From Goodreads: If high school is all about social status, Indigo Blackwood has it made. Sure, her quirky mom owns an occult shop, and a nerd just won’t stop trying to be her friend, but Indie is a popular cheerleader with a football-star boyfriend and a social circle powerful enough to ruin everyone at school. Who wouldn’t want to be her? Then a guy dies right before her eyes. And the dusty old family Bible her mom is freakishly possessive of is stolen. But it’s when a frustratingly sexy stranger named Bishop enters Indie’s world that she learns her destiny involves a lot more than pom-poms and parties. If she doesn’t get the Bible back, every witch on the planet will die. And that’s seriously bad news for Indie, because according to Bishop, she’s a witch too. Suddenly forced into a centuries-old war between witches and sorcerers, Indie’s about to uncover the many dark truths about her life—and a future unlike any she ever imagined on top of the cheer pyramid.

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This was an interesting story filled with magic, murder, and mayhem; just what I like in my paranormal novels. However, the main character rubbed me the wrong way on many an occasion, which is unfortunate for me, as the novel is extremely well written. In my personal opinion, Indie is a less than likable, and my inability to connect with her made the novel a little less enjoyable for me. She begins as the token cheerleader who thinks she’s amazing and treats those less than “cool” like dirt, including her neighbor Paige, who she comes to rely on in many ways. Rarely is Indie sorry for the way she treats Paige, instead questioning why Paige isn’t elated that Indie is even talking to her, and I have a really hard time dealing with unlikable characters like this. While it is true that Indie slowly changes over the course of the novel, my initial impression stayed with me and we just never clicked. We are just too opposite.

Now, Bishop was an intense, fun character that I did connect with, and I enjoyed him immensely. He is swoon worthy and so aggravating, but my type of guy 100%. I felt the relationship between Indie and Bishop was a little too quickly developed, almost forced, if you will, but he does tend to being out the best in her as the story progresses, and I really liked that about not only the story itself, but also Bishop as well.

One aspect I have noticed in many YA novels lately is that many tend to have some big reveal or climax during a school dance. Hexed is no different in this aspect, but thankfully Krys adds some key elements that make her rendition stand apart from all the rest. I won’t say more because I don’t want to give it away, but this was definitely a plus that made it different from all the rest. In fact, the school dance was my favorite aspect of the novel as a whole. Magic plus papier-mâché just doesn’t bode well, and I just loved what Krys does in this scene.

Reader beware, this novel does end on a cliffhanger of sorts, and while I usually dislike them, this works. As there are a lot of unresolved conflicts in this first installment, the cliffhanger reminds readers that more is to come. Would I have like more resolution? Of course, doesn’t everyone? But the way this novel ends is sort of perfect, in my mind. Three stars.

I received this novel from the publisher, via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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