RESIDUE by Laury Falter – Blog Tour, Review + Giveaway!

I’m very happy to be participating in the blog tour for Residue today! I found Laury’s book to be a tantalizing blend of romance, witchcraft and suspense. Look for my review below! And keep reading all the way to the end for your chance to win copies of Residue!

Book Info from Goodreads:
Kindle Edition, 300 pages
Published April 13th 2012
ISBN13: 9780985511067
Edition language: English
Original title: Residue
Series: Residue Series #1

Synopsis from Goodreads:

When Jocelyn Weatherford is whisked away from a preparatory academy in upstate New York to live with her extended family in New Orleans, she is unprepared to encounter the dangers awaiting her. Yet even as she is thrust into an unfamiliar world of witches and voodoo magic, the greatest threat of all may be the boy she has fallen for.

While handsome and charming, he is also a Caldwell… a member of the family the Weatherford’s have been feuding with for centuries. As their forbidden love grows it becomes the volatile spark that forever changes their world and everyone in it.

Find & Purchase Residue:

Goodreads * Amazon * Barnes &  Noble

My Review:

In a word: a romantic and charming tale of witchcraft, secrets, star-crossed lovers and family rivalries.

I could tell from the gorgeous and sultry cover of Residue that this story about witchcraft in New Orleans was going to be good, and it was. Falter has brought together an unusual mixture of storytelling elements that somehow work well together. Residue is the first in the series, and although there is some sense of closure at the end of the book, readers are going to want to get the next book as soon as possible, since the author leaves us hanging at the end.  This is one quick read that will keep you flipping pages, not only because of the suspense, but because of the slow brewing romance between the two main characters.

Sixteen-year-old Jocelyn Weatherford is attending school one day when an unexplainable scar appears on her arm out of nowhere. An astute school nurse brusquely informs her that she has fifteen minutes to go home, pack and get on a plain to New Orleans. Jocelyn is strangely accepting of this order and soon finds herself living a new life, in a quaint old New Orleans home with her Aunt Lizzie and her five cousins. Before long, she finds out that she is descended from a long line of witches, and she herself has latent powers that suddenly seem to be awakening. The scar on her arm was a warning that an old enemy is getting ready to attack, and Jocelyn must now attend “casting” classes with other witches and learn to harness her powers.

One day while shopping for school supplies, she meets an attractive boy named Jameson, who is also a witch. Their immediate attraction literally brings down the walls, but later they discover that they belong to two powerful witch families, the Weatherfords and the Caldwells, who have been at war with each other for hundreds of years, and they are forbidden to speak to each other, let alone start a relationship. But love has its own ideas, and when the two families find out some shocking truths about the magical judicial branch of witchcraft called The Sevens, they must decide whether to remain enemies or come together in order to protect themselves.

I loved the characters of Jocelyn and Jameson. Jocelyn is a rule-breaker who has perfected the art of sneaking out at night without getting caught. Jameson is determined to love Jocelyn even when his brothers and sisters are telling him to stay away from her. Their romance is sweet and innocent and perfect for YA readers. I liked the fact that this novel has an overall old fashioned feel to it. Falter’s writing is formal, and although the story is set in the present day (I’m assuming), there isn’t any of your typical teen slang or references to pop culture, which worked well with the subject matter. When the two discover that together they have a special ability to heal the sick, they go out of their way to visit hospitals and even brave the swamps to use this gift for good.

The tension in the story lies in a magical artifact that is given to Jocelyn, a rope of braided hair, that turns out to be extremely dangerous. There is also tension between the teen Weatherfords and Caldwells, and a great deal of the story describes the nasty and sometimes harmful spells they cast on each other as they embrace their family feud. Several family secrets are revealed that are painful for Jocelyn, and she must figure out a way to overcome the emotions these secrets evoke in her. Throughout it all is the mystical connection she feels with Jameson, and their Romeo and Juliet-like romance has its own tension. Will they be able to stay together, or will family history pull them apart?

A few awkward sentences here and there were a little distracting, but overall the writing was nicely done. And I did run across a couple of Twilight references, but I’m not sure if they were deliberately included, or simply a coincidence (a couple of scenes at school screamed Bella and Edward, and all of the Weatherford and Caldwell teens each have their own luxury sports car to zip around town in, just like the Cullens). But the author used some creative magical touches that I loved. For example, each family has their own specific gemstone that they carry with them or wear for protection. And Jocelyn’s ability to absorb residue was very cool, although I don’t want to tell you what it means and spoil the story!

This is a great start to an entertaining series, and luckily for us, the next three books are already available. Recommended for fans of YA paranormal romance that is light on violence but full of tension and that flippy feeling you get in your stomach when you’ve met the love of your life.

About the author:

Laury Falter is the author of the bestselling Guardian Trilogy. She writes young adult paranormal romances and urban fantasy when she’s not taking her stray dogs for a walk or enjoying a date night with her husband.

Laury has released two series, the Guardian Trilogy and the Residue Series (a spinoff of the Guardian Trilogy books), and is currently releasing her third series, the Apocalypse Chronicles.

To learn more about Laury and her novels, visit her at:

Website * Twitter * Facebook * Goodreads

Tour Schedule Link: http://atomrbookblogtours.com/2013/02/15/tour-residue-by-laury-falter/

Now for the giveaway! Laury is giving away (3) signed copies of Residue (U.S. only) and (8) e-books (International)! Simply click the Rafflecopter buttons below to enter the giveaway of your choice:

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