Once upon a time, in the mysterious and enchanting land of East Rnd, lived a wicked witch. She was known throughout the region for her magical powers and nefarious deeds. The witch of East Rnd was feared by all, as she used her spells and potions to cause havoc and trouble. Legend had it that the witch's powers were inherited from her ancestors, who were believed to possess dark magic. Whispers in the village suggested that she could control the elements, cast powerful curses, and manipulate the minds of those around her. It was said that anyone who crossed paths with the witch would fall victim to her wicked schemes.
It was said that anyone who crossed paths with the witch would fall victim to her wicked schemes. The witch lived in a decrepit and gloomy cottage on the outskirts of the village. The surrounding area was shrouded in an eerie mist, enhancing the witch's aura of mystery and darkness.
Witches of East End Review (Books & Show)
About a year ago I found a show on Netflix, The Witches of East End. It had already been canceled and I binged all two seasons in a week. I found it fascinating, the combination of immortal Norse gods and modernized witches. I enjoyed the connection to various moments in history and I did find it to be similar to Charmed and likely a large part of why I liked it. It ended on a terrible cliffhanger and I quickly went out to get the books so I could try to gain some closure. Unfortunately, that was around the time that life got really complicated and I was not able to finally read the trilogy until now.
Silly me, I should have known the books were nothing like the show. In fact, they are so vastly different that I do not feel like I got the closure from the cliffhanger ending of season two, and if I look at the books on their own, I am not sure I really like them either.
Rather than review the show by itself or review each book alone, I’m going to review the whole trilogy and compare it to the show. Keep in mind this review will be ripe with spoilers, so either you’ve read the books, seen the shows, experienced both, or do not care.
It is important to know some of Norse Mythology to understand the plot of this book. In Melissa de la Cruz’s world, there was a rivalry between the two Norse God tribes: Aesir (the warrior gods) and Vanir (the fertility gods). Aesir gods are Odin (god of wisdom and ruler of Asgard), his wife Frigg (goddess of marriage), and their children Balder (god of joy) and Loki (god of illusions). The Vanir gods are Njord (god of the sea), his wife Skadi (god of the sky), their children Erda (goddess of Earth), and twins Freya (goddess of love) and Freyr (god of the sun). Apparently, hundreds, if not thousands of years ago, the bridge between the worlds was destroyed and Freyr and Loki were imprisoned for those crimes. However, as punishment, the Vanir gods were all banished to Midgard/Earth to live out their immortal lives as powerful witches/warlocks, rather than gods.
At its core, this is simply a love story. Odin was originally in love with Skadi and therefore hated Njord and his family because he won Skadi. Then both of Odin’s sons, Loki and Balder, were in love with Freya, who in turn chose Balder and that angered Loki so much that he chose to exact his revenge. Therefore, this entire trilogy is simply two different gods (Odin and Loki) exacting their revenge over losing goddesses they loved. While the show is about Loki’s revenge against Balder and Freya.
However, the story we’re given in book one, Witches of East End, takes place in a fictional New England town in Earth where the Norse God Ancestry is present, in that these characters remember who they were, but they are unaware of the revenge plots. Skadi and Njord are now Joanna and Norm Beauchamp. Their son Freddie (Freyr) is “gone” AKA imprisoned by Odin, but their daughters Ingrid (Erda) and Freya work in town and they all seem fairly happy. Freya is a bartender who puts a little magic into the drinks she mixes and she’s happily engaged to Bran Gardiner, a rich philanthropist. Ingrid loves her job at the library where she works her magic to help the townsfolk who struggle in their day-to-day lives, while also beginning a courtship with the local, mortal detective, Matt Noble. Everything is turned on its head when people start mysteriously dying, disappearing, and Bran’s brother, Killian, arrives. Freya and Killian have an instantaneous connection that causes her to begin an affair while Bran is away on business. It turns out that Bran is Loki and Killian is Balder, therefore, the end of the plot of the first book is the Beauchamp family prevening Loki from enacting Ragnorak as punishment for Freya choosing Balder. It ends on a happy note, Freya and Killian are engaged and these witches/warlocks now remember their past and are comfortable with their immortal lives on Earth. Until the first book ends with the cliffhanger of Freddie, Freya’s twin arriving, claiming that Killian is the reason he was imprisoned and the cause of their banishment to Earth.
Enter book two, The Serpent’s Kiss, Freya is torn between her true love with Killian and her love for her twin brother, Freddie. She spends the entire book trying to prove Freddie is wrong and Killian is not responsible for their banishment or his imprisonment. Essentially, she’s trying to figure out how Loki Balder really is. At the same time, some spirit is haunting Joanna and this leads them to time-travel back to 1692 Salem, which did not end well when they originally lived through it (Freya and Ingrid were hung as witches). Everything seems to have worked at as Freya prooves Killian’s innocence, but it is still a mystery as to what happened originally, and in addition, they are able to put the spirit connected to Joanna to rest. However, the book ends with Freya being pulled back and trapped in 1692 Salem.
