Review: Family Magic – Patti Larsen

Jun28
by LizzieBeth on June 28, 2013 at 7:50 am
Posted In: Blog, Books, Innovative Online Book Tours, Reviews, Tour

FM ButtonAt only sixteen years of age, Sydlynn Hayle has put up with quite a good many disappointments. She’s the daughter of a very powerful witch and a demon lord. To the ordinary eye, her family has it all, and they live in the lap of a luxury unlike anything they’ve ever known. Her parents are content with the lives they lead, and her sister openly accepts who and what she is, embracing her powers to the fullest extent.

Unfortunately, she can’t do the same. It’s not that she can’t, mind you. It’s that she doesn’t want to. In Sydlynn’s mind, she sees herself as a monster, someone who is bound to fall to the darker side. She knows she shouldn’t think this way. That despite what legends say, witches and demons are not like how they’ve been portrayed. Yet she can’t help in denying who and what she is. The idea of using magic just doesn’t sit well with her.

Determined to fit in at school, Sydlynn does her best to hold fast to the decisions she’s been making. She knows her family and the coven don’t quite understand where she’s coming from. How could they? They’re different in more ways than one. Still, if she’s to succeed in letting go of everything that sets her apart, namely her magic, she knows she’ll need to make the effort in becoming something she’s truly not. Deep inside, she knows it’s her only way in living a normal and magic-free life.

When a random act of violence disrupts the natural flow of events within the coven itself, Sydlynn soon realizes that things aren’t as random as they seem. Someone is out to take the coven down, intent on picking everyone off, one by one. Although she’s not quite sure as to who’s behind the attacks, there’s one thing she’s sure of. Whoever it is wants to control everything. If they’re to do just that, the throne of power must be taken out at all cost. Unfortunately, there’s something no one counted on – Sydlynn’s uncontrollable magic and the demon she harbors inside of herself.

FM BCThis was honestly a very delightful story. It’s a different take on all things witchy, which is sure to capture your attention, and keep it glued to every page. We meet Sydlynn, a magical teenager who’s hell-bent on denying her true nature. She just wants to be a regular, ordinary teenager, one who isn’t ruled by the magic that surrounds her.

We also get to meet her extraordinary family full of witches, warlocks, demons, vampires, and the like. A family that sticks out like a sore thumb. They’re different, and she knows it quite well. For a girl who just wants to fade into the woodwork, she certainly has her work cut out for her. Sydlynn reminds me of young girl who just wants to fit in. She wants a simple life where nothing supernatural exists. Sadly, that’s something she’ll never get to know.

I think Patti captured her angst, triumphs, and deep insecurities quite beautifully. She paints a picture of a girl immersed in a world that isn’t one of her choosing. By utilizing her family and the intrigue that surrounds the Hayle lore, we catch a glimpse of the determined young woman beneath the soft, and sometimes aloof, exterior. There’s definitely more to come for the Hayle family, and I look forward to catching up on their shenanigans as time goes by.

 

 

Available for purchase via the following retailers:

 

 

Synopsis:

Ever since I was a little girl, I dreamed of being ordinary. That my mom baked cookies instead of brewing spells. That my dad lived with us, not on the demon plane. All I ever wanted was to be like everyone else.

I know what you’re thinking. You’d die to live in my world. How cool would it be if magic was real and you could do anything?

You have no idea. Here I am in another new town, but it’s the same old thing. Cheerleader bullies? How original. Friendless again? Who’s surprised? I suck at fitting in. Especially when I’m in the middle of saving my family from total destruction.

My name is Sydlynn Hayle, and that’s my life.

Trade you.

 

 

PL PictureAbout The Author:

Patti Larsen is an award-winning middle grade and young adult author with a passion for the paranormal. But that sounds so freaking formal, doesn’t it? I’m a storyteller who hears teenager’s voices so loud I have to write them down. I love sports even though they don’t love me. I’ve dabbled in everything from improv theater to film making and writing TV shows, singing in an all girl band to running my own hair salon.

But always, always, writing books calls me home.

I’ve had my sights set on world literary domination for a while now. Which means getting my books out there, to you, my darling readers. It’s the coolest thing ever, this job of mine, being able to tell stories I love, only to see them all shiny and happy in your hands… thank you for reading.

As for the rest of it, I’m short (permanent), slightly round (changeable) and blonde (for ever and ever). I love to talk one on one about the deepest topics and can’t seem to stop seeing the big picture. I happily live on Prince Edward Island, Canada, home to Anne of Green Gables and the most beautiful red beaches in the world, with my very patient husband and four massive cats.

 

 

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