Name: Witches of East End
Rating: 3.382432432432433 (37 reviews)
ISBN: 9780751556247

Melissa de la Cruz

*Read the novel that inspired the major TV drama Witches of East End, now available on Netflix* 'Smart, stylish and just a bit wicked' Deborah Harkness, bestselling author of A Discovery of Witches Freya, Ingrid and Joanna Beauchamp love their sleepy life in North Hampton. A new engagement, an interesting job, a happy home - life is perfect. Yet these women are harbouring a centuries-old secret: they are powerful witches forbidden to practise magic. But when a young woman turns up dead, it soon becomes clear to the Beauchamp women that it's time to come out of hiding and fight the dark forces that are brewing. Fraught with love affairs, witchcraft, mythology and an unforgettable battle between good and evil, Witches of East End is a deliciously fun and magical read from Melissa de la Cruz, author of the bestselling Blue Bloods series. *Originally published as Witches of the East in the United Kingdom*

Witches of East End

Engaged to Bran, the heir to Fair Haven and Gardiners Island, Freya, a bartender and witch who has a potion to cure every kind of heartache, finds her life spiraling out of control when she is drawn to Bran's brother and a young girl goes missing after taking one of her irresistible cocktails.

For once i can say the tv adaptation outdid the original.

First of all joanna being obsessed with her son in that pathetic boy mom way was disgusting especially when the show revolved around mother/daughter and sister/sister relationships.

I loved the norse mythology detail and the love potion arc!!!

i wish we got more yearning from killian the way it happened in the show.

I like the divinity that remembers their past life and eternal existence plot but i will forever favor the soulmates that meet in every life time and the whole beauchamps sisters being reborn everytime and forgetting everything.

The show did amazing adding the aunt to the mix and making her the cat shifter since she and freya are similar.

I prefer the show’s plot but the divergence in the book is what made me read it i think

For once i can say the tv adaptation outdid the original.

First of all joanna being obsessed with her son in that pathetic boy mom way was disgusting especially when the show revolved around mother/daughter and sister/sister relationships.

I loved the norse mythology detail and the love potion arc!!!
i wish we got more yearning from killian the way it happened in the show.

I like the divinity that remembers their past life and eternal existence plot but i will forever favor the soulmates that meet in every life time and the whole beauchamps sisters being reborn everytime and forgetting everything.

The show did amazing adding the aunt to the mix and making her the cat shifter since she and freya are similar.

I prefer the show’s plot but the divergence in the book is what made me read it i think

Melanie Richards

*Read the novel that inspired the major TV drama Witches of East End, starring Julia Ormond and Jenna Dewan-Tatum* Freya, Ingrid and Joanna Beauchamp love their sleepy life in North Hampton. A new engagement, an interesting job, a happy home - life is perfect. Yet these women are harbouring a centuries-old secret: they are powerful witches forbidden to practise magic. But when a young woman turns up dead, it soon becomes clear to the Beauchamp women that it's time to come out of hiding and fight the dark forces that are brewing. Fraught with love affairs, witchcraft, mythology and an unforgettable battle between good and evil, Witches of East End is a deliciously fun and magical read from Melissa de la Cruz, author of the bestselling Blue Bloods series. *Originally published as Witches of the East in the United Kingdom*

Renee Delcourt

I struggling with what to say about this book. I wanted to like this book. I kept trying to read this book over and over and pushed myself to keep going even though I was not enjoying it. I felt that the characters from the very beginning were very vapid and pretentious. I struggled with the way the time jumps were explained... It feels very vague and like it goes from everything must be a secret because who knows what could happen to us to BAM everyone know screw the consequences. It just doesn't make much sense. I hope maybe a later point of my life I will be able to read it and appreciate it more then.

Marissa Scudlo

A great book and different from the TV series but still really good.

Danielle H.

From the author of the highly addictive and bestselling Blue Bloods series, with almost 3 million copies sold, comes a new novel, Melissa de la Cruz's first for adults, featuring a family of formidable and beguiling witches. 

The three Beauchamp women--Joanna and her daughters Freya and Ingrid--live in North Hampton, out on the tip of Long Island. Their beautiful, mist-shrouded town seems almost stuck in time, and all three women lead seemingly quiet, uneventful existences. But they are harboring a mighty secret--they are powerful witches banned from using their magic. Joanna can resurrect people from the dead and heal the most serious of injuries. Ingrid, her bookish daughter, has the ability to predict the future and weave knots that can solve anything from infertility to infidelity. And finally, there's Freya, the wild child, who has a charm or a potion that can cure most any heartache. 

For centuries, all three women have been forced to suppress their abilities. But then Freya, who is about to get married to the wealthy and mysterious Bran Gardiner, finds that her increasingly complicated romantic life makes it more difficult than ever to hide her secret. Soon Ingrid and Joanna confront similar dilemmas, and the Beauchamp women realize they can no longer conceal their true selves. They unearth their wands from the attic, dust off their broomsticks, and begin casting spells on the townspeople. It all seems like a bit of good-natured, innocent magic, but then mysterious, violent attacks begin to plague the town. When a young girl disappears over the Fourth of July weekend, they realize it's time to uncover who and what dark forces are working against them. 

With a brand-new cast of characters, a fascinating and fresh world to discover, and a few surprise appearances from some of the Blue Blood fan favorites, this is a page-turning, deliciously fun, magical summer read fraught with love affairs, witchcraft, and an unforgettable battle between good and evil.


Melissa de la Cruz is better known for her bestselling series, Blue Bloods, which I love. This was her first adult novel. It was nice that the main focus wasn't on vampires because as much as I love to read about them, I'm getting rather tired of them as well. Blood Blues fans will also like to know that certain characters from the series make appearances in this book. If you haven't read the series, then it's alright; you don't need to know who they are to understand what's going on. I just thought it was pretty cool how she did that.

I'm going to admit, I was going to give this book a slightly lower rating (possibly a 3) because for the first hundred or so pages, I felt like not much was going on. Of course, there was the small things that would lead up to the bigger events, but I didn't know that at the time. All I saw was a girl having an affair with her fiance's brother and lots of sex (sometimes very graphic). So I thought, "Okay, now I know why it's an adult novel. But where's the story? Is this ALL it is?" Luckily, it wasn't. It got really good, the last 100 or so pages. So good, in fact, I couldn't put it down until I finished it. So I did, and loved it! 

The Beauchamp family consists of Joanna, and her two daughters Freya and Ingrid. They all live in quiet New Hampton, New York. Centuries ago, they got into some trouble in Salem, so they're not allowed to use their powers, orders from the Council. Ingrid is the quiet, book type. Always in her library. She can see the future and heal people with her knots. Freya works in the bar and is the complete opposite of Ingrid. She's able to solve any love quarrel with a love potion. Joanna can resurrect the dead...but it doesn't always work out the way she wants it to. And, she can't bring back the people she loves. For the most part, they've been able to avoid using their magic, but soon things go bad. People are getting sick, disappearing, or being found dead. No one knows why. Now, the witches decide to test the restriction and do what they can to help.

I liked how each chapter was told by a different witch. You get a better understanding of who the characters really are, and get inside of their heads. All the characters were interesting and unique; fun. There's magic, steamy romance, mystery, secrecy, mythology, zombies, vampires and even a love affair. There's a bit of everything for everyone to enjoy. Just beware of the graphic sex scenes. Remember, this is an adult novel. You've been warned ;)

The ending was the best part. It's where all the little bits and pieces mentioned along the way get put together, like a puzzle, and start making sense. There were a lot of surprises, some I saw coming, and others I did not. It also ends on a cliffhanger. 

So if someone were to ask if I recommend this book, I would say yes. There really wasn't anything I didn't like. I found the beginning slow, but others might not. I'm also looking forward to the next book in the series. Can't wait to find out what happens next!

Southern Today Gone Tomorrow

Written by Melissa de la Cruz, The Witches of East End follows a family of witches, well, actually Norse gods banned from doing magic, (mother and two daughters) who start to find reasons to do magic. Oh, and bad things start to happen to people.

Okay, I know, that summary makes it sound terrible. It wasn’t terrible.

But, it really wasn’t that great, particularly from this author.

I enjoyed the reference to her Blue Blood series (hello Mimi Force), and the fact that the TV Series based on this book is fairly close (I see no cool Aunt, but, you know, whatever), oh, and that there is no curse on the girls to die and not remember their last lives. But the pace was fast and a lot of actions taken by Freya and her mother (Ingrid actually made sense) seemed just… rushed. Like, who, at their age and with their experiences, would ever actually make these decisions?

That being said, since this WAS made into a TV series that I have watched, and I read the Blue Blood Series (I think all of the way through…), I will continue to read this, at least for one more book.

Who would like this? Urban Fantasy fans, honestly YA fans (even though this is an adult book, it reads like a YA), and those who enjoy novels that cross mythological bounds.

Amanda Marie Nguyen

Iskra

Megan During

Ellen Bernier 

Sarah

Lauren David

Marissa Killian

"Move over, zombies, vampires, and werewolves, and make way for witches. Melissa de la Cruz, author of the best-selling Blue Bloods series, ably sets the stage for a juicy new franchise." -Entertainment Weekly The three Beauchamp women-Joanna and her daughters, Freya and Ingrid-live ordinary lives in mist-shrouded North Hampton, out on the tip of Long Island. All three are harboring a centuries-old secret: They are powerful witches forbidden to practice magic. But right before Freya's planned wedding to wealthy Bran Gardiner, a mysterious and attractive man arrives in town and makes Freya question everything. When a young woman turns up dead, it soon becomes clear to all three that it's time to dust off their wands and fight the dark forces working against them. With a brand-new cast of characters, a fascinating and fresh world to discover, and a few surprise appearances from some of the Blue Blood fan favorites, this is a page-turning, deliciously fun, magical read fraught with love affairs, witchcraft, mythology, and an unforgettable battle between good and evil. "A bubbling cauldron of mystery and romance." -People "In her first novel for adults, the author . . . lets her repressed sorceresses rip." -The New York Times

Witches of East End

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