Lastly, is book three, Winds of Salem, which is continuously alternating between four separate storylines: Freya in Salem 1692, Ingrid/Matt romance with Ingrid trying to free her sister, Freddie’s love life and complications with trying to figure out what really happened that caused them to be banished, and Joanna/Norm trying to free their daughter. The series ends with Joanna and Norm giving up their lives for their children, Ingrid and Matt living happily everafter–for as long as possible since he is mortal and she is not, Freddie defeating Odin in one final blow, and Freya resigning herself to a three-way romance between Bran and Killian.
The summary itself is extensive but necessary to understand my review. I am as torn about this trilogy as Freya is about her love for Loki and Balder. I love Norse mythology and I love anything having to do with witches/warlocks. I enjoyed the first book, and I enjoyed most of the second book, but the third book drove me crazy. I feel like Melissa de la Cruz chose to do too much with her series and it suffered because of it. There was too much reference to Salem Witch Trials and that storyline that I feel the Norse Immortal Gods storyline was not developed the way it should have been. I wish Cruz had not included a spirit harassing Joanna that leads them to 1692 Salem. That entire part of the story that caused Freya to be trapped in 1692 for all of book three was pointless. It split the focus of the author and the reader and I believe the only reason she included it was because she must be fascinated with that time period and wanted to focus on the climax of witchcraft and drama.
I also really dislike the ending of the entire series. I don’t like that the book literally ends with Freya admitting to loving both Bran/Loki and Killian/Balder, knowing someday she will have to choose between them, but refusing to do so at present. I feel that’s a copout and diminishes her feelings for Balder/Killian. They clearly are not soulmates if she cannot definitively pick him.
Other areas the author included that should have had more detail, and could have if she’d had a clearer focus, are: She brings Thor into the third book as “Troy” and Ingrid/Erda’s ex. Thor was in love with Erda, but Erda denied him because she knew his reputation. I would have loved to see this version of Thor expanded and have Troy’s character established more. Ultimately, we get Ingrid choosing the mortal Matt over the immortal Thor and Troy being Freddie’s travel buddy. Second, throughout the whole trilogy, Joanna has this plot with her maid’s son. She takes care of him when his mother is out of town, she saves him when he “dies” and all of it is meant to represent her missing her son, Freddie. However, when Freddie returns in book two, this mortal child turns into a nuisance character instead and I don’t understand his point. I also felt that Joanna was an insignificant character that drew away from the more interesting storylines of her children. In the show she had more depth, more spirit, and was connected to the more entertaining storylines; however, in the book she was boring.
Remember, I saw the show first. I enjoyed the show immensely and was very sad to hear it got canceled and there would not be a season three. However, the show was nothing like the books. For one, it was more focused on the Norse mythology connection and the witchcraft that was their form of magic on Midgard. It was more dramatic because the daughters could not remember who they were and it focused more on the idea that the daughters constantly die and are reborn, that is part of Joanna’s curse. Part of Freya’s curse is to find Killian/Balder in every lifetime and lose him in every life time. It was a heartbreaking star-cross lover storyline that I am not ashamed to admit, I was invested in. There was also an additional character of Wendy, Joanna’s sister. She was a goddess as well and her magical abilities were that she was an animagous of sorts. She could transform into a black cat, and had a necklace that provided nine lives. The necklace changed color with each of her death’s marking how many she had left. If it turned black it meant she was on her last life and when she died she would not return, but be trapped in the underworld. Unlike her sister and nieces, she was limited in her immortality. That was her punishment. Wendy brought much of the humor to the show and I enjoyed her character; therefore, I was very bummed to see she was not in the books. Lastly, the show juxtaposes the present storyline with flashbacks to the characters past lives fairly well. We only get enough to stay intriguied and see scenes related to whatever that current episode’s plot is about.
I was drawn to this show for its Charmed-similarities and its Norse Mythology references. I also enjoyed its drama and mystery. Naturally, I read the books because I wanted to see what it was like and hoped to find closure from the terrible cliffhanger the show has, but sadly, the books disappointed me. I found the writing fine, but the plot and characters boring, predictable, and underdeveloped. I thought the whole story reeked of potential unreached, which is really disappointing because I’ve never seen a series that blended mythology and witchcraft in that way before. I hope to find more stories that do and if not I think I will write one. I’m thinking of focusing on Greek Mythology and Witchcraft, since it is Greek Mythology I know best.
