Witch vs. Mage. Let the battle of the hexes continue. Drake Huntsman has a new game: make Penny Lane fall desperately in love with him. Can he use his charm on her without falling under the same spell?
Meanwhile, forces in Darkside are reaching their fingers into Dayside, leaving Penny at the mercy of the merciless, namely Drake, the wickedest mage at Rosewood, academy for Witches and Mages.
My main comment after reading the first two books in Juliann Whicker's book series Rosewood Academy for Witches and Mages back to back is, what the hell is going on and is there a secret first book somewhere? You know how tiresome all those repeating parts in book series get where the author rehashes the events in the previous books and what's the background information in the first place? Well, this series doesn't have it and I must admit that it leaves the reader, in this case me, completely baffled at times. You see, I've read two books by this author now. These books are the first two books in a series about a 17-year-old girl named Penny who has to find a husband before her 18th birthday. Why? I *think* it's because her mother gets killed otherwise ... bu why does her mother killed, I have no idea simply because Whicker does not tell the reader. Nor do I know how or why a young girl's marriage is supposed to save a human's life.
There's very little information about the world itself and most of it the reader has to put together themselves because Whicker simply omits that information about witches, mages, Darkside, Dayside, and whatever other information there is.
On the upside I felt that the series actually had promise to be a very entertaining read after I downloaded the first book for free, but I felt that I had to return the second book due to numerous mistakes. There were spelling mistakes, character's names being switched, the story itself being whimsical and taking us actually nowhere. The promise is definitely there, but maybe a bit more time editing?
While most of the story is told from Penny's POV, there are also some chapters from Drake's POV (that's the mage she finds herself falling for even though she doesn't really want to) and I understand that Drake cannot know everything about Penny so soon after they met, and vice versa, but I simply wished that Penny's character herself had the audacity to explain to the reader's about her background - what's her connection to Pitch and Poppy, why does she have to get married before she turns 18... you know, stuff like that that this character is supposed to know. After all, it's always 1st person POV.
All in all, I hoped for more and hope that Whicker gives her readers more information next time.
This is such a guilty pleasure read. I absolutely love this series. I love how all characters are so twisted and awful. They all accept and know they are too. I've seen in reviews that some people complain that Drake is being presented in a good light despite being a horrible person, but it is well established that Penny is cursed to fall in love with the most horrible person she meets and all characters know Drake is horrible, so I'm not sure how people can think he is presented as good despite his flaws... He's presented as horrible, with some good qualities, imo. The plot of this series is slightly confusing at times, but very addicting and I just want to find out more about the curse as well as what the deal is between Penny and Pitch. This is a world where witches and wizards are awful people, which means all our main characters are 'bad' which is super interesting to read. Where not following the good guys for once. No one believes they are good either, they all know they're the worst and I absolutely love that about this series. I should have bought the third book already.
I wanted to finish this series to find out everything that happens and hopefully get the information eluded to that penny doesn’t give us the entire first book. This one didn’t provide any enlightenment whatsoever. There’s just more back and forth with her and drake at this point which is tiresome after a while. Because it’s unclear if he actually likes her or just wants to damage her in some way. I don’t understand Zach’s motives either. Because he wants pitch but also doesn’t want penny with drake. Everyone doesn’t want penny with drake basically. But no one really says why besides that he’s just horrible. Where’s the back bone for that statement???
I read about half way before I gave up because I had other arcs to read and I wasn’t enjoying the dialogue anymore. I might come back to it later just to get an ending of some kind at least but I don’t see that happening anytime soon.
This book barely gives you anymore information that the first book, except we get to spend more time in Drake's head, and I hated it. I already disliked him in the first book, but reading this one made me hate him. I'm not rooting for this [insert as many expletives as your imagination can muster] monster of a boy, and the fact that the book seems to be portraying him in a favorable light makes me want to hit things. His and Penny's relationship isn't romantic, it's the beginning of an abusive relationship. All the guys seem to have tell-tale signs of abusive boyfriends, ranging from purposefully scaring you with his driving to touching you when you don't want to be touched to laying ownership on you, which is especially disheartening considering the genre is YA. To any young people reading this, don't date anyone who reminds you of the boys in this book!
