Old Magic

Marianne Curley / Paranormal Romance (?)

No one can fight fate alone

When Kate and Jarrod first lock eyes across the classroom, their connection is instantaneous. While everyone else shuns Jarrod as a freak, Kate's passionate belief in witchcraft helps her see him for what he truly is - someone with a powerful gift. She is fascinated by what he is capable of ... and undeniably attracted to him. When Jarrod's abilities appear to be linked to a centuries old curse, Kate is the only one who can help him. Together, they embark on a journey that transcends time and place, and discover a magic that will bind them together forever.
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This is the first review I've done where I didn't finish the book. I couldn't stomach it. I read reviews and heard that it got better towards the end but honestly, I couldn't force myself to keep reading after enduring half the book. Usually it's the story I have a hard time with but with this book, it was the characters that made me cringe. Words can't describe it. Jarrod is this spineless, weak, cynical character that spent the part of the book I read, denying the proof he had powers and being stupid about it. For someone who felt attracted to Kate, he spent alot of the time trying to keep away from her and thinking she was weird. When he was finally forced to acknowledge that maybe magic was playing a part of his life, he was all for exploring it but was sarcastic and doubtful throughout it. He was such a HUGE disappointment and I have to stress this very clearly - weak "heroes" are sooo unattractive. Can you imagine reading a book where the romantic interest is truly a coward? And then there's Kate. She's equally as annoying. I don't have the right words to describe her - she felt condescending and so caught up in "magic" and how she expected Jarrod to be, that she came across pushy and completely blind. Again, for someone who was attracted to Jarrod she spent alot of the time annoyed with him and his "spinelessness". The characters were just so irritating. As the title suggests, the book was about magic and that was another disappointment. Maybe I'm a snob (lol it is my name) but the magic spell Kate performed was gross and just plain stupid (I realize I've used that word a few times already) All these gross ingredients, dirt rubbing, water drinking craziness was just not what I would expect. It seemed old school (hahaha) and as though she should have put a wart on her nose and cackled while stirring vomit inducing animal parts in a cauldron. I expected power and got goats blood, fish liver and toad entrails instead. The only redeemable part of the book was that the author is Australian (have to support a fellow countryman) and it was exciting to see familiar slang being used. But Australian or not, I'm not sure when I'll pick the book back up to finish it, if ever.

Ratings: 1.5 stars