I was reading reviews and people seemed to love Melissa de la Cruz’s series and it was “received really well”–but I wonder, how many of her readers were people who loved her first series, Blue Blood–about vampires? I never read it because I don’t read vampire texts, so I came into Witches of East End not a fan of the author, but of the genre. I wonder if she is just better suited for vampire drama since it turns out she’s writing another vampire series as well. I fear the Witches of East End trilogy was Cruz’s attempt to try something other than vampires and realize her talents lie elsewhere. However, she is also the author of the children’s fairytale series, Descendants, which seems to be doing pretty well.
I enjoyed reading her texts, but I loved watching the show, and it did get me inspired again to write my modern fantasy. If you’re starting out, I suggest watching the show and ignoring the books. Unless you prefer reading a story where you’re introduced to so much, but left wanting so much more. Then again, fair warning, the show was cruelly canceled and we get a tragic cliffhanger that will never be fixed. I’m still upset about it and it’s been a year. I’m not sure if I’d put this show in the same level of love as Firefly, I will say that my heartbreak at the unfinished story and cancelation of the show, is at the same level. And that’s saying something.
Enter book two, The Serpent’s Kiss, Freya is torn between her true love with Killian and her love for her twin brother, Freddie. She spends the entire book trying to prove Freddie is wrong and Killian is not responsible for their banishment or his imprisonment. Essentially, she’s trying to figure out how Loki Balder really is. At the same time, some spirit is haunting Joanna and this leads them to time-travel back to 1692 Salem, which did not end well when they originally lived through it (Freya and Ingrid were hung as witches). Everything seems to have worked at as Freya prooves Killian’s innocence, but it is still a mystery as to what happened originally, and in addition, they are able to put the spirit connected to Joanna to rest. However, the book ends with Freya being pulled back and trapped in 1692 Salem.
Local folk dared not venture too close to her dwelling, for they believed that it was protected by enchanted spells and guarded by supernatural creatures. Despite her menacing reputation, the witch of East Rnd was not entirely heartless. There were rumors of her occasionally helping those in desperate need, but always at a steep price. She would ask for valuable possessions, undying loyalty, or even the souls of loved ones as payment for her assistance. Many deemed the witch's acts of kindness to be traps, cautioning others to beware her false promises. One fateful day, a courageous young adventurer named Marcus set out on a mission to defeat the witch and rid East Rnd of her wickedness. Armed with his sword and shield, Marcus ventured into the dark forest surrounding the witch's cottage. The journey was treacherous, but he was determined to bring justice to the land. As Marcus made his way through the labyrinth of trees, he encountered various obstacles and illusions created by the witch's magic. The path seemed to shift before his eyes, confusing and disorienting him. Nevertheless, Marcus pressed on, his heart filled with determination and his mind focused on his goal. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Marcus arrived at the witch's cottage. He could feel a surge of energy pulsating from within, warning him of the great power that lied inside. With a deep breath, he pushed open the creaky door and stepped into her lair. The witch, draped in a black cloak with piercing green eyes, met his gaze. Marcus could feel her spellbinding presence, but he resisted her attempts to manipulate his mind. He drew his sword, ready to engage in battle. For hours, the witch and Marcus fought fiercely. Spells were cast, swords clashed, and the air crackled with magic. It was a battle of wills and determination. In the end, Marcus managed to overpower the witch, delivering a fatal blow that lifted her dark enchantment from East Rnd. With the witch defeated, the land of East Rnd slowly began to heal from the years of darkness. The villagers rejoiced, their gratitude for Marcus's bravery boundless. He became a hero, forever remembered in the annals of East Rnd's history. And so, the witch of East Rnd, once feared and revered, became nothing but a distant memory. The land flourished, its inhabitants free from her wicked spells, and Marcus, the adventurer, continued his journey, ready to face new challenges wherever they may lie. As time passed, the tale of the witch of East Rnd grew into a legend, a cautionary tale for those who would dare to dabble in the dark arts. The name of the witch would forever be etched into the consciousness of the people, reminding them of the price of power and the triumph of courage over evil..
Reviews for "The Witch's Lair: Uncovering East Rnd's Haunted Hideout"
- John - 1 star
I was really disappointed with "The Witch of East End". The plot was all over the place and it was hard to keep track of what was happening. The characters were poorly developed and lacked depth, making it difficult to connect with any of them. I found the dialogue to be cliché and uninspiring. Overall, I felt like the story was weak and unengaging.
- Sarah - 2 stars
"The Witch of East End" had a promising concept, but it fell short for me. The pacing was incredibly slow and it took forever for anything interesting to happen. The writing style was also a bit convoluted, making it hard to follow along. I didn't feel invested in the characters and their motivations were unclear. While there were some intriguing elements, they weren't developed enough to make up for the overall lackluster story.
- Emma - 2 stars
I didn't enjoy "The Witch of East End" as much as I thought I would. The world-building was confusing and inconsistent. The magic system was poorly explained, leaving me with more questions than answers. The romance felt forced and lacked chemistry between the characters. The plot twists were predictable and the ending was unsatisfying. Overall, it was a forgettable read for me.