The Dark Witch....

There are a few words that demand attention, paranormal being one, love or romance being the other. When you have an author that brings both these two together with mastery, the reader in me finds itself in heaven.

Works by Nora Roberts has been one of my comfort reads for a long time. From the very first novel I picked up almost a decade back till the latest one which was gifted to me on my birthday; the words that come out of her pen has held my attention without fail. As a rule, I don’t review her novels. I believe when you review it should be unbiased. It should contain good, bad and ugly of the product. But since I love everything she writes, writing an unbiased review gets harder. So when I finished reading Dark Witch, I said to myself… No review this time. It’s time to write impressions. My impressions of the works by one of my favourite author. So here it goes…

There is a surefire way to get a successful fiction. There has to be an unquestionably lovable protagonist, much better if female. Then there is the threat. Sometimes it’s just a person usually with a hidden agenda to hurt, sometimes it’s more. Then comes to polar opposite of the protagonist. Handsome devil with deep-rooted troubles. The inevitable friction between both. Tension of all kind flaring up. Face offs and fights. Then comes the clichéd interaction, usually ending in locked lips. Enter the threat and push the newly budding romance into trouble. The big climax when threat is overcome by force usually. And then everyone lives happily ever after.

When it comes to Nora Roberts, you get to see all the above… and in most cases… three fold. Like the people she writes about in her novels… she believes three to be a magical number. So, most of her works are trilogies. There are some series also… 4 books but usually the pattern remains the same. A protagonist, a polar opposite, attraction, friction, threat and big face-off and triumph. Usually the trilogy features a big threat and three smaller. One for each of her heroines and one for all of them combined to fight against. For a normal author maintaining grip over the reader across three different lives becomes harder. To keep it all consistent is harder. But when it comes to Nora Roberts… she effortlessly manages to do the same work after work. I've adored a number of her trilogies and series. Devoured them in single seating at times. And still craved for more.

True to all the clichés and drama, this one delivers a power packed read. From the very first page, you find yourself being lured to the charm of the magical country that is Ireland. Sorcha and her battle with  Cabhan is as gripping as any fairytale might be. True to the fairytale the dark is banished and the white or the good triumphs. Or so we think. Sorcha is no more but her legacy is passed through to hers and theirs. And then fast forward to time and meet the three that will take on the final battle. These three are as varied as they can get. One is all vulnerability, one is all about control, and third is all about living it up. There’s love and care and family ties. Friends who are better or closer than family. There are ties to animals and magic to bind it all.

Of course, you will like it all only if you are open to accept a novel that is set in modern times but still believes in magic and astral projection and time jumps. If you are OK with the idea that there are things that can drag you in dreams and hurt you physically in reality. And of course you will like it only if you believe that love is the strongest magic of it all.