Hexed    by Michelle Krys Order:  USA  Can Delacorte, 2015 (2014) Hardcover, Softcover, CD, e-Book     Reviewed by Ricki Marking-Camuto For those looking for a YA paranormal with witchcraft, Michelle Krys's Hexed puts a new spin on familiar tropes. The protagonist, Indigo Blackwood, is one of the most popular girls in her LA high school, despite the fact that her mom owns an occult shop, The Black Cat. Her best friend is the captain of their cheerleading squad and her boyfriend is the hottest football player. Indigo spends what little time she has at home avoiding Paige, her nerdy next door neighbor. Everything changes, though, the day she agrees to drive Paige to a violin lesson on her way to work at her mom's shop. A block away from The Black Cat, a guy jumps off a building right in front of their car. The next day, two detectives come to interrogate Indie and Paige at school, wiping their minds afterwards. Later that night, The Black Cat is robbed of a valuable family Bible and a mysterious guy in leather starts following Indie. Pretty soon, Indie is caught up in a deadly war between witches and sorcerers, and her life is changed forever. Krys uses a few tried and true plot points – a young witch coming into her powers, a teen learning who her true friends are – but throws in others that are unexpected. While one of those would give away too much of the plot if I mentioned it, the one I liked best was how Indie knew she was being mean to those who were not as popular as she was. YA protagonists either seem to be the kids whose lives are basically perfect and just filled with popular problems, or the regular kids trying to avoid the popular ones. I like how Krys roughly used the first scenario but made her heroine like one of the kids from the second. However, this does not diminish Indie's appeal one bit. Hexed definitely has some surprising twists and turns, making it a fun and witchy read. I cannot wait to see what Michelle Krys has in store next for Indie and her friends. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Teens books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews