When My Heart Was Wicked by Tricia Stirling

Title: When My Heart Was Wicked
Author: Tricia Stirling
Length: 192 pages
Publisher: Scholastic
Classification: Young Adult, Magic, Witches
Release Date: February 24, 2015
Source: e-galley via Edelweiss (Thank you Scholastic!)
Read: February 2015

"I used to be one of those girls. The kind who loved to deliver bad news. When I colored my hair, I imagined it seeping into my scalp, black dye pooling into my veins.
But that was the old Lacy. Now, when I cast spells, they are always for good."
16-year-old Lacy believes that magic and science can work side by side. She's a botanist who knows how to harness the healing power of plants. So when her father dies, Lacy tries to stay with her step-mother in Chico, where her magic is good and healing. She fears the darkness that her real mother, Cheyenne, brings out, stripping away everything that is light and kind.
Yet Cheyenne never stays away for long. Beautiful, bewitching, unstable Cheyenne who will stop at nothing, not even black magic, to keep control of her daughter's heart. She forces Lacy to accompany her to Sacramento, and before long, the "old" Lacy starts to resurface.
But when Lacy survives a traumatic encounter, she finds herself faced with a choice. Will she use her powers to exact revenge and spiral into the darkness forever? Or will she find the strength to embrace the light?

GoodReads || Amazon || Barnes & Noble || Books-a-Million

***I received an e-galley of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review***

This was definitely a story that is different from other books that I have read. I didn't fall in love with the story, but I do think that it was interesting and unique. 

I like the author's writing style, it held my interest for the entirety of the story. It was a really quick read for me with good pacing. 

And there were parts of the story that really surprised me, and I didn't really see the ending coming.

Lacy believes in magic, both the light and the dark. She has seen glimpses of what each side can do. Not long after the death of her father, Lacy's mother shows back up in her life. Cheyenne wants Lacy to leave her step-mom and come back to Sacramento to live with her once again. Lacy reluctantly leaves her life behind to once again live with the mother that she fears. Living with Cheyenne brings back memories from Lacy's old life and how she used to be. The darkness starts to return and Lacy struggles to figure out which Lacy, she really is. 

I feel that the story really focuses on Lacy's personal struggles and inner demons. She is trying to battle what she thinks is inside of her. She is scared about the darkness that she feels when she is with her mother and what that all means about her and her identity. She is trying so hard to figure out who she is and what her life will be now that she is back to living with her mom.

I also like that the story focuses on the Mother-Daughter relationship between Cheyenne and Lacy. It definitely isn't a perfect one, and these characters have a lot to go go through in regards of the past and how that will shape their future together. As well as, the tension that Lacy feels towards her mother due to the dark magic.

The magic components of the story were fascinating and different. It did keep me interested in finding out what was going to happen next.

I really liked that Lacy was really into science and botany. I also really like that she is smart. I really felt like there was a lot of character development for Lacy in this story. Like I said before, she has so much that she is dealing with and it relates to her figuring out who she is. 

I also really like the friendships that Lacy forms at her new school. These friendships felt real to me and really help her discover things about herself.

My Recommendation:

I didn't fall in love with the story or the characters, but I did find this book to be interesting and unique. I was interested in finding out what would happen in the end. This story is different from books that I usually read. If you enjoy reading books where the main character struggles with their own identity, then you may enough reading this story. The magical elements are fascinating. 

I enjoyed reading this book, but not one that I will find myself reading again. 

My Rating: