New England Witch Chronicles

New England Witch Chronicles #1

by Chelsea Luna

NEW ENGLAND WITCH CHRONICLES is the first book in the four-book bestselling young adult series. The Salem Witch Trials of 1692 were an embarrassing stain on America’s revered past. Innocent people were persecuted at the hands of a few overzealous Puritans, but what if real witches existed during those colonial hunts? What if there are witches in present day New England? That’s what Alexandria Ramsey’s crazy grandmother believes. Grandma Claudia claims Alex descends from a long line of New England witches.

Modern day witches in Hazel Cove, Massachusetts? Unlikely, but strange things are occurring in the weeks preceding Alex’s seventeenth birthday. Alex is haunted by bizarre recurring nightmares of a man chasing her through the Hazel Cove Cemetery. On a few occasions, when her emotions have spiraled out of control, inanimate objects have shattered around her. But that’s just a coincidence, right? Alex isn’t so sure, especially after a local girl, who supposedly dabbled in witchcraft, was killed in the nearby forest.

Alex knows something strange is happening. With the arrival of a new boy in town, James Van Curen, who is causing problems between Alex and her best friend, Peter, Alex feels like her entire world is on the verge of chaos. Could Alex really be a witch? Is it possible Hazel Cove will become a battleground for modern-day witches and witch hunters?

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

294 pages, ebook

First published June 29, 2011

About the author

Chelsea Luna is the author of the bestselling NEW ENGLAND WITCH CHRONICLES, a young adult paranormal romance series comprising of four novels. Chelsea is also the author of the YA historical series LIONS IN THE GARDEN and the YA horror trilogy, LOVE & THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE.

Chelsea received a Juris Doctorate from New York Law School in 2007, and a B.A. in Sociology from the University of Tennessee in 2004. She lives in Tennessee with her husband and children.

For more information, please visit: http://www.chelsealunaauthor.com
http://www.facebook.com/ChelseaLuna.A...
Follow me on Twitter: @Chelsea_Luna_

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this book! Within the first 10 pages, I was hooked! And when I say hooked, I really mean it. I could not put the book down! I read it all in one sitting. New England Witch Chronicles is well written, interesting, and it flows really well. I was sucked right into the story and I loved every second of it.

Alex, or Lex, is a really likable character. She was loyal and strong willed. Her loyalty was what I liked the most about her. I have seen one too many flaky main characters in the past year, and it was starting to annoy me. These flaky flakerson characters see a cute guy and leave their friends/current bf/long time love interest in the dust. But not Lex, no she was loyal as loyal can be. I loved that about her.

I also really liked both guys in the story. Peter is so awesome! He was always there for Lex. I want Peter for myself! He is just so cute, and such a good friend to Lex. And while James was nice and hot and not nearly as annoying as Lex initially thought, it was always Peter that I was rooting for. I never disliked James though, so that should make for an interesting dynamic in future books.

I loved how Chelsea described the manifestation of Lex's powers. The whole lights episodes reminded me of Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz. I can't wait to find out more about the history of witches in the next book. I can't wait to find out a lot of things in the next book! This series is going to be amazing!

This has been one of my favorite books that I have read in a long time! It is definitely making my top in 2011 book list! I cannot wait to get my hands on the next book. It has favorite series potential written all over it :) Get a copy of this book! Seriously, you should have ordered it yesterday!

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was amazingly good! I downloaded it for free during a promotion as a change of pace from my other reading, not realizing that it was more of a young adult novel, and was immediately impressed by how well written and edited it was! It was certainly on a par with anything I've read by more well known writers.

