Book Review and GIVEAWAY: Broom with a View, ends 1/11

Broom with a View, by Gayla Twist and Ted Naifeh.

It was no use; try though she might, magic never obeyed Miss Popplewell's wishes the way she intended. Most children born to the Craft assumed that the world was their dollhouse, to be rearranged at their whim. But harnessing the unseen forces of the world was a tricky business full of hidden complications and unseen traps. And although almost an adult, Violet still struggled to bend the magical world to her will. 

I have previously reviewed two books by Gayla Twist, in the Vanderlind Castle series: Call of the Vampire and Heart of the Vampire. I will say that I enjoyed those a little more than this novel, Broom with a View, but the voices in both are hard to compare; the Vanderlind books made me laugh out loud more than once, but Broom is written in almost an old-fashioned tone. Regardless, however, Broom stands on its own merits, and is worth a read.

Official synopsis:
Can a good Witch and a brooding Vampire find true love? Especially when the whole world is against them?

The threat of war between Witches and Vampires means England may no longer be safe for a young Witch. Hence, Miss Violet Popplewell is sent abroad under the watchful eye of her great-aunt Vera. Without so much as a bon voyage party, Violet finds herself a visitor to the city-state of X, a mysterious place where magic is used openly and Witches and Vampires live together in harmony. Or at least, they try to get along. Violet’s aunt is shocked to discover that there are Vampires staying at their pensione and alarmed to note that one of the undead is a rather handsome young man.

An outburst of hostilities in X thrusts Violet into the young Vampire’s arms. And, much to her dismay, she realizes she may have accidentally bewitched him with a love charm. Are the emotions that the Vampire feels true passion or just a slip of the wand?
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Violet is a Crafter - aka, a witch - and has been sent away to the city of X while the witch-vampire war rages on in England. It's there that she meets Cyril, a human who asks for her hand in marriage, as well as Sebastian, a handsome vampire that is drawn to her.

I think my favorite character in this novel is actually Violet's aunt, Vera, because she was always so concerned about doing the proper thing at the proper time, which made for some hilarious situations. She warns Violet that humans have some sort of compulsion when they ask for marriage three times, and after Cyril asks three times Violet realizes this is somewhat true.

This novel also had some Harry Potter-type elements in it, as Violet is only sixteen and sometimes hopelessly bad at magic; she reminded me of Ron Weasley in that way.

The book ended a little abruptly so I'm hoping that this is the start of a new series, but if not, Broom is still worth reading as a stand-alone novel.

3.5 stars out of 5.

*Disclosure: I received an e-copy of this novel from the author for reviewing purposes. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own.

GIVEAWAY:

I have one paperback copy of this novel for a lucky reader to win, courtesy of the author.

Enter via the Rafflecopter form below. Contest will end on Saturday, January 11th, and winner will be notified on January 12th, and have 24 hours to respond, or an alternate winner will be chosen. U.S. & Canada residents only, please. Book will be mailed by the author, so please allow a few weeks for delivery.

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway