The Gift (Witch & Wizard, #2)

by James Patterson

I might prefer The Gift over Witch & Wizard, but it's still not great. 

The biggest problem is that events and character development don't occur naturally, but are rather contrived out of nothing for the sake of plot. The main characters, Whit and Wisty, gain powers and abilities as and when needed, without any understandable or valid explanation, and soon they will probably be able to do anything under the sun. I usually don't mind The Chosen One trope, but I don't like when there's deus ex machina happenings. 

The characters are flat and static and the dialogue is unrealistic and cringy. Whit has a cardboard personality. Wisty is too trusting and gullible and I couldn't believe she would be that way after her experiences. Byron is the most interesting character in this series, but his potential is wasted. One good aspect: I started taking The One Who Is The One (also known as The One Who Needs A Better Title) a little more seriously, but he's still a stereotypical villain and I have no doubt that Whit and Wisty will be able to defeat him because he stays failing. 

This is also a series that doesn't need romance. There is a pairing that I like in theory, Byron and Wisty, but it's poorly executed because the one-sided love and its declarations come out of nowhere and even becomes that character's driving force. The other pairing, Whit and Janine, doesn't make sense. Whit is apparently madly in love with Celia so why in the world is he starting something with Janine. 

The Gift might not be a great book, but it's fast-paced and held my interest while I was reading. It wasn't a chore to read and that counts for something.