Hexed

The Witch Hunter #1

by Michelle Krys

If high school is all about social status, Indigo Blackwood has it made. Sure, her quirky mom owns an occult shop, and a nerd just won’t stop trying to be her friend, but Indie is a popular cheerleader with a football-star boyfriend and a social circle powerful enough to ruin everyone at school. Who wouldn’t want to be her?

Then a guy dies right before her eyes. And the dusty old family Bible her mom is freakishly possessive of is stolen. But it’s when a frustratingly sexy stranger named Bishop enters Indie’s world that she learns her destiny involves a lot more than pom-poms and parties. If she doesn’t get the Bible back, every witch on the planet will die. And that’s seriously bad news for Indie, because according to Bishop, she’s a witch too.

Suddenly forced into a centuries-old war between witches and sorcerers, Indie’s about to uncover the many dark truths about her life—and a future unlike any she ever imagined on top of the cheer pyramid.

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Witches, Romance, Magic, Supernatural

384 pages, Hardcover

First published June 10, 2014

About the author

I'm the author of the YA novels HEXED, CHARMED, and DEAD GIRLS SOCIETY, all from Random House Children's Books, plus the forthcoming THIS TOWN IS NOT ALL RIGHT, written under the name M.K. Krys, out August 11th, 2020 from Penguin Workshop. Visit me at michellekrys.com or follow @MichelleKrys on Twitter or @michellekrysbooks on Instagram.

*PLEASE NOTE: I don't respond to messages on Goodreads. If you want to contact me please email me directly at [email protected]*

Reviews

[Khanh, first of her name, mother of bunnies · Rating 1 out of 5]

“Go on,” he says. “I like it rough.”
Double ugh! I’m suddenly acutely aware that I’m straddling him—wearing a micromini and heels, no less—and I can’t roll off him fast enough.
“You’re sick, you know.”

Meet your main characters! She's a brainless cheerleader and he's a stalker!

This book is a cesspool of insipidity into which there is no return. It makes much-reviled works of art like Twilight read like the fucking Magna Carta.

It has:

1. A stupid, shallow, bitchy cheerleader stereotype, which wouldn’t be so bad except that it’s the fucking main character

2. Too-stupid-to-live syndrome. Despite the fact that she has the 3rd highest GPA in school. I see no evidence of it

3. A love triangle between an asshole jock and a creepy (but hot) stalker. The sad thing is that I’d pick the brainless asshole jock over the stalker. Guess who she’ll end up with! Gasp! Shock!

4. A view that females should be submissive within a relationship

5. No true, equivalent female friendship.

We’ve been best friends since the first grade, and he’s just some guy. Some sickeningly hot, captain-of-the-football-team guy.

...which they proceed to fight over. *slow clap*

Really, this book is just fucking horrible.

The Summary:

I’m almost at the lip of the dining room entrance when, at the last minute, I lop off half the mountain of mashed potatoes. (I don’t want people thinking I’m eating my feelings.) And then I make my way to the Pretty People table.

Indigo (“Indie”) has the perfect life. She is the *hair flips* cheerleader in the school squad. She’s blond-haired, with the perfect body. She’s in a group of the Pretty People (seriously, that’s what they call themselves). She’s got the 3rd highest GPA in school despite the fact that we nary ever see her (perfect) ass touch a classroom chair. She’s dating the most perfect, gorgeous jock in the entire school. So what if her mom’s a batty Wiccan? Indie’s still got it made. She and the girls on the Cheer squad have got it made. For many of them, this is the pinnacle of their lives.

She launches into an inspirational pregame speech about precious high school memories and the importance of showing off our hot bods while we still have them.

Indie? She’s the perfect combination of booty, beauty, and brains. The latter is highly debatable, given what will happen next.

She is the envy of the girls at school; her only rival is best-frenemy Bianca who secretly desires the hunkalicious Devon, but it’s all good, because Devon only loves Indie, I mean, out of all the girls in the world, Devon chose Indie to take to a Jay-Z* concert.

Devon could have brought anyone in the world to that concert and he chose me.

*Watch the name-dropping in this book. There will be many. Maybe she’s born with it. Maybe it’s bullshit Maybelline.

Life is good. Until theLeather Jacket guy almost lands on her car in a bloody splat, and what’s weird is that he’s holding a scrap of paper with her address on it.

What makes it weirder is that he shows up at school several days later to make fun of her during a cheer routine in a school football game. What a fucking charmer!

At first the guy looks like he’s trying to hold back, but then he bursts into laughter again—a full-bellied, brace-your-stomach fit—and I get the distinct impression he’s laughing at me.

But it’s just this one time, right? There’s just no way he’s…following her, right?

A chill ripples through me.
He followed me.

Well...

The light from a streetlamp etches shadows into his laugh lines and makes his smirk look sinister. He pushes off the wall.
“Don’t come any closer.”

Weeeeeeeeell...

“Oh, I’m sorry. Am I not handling the news that you’ve been stalking me as well as you’d hoped?”
He grins.
“And why are you following me? That’s pretty creepy, you know.”

But what the hell, YA heroines were never known for their intelligence, anyway.

And speaking of intelligence, it doesn’t run in the family. Apparently, there is this SUPER SECRET SPECIAL BIBLE. Not the, like, Holy Bible, but the WITCHY BIBLE. Her mother is obsessed with it, and mommy wants to keep it a secret SOOOOOO MUCH that she:

1. Tells her daughter about it constantly and reminds her of how important it is

2. Keeps it in her fucking store instead of, say, A FUCKING SAFE IN A HIGH-SECURITY BANK

Leather Jacket dude is Bishop, stalker extraordinaire. Apparently, Indie is special, she could be a witch! (they have 2 sets of recessive genes). Will they be able to train Indie to be a witch long enough to protect her? Will they be able to stop gazing lovingly into each other's eyes before Bishop shoves her from a ledge in order to force her to learn to fly?

I want to scream at him. Tell him he’s a jerk for waiting so long to catch me, but then I become hyperaware that we’re face to face, that the length of our bodies are pressed together, and I don’t say any of those things.

Will she forgive him? Of course.

Indie is just another word for boring:

And Bishop said cheerleaders aren’t smart.
Except that maybe he’s right. Because wasn’t this—the social suicide of being seen at a party with Paige—what I was just trying to avoid?

The only thing that prevents Indie from being your standard Mary Sue is the fact that she is hot shit, and she knows it. In most YA books, we have a Mean Girl Queen Bee trope. In this book, the Indie IS the Queen Bee. As previously mentioned, she is beautiful, she is popular, she is the envy of all the girls and the object of desire for the boyz, being one of the aforementioned cheerleaders who’s not shy about her body, as mentioned by the awesome second part of the love triangle...

“Oh, right.” Bishop nods sagely. “Forgot you flashed your ass to half of Los Angeles earlier. Not shy at all.”

She is the epitome of the shallow, self-absorbed cheerleader who cares about nothing but her reputation and popularity.

It didn’t make sense to me that she didn’t want to be popular.

She thinks everyone’s exactly like her. Indie feels like everyone in high school has one goal in life: that of popularity. It doesn’t matter who her friends are, she will step over them and abandon them in her way to the top. Indie likes her throne. She wants to maintain her place in the school status quo, and it takes the biggest fucking event ever to get her to snap out of her bullshit, and no, I don’t have any sympathy with her for it.

She is the kind of person who doesn’t give a shit about her friends---unless they’re popular, like fellow Queen Bee Bianca. Her other childhood “friend” Paige isn’t so much as a friend as a convenience. There to be used when needed. She has no consideration for others, she sees nothing wrong in using others – after all, Indie is the queen. Other people exist only to serve her ladyship.

