Review: Crushed by K.C. Blake (The Witch-Game #1)

Title: Crushed by K. C. Blake
Published: July 13, 2011 by Smashwords and Amazon
Source: Provided by the author for review
Grade rate: B-

Each year they play a secret game: Crushed. The girls pick their targets carefully and blow enchanted dust into the boy’s faces, charming them, but this year Kristen makes a grave mistake. She chooses the wrong boy and almost dies that same day. Coincidence? Maybe.

But something isn’t quite right about Zach Bevian. He doesn’t behave like a boy who’s been Crushed. He goes from hot to cold, from looking at her with contempt to asking her out on a date. She doesn’t know what to think. Does he hate her or is he truly falling for her? Is he trying to kill her, or is he trying to save her?

My Review

‘Crushed’ is a fast read that has an original premise based on a game played by three teenage witches.  Is an interesting take in the world of witches and wizards. There are no wands, but instead there use their power and spells.

The characters were well developed, even if they seem to come across as very volatile and immature at the beginning.  Kristen is a complex character that undergoes an incredible transformation, at the beginning she acts the way Zach assume she is: the typical spoiled, popular, overachiever; but he soon discovers that you cannot judge a book by its cover (don’t we know that!)  The Noah sisters are triplets, but opposite in every way.  Kristen is the responsible one, Brittany is the explosive one, and Cindy is the peacemaker that mediates between her sisters.  I was a little taken aback by the dynamics between the sisters (that’s all I’m saying since I don’t want to give anything away.)  It was also weird that the over-controlling (and often absent) father left three teenagers unsupervised.   I loved Zach, although I don’t know if I could be as forgiving as he was. I also liked Grandma Noah quite a bit.

The plot was good, if a little predictable.  The scenes with Zach and Kristen were enlightening and very sweet.  Ms. Blake’s writing was easy to read and light.  I found it a little weird and unbending they way that witches (or wizards) lost their power, it didn’t make sense to me. 

Overall ‘Crushed’ is a quick and interesting read and I am looking forward to get to know the Noah sisters a little better.  Thank you to Ms. Blake for providing me with a copy of ‘Crushed’ for my review.

About the cover:  The cover shows Kristen (blond, red lips) wearing a witches’ hat.  I like the cover, although I don’t care for the block font.  The small print under the author’s name says: “Beware. Games can be Deadly”