House of Ivy & Sorrow

by Natalie Whipple

Transparent author Natalie Whipple is back with another refreshing blend of realistic romance and light-hearted humor with a one-of-a-kind paranormal touch. Fans of Charmed, Kiersten White's Paranormalcy trilogy, and Maggie Stiefvater's The Raven Boys won't want to miss this spellbinding contemporary tale of magic, first love, and high-stakes danger.

Jo Hemlock is not your typical witch. Outside the walls of her grandmother's ivy-covered house, she's kept her magical life completely separate from her life in high school. But when the Curse that killed her mother resurfaces, it threatens to destroy not only her life but her grandmother's too—and keeping her secret may no longer be an option.

• ISBN10: 0062120182
• ISBN13: 9780062120182
• Publish Date: 15 April 2014
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Imprint: Collins
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 368
• Language: English

Reviews

[jesstheaudiobookworm]

4★ Audiobook⎮House of Ivy & Sorrow and I started out on the wrong foot, but eventually became good friends. The rocky start was mainly due to the fact that I was expecting something very different from this story, something deeper and darker. In reality, House of Ivy & Sorrow was much more flowery than it’s synopsis and [beautiful] cover initially lead me to believe.

I was in the mood for something witchy and didn’t yet feel like sitting through 30 hours of Discovery of Witches, so I started House of Ivy & Sorrow, despite the mixed reviews. I also knew that it was narrated by Brittany Pressley, a solid narrator, in my eyes. What I wasn’t expecting was how incredibly (and almost painfully) YA parts of it would be.

Don’t get me wrong, I love YA, but House of Ivy & Sorrow is on the lower end of the YA maturity scale. It reads like Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, but with magic thrown in. From my point of view, the characters and relationships were far too trope-ish for the plot. We’re talking basic, run-of-the-mill character stuff, which is a real shame because the plot itself deserved so much better.

The matrilineal magical families and succubi-type villains kept me listening, despite the writing only being so-so. The back stories of these families were particularly intriguing and I wish they had been even further elaborated upon. By the 40% point, I thought I could probably finish the story and by the 50% point, I knew I had to finish it.

The ending was a bit anti-climactic, but I’m still glad I decided to finish it. The further I got into it, the more I begin to appreciate the way the story was turning out, despite not being as engrossing as I had originally hoped. However, the lack of complexity made the story extremely easy to follow without becoming confused. Since most stories of this nature are part of a series, House of Ivy & Sorrow was a relatively quick and self-contained novel. It’s perfect for someone who enjoys tales of witches, but doesn’t care for anything especially dark. With that said, there were some not-quite-gripping (but almost) moments that propelled the story forward. If you go into this with the right mentality and knowing what to expect, House of Ivy & Sorrow is perfectly enjoyable.

Narration review: Brittany Pressley, whom also narrated Kiera Cass’ The Selection series, provided beautiful narration for House of Ivy & Sorrow. Her vocal distinction has always been admirable, but what really brought these characters to life was the amount of emotion Pressley infused into her performance. Such an emotion-filled reading kept my attention and encouraged me to keep listening, even when the story lulled. ♣︎

[celinenyx]

I love witches, and House of Ivy & Sorrow did a great job of satisfying my magic cravings. Jo comes from a long family of witches. Some witches get killed by some mysterious Curse - a spell that kills witches slowly and gruesomely. Jo's mom was killed in this way as well. And now the person that Cursed her mom is coming after Jo and her Grandmother too...

Age-wise House of Ivy & Sorrow does feel like a young YA book, especially at the beginning. The main characters are around seventeen, and at first I felt like they behaved rather like fourteen year olds. Throughout the story this impression faded, and there was plenty of darkness to keep me interested. Quite a few people have complained about the lack of depth and gloom. I really enjoyed the way a light, almost chick-lit like romance was incorporated into the story. House of Ivy & Sorrow is kind of like Sweet Valley High set in a small town with magic. The magic system relies on sacrifice in exchange for spells, sometimes a hair, eye sight - or bigger sacrific like finger-nails or limbs. It completely gross to read about someone voluntarily ripping their finger-nail out to create a spell, but some part of me also completely loved that.

