This was a little too YA for my tastes, but that held true for Spells Trouble too. I picked it up to see if I could get a bit more personally into it, but it still didn't quite hit the mark for me (though I saw it's potential!). I will say this is an excellent sequel - the characters are better developed, and the writing is getting better, but still feels a bit disjointed. I think I'd lean towards recommending this towards a YA audience - I kept losing patience with the characters, even though I absolutely see people really enjoying the world and story.

Omen Bites picks up where Spells Trouble left off.Marcy and Hunter are still struggling with the death of their mother but the town is in danger and the ancient trees are still damaged. But with everything that is going on and has happened the girls' relationship is strained. I really enjoyed the first but I was really excited to get the chance to read this book! I liked that I was able to get to know the characters more in this book! With the dual point of views and more character building I really felt like I could relate to the characters this time around! The world building is just as beautiful as the first time around! I am really looking forward to see what the next book brings us!

I loved the first one and this one did not disappoint!
Now Mercy and Hunter are kind of at odds with one another at this point, their mother was murdered by a demon in the first book. This book picks up right where the last one ended. Because the girls are at odds with one another they are separated and this pulls more on their relationship than ever before. I love the aspect of this book, I love that the twin sisters are stuck trying to find their own identity that's not influenced or the same as the other twin and that's really neat! I also enjoyed the splash of romance thrown in the mix because it added to the story and while I wasn't specifically rooting for any particular pair to ship together. Now, let's talk about the drama. I understand that this is a Young Adult fiction book but the drama can entice even an adult to the story to find out what happens!
Let's talk about how amazing that Epilogue is! I am seriously waiting on the edge of my seat for book three!
This is definitely a series that I would love to read again because it's just that good!! I would personally like to thank Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this one!

Great for readers who are just getting into reading paranormal books! This one particularly felt a little too YA for me with one-dimensional characters. Unfortunately that’s not my cup of tea…

On the plus side, it was a quick read.

This was such a great sequel to Spells Trouble! I love the relationship and the difficulties they face between the sisters and the NEW relationships that are built between others. So so so good!! Lots of action and dark twists in this one that I just devoured! Can not wait until book 3 is out because this definitely left me hanging by a thread!!

Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Omen Bites picks up where Spells Trouble left off. Hunter is broken hearted after betraying her chosen God and devoting herself to a Goddess. Mercy is dealing with new heartbreak and still trying to heal the sick gates throughout Goodeville. Both sisters are still wrapped in grief from the recent death of their mother, and the stress and strife begins to tear the twins apart. Will Hunter be able to keep up with the appetite of her Goddess, and will Mercy be able to heal the gates?

This book was far better than the first novel. The girls were better developed and felt like they were each people, whereas in the first book it was like the author didn't want to fully commit to their singular development which made it hard for me to relate to either of them. Mercy has vastly improved in this novel in terms of her selfishness, but she apparently passed it on to Hunter. I was fully invested in what was happening with Hunter and her Goddess, but it just fell a little flat that someone going through such mental strain wouldn't break down vs staying so damn stubborn. Mercy was a wonderful character this go round who I really found myself rooting for. My biggest gripe about this book(and honestly the House of Night books as well) is how the men are portrayed throughout. The author paints a decent male in Mercy's life in the beginning of Spell Trouble (sure, he's hormonal and seeks approval, but a villain it doth not make) and twists them into this absolute asshole. Much like they did to Erik & Loren in House of Night, the males in these books could be an expression of the mistrust the authors have in men bled onto paper. It becomes quite a turn off for this reader as even guys who do bad things deserve a redemption story.

Overall, 4 stars and interest in book three for sure. I recommend this for fans of the House of Night series or those 16+ as the first novel has some sexual content.

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an early review copy of this work!

Synopsis :

The sequel to Spells Trouble finds Mercy and Hunter at each other’s throat. As the rift between the sisters widens they decide to go their separate ways, but danger lurks at every turn and you always have to be careful who you trust.

Thoughts:

It’s no secret, I really didn’t like the first book in this series but I thought the story had potential. I will say, this second instalment has a lot of the same issues I had with the first one, primarily being the writing feeling clumsy and disjointed, but I did enjoy this book a lot more. I found there to be a lot more distinction between Hunter and Mercy’s voices which made it easier to remember who’s chapter I was in if I put the book down, and I thought Hunter gained a lot of emotional maturity through this book. Overall I thought It was okay. And if you liked the first book I can see you loving this one!

This is the second book in the Sisters of Salem series. I did not read the first book so it took a little bit to figure out the characters and what was going on.

This was a struggle for me. I wasn’t that interested in the story and even went back and looked at the first novel. The book has too many characters. The teen language/slang and angst is annoying. (Which could be due to my job as a middle school teacher). I would not continue on and read the next installment in this series.

...Something wicked this way comes...

I am infatuated with this series about the Sisters of Salem. This was yet another amazing story by these talented authors. I dove into this head first because I was ecstatic that I received an eARC as well as a physical copy.

Mercy and Hunter are reeling from the death of their mother as we begin with Omens Bite. It seems that the town is still in trouble, the ancient trees that protect the town and act as portals to other worlds are still damaged and so the sisters have to find a way to mend what is broken. There is a lot of tension between the pair of them and very early on in the book, they split up, which then damages the sister's relationship and begins to feel like it can never repair.

I loved that this book was given to use from dual POV which allows for the reader to experience each of their emotions and feelings in every situation. It became hard for me to read because if these two sisters would just communicate, all of these feelings could have been mended. But obviously, some things are easier said than done. Their relationship changes and the reader gets to step into their shoes to experience how they feel with all these changes happening in Omens Bite. I won't lie, I wanted to reach into the pages and knock some sense into the twins because communication is such a key component in keeping a relationship strong. But overall, I loved the growth of these two characters as the story progresses.

The world-building remains the same as the first book, which was always so beautifully detailed and unique to the story. But we are introduced to the Egyptian Land of the Dead from Mercy's POV, which was different from what book one showcased. I loved seeing the potential romance begin to bloom with a particular portal guardian and cannot wait to see what book 3 has in store for us. I will be eagerly waiting to read more about Mercy and Hunter and what their future holds.

I highly recommend readers of all ages to pick up the Sisters of Salem series and enjoy the witchcraft and story the authors have created.

A special shout out to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the ARCs for this masterpiece!

Omen’s Bite is the second book in this series which I didn’t realize when I started it. With that being said, I didn’t have too much trouble understanding what was happening.
While I really enjoy these authors, I found this book just ok. The writing is great, even though it’s definitely a little too much for me at times. It’s definitely one that I think many will love and I am definitely going to pick up book three to see how it all ends up- it definitely left us with a cliffhanger!

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review.

I give this book a solid 3.5 rating. I really enjoyed it on the whole and I just love P. C. Cast and Kristin Cast. When I started this one it was hard to put down because I genuinely was invested in the characters and storyline...I needed to know what happened next! My main issue with Omens Bite is the amount and ridiculousness of the "self-talk" some of the characters had. If it was written more as an inner monologue type of situation it would not have been such an issue. Having a character speak aloud to themselves so much distracted from the story.

This is the second novel in this series. I didn’t read the first novel so it took a hot minute to understand the characters and what exactly was going on. This means that if you want this story to flow you need to read the first novel. Otherwise you’ll feel like you’ve started in the middle of a story.

Saying that, I ended up liking the characters Hunter and Mercy. They were well written and complex characters. I loved the cat as well. Any story that has familiars in it automatically gets my stamp of approval.

This story was filled with a misunderstanding trope and miscommunication. I believe if the sisters were able to sit down and talk then none of the things that happened in this novel would have happened. But then we wouldn’t have had a book to read.

The plot was a little witchy cliched. Twins who love each other end up at each other’s throats after the death of a parent. One twin stays good while the each turns bad. The bad one does something inconceivable and then realizes the error in her path. The good one ends up doing something bad that makes her need the help of the bad one to get her out of. Book three will have them happy as clams after they battle the evil goddesses.

Received this as an ARC from netgalley.

Omens Bite is the second book in the “Sisters Of Salem” series and it follows Mercy and Hunter, two twin sisters and witches who guard the five gates to mythological underworlds. This book picks up where book one ended and the relationship between the sisters is more strained than it ever was. They are being separated for the first time in their life and it creates many conflicts that they will have to fix and get through.

First of all, this book had a very interesting plot and every single witchy book has a plus point from me because it’s something I love to read about. I also thought that the magical aspect was well thought out and presented nicely to us readers. But, what irked me the most about Omen’s Bite and the first book too is the dialogue. Some of it was super cringey and the amount of “Sheesh” was waayyy to much for me. I get that the authors probably wanted to make these teenagers more realistic but phrases like that are never something I like to encounter when I read a book.

