Witch Eyes Book Review *Scott Tracey*

Scott Tracey’s Witch Eyes is a book I really wanted to like. I was interested in reading because not only is the main protagonist a male, but is gay. There are not many paranormal YA’s with a gay protagonist that I can think of. And the most positive thing I can say about Witch Eyes is Braden, the hero, is a very appealing fellow. I really liked him and how he tries to overcome his handicap and tribulations thrown at him.

Unfortunately the writing wasn’t strong enough since the buildup and getting from point A to point B took way too long. Also the world building was an issue where everything is revealed in such a way where again, I grew tried waiting for something explosive to happen.

Braden lives with his Uncle John in what he calls the Middle of Nowhere, Montana. Braden is home schooled and must wear his sunglasses every minute of the day because he sees spooky visions and flashes of scary images that no one else can see. Braden’s eyes hold magic within them that he can barely control. His Uncle John is his teacher and mentor and tries to help Braden learn better control. Lately Braden has become ansty. He feels like he’s cut off from the rest of the world and when he asks his uncle about his parents, he doesn’t get any real answers. And then he listens in on a phone call his uncle receives, where a place call Belle Dam is mentioned, as well as his father. Braden decides to leave his uncle and hops on a bus to find the answers he’s searching for.

His introduction to Belle Dam and the residents there are more than strange. There seems to be a family feud going on much like something from Romeo and Juliet and now Braden is a part of it. His father Jason Thorpe is an enemy of Catherine Lansing, one of the most powerful people in Belle Dam. Braden now will be forced to choose sides. His father rubs him the wrong way and even making friends becomes more than a hassle. But one resident there, Trey, goes out of his way to befriend Braden, although he isn’t upfront with him at first. Plus Braden starts to develop feelings for Trey other than friendship that Trey seems open to. But someone is trying to take Braden out of the picture and possibly kill him because the power he has in his eyes could destroy Belle Dam and those who want to rule there.

Witch Eyes is an easy read and one that’s simply written where I can see many teen boys and more than a few female readers enjoying the world and characters Scott has created. Half way through Witch Eyes, the story grew flat for me. I just couldn’t stay entertained. I wanted more for Braden, but the world he was apart of was too lacking for me.

The way Braden’s sexuality is revealed was too much telling. I wish this was revealed slowly as we get to know Braden. An example of this is when Braden is on the bus going to Belle Dam. An attractive guy, Braden thinks of as an Adonis in Abercrombie, hops on board. Braden is attracted to the Adonis, but instead of seeing his reactions and emotions unfolding on the page, it was much like a pause (think Zach Morris from Saved by the Bell doing his "time out"), where another narrator comes forth to point out that Braden is gay. Braden then brings up his uncle and how his uncle tried to ignore Braden’s sexual orientation. It came across as preachy to me and really took me out of the moment. I felt this revelation about Braden could have been handled better.

Also I think the emphasis on how different Braden is from his unnatural eyes to his sexuality is too much. It grew very tedious and really took away from the action and suspense that this book needed to be a winner.

Witch Eyes failed for me and I couldn’t finish. This is one book I wish I didn’t have to give a DNF to but there just wasn’t enough excitement and too many lulls to keep me reading. (Flux)

Final Grade: DNF

A few other Witch Eyes reviews:

Bookalicious

Book Chic
Novel Thoughts