The Witches of Dark Root: Book One in The Daughters of Dark Root Series

I love fantasy/ supernatural books, the ones you can slip away from reality. This book grabbed my imagination and wouldn't let me put the book down until the end, only to want more! I enjoyed the characters and related to each; I can't wait to see what more they have in-store for us! I could tell the author really liked writing this book because of how much I enjoyed reading it!

The story was engaging until the sudden and unexpected rape scene in chapter six. It was long and graphic, and as far as I could tell, unnecessary to the story. The main character's magic doesn't save her from the rapists, but she is rescued by a stranger who drove back to her even though she had declined his offer of a ride. A dose of nasty reality, followed by total fantasy.

The Wtiches of Dark Root is an interesting book. It is overall well written but drags out quite a bit. The pace is too slow for me and the paranormal part of it is on the smaller side. You get little bits and peaces thrown your way every now and then but overall it focuses more on the sisters and her mother. There are some nice twists hidden that I did enjoy.

Maggie is interesting. She is true to herself and learns a lot in this book about herself and her family. She is fairly strong even though for a while she is somewhat clueless on what to do. Her sisters are very different from her so each contributes to this story in a different way. The adversary in this book is quite hidden which makes it an interesting read.

I've read April Aasheim's book "The Universe is a Very Big Place" and I was hoping for another book.
Although it's a different genre it didn't disappoint!!! It sucked me in right away and now I'm waiting impatiently for the sequel!! :D

I love the first book in the series of the sisters of Dark Root. April takes you into the lives of these girls and gives you a glimpse into the future of what they are going through as well as their lives as a child. I'm excited to read the second book and continue the series.

I really love April Aasheim's books. I'm not usually into family stories, but the Sisters of Dark Root series grabs the imagination and doesn't let go. I still think about the characters after I finished the book. I can't wait to see how everything turns out!

Kept me wanting to read more!

I wasn't sure this was an adult book as the somewhat cartoonish cover threw me off at first but once I got started reading it and got beyond the first few chapters, I was hooked. I didn't want to put it down! This is a wonderful story about three adult sisters who have magical abilities and each sister is as captivating and interesting as the next but it is also a very realistic tale about relationships, family, community, friends and lovers. There is great chemistry between the characters & you feel like you know some of them even though they are probably stranger than anyone you ever really knew. And, when it comes to the promise of love there are some triangles filled with great possibilities that keep you both guessing and hoping (which is just one of the reasons why I cannot wait for the sequel). It is about choices people make and consequences and the author writes in such an engaging manner using humor and levity and still manages to keep a thread of mystery going through-out that has you eager to turn the page and certainly, get her next book. I highly recommend reading this book.

I am not a fan of fantasy .. I like my novels entrenched in the real world and can't be doing with witches, wizards or vampires (Harry Potter excluded!) so while The Witches of Dark Root, which was recommend by a friend, intrigued me I did approach it with some trepidation, and for the first few chapters my resistance to all things Magick looked set to be proved correct. Yet once I overcame my prejudice about this kind of thing, I was reeled into the storyline and thoroughly enjoyed learning about the witchy sisters Merry, Maggie and Eve.

The story begins with Maggie at Wood Haven, a cultish religious community founded by her boyfriend Michael. Being completely non-religious my heart sank at this point as I thought this was going to be the focus of the book, and I was very relieved when I realised it wasn't! Maggie discovers that Michael is having an affair with another cult member, the poisonous Leah. Coincidentally a message has come from home that her mother is ill so, with the help of her friend Jason, she decides to leave Wood Haven and pay her family a visit - the first since she left several years earlier. (By the by, I thought Jason seemed rather sweet and was puzzled why Maggie didn't spend more time with him - they seemed perfect for each other!)

When she arrives home Maggie discovers that Dark Root, once a bustling town, has fallen on hard times, apparently because of the illness of her mother. Though she's delighted to be reunited with her sisters (and new found niece) after so many years, Maggie is adamant this is only a flying visit .... But when it's suggested that they organise the annual Halloween festival in an attempt to breathe new life into the town, she feels she has to stay, and when the sisters discover there's an ancient curse on their home they learn how to use their Magick for good and overcome demons and family mysteries.

I think what worked for me in this book is that it's not so much about witches and Magick as about family bonds and sisterly love - the Magick is just an element of their Iives rather than the focal point. In fact, despite being anti-fantasy I think I'd have liked to learn a bit more about the sisters' abilities and how they had first discovered them! I felt the characters of the sisters came through strongly - Maggie, Merry and Eve were all very different. And I loved June Bug, though their Aunt Dora, with her strange way of speaking, annoyed me. I also felt there were characters who needed further development - Leah, for example, is key to the main plot yet never came across very strongly and bows out like a damp squib. There were also some events that should have been a big shock or surprise that were just accepted without a second thought, which struck me as a bit strange, but overall I did enjoy this book and will definitely look out for the rest of the series.

I enjoyed Aprils book. Very entertaining and enjoyable read.