Customer Reviews

Parties & Potions (Magic In Manhattan)

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PARTIES AND POTIONS
SARAH MLYNOWSKI
Paranormal YA
Delacorte

Rating: 5 Enchantments

PARTIES AND POTIONS is a really fun, paranormal read. Its definitely one of my top favorites of the year. When her younger sister Miri wants to delve deeper into the witch world, Rachel's resistant. Sure, its one thing to be a witch, but to be one openly is quite another. But when Miri gets them invited to dinner with one of her new witch friends, Wendaline, off of MyWitchBook, Rachel finds herself exposed to a whole new witchy world.

I really enjoyed PARTIES AND POTIONS. Ms. Mlynowski creates a wonderfully unique paranormal world that's easy to enjoy even if you haven't read the other books in the series. I was pulled into the story right from the start. Rachel is a great character, stuck having to deal with her younger sister Miri's obsession with having a Samsorta, a debutante-like debut for witches in Romania. Now Rachel's forced into Samsorta lessons, in Arizona no less, plus there's a cute warlock, Adam, who might just make things even more complicated. Things would be so much easier if she could tell her mortal boyfriend Raf that she's a witch, but she can't bring herself to do that. What if that breaks them up? Besides, she's just not as outgoing with her witchy ways as her new friend, Wendaline. And things get even more complicated when Miri suddenly decides they have to tell their father about their witchy ways.

I loved Rachel struggling to deal with her witchy ways in a mortal world and then in comes her new friend Wendaline, who keeps announcing to everyone she's a witch--she's definitely a scenestealer! One of my favorite scenes is when Rachel and Miri go to their first Simsorta, the warlock's version of a Samsorta. The mix of humor and paranormal really made this a great read.

This is the first of the series I've read and I absolutely enjoyed PARTIES AND POTIONS. Can't wait to pick up the other books and see how Rachel got to this point. If you're looking for a fun, guaranteed to make you smile paranormal, PARTIES AND POTIONS is definitely the one to pick up.

Sarah Mlynowski's novels include the first three books in the Magic in Manhattan series. Like Rachel, Sarah lives in Manhattan. Unlike Rachel, Sarah has no magical powers . . . yet. Visit her anyway at www.sarahm.com [...].

Lisa
Enchanting Reviews
December 2008

All of the "Magic in Manhattan" books are laugh out loud funny. They're clever and sweet and I keep thinking about them long after I've closed the book. I wish there were more!

Sarah Mlynowski's PARTIES & POTIONS is an adorable read--one of the best in the Magic in Manhattan series!

I really enjoyed this book in the series. I dont want to ruin the plot but I think it's even better than before with everything that happened. I hope there will be another book in the series to tie up everything together.

In the fourth book of the Magic in Manhattan series, Rachel and her sister, Miri, learn more about what all comes with being a witch. Miri meets a friend online, Wendaline, and Wendaline tell the girls about a Samsorta, which is a debutante ball for witches. Miri is more than happy to take classes to get ready for the Samsorta. That means she'll be able to make friends in the witching world. Rachel is less than thrilled. Anything that interrupts time that she could be spending with the love of her life, Raf, is something that is not a priority. But, when Rachel sees how much it means to Miri to participate in the Samsorta, she agrees.

Not only does Rachel have that going on, but Wendaline is starting classes at her high school. And, Wendaline is definitely not afraid to use magic in front of others or even tell them that she's a witch. That of course gets Cassandra's, the meanest girl in school, attention. So, to help out Wendaline, Rachel tries to find ways to make her fit in better and hopefully get Cassandra off of Wendaline's back.

Rachel is also having to deal with all the Samsorta classes and having to come up with excuses to tell her dad and her boyfriend, Raf, why she and Miri have to leave early or for periods of time. It would be so much easier if she could tell them what's going on, wouldn't it? With all this going on, how is a girl suppose to have fun with all the fun, world wide parties that the other witches in class through?

I have loved the Magic in Manhattan series since the first book, Bras and Broomsticks, and this book is no different. This whole series is fun to read and there's a lot of humor through out. Ms. Mlynowski knows how to delight readers with mixing something supernatural with problems that every teen is sure to encounter. All of Sarah's books are sure to delight. If you haven't read this series, I suggest you pick it up and try it out.

reposted: http://writersblockreviews.blogspot.com

Stir together the silliness of Bewitched and the hijinks of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, add the sassiness of a modern-day New Yorker and a sprinkling of sibling rivalry, and you've got a magical series called Magic in Manhattan.

High school sophomore Rachel thinks her life is pretty average - until she learns that her mother is a witch! Her little sister Miri got her powers in the first book, Bras & Broomsticks, which made Rachel more than a little jealous. After watching her mom and sis bond over spells, Rachel finally got her own powers at the very end of the second book, Frogs & French Kisses. In the third book, Spells & Sleeping Bags, she learned that magic isn't as easy as it looks.

In Parties & Potions, the fourth book in the series, Rachel and Miri find out that witches have a "debutante-slash-bat-mitzvah-slash-quinceañera witch party thing" called a Samsorta on an island off of Romania on Halloween. (Warlocks do too, only their coming-of-age event is called Simsorta instead, and it can take place anywhere in the world.) Miri really wants to take part, and her mom lets her - as long as Rachel does it as well.