Alexandria Ramsey is a junior at the exclusive Hawthorne Prep school in Hazel Cove, Massachusetts, and just a few days away from her 17th birthday. When another young girl in town goes missing, Alexandria has a disturbing dream in which she relives the girl's final moments. She thinks it's just a dream, until the girl is found dead and no one will give the details of how she died. At school, she gets into trouble with a new student there, James, and when the principal picks up the phone to call Alex's father, Victor, Alex becomes angry, wind whips into the office and the principal suddenly collapses with a heart attack. Other strange things begin to happen around Alex when she is angry or frightened, and while she doesn't want to believe it, her grandmother tells her that she comes from a long line of witches and that there have also always been those who seek them out to destroy them. With the help of her best friend Peter, Alex begins to unravel the truth behind the murder of the young girl, her family's chauffeur, and her strange powers.

This was the first book of a series, and I definitely want to read the next.

[Nancy Steinle gummel · Rating 4 out of 5]

New England Witch Chronicles #1 by Chelsea Luna Bellingeri. is part of a series of books about witches and witch hunters. Alexandria (Alex) Ross Ramsey is the 17 year old daughter of an alcoholic mom and an indifferent overbearing strict father. Alex doesn't know she is a witch. She is late for school and her calculus teacher sends her to the office where she meets William Van Curen and his son James who just enrolled into the school. the principal asks Alex to give James the tour. James is subdued with his father present but is a fireball of trouble when away from him. Alex has strange dreams. She sees the missing girl escaping from a room in a house but she gets caught. the next day, the missing girl, Megan Lockly is found murdered. Alex is chilled to the bone. She confides in her friend Peter and they agree it is strange. It's raining heavy when a car hits Alex's car in the rear she fishtails and crashes into a tree. James finds her but a neighbor called for an ambulance. Accidents and occurents surround Alex - what is the meaning of all this.

[carole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fan-freaking-tastic story! I haven't read very many books about witches and I must say that this one makes me want to read some more (mainly book 2, which I'll have to wait a little while for). New England Witch Chronicles (NEWC) is awesome, extremely fast paced, exciting, very dramatic at times, and I will say that I cried a little, maybe a lot (yes, it was that amazing). While the scary elements I didn't find to be anywhere near the fear factor found in horror books (which is good because I'm not really a horror fan), they were very well written and I was trapped in the pages with the characters, it was incredibly intense at times. I would describe Chelsea Bellingeri's writing as intoxicating, I didn't and couldn't put this book down.

The main character Alex faces so many obstacles from her awful parents to her ability to almost constantly injure herself and from her mixed feelings for certain boys to her anger management issues that may have more to do with her genealogy than stress. Even jumping through these hoops she's seriously a trooper, she comes out on the other side stronger than anything. This book took my breath away, literally in some parts, and I'm not even going into the love triangle. My heart was racing reading along with the seemingly constant suspense that flows perfectly. We follow Alex on this crazy journey she takes in her life as she learns the truth about many different things she never thought to question before and her life starts to spin radically out of control.

This one is definitely not lacking in the secondary character department. There are so many fascinating people in Alex's world. James, our new guy and all of Alex's friends, her Grandma Claudia, her awful parents, and Bradley and Mya the lovely chauffeur and maid. Every character stands on their own, all very life like and some more like-able than others. My favorite character is Peter, he may be my number one best friend character of any book I've ever read. He was perfect. Think Jay from Kimberly Derting's Body Finder Series, only better, unbelievable right? Speaking of The Body Finder, the New England Witch Chronicles story has a similar feel. The murder mystery in NEWC reminded me of The Body Finder in some ways.

This book took me by surprise, I am so thankful to the author for the chance to read and review this remarkable work of fiction. I could go on for days about all of the aspects of this one that hooked me in. I keep thinking about the story and where Chelsea Bellingeri might take it in the next 3 books and I'm so excited for book 2! It's one of those emotional rides that are hard to forget about even after you've finished reading it.

I loved it a lot, incase that's not clear.

[Lourdes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book, really good. It’s been a while since I’ve found a new series where it starts off good and stays good or even gets better.

