Review: White Witch (Coven #1) by Trish Milburn

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest and uninhibited opinion.

Goodreads Summary:

Witchcraft Is Her Family’s Business. No One Quits The Family And Lives To Tell About It.

“Jax” Pherson has power, enough power to know her future will end in service to the dark coven her father controls. Unless she can stay hidden in a small community in the mountains of North Carolina. She must find a way to live without magic and deny the darkness she feels welling up inside her—the same dark power that fuels the covens around the world. All she wants is a normal life. A boyfriend. Friends. Some place to belong, but all too soon Jax’s barely begun new life hangs in the balance when she discovers that the boy she’s attracted to is sworn to kill her kind. He’s a hunter with good reason to kill everything that goes bump in the night. Even the most fleeting use of her power is tantamount to signing her death warrant and will bring both hunter and coven down on her. But can she walk away when her friends are threatened by an old evil? Something created by the magic of witches? Jax’s only hope of survival is to convince the boy she loves to forget everything he’s ever been taught and help her find a way to fight the covens. To believe there is some good in her.

Publication Date: March 1, 2012

This book was the first witchcraft based YA novel I've read in a very long time. The last one I read approached the whole witch thing in a cheesy way which made me feel like I much rather have spent my time watching old episodes of Sabrina the Teenage Witch. With White Witch. I have to say that wasn't the case and I liked it more than I expected. It was suspenseful with a likable cast of characters.

What I Liked: The action in the book starts immediately since Jax is on the run from her evil coven. The first few chapters focus on her assimilation into a normal high school life, something I found interesting. Her friendship with Toni and new romance with Keller felt natural and didn't come across as forced or unrealistic. The final third of the novel is really what lifted this book from a three star to a four star book for me. When Egan was introduced, he instantly became my favorite character in the novel. It doesn't seem like him and Jax are going to have a romantic relationship, but his protectiveness over Toni was very sweet. Also, Jax's father made a terrific villain which I hope to see more of in the sequels.

What I Didn't Like: I have to say I'm not a super fan of the cover and I think it was one of the reasons I didn't expect to like the book. It has a little bit of a cheesy look and the figure reminded me too much of Storm from X-Men. Pop culture references don't usually bother me, but the ones in White Witch felt very dated, especially since the book came out a few months ago. A few examples: Scott Speedman, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly were all mentioned over the course of the novel. I would have also liked to see a little more back story on Keller and about his family's history of hunting.

Rating: Four out of five stars