THE WITCHES OF VEGAS by Mark Rosendorf
Fiction, YA Urban Fantasy, 202 pages
4****
Blurb: Where can Witches and their vampire mentor practice their powers without being discovered or persecuted? By using their magic, the Witches of Vegas become the number one act performing on the Las Vegas Strip—a great achievement for them, but not so much for the magicians—who can’t possibly keep pace. Isis Rivera is the adopted fifteen-year old daughter of The Witches of Vegas. Zack Galloway is the teenage nephew and assistant to the last magician left in the city. Although they should be rivals, when Valeria, a four-hundred-year-old witch with a long-seeded grudge against humanity arrives in Sin-City, both teens act to bring their families together to stop the evil hag in her tracks. But can the combined witches’ powers and the ingenuity of the magicians be enough to stop Valeria from taking over the city and possibly the world?
Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book except for a couple spots. Overall, it’s well-written and the characters and settings very well done. So what didn’t I like? I’m getting tired of writers portraying foster parents and foster families as evil. There are good fosters out there. But…for the sake of this story, I understood why the author wrote what he did. Much as I hate to admit it, there are definitely people out there who would act exactly as Isis’s did. It’s hateful and ugly, but not outside the realm of possibility. But there are some amazing fosters out there too. I’d love to see some of them portrayed as such.
I think Isis was a good character. Yes, she could have been stronger… but for what she’d been through, her fear worked. And having Zack step up to help her (and they him) was perfect. Valeria is a fierce villain and her background shows where she comes from nicely.
I can almost believe in the set up of witches acting like magicians in order to hide what they are. Some of the magic acts I’ve seen could very well have been done by witches pretending to be magicians. Overall, a good story with lots of action, a little romance (clean and sweet), a good plot line and a satisfying ending.
Recommendation: Definitely recommended for those looking for a YA (older YA) with lots of action, vampires, witches, and more.
Disclaimer: I received a final and/or advanced reader copy of this book with the hope that I will leave my unbiased opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… My Opinions. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”
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