Alex and Peter are great together, so often like in many series one or the other person in a couple keeps secrets and things from each other and it ends up biting them in the butt, but I like the way Bellingeri doesn’t do that, they are honest with each other (well once they get past the awkwardness of finding out they love each other) and work together to figure things out. I like the way the bad guys were bad from the get go and there was no grey area of “maybe they are bad and maybe they are not”, again so many series do that, where mid-point in the book or by the end you don’t know who’s good and who’s not. James, was the exception but you pretty much knew from the get go that he was on the fence, he’s young and didn’t realize the extent of the hatred and fear the Gamma’s had for witches.

You felt sorry for Emma for all the right reasons (if that makes sense) and you hated Victor from the gate, again for all the right reasons . The story line flowed well and enough was reviled to make you come back for book 2, 3, 4…. A lot of potential with this series and it certainly give all the more popular ones a good run for its money, maybe even better. I think it is right up there with series like, Morganville Vampires and Mortal Instruments.

Well done! I’ve already started book 2! Highly recommend this series to everyone!

[Faye · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first word that comes to mind when I think about 'New England Witch Chronicles' is WOW! I didn't really know what to expect when I started reading it. I read the description for the book, thought it sounded interesting so I agreed to review it. I never knew what I was getting into or that I would love it this much! I mean, I'm totally blown away! I can't believe that this book has not gotten more recognition than what it has, it's incredible! I also can't believe that I haven't heard of it before. I would have completely devoured this entire book in one sitting if I didn't have other things to do. Even now, I'm anxious to read more but there isn't more. There will be a book 2 and I can not wait to get my hands on it.

The story is that of Alex Ramsey. She lives in Hazel Cove, Massachusetts in an area known as the Hallows. Her father, Victor, is an attorney and her mother a drunk. She has a lifelong best friend named Peter. I really don't want to say too much about the book...because I want everyone to read it. I insist! But, Alex notices weird things going on around her. And most of them start with the arrival of a new kid at school, James, and his father. These events almost tear apart the one relationship she cherishes most out of them all, her lifelong friendship with Peter.

'New England Witch Chronicles' surpassed my expectations in a drastic way. I couldn't imagine loving this book as much as I do. And the ending was to die for! I mean, it's a cliffhanger and I practically got goosebumps! I'm not sure right now when the next book comes out, but I can assure you, the day it's out, I'll be first in line to buy it. This book deserves WAY more attention that what it's currently getting and I think everyone should read it. It was simply amazing!

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the story and the way it was written. It's the right mix of everything that I seldom find and enjoy in one book.

Alex is a full blooded witch, descended from two different covens. More than that, she was born on Halloween. That she might emerge to be one of the most powerful witches makes the Gamma Omicron Delta (G.O.D.) Fraternity worried. Gamma believes that so much power in one person is dangerous, so the sole purpose of the fraternity is to study witches, observe them, and eradicate if necessary. They are the group of witch hunters of old.

When Alex's manifesting powers become too frequent to ignore, the Gamma moves in fast to eliminate her before she fully comes into her power at age 18. Alex is already finding it hard to believe her grandma's revelation about her being a witch, but she is having a much harder time figuring out how to use her powers to escape the clutches of the Gamma-- the witch hunters responsible for the death of her father.

The story's pace is steady but gets urgent near the finale. Most of its secrets and mysteries are revealed near the end, too, but not in the way that made the beginning and middle part boring. Because of Peter, Alex best friend turned boyfriend. It's what made the story so sweet. The relationship of Alex and Peter is one of the most solid young romance I've ever read that did not result from love at first sight, but a history that speaks of friendship, devotion, and attraction and less of the lusting. This earns a space in my e-book fave shelf.

[Vee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not put this series down!!! I was literally at the gym when I finished the second one and I sat there on the treadmill buying the 3rd so I could start it while I finished my workout.

By the end of each book you can't help but to have to read the next to find out what is going to happen. I am impatiently awaiting the 4th installment. It took me 2 weeks to weeks to read all 3.