Indie is a submissive girlfriend, as smart as she claims to be, as popular as she is, she sees herself as an extension of her hot, super-popular boyfriend Devon. She goes out of her way to be pleasant to him, she makes out with him and lets him kiss her and grope her because it is her duty as a girlfriend. It is a stupid fucking submissive attitude that sends the wrong message to young women. You do not OWE your boyfriend anything, much less your body.

Too Stupid To Live:

“Well, I’m not just going to let him get away, am I?”
“Nooo,” she says, throwing as much sarcasm into one word as humanly possible, “you definitely want to run toward the ax murderer.”

The third-highest GPA in the school. This is what we have, ladies and gentlemen. She thinks nothing of letting a weirdo who might have broken into her house INTO her house. She thinks nothing of following weird creepazoid into the dark. She trusts whom she shouldn’t. Indie acknowledges her own idiocy while never attempting to abate it.

It would be dumb to get out of the car. Worse than dumb: idiotic. But I’ve come this far already, and I can’t imagine the grocery list of bad decisions I’ve made to this point being for nothing

This is her book, so naturally, she lives. If it weren’t, we’d be reading a tragic headline about GIRL FOUND DEAD IN DESERTED RAVINE IN HOLLYWOOD.

The Romance:

I’ve never wanted to be kissed so badly, so of course this would be the time Mom pops into my head—the Mom from the theater with the knife in her temple. The guilt from the car ride comes crashing over me like a tidal wave. How can I be doing this?

Because there's nothing more romantic than getting into a romantic moment while thinking about your dead mom!

Oh, here we go again. Another love triangle, and one of whom is my most reviled trope of all, the stalker. Oh yeah, but he has an excuse to stalk her. That makes it all better, right? That makes it fucking less creepy, right? That gives him the right to be a fucking asshole to her, right? How about fucking no?

Bishop is a fucking creep. He makes fun of her because she is a cheerleader. He mocks her scantily-clad cheerleader clothes and her cheers. He laughs at her stupidity. He thinks it’s just fucking fine to be condescending to a girl whom he is supposed to protect.

"I was starting to think you ride the short bus to school.”

And his words of romance are just legendary. Shakespeare's got nothing on this dude.

“Oh, come on,” Bishop says. “He’s obviously really stupid if he’d choose that chick over you.”
“Shut up,” I mumble.
“I mean it,” he says. “She’s so obvious. Blond hair, big tits. It’s really lame. Even if her tits are pretty nice.”
I groan.
“I’m kidding! They’re just mediocre.”

The stalker trope is not ok. A creepy, patronizing asshat is not ok as a love interest, and I am so fucking sick of this shit.

[Michelle Krys]

Author here.

I hope you have as much fun reading this book as I had writing it.

Cheers!

Michelle

[aimee (aimeecanread) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Fair warning: rant ahead!

At first glance, Hexed would seem like a totally creepy, thrilling read, right? It ended up being a funny book. No, not the good kind of funny. It was the kind of book that was really weird and made me laugh because of how absurd it was.

Reading Hexed was like watching the Vampire Academy movie--it seemed like a spoof that was trying a bit too hard to be funny that it ended up being quite tacky and lame. This bland humor made the characters sound a bit like kindergartners.

"They both raise their hands, palms up, making mock-shaped faces at each other."

See what I mean? That aside, I found the heroine (Indigo) to be very childish, wimpy and plain annoying. She was quite shallow as well. It could be because I'm very nitpicky, but Indigo thought a lot about other people, calling them "the little Chinese girl" or saying a guy "clearly never met a bottle of hair gel he didn't like."

"Exactly twelve minutes into practice, and I already wish I were dead."

...

"Exactly fourteen minutes into practice and I decide I'd rather Bianca were dead."

Is it just me, or does her humor sound kind of dry? It definitely reminded me of my 10 year old brother and his bad jokes that only he laughs at. And since Indigo's a witch (it's in the synopsis), you'd expect her to be kickin' some ass, yeah? Well, all Indigo did was watch from the sidelines as her not-so-boyfriend fought her battles for her. Definitely not badass.

