Ever since the death of her parents in a tragic fire, Haven Wardwell has been followed with mysterious happenings and misfortune. After being kicked out of multiple schools for “incidents,” creepy Ipswich College near Salem, Massachusetts, is her last chance to find a place to belong, especially since her aunt/current guardian has made it very clear she has no interest in parenting a teenager. Haven’s new roommate offers her a chance to experience a typical college life, but when tragedies begin cropping up around her again, she fears that she actually is the monster previous schools claimed. Can Haven heal from her past and move on, or is she doomed to hurt everyone who tries to get close as strange powers are growing within her?
Hallowed Bones by Lucy Smoke is the first installment in her Sons of Salem series, and I found the plot to be split into two parts. The A Plot examines Haven’s trauma and desire to find connection while coming to terms with her father’s hidden past and her bloodline as a witch. The B Plot is the four young men who are descendants of the Salem Coven being instantly attracted to Haven (and vice versa), which results in a lot of teenage/young adult groping and posturing building up to a reverse harem scenario. How much readers enjoy the book depends on which plot they hoped for when picking it up.
The creepy school and ties to the Salem witch trials (Fun fact: I was born in Salem.) drew me to pick this novel on NetGalley, and I simply didn’t get enough of that aspect during my time reading Hallowed Bones. The book’s focus is definitely on building the hormonal tension between Haven and the four Sons of Salem – Ezra, Cameron, Lyall, and Reyes – and clarifying that the heroine won’t have to choose between them because as the first female witch born to the Salem bloodline in centuries, she’s expected to help save the coven. I should have paid more attention to the first category in the description being romance to realize that my expectations didn’t match what I was going to get. At least the twist in the final pages surprised me enough that I’d consider trying the next volume, just to get some answers.
Haven, the main character, frustrated me a little because she constantly fought against people trying to work for her best interest; however, eighteen-year-olds are not known for listening to others when they’ve made a decision (Been there, done that.), so her obstinacy made perfect sense. I didn’t finish the book with a strong sense of who Haven is, though. She clearly is traumatized by the death of her parents and carries a lot of guilt, and her powerful witch bloodline has been hidden from her, which is causing some dangerous side effects. Otherwise, Haven mostly read like a confused ball of hormones who couldn’t decide whether she should be frightened by four guys with dicey reputations being extremely focused on her or give into her instalust and jump their bones. Maybe she’s meant to be more of a cipher to allow readers to self-insert, but I prefer more fleshed-out protagonists.
Haven’s harem of male witches do get distinct personalities since they all have different abilities, but I’m still a little confused about Ezra’s and Cameron’s skills. Lyall is descended from a family with magical bonds to wolves and shapeshifts (but he’s definitely not a werewolf, y’all), and Reyes is a dreamwalker. Each of them fits a certain trope for masculine beauty and personality, so readers who enjoy reverse harems can easily choose a favorite. They also treat Haven as both desirable and precious, which can be a heady combination in romance. The boys are torn between needing to protect her and wanting to indulge in their passions.
Overall, Hallowed Bones didn’t work for me, but my expectations weren’t what Lucy Smoke intended to put onto paper. Rereading it as a romance with witchy elements might be more satisfying, and the final pages hooked me enough to wonder how the quintet can progress. Is Haven the Salem coven’s salvation or another test from the Goddess? Only further installments will tell!
3.5 Crows with Injured Wings out of 5
Creative Team: Lucy Smoke (author)
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press | St. Martin’s Griffin
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