a pun. Read it and you'll know it. :) But yes, Jax was not the fragile pretty-face that I thought her to be when I first read about her.

The reason why I said that the romance here was a little unbelievable was because firstly, Jax shouldn't have approached Keller in the first place since she already knew he was a witch hunter. (Abnormal and illogical behavior on her part!) Secondly, she hung out with him. (No sense of self-preservation on her part!) Thirdly, she saw him, "omg big hottie", and suddenly there's a current of electricity flowing between the two of them. Like suddenly. Ok so she went against all forms of normal behavior, hung out with Keller, and she deigned to start going out with him when he wields a gun EVERY NIGHT hunting paranormals like her. And on top of that, she spilled the beans about her identity to Keller after this particular incident. I mean, you don't tell a witch hunter you're a witch just because he's your friend and he suspects you're a witch. If he knows already, shouldn't the first instinct of a person who has been living life on the run to, well, run? Far away from danger zone? But well, Jax didn't and just dumped the cat out of the bag and looked at Keller with goo-goo eyes, hoping he will look at her the same way, heart breaking into a million pieces when he didn't. Well, what did she expect, his uncle died because of witches and his mom left because of that too. Ok, I'm exaggerating, but someone's got to stand for logic.

Keller was cool. Handsome, good with a gun, tough guy, protective and all. The whole package. The reason why I didn't swoon all over him is because I've seen his type plenty nowadays in YA novels. The genre is practically saturated with this type of guys, including adult fictions PNRs, UFs, Fantasy, Historicals, and all, so for me to swoon over another male protagonist, he's gotta have something extra on top of all the others. But Keller was cool. That I'll give credit.

As for the side characters, Toni is the best friend Jax has always dreamed of having, and she also happens to be, so coincidentally, Keller's close cousin. Toni's a cool chick, one who stands up for her friends, plays the drums for her rock band, and wears shirts with funny quotes. As for Jax's evil, heartless bastard of a father, he was rather....fake. That typical You-Have-Failed-Me-By-Running-Away-Thus-You-Are-No-Longer-My-Daughter-And-I-Will-Kill-You-And-Your-New-Friends-Now-Slow-And-Painfully evil villain. It got a little corny at times, but oh well, he is the evil villain, so I'll just get on with things.

Let me tell you that I LOVED that ending battle! It was epic, fast-paced, and...that suspense! They were all in some seriously deep shit, one of them was dying, and I just couldn't see a way out of their predicament. But Milburn did it. She opened a door for Jax and others and everything went out with a BOOM! Epic.

And then we have.. THAT CLIFFHANGER ENDING!!!! Noooooooo! Milburn can't end the book like that...this is just....torture!! And it's not a good cliffhanger ending. Dammit.

WHITE WITCH had action, had romance, had friendship, had suspense, and had the high school drama that most YAs seem to have. It was very generic and stereotypical, but amusing all the same. It made for a quick, light and fun read. Until you reach the three-quarters mark. That's where the thrill comes into play. It was so much more than what I expected actually, and I really liked it!

*eARC courtesy of Bell Bridge Books via Netgalley*

P.S. I was planning on writing a short review, but look how it turned out! Well, please excuse my verbosity. Seems like I had more to say about WW then I thought I had.


Here's a little teaser from Netgalley that convinced me to pick it up:

The guy makes his way down the side of the road, near my hiding spot. My frantic heartbeat increases. He retrieves something from his truck. When he turns back toward the woods, he’s holding a gun in one hand. But when he opens his other hand, it’s the small, dark object lying in his palm, the one with the slight red glow, that really concerns me.I hold my breath, not moving a muscle, and hope that’s not what I think it is. But deep down, I know it’s a bloodstone. If he were supernatural, he wouldn’t be able to hold it. My heart rate skids to a halt. Supernatural beings don’t tote bloodstones around. Humans do. Humans who hunt my kind.He’s not some goon my family hired. He’s a hunter, the real deal. I lean my forehead, warm from the burst of magic I used, against the cool bark of the tree hiding me from my hunter. Why, oh why, did I use my power to zip into these woods? Why couldn’t I have simply run in here like a normal person instead of using inhuman speed that leaves a trail?Because what were the odds the person driving by was a hunter? The crunch of gravel makes me look up. With a final questioning glance in my direction, he slides the gun, no doubt loaded with spirit-killing rock salt, into the truck’s cab then climbs in. Only when he starts the engine and drives away do I let out the breath I’ve been holding for fear he’d hear the slight sound of air escaping my lungs.The ground catches me as I slide down to sit at the base of the tree. In the darkness surrounding me, I spot the night animals scurrying across the forest floor. The occasional pair of raccoon or opossum eyes turns my direction before hurrying away. They sense my power, the darkness from which it was born, and don’t want to be anywhere near me.I lean my head back against the tree’s rough bark, stare at the sky filled to bursting with stars, and let the tears trickle down my cheeks, down my neck to soak into the normal T-shirt of a not-so-normal girl. --Netgalley