When it comes to the romance part I was also not a big fan. Khenti and Mercy have zero chemistry and I wanted to skip those parts. Jax and his love interest were super rushed too. To conclude the romantic relationships are a mess and I don’t like them. I blame the dialogue on this too.

Everything else was fine and this is a super fast paced read. The epilogue was fantastic and it was the best part of this book for sure. I could read short chapter like that one for days and not get bored. It was very well done! In the end I enjoyed reading this and I’m interested in reading the third book and seeing how things are gonna play out for Hunter and Mercy!

When I received this Bork as an ARC, I didn’t realize it was the second book. Needless to say, I had to get the first book and read in order. I’m so glad I did. The Sisters of Salem are now on my TBR series list. I will
Anxiously awaiting Book #3 — hello cliffhanger!
I NEED a Xena in my life!

This was a very immersive read! It was impossible to put down once I started. I gave this 4/5 stars because it was fast paced and easy to devour. My only complaint was at times Mercy and Hunter felt like they were too close in personality and I forgot who I was reading about. I deeply enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone in need of a fantasy that will grab you by the hand and take you deep into its own world.

Omens Bite: Sisters of Salem Kindle Edition

by P. C. Cast (Author), Kristin Cast  (Author)

Thank to P.C. Cast, Kristin Cast, the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced reviewer's copy. I am choosing to leave a fair and honest review.
The mother/daughter writing team hits another one out of the park with this dark, twisting tale of family tension, magic and teenage-hood.
This is the second in the Sisters of Salem series. I have not had the pleasure of reading the first book, Spells Trouble, but luckily, the Casts have created a sequel that can be read along or any order. They cleverly explained the backstory in perfect tiny slices.
Hunter and Mercy, the Goode Twins, are recovering from the lost of their mother, Abigail, from the previous book. Abigail gave her life to protect one of the gates to the Underworld (the Afterlife). Now the girls must protect the remaining four gates and attempt to heal them. All the while, they must make their way through high school and all the hell that entails. This includes ex-boyfriends and mean girls.
The twins and all the teenagers are authentic in the way they speak, the way they dress and the way they treat each other. And yet, not one is a stereotype. All of the side-characters are fascinating, from the rabidly Evangelical Christian mother to the wonderful Cat Person, Xena.
The story and plot move at a clipped pace, never letting the reader catch their breath as we race from one problem to another.
The powerhouse mother/daughter writing team have really crafted a magnificent story, characters and plot while paying respecting the magical traditions they have drawn on – traditional Wicca with a splash of hereditary magical system.
Wonderfully done and an unputdownable book.

Please be advised this book releases on April 5, 2022.
5 stars out of 5

https://www.amazon.com/Omens-Bite-P-C-Cast-ebook/dp/B092T8KQM6

Omens Bite is the second book in the Sisters of Salem trilogy, with the first book titled Spells Trouble. This book could be read as a standalone, but I really, really don't recommend it. You will miss too much nuance.

This is the first book by this mother-daughter duo that I haven't loved. I liked it, but had no trouble putting it down.

I normally really enjoy reading P.C. Cast/Kristin Cast books. I am no where near their target audience, but that has never stopped me from enjoying the heck out of their books. Their first series, the House of Night books, had a great deal of non-Christian religious practices in them and there were engaging discussions and descriptions of those religions. The Sisters of Salem also feature several religions, but the excessive descriptive detail of each spell bored me to tears. I either put the book down or skipped pages and pages to get to the next plot point. There are also pages and pages of very realistic teenage narcissism and angst, which I hated reading so I tried to skim or skip those pages. It was still painful to read.

During the very last few chapters, this book becomes much more engaging, the pace of the story finally picks up, and there are some actual life or death stakes for the sisters. We also get to see much more of how the Egyptian afterlife works, finally.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books and NetGalley for sending me this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

A teen fantasy with too many characters, teen angst and no depth. Not my cup of tea. Other readers may enjoy this series.

Thanks to NetGalley i got to read this book early and it was fantastic. 10/10 would recommend. It was a great sequel to the previous book Spells Trouble and left me on the edge of my seat waiting for answers. Was a pretty quick read and I loved revisiting characters from the prior book. Cannot wait for the next installment.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I enjoyed this second book in the series. It had action and also invoked strong emotions. I loved how the story unfolds and there was the edge that I had to know what happens next and I could not put the book down. I can’t wait to see what happens in book 3… I haven’t touched a book by PC Cast and Kristin Cast I haven’t loved yet.