Up until chapter 13, I thought I would be giving my LibraryThing Early Reviewers win, Once We Were Witches by Laura Daleo, four stars. After all, it was good enough that I read more at a time than I should have until my eyestrain got so bad that I was forced to read only a page or two at a time, up to ten a day. Chapters 13 and 14 left me incensed.

Raven Sagestone is adopted. Her adoptive parents have not tried to hide that from her. They've showered her with love every since they found her as a newborn abandoned near the emergency entrance at the hospital where they worked. They gave her a birth certificate and her name. They don't realize that she's a witch who can't access her powers. Raven has intricate birthmarks on her arms that look as if they were tattoos. Personally, I would not have explained that they were birthmarks when people exclaim over them. People think Raven is weird.

Someone is murdering witches.

Notes:

Chapter 1: ( )

Synopsis: Who am I? Who are my real parents? Why can't I use my powers? These are all questions that plague Raven Sagestone and that lead her on a quest for their answers. On her journey she meets vampires, witches, a demon, and entities who can help her find the answers she seeks - if she can stay alive.

Review: Well fine...I enjoyed this book so much that I'm going to have to read the three books that came before. The storyline is interesting, but I wanted a more in-depth examination of the characters and the settings. I'm hoping that there will be a future book that brings all of the characters together and ties their storylines together. ( )