[Kristi · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE FAERYS VIEW

White Witch by Trish Milburn was absolutely fantastic! I picked it up thinking that it would be a predictable story that goes something like this: Witch + Witch Hunter = Instant Attraction until Witch Hunter finds out that Witch is a Witch but they work it out and it’s Happily Ever After for everyone. I was so very wrong and so very glad to be wrong! White Witch is full of surprises and literally edge or your seat page turning! Ms. Milburn creates a whole new spin on witch covens that I found utterly fascinating. I was completely engrossed from the first page until the last and felt so disappointed when the book was over and below you’ll find out why.

White Witch is written in first person point of view by the main character, Jax. By reading the synopsis that I provided from Goodreads you’ll get a fairly good idea about the general plot but the most important sentence is this one:

Witchcraft Is Her Family’s Business.No One Quits The Family And Lives To Tell About It.

Sixteen year old Jax has finally escaped her evil almost Mafia like coven(s), family included, in Miami and settled down in a small community that feels like home. Yes, she’s traded in her posh Miami luxuries for a tiny trailer but being free of the tyranny and truly wicked coven is worth it. Jax is free to be a normal teenager as she’s always longed to be. Unfortunately, being ‘normal’ just isn’t in the cards for Jax. Jax is supernaturally gorgeous-something that goes with being born into a family that hates humans and is out for retribution and revenge for the one family killed in the Salem Witch Trials. Although, Jax thinks their greed for power and money has replaced those original reasons long long ago. Theirs is a perverse pleasure in harming humans for personal gain and for fun and when Jax turns seventeen she must prove her loyalty to the coven by taking a human life using mind control. Jax has used mind control before while in the hottest night clubs in Miami-making a happy couple break up by having one say or do something horrendous, etc… Jax hates the way she feels when she does this but its part of her training and to not do it will lead to disloyalty and disloyalty leads to death. Death in this particular coven is not a pretty thing; it is long and drawn out, lasting hours until finally the offender’s last light goes out in their eyes.

Jax has planned her escape meticulously; saving money, leaving false trails for the coven to follow-Jax knows this is something she can’t screw up. As Jax travels in her vintage 1969 cranberry Beetle and small RV trailer, she finds the perfect spot; a small RV park in the high country of North Carolina, for some reason this place feels like home. There’s only one problem: the night before she starts attending the local high school she takes a walk along the highway to calm her nerves and a truck goes by speeding and almost hits her, panicking, Jax uses her inhumanly fast speed to delve into the woods. The male that gets out of the truck walks to the edge of the woods and Jax sees that he’s close to her age but what really disturbs her is that he’s holding a bloodstone, a stone that can tell if anything supernatural is nearby. This means that Jax found the perfect place to call home---only it has a hunter. This perfect SMALL town has a hunter and she's cuddled in nice and cozy already and doesn't want to leave.

The next day Jax starts school and immediately sees her hunter and yes, insta-love does happen but in this case it feels right. The hunter, Keller Dawes can’t keep his eyes off her but neither can any other boy in the school-did I mention how gorgeous Jax is? The difference is Keller’s looking at her with a hint of suspicion in his eyes, there aren’t to many people in this small little town with light blonde hair down to their waist and Jax fears he got a better look at her then she originally thought.

Throughout the day Jax becomes the envy of every girl and she’s like honey to bears with the boys but on the plus side she finds a friend that she immediately clicks with, Toni Dawes. Toni is a spunky blonde with pink streaks in her hair, marches to her own drummer and wears a different Joss Whedon (GO JOSS!) T-shirt every day with some pretty cool Buffy the Vampire quotes:

“I mock you with my monkey pants” (Gotta love Oz when he speaks), “Joss Whedon is my master now”, “Hostile 17 stole my Kittens”

It isn’t long before the two are bestest of friends and doncha know it but swoon-worthy yet moody Keller is Toni’s cousin and they’re extremely close. Toni is all for a match and the more Keller watches Jax the more he becomes convinced she wasn’t the girl on the side of the road. Keller soon stops with the staring and glaring and makes his move:

He pulls me into his arms, crushing my body next to his, and kisses me like the heroes in movies kiss heroines. Like Angel kisses Buffy. Like Spidey’s upside-down kiss with Mary Jane. Like Will kisses Elizabeth in the middle of the battle in Pirates of the Caribbean. Like I’ve only fantasized about being kissed. Deeply, hungrily, so full of emotion my adrenaline is on fire. An EPIC kiss

Swoooooooonnnn, Melt, For Fan-faery-tastic smoochin', I think I almost had the vapors there for a minute---I needed Keller to catch me before I fell but no, he was to busy mackin' on Jax! Back to the review now, the short interlude is over, sigh!

Jax makes sure to fit in, only loses it a few times when the requisite mean girl who’s crushing on Jax’s now boyfriend, Keller, does some pretty awful things to her but she’s able to rein her power back in before anyone notices. Jax still gets to experience the life of a ‘normal’ teenage girl and she’s never been happier but she can’t help but worry about the what if’s; she doesn’t want to put her friends in danger by association and she really doesn’t want to leave this community but there’s an impending sense of doom looming over her that she can’t ignore.

It isn’t long though before someone from Jaxs past finds her and her ‘maybe’ worries soon increase to ‘when’ worries. Jax is certain that if her coven doesn’t get her then some serious and deadly hunters will.

Ms. Milburn wrote a novel that kept me reading long into the night; she kept the tension high without ever losing the point of the story. I thoroughly enjoyed this unique outlook on witches/covens and it was part of what endeared Jax to me, her desire to fight the inner evil that she’s been told all her life was bred into her blood. Ms. Milburn’s detailed depiction of North Carolina’s forests and mountains made the setting so realistic it was as if I was there myself. As for the characters! Wow, amazing how quickly I became invested in them! To say that she accurately described them would be a bit of an understatement! The battle scenes were written so beautifully and so clearly that I knew exactly what was happening on both sides, that is somewhat rare-usually those types of scenes are extremely lengthy and confusing-not so with White Witch. I both loved and hated the cliffie at the end but I am so looking forward to the next book in this series!

THE FAERY SAYS THIS BOOK SET MY WINGS A-FLUTTER!

Thank you Netgalley and to Bell Bridge Books for allowing me to view this galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Laurie • The Baking Bookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review, as well as many others, can also be found on my blog The Baking Bookworm - www.thebakingbookworm.blogspot.ca

Synopsis: Jax Pherson just wants to live a normal life but that's something she can't do within her family. Jax comes from one of the most powerful dark covens in the USA which believes that humans were put on the earth to be enslaved and used by witches and deliberately use their power for their own gain. Jax wholeheartedly disagrees with her coven as did her mother who was murdered in front of Jax' eyes for trying to take Jax away from the dark magic.

Even though the phrase "No one quits the family and lives to tell about it" has been engrained in Jax (as well as the other young witches of her coven) she decides to commit the gravest of sins and leave her coven. After a lot of planning Jax escapes her family home in Miami and heads to a small town in North Carolina in an attempt to live a normal life free from dark magic. Knowing that using her powers is the equivalent to placing a homing beacon over her head which will give her whereabouts to her coven Jax decides to live a life without magic. This also means that Jax will constantly be denying the strong force of dark magic within her.

Jax quickly settles into life in a small town, enrolling in high school, finding a few friends and even a cute guy who has piqued her interest. Unfortunately Jax is always aware that her coven, lead by her own father, are searching for her and ready to bring her to justice. Will they catch up to her before she has a chance at a normal life?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My Thoughts: I have read a lot of Young Adult Supernatural reads and I have to admit that this book has a refreshing new take on the typical witch story. Lately witches have taken on more of a 'good witch' role in books and movies. I have no beefs with the Hermione Grangers of the witchy world (I lurve me some HP!!) but this new (or is it old?) take on being a ruthless witch was intriguing.

I liked the fact that Jax's coven is portrayed as truly evil, dark magic wielding thugs. The fact that Jax' own father is hell bent on killing his own daughter brought a whole new subterranean view of parenting.

'White Witch' review continued - pg 2
This dark family history (a magical mafia, if you will) clearly helps the reader see why Jax had to leave her family but I will admit that I wished that I was given a better view of life within that coven to get a better understanding of what Jax had to live with. I realize it was bad but more of a back story would have been nice.

The main storyline line focuses on how Jax deals with fitting in to a normal life. The girl just wants to go to high school and have the drama of a normal teen. I get that but will admit that I had to suspend reality a wee bit if I was going to believe that a 16 year old could so easily buy a camper van, drive several states away and set up house without anyone wondering why she's on her own. And I was ok with that. The fact that Jax has the ability to mind control was enough of a reason to help me get over the legalities.

Jax was a good main character who may be 'model gorgeous' (oh the woes of the uber pretty) but holds her own as she deals with the lot she's been given. She has her ruthless dad and her coven out to kill her, a raging dark force within her always trying to get out, learning that the guy she's fallen for has been brought up to kill her kind. The girl has a lot on her plate. It's a lot to soak in as a reader but it doesn't come off as too much. Seeing Jax blend into Baker's Gap and the regular issues of attending high school (including dealing with a typical Mean Girl) helped me see a vulnerability in Jax that made me like her even more.

If I had a couple of wee beefs about the book its that the overall feel of the book was really rushed. Jax moves to this town, immediately makes a new BFF in Toni (whom I really liked), finds a cute guy whom she quickly becomes infatuated with ... all within a week. Making a new bestie and dating a cute guy didn't bother me but how fast she fell for Keller (and him for her) all within a week bordered on the unbelievable. I think Keller and Jax were supposed to have a romance but to me it felt more like infatuation/lust due to the short period of time they had to get to know each other. I'm hoping to see their bond/relationship grow more in the upcoming books and be less obsessive.

My second beef is the fact that the main action of the book didn't come until the end. It was a great 'edge of your seat' action scene but I would have loved a bit more magical duelling (or at least seeing what kind of power Jax possesses) throughout the book a bit more. Honestly it just made me want to keep on reading Bane (the second book in the series) to keep up the momentum.

Lastly, it's a mere 'moo', but if you aren't a Buffy the Vampire Slayer' fan you may feel a little out of the loop like I did. There are quite a few Buffy quotes used throughout the book which went right over my head. Am I the only person not really familiar with this series? I had just barely enough of a working knowledge of the series to get the basic point but kept feeling like I was falling short of getting the true meaning.

Overall this book was a really good start to a new trilogy. It has good characters, a great premise and I'm looking forward to seeing how Jax learns to use her dark power to battle her former coven. I recommend this series to fans of P.C and Kristin Cast's "House of Night" series.

My Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Note: My sincere thanks to Net Galley and the publisher, Bell Bridge Books, for providing me with a complimentary Advanced Reading Copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Annie Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book captivated from the start with Jax's daring journey to try to be normal, and importantly, to be good. This book was filled with suspense, tension, and emotion and once I started, I couldn't put it down. There is a gripping internal struggle between breaking her own heart and the hearts of those she loves and staying on the run to keep them safe. The ending was an enjoyable balance of resolving the plot of this book of the series while tugging at the heartstrings in waiting to find out what happens in the next installment of the series. It was thoroughly enjoyable: the storyline, the characters, and the theme of struggling to break away from what you've been taught to go for what you believe.

(Original review from 2012, transplanted from my blog to Goodreads in 2023. This was an advanced review copy given by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was actually better than I thought it would be. The story was great, and easy to read. I thought there could have been a bit better character development, but it didn't deter me from enjoying the story.

[Lisa Garrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was just so so for me. It is very well written but just not for me.