You love the main character's. Alex is Strong and even though she has so much to deal with she still keeps going and fighting doing what she has to to protect her family and friends. Peter, her best friend turned boyfriend, is just the right mix of stability,protectiveness, and is sweet and caring. In a way he grounds her. While James is a bit more dangerous, very protective, and is constantly butting heads with Peter to win Alex's affections. She has 2 great guys at her side and another to follow and I can't wait to see how this series ends. With each new character introduced into each book you fall more in love with them. Each charater is brought in perfectly and at the right times and just makes everything more complete and entertaining.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently swore off any book labeled "young adult," because the last few were just too ridiculous for my tastes. I didn't realize when I bought this title for my Kindle that it was also of the YA genre. Honestly, while it did have some of the typical teenage-y drama and silliness, the story itself was engaging and suspenseful enough to keep me turning the pages. The book opens with the disappearance of a high school student in Hazel Cove, MA. Our protagonist, Alexandria Ramsey, begins having vivid nightmares about the missing girl. Strange things start happening in her wake. A chain of unsettling events leads her down a path of terrifying discoveries about both her past and present.

[Tnmi02 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a New Book, It was great. I loved it, it is a young adult novel, the 1st in a 4 book series.. I Loved the way the author draws you in, you love the characters, and the story line has some really good twist, I didn't see coming! I am a fan of Bellingeri, I am looking forward to the next one.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

I though for a YA book it was very interesting. I read this book in a few days because it kept my interest.

I thought the story was well written and flowed easily. The story was a good for all ages. Until this book I have nevr read any think by Chelsea Bleeinger but after reading this series I will be watching out for other books by her.

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

New England witch chronicles had me from the first sentence. I read this book in less than a day. This is actually the first book about witches that I have really been interested in. Chelsea I have to say this New England Witches Chronicles is by far the best one out there and I reccomend it to everybody whether your 70 or 13. Please keep the books coming.

[Jess Macallan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, from the complex characters to the sinister mystery. It was a great paranormal YA with the right amount of intrigue and romance. I can't wait to read the second book in this series.

[Rosie Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good book about a popular subject. Well thoughtout and researched. I am a fan of the teen book sector as they are usually well written and don't go into too much gruesome detail which is often a bit too disturbing. Good luck with the rest of the series.

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. The way it was playing out I thought I had it figured out and then bam, it was so not the person I thought it was. Really good read especially this time of year! :) cant wait to read the rest of the series! :)

[Susan Johns · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought it was a well paced completely engaging book. I read it in 2 days and I couldnt put it down. Its a perfect summer read.

[Victoria Hamish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Its more of a mystery than I thought, and the author had me guessing until the end. Would definitely recommend.

[Stacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was not what I expected... its not like all of the other twilight wannabes, it was really good and the story was completely original. I cant wait for the 2nd book to come out.

[Anna Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great read. It’s a great story, very original and the characters were very likable. I’m excited to read the next in the series.

[Laura Dionne · Rating 5 out of 5]

It had the love triangle going on with the girl every one loves, but it also also had me guessing right up until the end who was evil.

I am so looking forward to the next book!!!

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the best YA books I've read...I loved this book and I will be adding this series to my TBR pile.

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I like books which brings past into present and this one did that quite well!

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very well written and all the characters interacted very well. I would easily recommend this as a weekend read.

[Delynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book.....

[Traci · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. the charters stayed with you even after the book was finished. By far the best book I've read this year. LOVED IT!!!

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED IT!!!!

[Yenesis Vega · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing, I love the characters and the plot. And by the way, I felt in love with Peter <3

[Natnat337 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book - interesting plot, great characters! Reminded me a little of LJ Smith or similar. Looking forward to the 2nd!

[Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book can't wait for more!

[Niamh Dolan · Rating 4 out of 5]

great story and so now I'm reading #2