Witchtown by Cory Putman Oakes Pages: 320
Published by HMH Books for Young Readers on July 18, 2017
Genres: Young Adult, supernatural
Source: Finished Hardcover from Publisher
When sixteen-year-old Macie O’Sullivan and her masterfully manipulative mother Aubra arrive at the gates of Witchtown—the most famous and mysterious witch-only haven in the world—they have one goal in mind: to rob it for all it’s worth.
But that plan derails when Macie and Aubra start to dig deeper into Witchtown’s history and uncover that there is more to the quirky haven than meets the eye.
Exploring the haven by herself, Macie finds that secrets are worth more than money in Witchtown.
Secrets have their own power.
Witchtown is a standalone young adult supernatural by author Cory Putman Oakes. I think Witchtown would appeal to both young adult readers as well as middle grade readers. It is young adult, but it is on the younger end and the romance is very light and age appropriate, so all ages of witchy fans can enjoy Witchtown. This is the first book I have read from Mrs. Oakes and I have to say I really, really enjoyed it. I completely forgot that this book was going to be about a mother daughter con team. (very light emphasis on the word team.) Does that ever happen to you? I read the summary a while ago when I decided to sign up for the blog tour, and then forgot all about it until I picked up the book to read it for my review. And I never go back and read the summaries. It is more fun for me that way. So I was super excited when I saw that Macie and her mother, Aubra were looking to rob Witchtown blind.
But then the story took a completely different path and I was even more excited in the direction Cory Putman Oakes decided to take Witchtown in. This book was even better than I was expecting it to be. I flew through it. I think it only took me 2 1/2 hours to read, and I enjoyed every bit of it. Witchtown is part con, part mystery with a very light touch of romance and friendship added in. It was a very fun read. Macie was a delight. I don’t want to give too much away because there were quite a few twists in this book that managed to surprise me, and I want you to have that same pleasure.
I will say this about Witchtown. The mother daughter dynamic completely surprised me. I thought that Macie and her mom were going to get along really well, but that was not the case at all. Macie and Aubra are completely at odds during the whole story, which added an unexpected element to the plot line. I actually loved the way everything turned out. I thought Cory did an excellent job crafting a fast paced, enjoyable tale. I also really loved the friendship element of the story. Tayla was my favorite character in the whole book, and I would love to see a companion novel from her point of view. I think she is pretty awesome!
Bottom line: If you are looking for a young adult standalone with lots of fast paced witchy fun, Witchtown is a fantastic quick read for readers of all ages. I really enjoyed this novel.
To enter, fill out the rafflecopter below to win.
3 winners will receive a hardcover of WITCHTOWN! US Only.
Note: Book Briefs Contest Policy applies. All of the prizes, terms and conditions of the giveaway should be contained in the rafflecopter below. No Purchase necessary to enter. Void where prohibited by law.
Tour Schedule
Week One:
7/10/2017- Brittany’s Book Rambles– Interview
7/11/2017- Book Briefs– Review
7/12/2017- Always Me– Guest Post
7/13/2017- The Blonde Bookworm– Review
7/14/2017- YA and Wine– Interview
Week Two:
7/17/2017- Savings in Seconds– Review
7/18/2017- Wandering Bark Books– Guest Post
7/19/2017- Eli to the nth– Review
7/20/2017- Don’t Judge, Read– Review
7/21/2017- YA Book Madness– Interview
About Cory Putman Oakes
Sometime around sixth grade, Cory was forced to face the sad truth that being a heroine in a Tamora Pierce, Robin McKinley, or Madeleine L’Engle book was not, in fact, a valid future career choice. But since she thought it might be almost as much fun to grow up to be Tamora Pierce, Robin McKinley, or Madeleine L’Engle, she decided to do just that. She’s still working on it.
Cory’s path to being an author did not go in a straight line. There was the whole “maybe-I’ll-be-a-psychologist” thing (just on the side, until the writing took off) which led her to UCLA and an eventual B.A. in Psychology. Then there was the “maybe-I’ll-be-a-lawyer” thing (just on the side, until the writing took off) which led her to Cornell Law School, a J.D., and a year of working as a litigation associate at Sullivan & Cromwell. There was also a brief “maybe-I’ll-teach-law” phase (just on the . . . well, you know) where she taught business law to undergraduates at Texas State University.
But the writing thing was a bug that she just couldn’t shake, and she officially made her sixth grade dream come true in 2011, with her debut young adult novel, THE VEIL. Cory’s debut middle grade, DINOSAUR BOY, came out from Sourcebooks in February of 2015 and it’s sequel, DINOSAUR BOY SAVES MARS, launched in February 2016. Cory’s next young adult novel, WITCHTOWN, will come out from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers on July 18, 2017.
Cory lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband, Mark (who, luckily for all concerned, decided to stick with the whole “maybe-I’ll-be-a-lawyer” thing), their two kids, and their pets. In addition to writing, Cory enjoys running, cooking, and hanging out with her family. She is proud to be represented by Sarah LaPolla of Bradford Literary Agency. Photo by Sam Bond Photography
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
Cory’s definitely had an interesting path to get to her writing. Hehehe!
I am so excited for this book! I see “witch” and for some reason, I get excited and transported to the Fall. Witch stories are some of my favorites to read! The mother/daughter con team adds an interesting twist to the witch story. I can’t wait to see what that’s all about!
This is the first review I’ve read of this one. Thanks!
Thanks for sharing your review and for the great giveaway 🙂
I like the cover for Witch Town, especially the sentence “Where secrets have their own power”. I liked the blurb too, it sounds like something I would enjoy reading. Wonder what secrets Witch Town is hiding? 🙂
Yes, Tayla was definitely one of my faves too. I also liked where the story went, I just wanted more of the cool witchy stuff, because Oakes really did a nice job with those bits. Great review!
Sounds like a good theme, Witchtown and all!
New author for me. Interested in seeing how they handle an all witch town. I bet that can be pretty frustrating.
Thanks for the chance to win a copy! This sounds like an interesting read.
I’ve never read any book of this author. But this one seems really interesting!
Sounds like a fun read. Makes me think of Scorpion, a TV show. They just had an episode about a mother/daughter pulling off a con. Glad you enjoyed it.
sherry @ fundinmental
read the review-book sounds great
This sounds like a book I’d devour. Thanks so much for all your great reviews and blogging tips!
this book sounds good
Thanks! It looks like a good book
My daughter and I are binge-watching Supernatural this summer. This one is a must-read for me!
I like the cover of the book. I think I will like Macie and Aubra and, I can’t wait to see what they get up to in Witchtown.
I’ve been excited for this book ever since I saw it a while back, can’t wait to check it out :):)
Sounds like a great story.
Thanks for the giveaway.
Love the cover!
sounds like a fun one