I was officially done with Drake when I read: "I'd tied [her hair] while she'd been lying limp against my chest before I decided that if I didn't drive her home and put her away for the night, I'd worry less about her state of consciousness than I would about how much I needed to taste the rest of her." So basically, he'd stop fighting his compulsion to rape her while she was passed out. Not cool.
Men worthy of spending time with don't have the instinct to rape women--EVER.
Great read. She's still trying to fit in. Her sweetness and light is like a red flag to most of the community at the Academy. He is getting under her defences and she has completely broken through his. Threats from a new female at the Academy lift the danger to new heights. Even her dating others has no response at her or one of his colleagues is always acting as her protection detail. Why does Pitch have such a strong links to her? What is the curse placed on her? Is her grandfather as feared as everyone thinks? Why does the strange delivery driver always available when she needs help? A great read that portrays the complex relationship that the two have. Will it consume them or will it lead them to growth and evolve into the best that they can be. Wonderful characters and the author must have known some really mean girls to get Wit down so perfectly.
I love fantasy, magic and romance books so I read A LOT in the YA category and sometimes they all blend together after awhile. This series was such a pleasant surprise!
The worlds were different, the magic was different, the characters are all unique. Neither entirely good or entirely bad and also not frustratingly uncommunicative to push the story ahead. I really liked that the author didn't stop to spoon feed you what everything was and how it worked. You figured it out as the story went on. These books were just so much more unique than I expected. Looking forward to the conclusion and all the strings to be wrapped up.
The saga of Penny and Drake continues. Some questions are answered, more questions arise. The tension between Penny and Drake is epic. Throw in Zach, Ian, and now Teddy...what’s next for this crazy, quirky witch? I can’t wait to find out in the next installment.
The second book in the Darkly Sweet series, Dread Delight, started from where the first book left off. This series is a treat, and I can't believe there are five books out before I discovered this writer. The dialog is witty and outrageous, and the plot is delightfully irreverent. Constant surprises-- I love it.
This book was DARK in a way I should have anticipated after Book 1, but still managed to surprise me. I appreciate that every single character is a horrible person. But I'm torn because I want to find out what happens next, but I'm not sure I want to hang out in such a dark headspace for three more books.
Great series. I just love the quirky and twisted characters and stories, that are slowly revealed throughout. Can't wait for more Penny, Drake and all the rest.
I still have no idea what’s going on in this series so I will continue reading.. the characters are fun but confusing and a little repetitive but overall I enjoy the story.
I love the idea of the book and the characters have found a place in my heart. But, I have no idea what is going on! I know the basics, however there is some information missing. I'm invested enough that I will continue reading and hope that some mysteries will be explained!
Still a little confused with this series. Finally figured out that she has an alternate personality that is so different from her normal self. Haven't figured out why she can't marry the mage she is in love with. Maybe the next book n the series will explain it better.
Drake meets Penny's Grandfather. Penny and Drake dance at the Academy Best. Rosewood and Blackheart Mages have a meet. Prince Teddy helps Penny and Pitch and Signore defeat the Dark witches.
After two books, I quit. Boy meets girl, girl & boy fall in love, girl and boy pretend they aren’t in love by treating each other like garbage. Throw in a few enemies, secrets and boy/girl finally getting together. Spread it over multiple books. Boring. Sorry.
I loved the beginning of this book, them falling in love with each other buy trying to resist. However, I'm really frustrated about how they're acting. Especially Penny. Why can't she just marry him??
After book one, I simply couldn't wait to read this, and lapped it up as well. These teenagers are clever and twisted, and I raced through it. Another must read!
I think this may be my favorite series by Juliann Whicker, but watergirl is also right up there as well. I love the characters and how they are developing. I can not wait for the next books in the series.