[Jay Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars, not bad, little cookie cutter but all in all it was okay and I will continue with the series.

[Shane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast paced, exciting, romantic, humorous, magical, this book is all that and then some!

”Jax” Pherson knows her life will end in service to the dark coven her father controls. Unless she can stay hidden in a small community in the mountains of North Carolina. She must find a way to live without magic and deny the darkness she feels welling up inside her-the same dark power that fuels the covens around the world.All she wants is a normal life. A boyfriend. Friends. Some place to belong, but all too soon Jax’s barely begun new life hangs in the balance when she discovers that the boy she’s attracted to is sworn to kill her kind. He’s a hunter with good reason to kill everything that goes bump in the night.Even the most fleeting use of her power is tantamount to signing her death warrant and will bring both hunter and coven down on her. But can she walk away when her friends are threatened by an old evil? Something created by the magic of witches? Jax’s only hope of survival is to convince the boy she loves to forget everything he’s ever been taught and help her find a way to fight the covens. To believe there is some good in her.

======

A heated forbidden love, runaway witches, unsettled spirits, vengeful covens, high school drama, and the occasional mean girls, White Witch has all that and then some.

The biggest highlight of Milburn’s new book is how fast paced it’s written. Right off the bat the story line jumped on its feet. Trish didn’t drown her readers in limitless description or lingered on past incidents leading up to the present, rather immediately she introduces the point at hand: Jax has arrived in Baker Gap and is ready to start a life of ‘normalcy.’

What’s not to love? There’s magic, romance, friendship, an evil coven on their backs, like I said, what’s not to love. And Jax isn’t your average irritable lead character who’s clueless as to what she wants to do with herself. Instead, we’re given a smart, beautiful, funny, rebellious young woman fighting for some form of existence among the regular people, as appose to joining the forces of darkness.

The fact that this young girl is only now beginning to experience what it’s like to be a normal teenager, going to high school, making new friends, falling in love for the first time and doing the usual teenage stuff is well played out in the book. Whether or not you’re the same age as Jax you can still relate in reflecting on how you were back then. The author builds on the idea of experiencing new things and finding a new life in such a way through her words that you’re almost injected in the story, as if you’re going through every single moment with Jax and that is truly hard to establish in a novel.

I usually don’t like how some books have girl sees boy and falls instantly in love with him kind of story line but I feel that it works here due to the pace already being carried out from start. I get that the author wasn’t about to wait for these two main characters to further develop their feelings by pondering around for a few months because she had already given us so much in the first couple sentences of chapter one. Whenever Jax and Kellar were together there was so much fire; their love is definitely unimaginable but not far from possible because such intensity can truly exist between two people.

The other thing I got giggly over is how it seems like a movie and each scene was playing out in front of my eyes. You can even fit faces perfectly well to the personalities of these characters. I can see a young woman of true strength and determination in Jax, a hot guy, Kellar, trying to be the ‘good’ son that won’t disappoint his father, and the punk rock friend, Toni, fighting for the freedom to express herself and not be the person her mother constantly presses her to be. And of course, the jovial pretty boy Egan, sharing similar fate (and abilities) with the protagonist, but refuses to let their troubles alter his playful lifestyle.

I must admit that the cover art was indeed what drew me into reading the book to begin with, because sometimes I really do get into one based on how appealing the cover is, and I wasn’t sure how I’d react to the story due to the undeniable fact that there are so many witches, vampires, faeries, and werewolves novels out now, but what a pleasant surprise ‘White Witch’ was. This book blew my mind completely. I’m bedazzled at how fast I got into it, reading for four (4) hours without even putting it down. The story just gave me such a rush and I love how recent it is. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I like stories set in medieval times as well but this one was so, so recent and unbelievably intriguing.

In conclusion: I loved it! I totally recommend this book and I promise you that’s no bullcrap. This is a great start in what’s measuring up to be a thrill ride of a series, and I’ll be re-reading the first until the next is released because I just can’t get over how enticing the story is.

[Kah Cherub · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read complete review here: http://notjustnonsense.blogspot.com/2...