There are more specific instances of why Indigo's character was unlikable for me:

> For one, when she saw a dead guy on the street holding a piece of paper, she took it! Girl, I'm pretty sure it's against the law to steal useful case evidences.

> It was part of their cheer to lift their skirts and show their asses to the world and she was fine with it. Um, okay.

> Indigo felt that everything was about her. When Bishop (the not-so-boyfriend) stated that the good witches didn't care about her mother, she even gasped. Not everyone gives a shit about your problems.

> She had that in denial stage where she wouldn't believe anyone who told her that Bishop cared about her.

I didn't like most of the other characters, either. The only character who I did like was Jezebel, Bishop's ex. She was pretty badass and was pretty honest, even about the bad things. Most of them had so much potential to be amazing, kick-ass characters, but they all had these somewhat childish voices. They sounded like characters from a middle grade novel, saying things like, "The Chinese frickin' Theatre?" That sounds a lot like me, and I'm fourteen.

The plot was okay--some things were explained well, others weren't. There were twists that did surprise me, but the characters' idiocy constantly got in the way of what could've been a really engaging story for me. The writing didn't help much, either. For some reason I wasn't able to connect with the story as much as I would've wanted to.

To be blunt, Hexed is what I'd call a common YA novel--wimpy heroine, "bad boy" who saves the girl, an asshat best friend, an asshat ex-boyfriend and a load of drama covered up by some of action and fantasy.

[Giselle]

Sucky book is sucky no more!!!

Because I DNFed it! >.<











It's still sucky.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Also reviewed for Addicted2Heroines

I've been searching for a book centering on witches for a while now, but nothing ever really clicked with me. Until Hexed.
But hear me out before you run out and buy this one, because some of the things I absolutely loved about this sucker, might be the very same things that turn you off.

First, Indigo is not a heroine that you would normally cheer for. She's shallow, but not self-absorbed enough that she doesn't realize it. And not shallow in a cutesy way like Buffy, either. She's not worried that her hair is messed up, she's worried that bringing a nerd to a party will be the social death of her. In fact, it would have made more sense for the author to make Paige (the above mentioned nerd) the heroine. Paige is smart, kind, and bookish. And let's face it, most readers tend to gravitate toward a character they can relate to.
Although, smart and kind are sort of a toss-up for me...
Personally, I loved that Ms. Krys didn't go the easy route, and give us yet another cookie-cutter heroine that we all feel comfortable with. I mean, you've got to work at it to like Indigo, especially in the beginning of the book. She changes over the course of the book, but it happens slowly...just like it should. There is no huge moment when she realizes the error of ways, and then totally transforms. Even when she initially starts taking baby steps toward shedding her old ways, there is still a part of her that is mortified.

At a pivotal point in the book there's a death that rocks Indigo's world. In the middle of all of this, her relationship with Bishop is starting to morph into something more, as well. And I can hear the naysayers squeaking that 'at a time like that' Indigo would not be interested in pursuing a relationship.
Bzzzt. Wrong!
Having gone through the same person dying...at the same age as Indigo...I can most assuredly tell you that the things going through her head were written in a realistic light. Been there. Done that. Minus the magic.

Beyond the main characters, the secondary characters were thoroughly enjoyable. The bad guys were bad, and the good guys were...sort of bad too. In fact, there were lots of ambiguous individuals in the book.
I'm also awarding bonus points for there being no insta-love in the book. Or for that matter, even insta-attraction, because it takes Indigo a while to start thinking of Bishop as a datable guy. I liked being able to take a break from the magical soulmates theme that tends to run through a lot of the paranormal stuff I read.

The magic itself was big and fun. Lots of spells flying around, and, for that matter, lots of flying in general. So if you prefer a more subtle brand of witchcraft, you may not be in love with Hexed.
Me?
I like the Harry Potter stuff.
Go big or go home!
I typically get bored with witches who have to sit around chanting and making potions... in order to get a seed to grow.
Zap that shit with your wand or something! Hell, Miracle Grow works just as fast as the lame spell you're using...
But that's just me. A lot of people prefer a more subdued approach.

Cliffhanger?
Why, yes. Yes, there is.
Nicely done, I might add. The story is wrapping up, everyone is smiling and in love, and I keep thinking that the author is forgetting about something. It wasn't a HUGE thing...but I was still annoyed that it wasn't being addressed.
I mean, don't you just hate it when there's that teeny little thread that gets left out of the conclusion? Hey, whatever happened to so-n-so or such-n-such, you know?
Then...BAM!
So I guess the author didn't forget after all.
Nice.

I received a digital arc from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Victoria Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michelle Krys' HEXED was such a refreshing, fun read. In a world of super serious YA books saturated in darkness, HEXED manages to stand apart from the pack. Yes, you'll find intrigue, mystery, and bad guys, but there's gut-clenching, spot-on humor too, and that's hard won.

I adored Indie, a girl with weaknesses and fears, who manages to be brave anyway. And Bishop! Well, I've already claimed him as mine. Paige is also a rock star character I loved from the start.

If you want a fast-paced story with sizzling tension, quality characters, and snappy humor, HEXED is for you!

[Brandy F. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having had the privilege of reading this book prior to its release, I can say that it's one of the best books I've ever read. The writing is amazing, the plot is fast-paced, the main character Indie is so witty and hysterical, and there's incredible chemistry between Indie and her love interest. Even the supporting characters are all well-developed, stand-out characters, each with their own little quirks and complexities. No stock characters here.

I wasn't bored for one single second while reading this book. It's definitely a page-turner, and I would recommend this book to anyone!

[Melanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

See more reviews at YA Midnight Reads

Want a good witch book? Keep looking. As much as I wanted this to turn out well, Hexed was just filled with too many cliché tropes. This book made me want to laugh, and not in a good way.

Childish, stereotypical and idiotic main character? CHECK. Indigo is a cheerleader who once flashed her ass to a crowd at a football match; she is best friends with the Queen B, Bianca, she’s also the girlfriend of the captain of the football team, received the 3rd highest GPA at her school and uses everyone around her like pawns on a chessboard. Oh, and she might even be a witch with superpowers. HOW AWESOME IS THAT? Indigo has everything; she is everything. Oh, but that’s just what everyone thinks. Because her so called best friend flirts with her boyfriend who she doesn’t think she deserves, and is a total bitch to Indigo. Correction: a total bitch in general.

“Hey, bitches, I need help taking these mats back,” Bianca says. By “help” she means do it for her.

Aw, poor Indigo! What a rude friend. OR MAYBE, YOU SHOULD BE SMART LIKE YOUR 3RD-HIGHEST-GPA-IN-THE-SCHOOL SUGGESTS AND GET BETTER FRIENDS. Talking about Indigo’s smartness, not once does she prove that she’s actually as smart as what she got for her GPA. She legit does nothing but cry and wail until someone comes to help her. In most cases, that someone is the mysterious but smokin’ hot Bishop! Oh, and Indigo’s selfishness and self-importance are absolutely infuriating. To summarise quickly, Indigo has a loner neighbour named Paige, who would never take a hint and leave Indigo alone. However, one night when Indigo is in trouble and has no one else to go to, she calls Paige—who finally made a friend and was staying at her friend’s house for the night—then Indigo forces her to come and help her find a book and a stranger in the middle of the night. Riiight. Indigo, she’s not your bloody dog. Paige has her own life and like her, you can’t take a hint and just leave her alone. You’ve ignored her your entire life and yet you go up to her one day and expect that she will help you… just because you said so.

“Can we all not be having such a great time right now? My mom’s in trouble, remember?” Paige sinks back into her seat, as Bishop mumbles apologies.

We feel sorry for you, Indigo. But that doesn’t mean everyone has to be bawling their eyes out and being mournfully pessimistic like you.

And then I make my way to the Pretty People table.

