HOUSE OF IVY & SORROW by Natalie Whipple (RMB Book & Audiobook Review}

HOUSE OF IVY & SORROW
by Natalie Whipple
Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: HarperTeen (April 15, 2014)/HarperAudio
Narrated By Brittany Pressley
Language: English
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Transparent author Natalie Whipple is back with another refreshing blend of realistic romance and light-hearted humor with a one-of-a-kind paranormal touch. Fans of Charmed, Kiersten White's Paranormalcy trilogy, and Maggie Stiefvater's The Raven Boys won't want to miss this spellbinding contemporary tale of magic, first love, and high-stakes danger.

Jo Hemlock is not your typical witch. Outside the walls of her grandmother's ivy-covered house, she's kept her magical life completely separate from her life in high school. But when the Curse that killed her mother resurfaces, it threatens to destroy not only her life but her grandmother's too—and keeping her secret may no longer be an option.

Audiobook Review by Andye:

Even though I didn't get to the ARC of this before the release date, I was excited to get the audio version from HarperAudio and give this one a shot.  I have to be honest, I didn't expect much from this book.  I didn't hear anything about it before I started listening, and so I was completely surprised and excited to find out that I liked it a LOT.  The narrator, Brittany Pressley, did a great job with the different voices.  The only one I didn't love, was the granmother's voice.  She sounded like she'd been smoking for 537 years and had one of those voice box things in her throat, which got a little annoying.  Other than that, I loved it.  And I loved the book!  Becca does an awesome job explaining why in her review, and I completely agree with her! (You can listen to a sample here)

Book Review by Becca:

First of all, I want to thank Andye for giving me the opportunity to guest review here on Reading Teen. It’s my first time guest reviewing, and it has been so much fun! If you like my reviews, be sure to check out my blog, Pivot Book Reviews !

House of Ivy and Sorrow follows Josephine, a seventeen-year old girl who lives with her grandmother and also happens to be a witch, as she tries to keep her magical life hidden from her normal one, until the day the mysterious Curse that killed her mother returns.

Wow. House of Ivy and Sorrow was even better than I expected it to be. I had heard from a few friends that it was a magical, pardon the pun, story, and they were so right. I have been dying to get my hands on a witch book that would live up to my expectations, and House of Ivy and Sorrow did that and more!!

Jo is such a fun character. I instantly connected with her, and fell for her super swoony cowboy boyfriend, Winn. I need to get me a Winn, because he is something else! Jo’s best friends, Kat and Gwen, are the type of best friends I’ve always wanted to have, and her grandmother is hilarious. I never knew someone could enjoy pudding so much, and the fact that there were so many different flavors.

Jo also has enemies around every corner, but unfortunately, she doesn’t know who is friend or foe. The Curse is a spell that leeches all magic from a witch’s body, and Jo and her grandmother are afraid it’s coming for them next. The spells they perform together felt so real, and weren’t difficult to understand at all like some stories I’ve read. Although they did contain a lot of blood, organs, and other bodily parts, so if you are squeamish, you might want to skip this one.

All in all, House of Ivy and Sorrow was one of the best witch books I’ve ever read. I found myself staying up until the wee hours of the morning and grabbing this book every few seconds I could, because I needed to know what happened next ASAP! It was horrible when I got to the point where I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer and had to put it down, but the storyline followed me into my dreams and is still stuck in my head after finishing it a few days ago. House of Ivy and Sorrow is a witch story done right, and I’m praying to Natalie Whipple to please, please, please write another book with all these amazing characters!

-Becca Pivot Book Reviews