Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

High school senior Nadia Caldani is both the new girl in Captive-s Sound and a powerful novice witch. Her father moved what-s left of their family from Chicago to the depressed Rhode Island beach town after Nadia-s mother, who is also a witch, deserted them. A near-tragic car accident sets in motion Nadia-s relationship with the handsome but cursed Mateo Perez, and also alerts her witch sense that something strange lurks underneath Captive-s Sound. Enter Verlaine, another outsider who quickly becomes Nadia-s best friend, and Elizabeth Pike, an outwardly perfect girl who has her eye on Mateo. While Gray (the Evernight series) relies on a few too many paranormal clichés (two car-accident rescues, an overly broody star-crossed romance), she does a fine job of developing the good and evil witches around which her plot is built. The author-s intricate portrayal of witchcraft-including its theories, rules, spells, and history-raises this novel a notch above others in the genre, and Nadia is an appealing heroine as she juggles personal pain and looming supernatural disaster. Ages 13-up. Agent: Diana Fox, Fox Literary. (Mar.)

School Library Journal (Mon Jul 01 00:00:00 CDT 2013)

Gr 8 Up-In the small New England town of Captive's Sound, magic has deep, evil roots. Nadia, whose family has recently moved there after her mother left them, discovers this very quickly for she is a witch. Her mother departed before her training could be completed, and now it is up to her and her new friends, Mateo, a tortured boy whose family is cursed with telling the future, and Verlaine, a girl with a mysterious past, to figure out how to stop the magic from destroying their home. But doing so means battling a witch whose own roots in the town go further and deeper than they could have ever imagined. While Gray relies heavily on common tropes in paranormal romance, her story manages to rise above others in the genre with an intriguing history of witches and witchcraft. Though the plot stops and starts, the characters are sympathetic. The ending promises more battles to come, and fans will clamor to know what happens. Necia Blundy, formerly at Marlborough Public Library, MA

ALA Booklist (Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2012)

High-school seniors Nadia, Mateo, and Verlaine attempt to stop a centuries-old sorceress bent on unleashing the ultimate evil in the beleaguered town of Captive's Sound. Gray's latest offering will create a new addiction for her existing fans as well as those soon-to-be fans looking for magic and love in a contemporary setting. This series opener introduces likable characters engaged in a seemingly unwinnable battle, a sweet but complicated romance between two of those characters, and the right amount of backstory about the main characters (the three high-schoolers, plus villain Elizabeth) to hint at exciting possibilities for the future. Aside from her skillful handling of details, Gray also offers a unique take on spell casting, which allows her to create moments of prose poetry every time Nadia performs an incantation. There is a nifty twist at the end that will delight readers getting pumped for the next installment. This one won't stay on the shelf for long. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: The best-selling Evernight series shot Gray into the limelight; an author tour and heightened media outreach should help keep her there.

Kirkus Reviews

Three wounded but valiant protagonists confront a monstrous evil with human roots in this promising series opener. Nadia's mother's abrupt departure left her family bereft and her training in the Craft unfinished. In Captive's Sound, the New England village where Nadia moves with her dad and little brother to make a fresh start, evil has had 400 years to grow. Too late to avert the car crash that coincides with their arrival in town, Nadia's rescued by Mateo, the mysterious local boy whose prophetic dreams foretold the crash. His dreams arise from the ancient family curse that prompted his mother's suicide. Breaking a central rule of the Craft, Nadia confides in Verlaine, the odd social outcast who caught her working magic; a tentative friendship develops. With Mateo's family history well-known, his only friends were Elizabeth, a beautiful, longtime ally, and Gage, a new boy in town. Now a supernatural bond strengthens Nadia and Mateo's mutual attraction. Determined to lift the curse, Nadia's horrified by what she discovers—her antagonist could easily defeat a fully trained witch. Rooted in unswerving devotion, this evil was chosen. Yet knowing it didn't have to be this way only makes it scarier. Gray switches the third-person narrative viewpoint among four compelling characters, keeping readers glued to the page. This riveting tale will keep readers up late and clamoring for the next installment. (Paranormal romance. 12 & up)

Horn Book (Thu Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2013)

Teenage witch Nadia inherited power but has no teacher after her mother left. When Nadia's family moves to mysterious Captive's Sound, a Rhode Island town under a dark spell, she discovers only she can save her friend/love interest Mateo's family from an old curse. Despite the forced romance and some clichis, Gray's world-building and complex magical system will hook readers.