What. You did not just call yourselves the Pretty People. No. Nope. NOPE. *headdesk* This book possibly has the worst possible heroine. Finding a book that she doesn’t give a crap about and trusting a stranger that you’ve just met because he’s good looking? Highly suspicious and idiotic, if you ask me.

The writing and plot are no better. I commend it for reflecting the main character’s personality well, but god, it was terribly childish. “… blink at him a bunch…” etc. Let me be blunt: it just doesn’t work. Furthermore, the plot is basically pulled together by coincidence after coincidence. There’s a scene when Indigo is in a crisis with Bishop and her mother stuck in a screen, and so conveniently, does a random chick fly in and save Bishop—who then saves Indigo. I totally believe everything and am totally okay with all this. I don’t suspect anything or find this incredibly mediocre or cliché.

Guys, save your time and don’t bother with this book. We have cliché characters, pointless drama, poor writing and plot and stupid romance. Nothing interesting here.

[Amy Plum]

Krys’s dry sense of humor had me laughing and her spot-on world-building had me enthralled. If they weren’t part of a magical world of witchcraft and sorcery, I would swear I knew these characters in high school. I loved HEXED.

[Bgulbino · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was hooked page 1. Hexed is exciting, fast paced and most of all fun! The heroine Indie is a brave, and witty teen who discovers she’s even more special than she initially thought. Author Michelle Krys will have you laughing, gasping and even shedding a few tears. Do you believe in Magic? This book had me thinking of that song in a bad ass, kicked up, Indie rock kind of way. Hexed is a MUST READ! Can't wait to join Indie on her adventurers in the sequel!

[Ashley Garrock · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an incredible read! I laughed out loud throughout the whole book. Indie was hilarious! And I loved the banter between her and Bishop. And don't even get me started on Bishop! What a dreamboat lol. The plot was very fast-paced, which I loved. It's a must read!!

[Jay G · Rating 1 out of 5]

Want to see more bookish things from me? Check out my Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfer...

Video review: https://youtu.be/OWxxIyQkrLk

RANTS AND SARCASM COMING, BEWARE:

Indigo Blackwood is a popular cheerleader dating the captain of the football team. Her best friend, Bianca is a total bitch snob and not to mention completely jealous of her for dating Devon. Indie's neighbour, Paige is totally obsessed with her and won't leave her alone even though Indie has made it SO TOTALLY obvious that she is way too cool and popular to be seen with her in public. Paige asks Indie for a ride after school one day and a boy in a leather jacket named Bishop falls from the sky and almost lands on her car. She then discovers that Bishop is holding a scrap of paper with the address of her mom's Wiccan store on it. Upon arriving at the ship, she finds that her mom's magical witch bible has gone missing and her mom is in a panic. Oh and did I mention Indie was also a witch? Now, with the help of Paige and Bishop, she needs to find her mom's bible before all the witches in the world are killed.

I can't even begin to explain how much I disliked these characters... Indie was a whiny annoying child brat who complained about LITERALLY EVERYTHING. She was so self absorbed, self-centered, rude and nasty and so entitled it was ridiculous. She mentioned multiple times that she had the 3rd highest GPA in her high school...but I see NO evidence of this whatsoever. She was just your stereotypical, simple-minded bitchy cheerleader who pretty much spends the entire book crying about her problems and not doing anything about them. You would think that there would be some sort of character development as the story progressed but no... Indie spent most of her time being a doormat for Bianca and her boyfriend Devon. Bianca is probably the worst human who walked this earth and I have no idea why she wanted to be friends with her in the first place. Not to mention why she even contemplates going back to being friends with her after she sleeps with Devon... Her boyfriend Devon is a total douche canoe and I don't understand why she puts up with him at all... oh wait, its because hes popular and LOVES HER SO MUCH. I mean, out of all the girls he could have brought to a Jay-Z concert, he chose her so OBVIOUSLY they are SO IN LOVE. Bishop spends more than half the book STALKING Indie, but obviously that's okay because he's hot so no big deal. The only character I even slightly liked was Paige and honestly I just wanted to yell at her for wanting to be friends with Indie because she treated her so poorly and she deserved way better. Jezebel was alright too, I guess.

