Secret Legacy (The Windhaven Witches #1) | Review

September 13, 2020

Secret Legacy (The Windhaven Witches #1)
by Carissa Andrews
Publication date: September 8th 2020
Genre: Urban Fantasy Suspense, Paranormal Academy
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Nestled in the woods of Windhaven, Blackwood Manor waits to unleash a dark and deadly legacy…
When Autumn Blackwood shows up at Windhaven Academy for the Witching Stick Orientation, she hopes to find out what dormant powers she could possibly possess to have been accepted to the elite supernatural school. Instead, the academy is in chaos as everyone frantically hunts for two missing girls.
But as school begins with Autumn no closer to figuring out her powers, strange occurrences start to follow her everywhere. Even at home, Blackwood Manor keeps many secrets, and Autumn can’t escape its haunting past.
New friends urge her to learn more about her family’s history in order to unlock her powers and make sense of what’s happening at Blackwood Manor, but Autumn’s not so sure. Once an accident brings Autumn face-to-face with death, however, she realizes her gifts are tied to a legacy that can either save or doom them all…

As you can read, the synopsis promises mystery and magic, set in a paranormal school… But although the story start with the main character, Autumn Blackwood, receiving an acceptance letter from the Windhaven Academy magical school she didn't even apply to; it’s not until almost the middle of the book that she actually goes to the Academy.

This story has a lot of potential: family secrets, magic, supernatural kids, unknow powers, some kids missing… so why did I feel like nothing happens in the first 30% of the book? Well, something happened in that part: Wade. I really didn’t buy that insta-loved, it was kinda forced —they didn’t know each other that much and she was thinking about leave everything for him?—, but also I have to say that I didn’t hate it at the end, it was better developed later in the book.

It took too long for anything to really happen, but when the action took place and the mystery appeared, it was better… a LOT better. I really liked the mystery, and I really LOVED how it unfolded. More than once I was like “wtf”. Unexpected.

I can say I was really surprised with the revelation of the mystery surrounding Autumn’s past and I had no clue about what her power could be. There were a few things more that were unexpected, but spoiler! So, not saying a word. I’m usually complaining about things being predictable, so this was great!

Yeah, the plot was great. But the characters? Not the main character —Autumn was acceptable—, the other ones, the side characters… I had this feeling like they were only there for Autumn’s benefit, they only had an appearance when needed.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book. The story it’s slow in action as this is the first book in a series and, as all the first books, it served as an introduction to this magic world. I can’t wait to read the next book, Soul Legacy (The Windhaven Witches #2).

"An author emerges from the depths of Minnesotan waters. Sci-fi/Fantasy is my pen of choice."
Carissa Andrews is an internationally bestselling author from central Minnesota who writes a combination of science fiction, fantasy, paranormal romance, supernatural thriller, and dystopia. Her plans for 2020 include launching the paranormal\supernatural thriller series: The Windhaven Witches.
She keeps sane by chilling with her husband and five kids, playing with art in its various forms, seeking out mysteries, and being an occasional meditation and reiki badass.
You can learn more about Carissa and her upcoming books by visiting her website: www.carissaandrews.com

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