Sixteen-year-old Jaxina Phearson, a.k.a. Jax Taylor just wants to be a normal girl., with a normal life, normal friends and a normal school. But she is as far from normal as a person can get. She's a witch, running away and hiding from her coven. They want her to grow up to kill humans, getting revenge for all the witches that were killed by humankind in the past. But Jax doesn't want to kill anyone, she just wants to control her powers and dark impulses and live her life. The problem is, nobody leaves the coven and lives to talk about it.


So, she leaves Miami and heads over to the mountains in North Carolina (after making sure to leave fake trails to Alaska, so her family won't find her). There, she intends to start her new life. She has a trailer, a used car and was just enrolled in her new school (even if she had to use mind control on a tourist so she would pose as her mother and guardian). Everything looks peachy, until she meets a hunter. A human hunter with a bloodstone that can kill supernatural beings in his hand. She's able to hide from him, but, surprise, surprise, his name is Keller and he goes to the same school she's now going to. And he's the most attractive guy she has ever set eyes on. And he seems to think the same about her.



Jax has trouble reigning her powers in, disturbed as they are by her very strong attraction to Keller, and even more because of all the bullying she's receiving at school, for being the (super pretty, super perfect) new girl. The darkness inside her wants to be freed, and Jax needs to control it, else she might murder her bullies. And the more she uses her powers, the bigger the trail left for her family to find her gets. Or for Keller to discover what she really is.


When I saw Sherrilyn Kenyon's praise on the cover of this book, I knew I had to read it. I mean, I'm a super fan of hers, so I should trust her judgment, right? No. Not really. I don't know what she was on when she read it, but I wish I had some, too. This book is filled with stereotypes. Completely.


From the Mary Sue perfection of the main character (flawless long blond hair, beautiful clear blue eyes, killer body and face, everybody wants her, poor thing wishes she wasn't so pretty...blah,blah,blah), to her lovely 'weirdo' best friend/sidekick, who automaticaly isn't jealous or hates her like every other girl at school does, to the impossibly handsome 6'4" (couldn't this 16 year-old be a bit taller? >.> ) ADOLESCENT everyone wants, wanting her. Oh, and, obviously, he's her 'natural enemy', so they can't be together. Which is the same as saying they fall in love with each other from the very beginning.


*sighs* I apologize if I sound bitter, but I'm a bit tired of always reading the same thing. What's wrong with a bit flawed heroine? And even a bit flawed hero? Sure, this is fantasy and we don't want to read about ugly people, but how about something more believable? How about friends that take a while to really become friends with you? And a couple that doesn't turn out to be star-crossed lovers? Sure, it's much less dramatic, but every relationship has hardships, I just think that they don't have to be doomed from the very first page. O.o


What I did like (and found to be very creative), was the story of all the undocumented killings in Salem, and how the witches got so mad they turned against mankind. That was just brilliant.


If you like your YA with witches and lots of supernatural and high school intrigue, you'll enjoy White Witch.


*I received an eARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

[Amanda The Book Slayer · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

Don't let this cover fool you. This book is awesome!

Calling all Hex Hall and Firelight Fans! There is a new "Juliet" in town! Jax has run away from her witch coven that is known for there use of dark powers. She ends up in the mountains of North Carolina. Here she meets her "Romeo," the compelling Keller Dawes who happens to come from a family of Hunters. This is the next up&coming Star-crossed Lovers Trilogy!

Recommend: If you love the whole "Romeo & Juliet" story placed in the present time with paranormal thrown in the mix then check this book out. As stated earlier, if you like Hex Hall and Firelight then this book is a great addition to your to-be-read list.




Jaxina Pherson or "Jax" is running for her life. She comes from a long line of witches who use their powers to kill. Jax does not want to be part of this family legacy and breaks free. She is drawn to a small community amongst the mountains of North Carolina. She has some money, a car and an RV to her name and must locate a subsitute for her mother to enroll her in high school. You heard right, Jax wants a normal teenage life and will hold on to it with both hands.


Upon arrival to this small town she is almost run over by a truck while walking by the woods near her RV campground. She is able to avoid the Truck due to her super speed but ends up in bigger trouble. The driver is not only a teenage boy but a hunter due to the bloodstone he pulls out of his pocket.


