Book Review: The Witches of Echo Park

 Hello! It's been awhile since I've done a book review, so here I am. 

Author: Amber Benson

Length: 306 pages

Genres: Urban Fantasy

Content Warnings: There's some language [not a lot, but it does include the f-word], two sex scenes, and some violence [not a lot, just a few fight scenes].

Trigger Warnings: The only thing I can think of is child abuse in a flashback.

Summary: 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. 

My Thoughts: Yes, I did pick this up because I know Amber Benson as an actress, and I wanted to see if she was a good writer [although I've read some of her comic books, too, though, so I guess I've technically read something she wrote]. I didn't have low expectations going into this book, but I didn't have particularly high expectations either, and I was pleasantly surprised by this book. 

It's not the best book I've ever read, but it was a really fun read. 

I love the coven, first of all. While Lyse is the main character, there are chapters from the point of view of all the witches in the coven. All of them are really interesting characters with very different personalities. Daniela was probably my favorite----she's a tough, pink-haired painter who has cats, so she's cool. However, Lyse felt kind of bland to me. I would've preferred a story mainly about one of the other characters. 

I also found the plot interesting----I think Amber put a unique spin on a common plot.

I also really enjoyed the writing style of this book. It felt like a literary classic, and it's very well-written.

There was a romance, but it remained firmly in the subplot category. It wasn't one of my favorite romances, but I didn't dislike it.

This book is very slow and character-driven, which I didn't mind, but I thought I would point it out in case that's something that you wouldn't be interested in reading. 

My Rating: 3 1/2 stars. It's good. I'll probably continue the series. 

So, have you read The Witches of Echo Park? Do you want to? Have you read anything by Amber Benson?