Early Review--The Witches of Echo Park by Amber Benson

From beloved author, director, and actress, Amber Benson…

Unbeknownst to most of humankind, a powerful network of witches thrives within the shadows of society, using their magic to keep the world in balance. But they are being eliminated—and we will all pay if their power falls…

When Lyse MacAllister’s great-aunt Eleanora, the woman who raised her, becomes deathly ill, Lyse puts her comfortable life in Georgia on hold to rush back to Los Angeles. And once she returns to Echo Park, Lyse discovers her great-aunt has been keeping secrets—extraordinary secrets—from her.

Not only is Lyse heir to Eleanora’s Victorian estate; she is also expected to take her great-aunt’s place in the Echo Park coven of witches. But to accept her destiny means to place herself in deadly peril—for the world of magic is under siege, and the battle the witches now fight may be their last…

I received this Early Copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review, I was in no way compensated for this review.


Like any Buffy fan, I jumped at the chance to read Amber Benson's newest series debut, The Witches of Echo Park, but unfortunately, this read was just not for me. I don't know why really, but the story never really grabbed me. And I first thought that this was a YA read since the cover model looks really young, but nope, totally adult. 

Lyse's life gets turned upside down when her great aunt calls her to come home, for she's dying. Lyse complies since it was Eleanora who raised her and rescued her from a life of foster care, but Lyse is about to learn some well kept family secrets, such as Eleanora is a witch and she wants to pass the "family line" down to her.

I kind of struggled with this one almost from the getgo but kept reading on, granted a few times I skimmed pages because I couldn't quite get into it. And that just kept happening for the course of the novel unfortunately. Lyse gets inducted into the coven rather quickly once she arrives in California and the days move forward pretty fast after that. 

We get many points of view in this one, not just Lyse, but Eleanora and other coven members as well. That's what made it so daunting at times to follow, because unless I was reading wrong, I could never tell if the "negative" thoughts were more sinister ones. And there are some bad guys roaming around town as well. Ones, we learn that are from Eleanora's past.

There is also a sort of hidden prophecy of sorts going on as well and it Lyse may very well be at the center of it...or is she? It's got a nice mystery vibe going for it with the hidden secrets, but alas, I just couldn't immerse myself in the novel like I had so hoped. 

There was also some romance with a guy named Weir. He was pretty mysterious and I never really got a grasp on his character fully. But there were a few intense moments between him and Lyse that made the novel more intriguing, but just not enough to hold me captivated.

To sum up, while an interesting premise, this novel just wasn't for me.


Overall Rating 1.5/5 stars


The Witches of Echo Park releases January 6, 2015