Review: Hexed

Hexed
Author: Michelle Krys
Published: June 10, 2014
Hardcover, 384 pages
4 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodreads)

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. 

This was one of the best kind of paranormal books. The paranormal elements are small, and they seem so real that you think there could actually be a witch living in the Occult shop. There were a lot of contemporary elements that made this a quick, fun read, and every character was charming and came to life. Indie is popular, but nothing she did really made her scream 'mean girl', which was a nice change from the popular stereotype. She's content cheerleading and hanging out with her boyfriend, but the minute she sees a guy die right in front of her, everything changes. When that guy comes back to life and starts following her around, claiming she's a witch, Indie's life spirals out of control. With the help of her nerdy friend Paige, and Bishop, the hot dead guy, Indie finds herself in a race to get back a family heirloom in order to save witches everywhere.

Indie is a great narrator. She's funny, sarcastic and made me root for her every step of the way. She's the popular girl you actually wanted to be friends with in high school and I'm glad she didn't have a mean streak in her body. The other characters were just as alive. Paige is the shy, strange girl who ends up being a really great help and even better friend. I love how Indie turned to her for help and how the two of them became really good friends throughout the novel. Bishop is the love interest you love to hate. He's secretive, snarky and does things that would drive a girl crazy. We slowly discover more about him throughout the novel and why he's the way he is and his character growth is a wonderful arc and I couldn't wait for him and Indie to get together.

Magic was a great character as well as it never took over the story. We only knew what Indie knew about how it all worked and I think that was a great way to tell the story, putting us in Indie's situation and not being quite sure of how to get out of it. I liked this but at the same time, I wanted more information about the world Indie was being pulled into. I'm sure we'll learn more in the next book, but those were the parts I wish were stronger. As a character lover myself, I'm glad the characters were the central focus and I loved the romance in this one. I'm a sucker for a good kiss scene and boy did this one deliver. I'm definitely anticipating the next book in this series, Charmed.

"And I just know that this memory will be forever burned into my brain, because this kind of magic - the kind that can't be conjured with a spell, where everything is just right, and all your problems vanish for three perfect minutes - doesn't happen everyday."