Jax did not let that little incident deture her from her dream of a normal life. She finds a woman to use mind control with and impersonate her mother to enroll her. Keller Dawes her mystery car man and hunky hunter ends up in the school office and sparks start to fly. She seems to be drawn to him against her better judgment.


Now that she has found someone who makes her temperature rise is all the right ways can she really stay with the danger he brings? Will she stay and fight for a normal life and possibly love or will she flee for safety?


Can we change what Fate has handed us?


Side Note

* Keller Dawes tall, dark hair and handsome.

"I wanted to kiss you the moment I saw you."
"Me, Too," I whisper, only sharing part of what I feel.

*Jax Pherson drop-dead gorgeous blonde.


Favorite Quotes


"Who would have thought when I fled my family's compound in Miami that my biggest obstacles would be disguising myself and getting enrolled in school? Fleeing a coven of deadly witches, buying a used car and purchasing an RV? Mo problem. Going brunette and getting your average high school education? Monumental tasks."


"Fate needs a good, solid bitch slap."


"redneck-Rambo"


"And would you happen to have classes in living without magic and how to relate to boys who aren't witches?"


"Toni, being a Buffy fan, would appreciate the irony if she knew the situation. All that tortured, star-crossed longing between natural-born enemies."


Overall this is an excellent book for young adults and adults alike.


Thank you netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book to review.

[RoloPoloBookBlog · Rating 4 out of 5]

Source: NetGalley
4½ stars/5 stars

I have pretty much always loved the paranormal genre but on my mental list of likes and dislikes, witches have always been toward the bottom of the list. However, over the last few years I have discovered that I am a bigger fan of witch and with-related books than I initially thought. Good thing I made this discovery because otherwise I might have bypassed Trish Milburn’s excellent first-in-a-series novel White Witch.

Jax is a witch and I don’t mean this in the “I’m trying to clean up my potty mouth” kind of way. Jax really is a 16-year-old witch as well as a member of a very large and powerful coven based in Miami. Jax has known since the day her coven killed her mother in front of her that she doesn’t belong in her coven or any coven at all. Jax is more like her mother, a witch with a predisposition for white magic rather than black and absolutely no desire to kill or manipulate people so that her coven can become even wealthier and more powerful than they already are. But Jax also knows that leaving the coven is forbidden and any attempt to do so brings with it an instantaneous death warrant. Jax doesn’t care; she has to get out and so she runs.

Settling in Baker Gap, North Carolina is about as normal as a girl can get; especially a girl who is on the run and desperately hoping she can hide her presence from her family and the local paranormal hunters. The hunters aren’t nearly as cheesy as that last sentence makes them sound.  Using only the tiniest bit of her considerable power, Jax manages to get herself enrolled in the local high school, secures a place to live, and even begins to make some new friends. Although Jax is always cautious and alert she enjoys her new freedom and the new life she is trying to make for herself. But, as you might expect, White Witch just wouldn’t be a great or even good read without some serious drama. Here’s the drama:

1)Keller: super-hot high school hunter that Jax knows she shouldn’t become involved with but just can’t seem to help herself.

2)Egan: an old friend from another powerful coven who, like Jax has flown the coup and has shown up on Jax’s doorstep.

3)The Beginning Book: Egan found this long-thought-lost book of witch history and has discovered some shocking secrets. Secrets all coven leaders have desperately hoped would never ever see the light of day again, ever!

4)Jax’s family/coven: Jax knows from the beginning if she uses too much power her family will find her and kill her but in a town like Baker Gap, not using her power is virtually impossible

The Bottom line: Although a bit slow in the beginning, once this book really starts moving it is hard to put down. With the exception of a couple of minor characters, I really liked the cast of White Witch. Jax is fierce, loyal, and though afraid of what her family may do to her is still willing to risk everything in order to escape a life she knows is wrong. Keller is cute, mostly sweet, and somewhat conflicted over his feelings for Jax. Once he pulls his head out of his butt, Keller gets much better and significantly more likeable. Egan and Toni are two of my favorite characters and two that I am hoping will make much larger appearances in future installments of the series. The only thing keeping me from bumping this book up to a full five stars is the slow pace of the novel’s beginning. White Witch is well worth the read so find the patience to get past the slow start. It is absolutely worth it in the end!