So I have mixed feelings about this book. It's only 200 pages which I honestly feel may be part of the problem. Sometimes this book felt like we were stuck on the first few chapters until the end, then everything felt rushed.

It was an easy read however, and knowing that this is the first book in a series I'd be open to reading the next book because I do feel that it has potential to be really good. I think there was just so much being set up in this first book that honestly it felt lackluster and could have brought more progress in the story and set more up later. We don't need to know or question everything right away, I'm happy to learn new things later that just adds to the fun.

I think the most telling thing about this book for me though was the fact it was 200 pages and it took me 3 days to read it. Not because I didn't have the time but because I really was just meh about the book. Not bad but not great. Hopefully the second book is better.

This book kind of took me all over the place. Soon after starting the book I began to wonder – is this book a spinoff? Did I miss another book that set up this series? I don’t think I was missing anything (after some investigation online), but it was still a little confusing to dive in with not much explanation. Once I got the hang of what was going on, though, the story did start to take shape.

Celestina is a girl who is missing a week’s worth of her memories. During that week, apparently a lot of stuff happened that is vital to who she is/has become. She was raised in an abusive household, first with a drunk mother, then with a physically abusive grandmother. Turns out, however, that her grandmother might not have been that bad (?) and that her mother was worse than she remembers (?). Still a little confused on those parts. Oh, and she’s got magical powers, and there are vampires, and demons, and … werewolves, I think?

Somewhere along the way, while we run from drama-filled reunion to the next, we get introduced to a troubled demon who is (of course) a hottie, a vampire with hurt feelings, an estranged and possibly murderous aunt, and a spunky new friend. There’s some other characters, but at some point I had to focus on only the important parts, which was a little difficult.

The larger story is about stopping the end of the world, because isn’t it always? Some preconceived notions are thrown out the window and Celestina ends up being pretty awesome in her own right. Not sure it sends the right message that all her abuse was helpful, but that’s where we end up. Needless to say, there are tons of questions I still have, most revolving around the love interest that never got answered. Lots of questions still surround Celestina and her powers, too. As a start, I am definitely left wanting more information.

18 year old Celestina was told that she would be given back her wiped week of memories if she was just an obedient child and did what her abusive grandmother insisted. Well, now that time has come and it was all lies. Celestina can't be given back her memories, memories that she supposedly begged to have removed since they dealt with the death of her mother, because black magic took them and can't be undone. Oh, and lets add in the fact that she aged 2 years in a week and is actually 16... There are a lot of secrets in Celestina's life, and she hoped her aunt can tell her the truth- the aunt that murdered her mother.

When I originally read the synopsis for this book I was really excited to read it because I am always on the prowl for new urban fantasy books to devour. But on that note, I was not at all into this book so this review will be short and to the point. The idea of a supernatural war was cool and the different species of paranormal creatures was interesting, but that is about it for positives. I was confused about a lot of things that were never explained and then I decided that I didn't really care anyway (what was the point in aging her 2 years???). I could not connect to the characters, things jumped around a LOT, and the plot was not engaging. I pushed through the story because I am not able to quit but I did not like the story or care one way another about what I read. That being said, I am sure that someone else may like this book, it was just not for me.

I received this title in return for my honest review.

I struggled with this book as it just didn't seem in a hurry to get started with the story and even when it did I just didn't really connect with anything that was happening to the main character, Celestina Sykes.

The story opens as Celestina, a young witch, is begging her grandmother, a rather evil character, to give her back some memories that were taken from her several year before. It appears that Celestina has had a pretty crummy life with this woman as her grandmother, her actual mother is dead and it seems that her aunt was the person responsible for killing her mother. It takes quite a while for the story to seem to be going somewhere when Celestina seeks out her aunt and starts to put the pieces together. I wasn't as good at putting the pieces together as I just wasn't sure in places what actually was going on as I felt like I was supposed to know things that I just didn't know about the characters.

I really found it difficult to get to the end but despite this, I did feel that with further editing this story may have had real potential. I was very keen to read this book and I hate having to give it two stars but it didn't work for me this time round. Other people may be more attached to Celestina and her adventures and that is the joy of everyone having their own view.

I enjoyed Bristow's take on the supernatural universe. Celestina is a very sassy character that has some major revelations when it comes to who is playing who. I enjoyed how she had to tear down walls and learn to trust people, but sometimes I felt she did not act in character in order to move the scenes along. There are a host of supernatural creatures we get to meet and there is some very intriguing fight scenes. I loved the teen drama mixed with the supernatural drama but it was more family related than boy related (although there is some crushing happening). I wish I had read the previous series as I think I would of understood some of the characters quicker. I believe it could be read just fine without the previous series though. I think it has some great potential and the ending left room for an exciting follow up book. I will be keeping my eye out for the next one in the series.

I couldn't finish this book, it was very jumbled and lacking information.

I found this story to be quite entertaining but didn't quite hit the mark with me. The characters were well-developed and the plot line good, but the pacing seemed a little slow. I received this digital book from NetGalley for an honest review.

A good, solid supernatural fantasy with a good storyline, strong characters and easy pace.
Celestina is an interesting young woman, if not slightly naive who finds herself in a predicament that she has to do something about, ending in a shocking revelation that really intrigued me and pushed me to look out for the next instalment just to see how this storyline progresses.
I think Justin's character could have been fleshed out a bit more though as I never really warmed to him and felt as if I should.
Well worth a read!

This is a paranormal series that has a witch trying to save the world from evil with the help of her aunt. Convinced by her "grandmother" that her aunt murdered her mother, Celestina Sykes has trust issues with everyone she encounters. Lured by evil and trying to maintain her human values is hard and every turn is dangerous and unexpected. This was an ok read, paranormal readers will probably devour it. I've never read Sydney Bristow before and I think there was some background for this book is some of her previous stories.

***ARC received in exchange of an honest opinion***

This book was a let down from the first page on. I was expecting something different, a more kickass heroine and for me Celestina was waaay too naïve.

In my opinion, this book needs some major polishing off. From the first scene it felt like the story had started somewhere else and I didn't get the memo. It starts with a dialogue that leaves the reader confused, because it starts too sudden. It needed, at least for me, some sort of introduction to the story.

From then on, it was something sudden after another. It was more than a fast pace and rushed. I guess some stories just tell themselves without needing an introduction, but this was not the case. It felt almost like the author was too anxious to write her ideas and the result felt unfinished.

It was hard to connect with the characters because of all that and it mostly bored me. It was a struggle for me to finish it, unfortunately.

Fabulous! Great world building, loving the characters, will be looking for more by this author!

Cannot send review as this book will not download. I have tried multiple times to download and continually get an error message. Others download fine.

I Love Love Loved this book so very much. I finished it in 2 days! I couldn't put it down. Great book!

This is my first book by Ms. Bristow and I picked it up because it sounded interesting, and it truly was interesting. The main character, Celestina, hadn’t had a very happy up-bringing and was a little messed up which made the book more unique that other books I’ve read recently. I liked how Celestina overcame many of those obstacles and became the person she did. I also found the other characters both intriguing and fascinating. I also enjoyed the premise/plot and hope to see more in the next book, with the great writing also holding my attention throughout. I have to admit I found this book a little darker than I expected. Not that I don’t like dark, but Celestina’s past was way darker than expected. I’m surprised at how she wasn’t more messed up than she was. I also was still a little confused at what had really happened with the grandmother in regards to Celestina’s mother at the end of the book; I really can’t say much as I don’t want to spoil the book. However, overall, I really did like it and am looking forward to more in the series. If you like NA/YA urban fantasy, you will like this book! Highly recommend! Thanks to NetGalley and City Owl Press for the e-book which I reviewed voluntarily. This exact review will be posted on both Amazon and Goodreads.

Salem’s Curse by Sydney Bristow is a really great young adult novel. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves young adult fantasy. Bristow as a truly amazing way of writing this unique story that makes you feel like you a right there in the middle of the story. I love books like that! The way she describes her characters is breathtaking. The characters are truly one of a kind making this a novel unlike any other I have read. The story has a exceptional plot that follows many ups and downs along the way. I cannot wait to read more in this series and author. **I received this book free in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.**