[Nessa Luna]

Read this review, and many more on my blog October Tune!

Josephine Hemlock and her grandmother have lived in peace for almost ten years now. Ten years since the Curse took Jo's mother. But now, the curse is back, bringing more and more danger with it, and not just threatening Jo and her grandmother, but Jo's friends as well. Together with the Crafts, the Hemlocks must find out who's behind this curse, and how to stop it. But that won't be easy.

First of all, I loved the magic in this story. It wasn't like Harry Potter's 'wave your wand and say a spell' magic, but a bit more darker magic. Some spells needed offerings, like one of your nails (a complete nail, not just a clipping, ew, I felt so grossed out when I read that scene), a piece of your skin, or even a tooth. I liked that (though it was also gross), and I have to say I might even like this magic above HP's magic (sorry). The thing with this kind of magic, is that in my opinion it lacked some action. No awesome light shows every time someone used a spell, no epic battles, just some girls standing above a cauldron making spell potions.

I also loved Jo's friends; Kat and Gwen. I would have loved to have two friends like that when I was in school, that would have probably made my time at school a lot better. They were shoulders to cry on, they were loyal, loving, they would have probably died to save Jo, and vice versa. I wasn't such a fan or Maggie, to be honest, I thought she was very hyperactive and annoying; no wonder her mum and aunt left her with the Hemlock's for a while. She just didn't know when to leave people alone (there was one point where Winn and Jo were having a 'moment' in the car, and all of a sudden Maggie was there staring at them through the car window, creepy much?) and when to shut up.

As for the boys, first of all there's Winn. After a while, I started to think something was up with that guy. I wasn't the only one, because Jo had felt it too, and I was a bit shocked and both happy when I found out I was right. I won't go into much detail of course, because spoilers, but yeah he isn't what he seems. And Levi, ugh Levi. Actually he reminded me a bit of Morpheus from Splintered/Unhinged. I wanted so slap him at some points in the book, especially after a particular scene in the hospital. Of course, he has had a traumatic life so we'll all have to forgive him for being an asshole, right? Nope. Not me.

I would have liked Jo more if she hadn't been pining for Winn all the time. I mean, you're a witch, you are hunted by a Curse, why are you worrying about your boyfriend all the time, when you should be worrying about your friends being nearly MURDERED because someone wants your house. Oh well, and then there was the hint of a possible love triangle, after which I felt like throwing the book across the room.

Furthermore, I thought the book was very fast paced, something that was good at some points, and a little less good near the end. There were only about ten pages left, and still nothing had happened to that Curse thing, I was starting to feel anxious that the book would have an open ending, and then everything started to feel very very rushed. I liked the writing, which is probably one of the reasons I got through it so fast. Maybe also because the book just felt right. This sounds a bit weird, but I prefered reading this book over the other book I was reading at the same time, because this book just felt a lot nicer when I was holding it. It's a very flexible book, like Divergent (and they also have the same font, which I just noticed), which made it easier to open it and let it lie opened on the same page.

In the end, I liked House of Ivy and Sorrow for the nice magic that it had, but I would have liked the ending to be a bit longer/less rushed. I do recommend this book if you want a nice story about magic and love, but if you want a dark story about witches, I recommend you find another book to read.

[KitsuneBae]

This review first appeared on Thoughts and Pens.

I think I should take a break from reading ARCs. I swear that this is the nth ARC I’ve given a less than 3 star rating this year. And it makes me feel guilty because most of the ARCs that I’ve reviewed are debut novels. It’s like I am the Grinch, hellbent on crushing the dreams of new authors. >,

Though the House of Ivy & Sorrow was a pretty decent read, the calculator side of my personality wouldn’t just give in. There are so many reasons for me to enjoy this book but things were just off. I was bored the whole time I was reading it. Halfway through the book, I was merely skimming… feeling distant and uncaring.

I really tried my best to like the characters but I just couldn’t. It seems that there’s an invisible force blocking me from connecting with them. Josephine, our protagonist, isn’t a bad character but the thing is, she isn’t remarkable either. And towards the end of the story, I was feeling contemptuous about her. She rose to power in an implausible manner that has my eyeballs almost popping out from their sockets. Throughout the story, I haven’t “seen” the girl practicing spells or doing admirable feats of magic on her own and suddenly, there she is concocting a brand new, extremely complicated potion to save her friends and family from getting Curse (The name of the curse that has plague and killed witches for centuries and was proven to be incurable until Josephine’s potion). I bet my arm and leg that even Albus Dumbledore or let’s just say, Hermione Granger, couldn’t achieve such deed without experimenting first. Very convenient, eh?
Even the other characters exuded an aura of “meh.” Winn, Gwen, Kat, Joseph, Nana Dorothea, Levi…the whole lot of them. Le sigh. And the villains (renowned for their cruelty; and for defeating other powerful and seasoned witches) were just so lame that they were easily defeated by 6 witches in which 4 of them are a bunch of amateurs. Seriously???

Things could have still been saved if the relationships of the characters have just been developed wonderfully. But alas, it wasn’t. First, we have the friendship between Jo, Gwen, and Kat. That could have been outstanding, with girl power and all that. Second, we have a romance between Jo and Winn. Sure, it didn’t become overbearing but the thing is, I can hardly feel any spark between the two. And third, we have a father-daughter relationship that felt forced and rushed. Gaaaaah!
The plot of House of Ivy & Sorrow was simplistic, hence, my boredom. I mean, admit it or not, witches are already overused nowadays and authors should try harder to make stories about them interesting. I know it’s unfair but if you grew up reading Harry Potter books, you’re bound to make your standards higher. Another sigh.

I don’t despise House of Ivy & Sorrow for there are still some things about it that made my inner sorcerer happy. I adore the magical system created by Natalie Whipple. It wasn’t really new but it was realistic. It ought to remind us again that magic is not without its price. :D Additionally, the author was able to paint some scenes that are truly gross that turned the insides of my stomach into a knot.

Summing it up, House of Ivy & Sorrow is a fast paced read perfect for those readers who are just starting to know the world of witches. There’s a good chance that others might enjoy this more than I did. Well, that is if they’re able to let go of their nit-pickiness.

Thanks to Harper Collins for the ARC.

[kimbacaffeinate]

Caffeinated Aspects:
• From the first paragraph, I was drawn into the story, and it rippled with possibilities. The premise is quite good from the Shadow elements to the witches. I loved the enchanted house and land. I was intrigued by the curse and the Hemlock history.
• Josephine Hemlock is a likable character. She was clever and smart with her craft. Her Nana was fierce and at times humorous with her love of pudding.
• The history of the witches was interesting, and I liked Whipple’s take on them. I found myself all excited by the possibilities that lay before us.
• We meet characters whose intentions we are unsure of. There is Winn; the boy Jo is crushing on and Levi, the dark boy who claims he wants to help Jo. There is no love triangle, and the romance was a nice, light and awkward (along the lines of a first crush).
• The spells and magic were fantastic and oddly weird. I loved their house, the attic wards and the spells they conjured. They travel through magic doors and had old enchanted books.
Decaffeinated Aspects:
• House of Ivy & Sorrow had the potential to be dark and intense. The opening paragraph made me tingle and the elements were exciting but instead it stayed very Disney. I would have liked a darker, intense and suspenseful tone to the story. The elements were all there but skimmed over like it had been dubbed for a PG audience. Not that I want to be grossed out or terrified, but you cannot be happy and joking when removing a fingernail. Seriously? No.
• Josephine was clever, but her behavior was along the lines of a 12 year old and not the junior she is supposed to be. Her friends were the same way. A little too giddy and boy crazy even in the midst of danger. Some of her thoughts regarding Winn and Levi had my eyes rolling in the back of my head.
• We don’t really get to know many of the secondary characters beyond their interactions.
• There are animal sacrifices..crows, frog eyes, spiders and the like. If this upsets you, this may not be the book for you.
• We build towards this climax and poof it’s over. I felt cheated.
• The tale was cute making it perfect for a MG audience but I fear its tone will disappoint those who enjoy the YA genre. Where was the Gothic vibe, the darkness and the depth?
Copy received from publisher in exchange for unbiased review that originally published @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer