My Initial Reaction...
I've been really curious about this series for a while, so when it was one of the books on the list for book club, I decided to give it a go. I really enjoyed the sisterly interactions in Sealed With A Curse, but I never really got that invested in the plot or characters. It was an okay, quick read.
The Narration...
Renée Chambliss was a B, B+ narrator for me. Her voices worked really well for the female characters and, generally speaking, really well for the male characters as well. There were a few moments where she gave the "villains" these really weird voices that I did not like at all. I think I would give her another shot to see if she's a better narrator with a book that I get into more.
The Characters...
The Wird Sisters worked for me as a group - when they were interacting as sisters, but I don't think I was crazy about them as individuals.They each had a very dominant, over-the-top quality and never really seemed like complete individuals. Sealed With A Curse is told from the point of view of Celia, the eldest Wird sister and she's a bit more complete than the others. I loved her magical ability - she's a Tigress, sort of - and I liked the way she was the super protective older sister. But that really loops back around to me liking her in her role as sister, not individual. She's not very experienced romantically because she's given up a lot to care for her sisters. This works as a trait, but it was pounded into me over and over.
Her other sisters were even less complete. Taran, the second eldest Wird sister, is loud, pushy, and resembles a powder keg. Emme Wird is sweet, timid and shy. Finally there's Shayna Wird who is basically your surfer girl - hyper, fun-loving, and calls everyone dude. Their magical abilities were also pretty great, but their personalities were just one-dimensional. As sisters, though, they worked. I loved seeing their interactions and the way the teased or looked after each other, whatever the case may be.
I also really didn't get into the male characters that were supposed to make me weak in the knees. Aric, the local sexy full-blooded Were was fine. He didn't get me all excited and he didn't bother me. He just was. Same thing with Mircea, the local vampire lord that Celia and her sisters are helping. His sexiness and the way his vampires dressed/behaved (girls in school uniforms, nurse outfits...) was just too in your face for me.
So the characters were like the book... ok.
The Story...
Like the characters, the story for Sealed With A Curse worked for me in some ways and really fell flat in others. I liked the magical world that Cecy Robson developed and I absolutely loved the unique magical characteristics of the Wird sisters - who get their powers not because they were born from magical parents or turned or something, but because they were part of a curse gone wrong. So they really don't have names for what they are. That was cool. And led to some pretty cool action sequences.
What didn't work was the mystery itself. Someone within the vampire community made a bid for power by infecting vampires with the blood lust virus (think current season of True Blood and the Hepatitis V). Mircea's vampires are the first being attacked and he calls on the Wird sisters for help. That in itself was fine. What blew was that I knew from the very first instance who was responsible. It was so incredibly obvious! I think Sealed With A Curse depends so much on stereotypes and one dimensional characteristics that picking out who done it was equally stereotypical. Oh well, I still enjoyed the action and the world.
Concluding Sentiments...
In the end, I did enjoy the sisterly elements, the world and the action in Sealed With A Curse. I probably won't be rushing to read the next book in the series anytime soon, but I'm glad I finally got a chance to see what's up with the Wird Sisters.
#COYER