Witch Eyes Review

Title: Witch Eyes
Author: Scott Tracey
Publisher: Flux
Publish Date: September 8, 2011
Genre: YA, Paranormal
Pages: 332
Source: Publisher

Braden was born with witch eyes: the ability to see the world as it truly is: a blinding explosion of memories, darkness, and magic. The power enables Braden to see through spells and lies, but at the cost of horrible pain.

After a terrifying vision reveals imminent danger for the uncle who raised and instructed him, Braden retreats to Belle Dam, an old city divided by two feuding witch dynasties. As rival family heads Catherine Lansing and Jason Thorpe desperately try to use Braden's powers to unlock Belle Dam's secrets, Braden vows never to become their sacrificial pawn. But everything changes when Braden learns that Jason is his father--and Trey, the enigmatic guy he's falling for, is Catherine's son.

To stop an insidious dark magic from consuming the town, Braden must master his gift—and risk losing the one he loves.

Braden possesses an incredible and unfathomable gift, though to him, it's more of a curse. The Witch Eyes are all-seeing, allowing him to see the truth of the world around him - an enviable talent - but one that is accompanied by blinding headaches, bloody noses and blackouts. The Witch Eyes have Braden on the run though, and he escapes to Belle Dam to find a future and master his gifts while saving his uncle. But Braden's gift is legendary, and he is caught between two feuding families vying for his favour. Enter Trey, a son of the feuding family, and you've got the icing the trifecta - power, greed and love. But will Braden learn to master the Witch Eyes in time, or will he lose his future, as well as the one he loves?

I've been captivated by the premise of Witch Eyes from the first moment I read it. There's something about witches and powers and family feuds that gets my heart racing, and Witch Eyes more than promised it all and, thankfully, delivered. Scott Tracey gives readers a thrill ride from start to finish with a captivating opening line that gets your pulse racing and a closing line that leaves you breathless for more. Perfectly balancing wit, darkness and a hauntingly descriptive prose, Witch Eyes gives us the best of all worlds in one mesmerizing tale of love, loss and the search for the truth in oneself and the world around us.

Belle Dam, in and of itself, was a character in Witch Eyes, and I have to say how much I love when a setting comes alive in a book and sings through the pages to draw the reader in. The rich darkness surrounding the town was alive with mystery, and just when I thought I had the secrets figured out, I was thrown for yet another loop. Then there are the actual characters. Braden was truly tangible. He had a perception about the world that rang true and really enhanced the nature of his gift. That said, he had just enough cleverness to offset the possibility of his character becoming too perceptive, or too high-brow. The war between the families was bitter, and the bad blood within Witch Eyes was palpable. Every page was written with an elegant but terse manner, lending a sense of foreboding and unease without smashing us over the head with the whole "something bad is coming" bit. Witch Eyes was also unique in the sense that it features a gay male protagonist - something this genre doesn't feature too often. The hints of love were truthful and pure, honest and believable. The angst, though present, lurked in the background of the story, and let the true emotions and perceptions of the characters carry the story. Most of all though, it must be said that Witch Eyes was well-written. Every detail had a purpose, every character played a part and every single word meant something. That, in and of itself, is a true success.

Witch Eyes surpassed my already high expectations, and it is definitely a book I will re-read. I give it a 4.5 out of 5, only lowered slightly because that ending just crushed me, and cliffhangers kill me long after I finish a book. I highly recommend this to all fans of YA fiction, especially those who enjoy paranormal and LGBT stories.

I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.