Meanwhile, a witch named Wendaline enrolls as a freshman at Rachel's high school. Though she tells Wendaline to tone down the witchiness at school, Rachel begins to socialize with other witches and warlocks on the weekend, thanks to Samsorta classes (and Miri's newest obsession: a networking website called MyWitchbook). She worries about her future with Raf, her "norlock" (no magic, normal human) boyfriend who doesn't know she's a witch, and she begins to wonder if it would be better to date a warlock, like cute, friendly Adam.

While learning the witchy language of Brixta and trying new spells that don't always succeed, Rachel is still the fun-loving, good-natured character fans of the Magic in Manhattan series have come to know and love. When it comes to supernatural comedies, Sarah Mlynowski has the magic touch.

This is a great fourth book to a wonderful series. For all teen fiction readers it's a must have!!!! In this fourth book Rachel needs to choose to tell the truth to her nonmagical family and friends or to keep secrets that could ultimatly change the way others see her, including Raf.

Though I personaly believe this book is the best reading the other three really do help you understand what's goiong on ;)
Bras & Broomsticks (Magic In Manhattan)
Frogs & French Kisses (Magic In Manhattan)
Spells & Sleeping Bags (Magic In Manhattan)

I have read Sarah's adult novels, but I had never read any of YA books. I just discovered this series and was worried that I would be completely lost since this is the 4th book in the series.

First off, kudos to Mlynowski for writing a series book that is easily readable without having had to read the previous books.

In Parties and Potions, we find Rachel and Miri - they are sisters and have just recently discovered their powers. While Rachel is happy to live in the "normal/mortal" world, Miri is intent on discovering and exploring her "magical" side. Miri hears about a Samsorta - parties that are for witches and warlocks and talkis Rachel into attending. But wait! as Rachel parties it up, for the sake of her sister of course, she meets Adam. This becomes a real problem as Rachel feels attracted to Adam - but refuses to acknowledge it - after all, she is perfectly happy with her "mortal" boyfriend Raf who knows nothing of Rachel's special powers!

This book reminded me of a YA chick lit set in the world of magic and potions. I loved the humor and the down to earth writing and I loved the triangle romance that Rachel finds herself in. I also really liked the apparent conflict in which Rachel finds herself for much of the time - not sure which world she should be in, which world she belongs in. This sounds suspiciously like "real life" to me - with a little more magic and potions thrown into the mix.

I definitely thought this book was wonderful and a fun read. I am planning on reading the previous 3 books in the series as soon as possible.

This series is one of my absolute favorite young adult stories. This 30-something gal just had way too much fun reading about Rachel & Miri's misadventures. Look out Harry Potter! I can't wait for the next one!!!!

Rachel's ready to start off her sophomore year of high school with a bang! Now that she's gotten her powers, and learned to semi control them, there's nothing holding her back from having the best year ever. Except there is one little hindrance, she has to keep her witch life and her "normal" life separated and the task is proving to be a lot harder then she thought.

First there is her Samsorta, which is pretty much a debutante ball for witches. Miri (her sister) and she have to take classes and learn that there are tons more teen witches out there. Rachel soon meets up with Adam, whose cute, funny, and a witch, but there's also Raf- adorable, sweet, and doesn't know Rachel's secret.

Then there is Wendalin - Miri's new witch friend who just started high school and doesn't understand why she can't let everyone know that she's a witch. Rachel kind of takes her under her wing and tries to change her into a more "normal" teenager.

And finally she has to deal with the fact that her dad still doesn't know that her and Miri are witches, and she's terrified to tell him.
Even though she's a witch and it takes nothing to hop on over to Paris or to change the color of her shirt, Rachel still has many issues that can't be solved with the snap of her fingers.

This whole series is seriously cute! The books always pick up right where the last left off with nothing missing. That said though, the story can definitely hold its own and it would be just as enjoyable read if no other book in the series had been read. Rachel kind of retells her past adventures throughout the story in a way that sparks your memory if it has been a while since you read the previous books, or will catch you up if you haven't read any of the other books.

One of the best parts of the book for me was the creativity of the plot. In all the types of fantasy realistic books I've read, I've never come across anything with a plot even remotely similar to this series and I feel that in Parties and Potions, Sarah Mlynowski's creativity is exemplified more then it ever has been before. Having a witch debutante ball and popping to Arizona to attend Samsorta classes at a witch community center! I felt like the book was something out of my wildest dreams! It was truly a blast to read this book.

The characters were fairly well developed. There were some times when I got frustrated because Rachel would act the same way in a multitude of different situations. When this happened the book dragged a little, but then it quickly picked up again and was great. I also really enjoyed the author's writing style. She made it really easy to see through Rachel's eyes and I felt like I was walking down the hallway with her or zapping off to Paris and standing on top of the Eifel tower.

Overall I really enjoyed the book and think it was a great addition to a fun series. It's a great book for all that provides a great adventure and some fun magic. I absolutely can't wait for more from Sarah Mlynowski and urge you all to pick up this book, or at least one of the books in the series!