Quite frankly, I found this book extremely unoriginal. The book dragged on without going anywhere. The plot is basically just a bunch of teen movie cliches thrown into one book. The world building sucked, aka it did not exist. The only thing we know is that there is a war between witches and sorcerers and that is about all we get. The amount of sexist lines in this book are RIDICULOUS... not to mention the girl on girl hate. This book is going to teach so many young girls so many bad things.. And another thing... there is a random rape scene thrown in there which had NO POINT OF BEING THERE... I honestly have NO idea how this book has 3-5 star ratings....

[Vfum · Rating 5 out of 5]

I consider myself very lucky to have been given the opportunity to read this book!! I am usually a painfully slow reader; however, Hexed had such a great pace that I could not put it down and I read it in one sitting! When I opened this book the afternoon sun was shining and when it was closed the harvest moon was exploding in the sky. Though hours had passed, I was kept so entertained that I completely lost track of time and became utterly enveloped in this adventure. To me, that loss of time speaks volumes of the greatness of this book! It was funny and sharp and exciting and I enjoyed every second of it. This was such a great read and I am left at the edge of my seat excited to find out what will happen next!

[Stephanie Reid · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not much of a reader. Which I'm sure makes me a bit of an outcast here on Goodreads but I got my grubby paws on an advanced copy of this book and I friggin' loved it! I don`t know s*** about witches or warlocks or magic or anything of the sort, but this book had me right in there excited to turn the page, every page. I literally laughed out loud numerous times while reading Hexed, and all because of Krys' clever and witty writing and not at all because I'm a crazy person that just laughs out loud to herself. Did I mention how exciting this book was? Especially the climax and the ending. What is going to happen next?!?! I need the sequel now!!

[Mary Summer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I <3 this book SO MUCH. Indie has such a strong character arc. She goes from someone I cannot at all identify with to someone who I can't help but root for. There's one particular scene that is just utter perfection. And the whole book is so engaging, I literally took it with me wine-tasting, because I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN. Fantastic read. Great teen characters. I'd give it 10 stars if I could. <333

[Amy Parker]

I LOVED this book. THE VOICE, y'all! Michelle has this great, sarcastic, authentically teen voice that just sucks you in and carries you along. I agree with what another reviewer said about it being like The Craft combined with Bring It On. It's funny and a little bit sexy and a whole lot of fun to read. Recommend!

[Couture Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! Loved Indigo's personality and I couldn't put the book down once I started reading it. Made me feel like I was in LA and is very well written. Hoping for more from this author!

[AdriAnne · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much fun: engrossing, exciting, hilarious and moving. I couldn't put it down and read it in one sitting, in spite of the fact that I was supposed to be doing other things... ;)

[Alice Liu · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, although I found it a little on the "lite" side for YA paranormal. It moves very quickly and there isn't always much explanation for things. However, we are seeing a difficult situation (evil sorcerers) from the perspective of Indigo Blackwood - no more and no less - and she really has very little to work with since no one has ever told her anything. Despite the lack of emphasis on world/situation-building, Hexed has it's very deep moments. It was a real pleasure to experience Indigo's realizations about her relationship to her friends and to herself. I got a real kick out of the fact that she cared less about being popular than she did about pleasing her best friend, Bianca, who is desperate for popularity. Indigo is not so much of a traditional heroine. She has moments of helplessness that would normally bug me, but for some reason did not with her...I think maybe because it came more out of vulnerability than passiveness. As for her ultimate plan, it felt a bit odd how she was sticking to the script when everyone else had gone off cue. I felt like things were being fudged a little bit here. It would have been nice to have seen just a little more moxie or "rising to the occasion" on her part. I also could have used a wrap-up with the Homecoming situation. Loved Paige -- go nerds! Intriguing ending which makes me look forward to the next book.

[Jaye · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute romp of a book. I loved Hexed! Laugh out loud funny - even the villains were cracking me up. Filled with beautiful people, magic, and a great Los Angeles setting, I was able to suspend all disbelief and go with this fun story. Indy is a witty, righteous, irreverent girl that teen readers will love. The other characters were flushed out nicely and Bishop, whoo howdy, what a hot hunk of warlock. Quite the cliffhanger at the end, but I'm okay with it because I want more!! This may be a the rare multi-book series I read all the way through.

Highly recommend for those who don't mind magic and laughter.

[Ruth Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast paced without being rushed, a great plot with believable, likeable characters and a will-they-won't-they romance (they will, they do, you will like it when it happens). This book has lots of amusing interactions between the characters, but you'll also find the mc Indie being pushed to her limits by the desperate circumstances she finds herself in. Page-turning fun and best of all there's a sequel (and two short stories!) without this book ever feeling like it can't stand alone. HEXED wins all round.

[Kerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Witch/vampire/werewolf type books are not generally my thing. But I really enjoyed escaping into this world - maybe because it was only about witches (and not all those mentioned previously?) As someone stated, it's a mix of The Craft and Bring It On, how could you not want to read this?! Great plot set up (as this is a series)and a believable love story.

[Emma Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book! Hexed is a really fun, contemporary take on witches, and the voice is absolutely fantastic, total authentic teen. Indigo is a cheerleader who seems to have it made, but when she sees a guy fall to his death right in front of her, things take a turn for the weird. An old Bible that’s been in her family for generations is stolen, and a sexy warlock warns her that if she doesn’t get it back, it’ll spark an old war between sorcerers and witches.

Indigo is a relatable and realistic teen, and I loved reading her journey as she comes into her powers. This is a tale packed with humour and great characters. I can’t remember the last time I laughed out loud when reading a YA supernatural book, but this had me giggling all the way through. I’d recommend this to fans of Kiersten White and Rachel Hawkins.

[Summer (buttermybooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having the privilege to be one of the first readers of this book, I can not say enough good things about it. The entire book was so amazing that it had me catching peeks at it during class! The author made the key characters so easy to love that you become invested in what happens to them. The twist at the end is not one that I initially saw coming!! I must say that I will definitely be recommending this to friends!!! I'm a bit sad that I have to wait so long for the second book to be released!!!

[Kimberlyisreading · Rating 5 out of 5]

Indie is one of the popular girls at school- the cheerleader dating a football player and all the cool friends. Then a guy dies in front of her and a piece of paper with an address she knows is the start to turning her entire world upside down.
Quick banter along with great interaction and chemistry between Indie and the stranger Bishop make this a fun read. There's enough adventure, danger, sparks that fly, and humor that makes this one captivating and entertaining read!! Looking forward to book 2!!!

[Jen Malone · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really, really, really liked this! It reminded me a lot of Rachel Hawkin's HEX HALL series, which is a good thing. While it had supernatural elements, most of it was very grounded in a contemporary setting, which is just how I like my non-contemps:) Tons of laugh out loud lines (fully half of which belong to Jezebel) and just a fun, suspenseful romp of a story. I can't wait for book 2!!

[Lori]

Didn't want to stop reading once I started, and I wouldn't have stopped if not for one annoying husband! lol

Love Indie and Bishop and Paige, and I can't believe how long I have to wait for the next book. THAT ENDING. GUH.

Proper review to come.

[Christina Farley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun read. Couldn't put it down! Here's my full review: http://youtu.be/hQfjaPAvH0E

[Riley Chance · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love love loved this book! Everything about it was great, but what I loved most was the chemistry between Indie and Bishop. So hot! I can't wait to get my hands on the second in the series.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

TOUR FOR BOOK 2, CHARMED has sign ups open!! Looking for reviewers! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/13N9L...


4.5 Bird review here: http://www.memyshelfandi.com/2014/05/...