The witch’s curse by Keith McGowan

Illustrated by Yoko Tanaka
296 pgs.
Target audience: Ages 9 to 12
Rating: Wizard

Once upon a time a royal hunter and his knights ignored the warnings of  curses and sought game in an enchanted valley. After years of successful ventures the prince was cursed by Monique, a powerful witch, to remain in the valley forever tracking down and killing animals who were once children. In a small town not far away lives Sol and his sister Connie who recently escaped from Mrs. Holaderry, their neighbor and author of “The witch’s guide to cooking with children.”  The children’s only hope remains with their Aunt Heather who lives on the other side of the mountains. After leaving a note for their one friend, Gertrude, owner of the store “All Creatures, Big and Small,” they board a bus bound for their last remaining relative. When the bus breaks down, Sol and Connie wander and become lost in the forest located unfortunately for them in the famed enchanted valley. Gertrude has her magic cane back and is able to send a thrush into the valley to help guide the children to safety. However Monique is cunning and knows just how to lure lost children to her bespelled streams where the water will turn them into prey. Even though Sol and Connie become caught up in her web, begin the transformation and are separated, they use their talents and love for one another to change their fate. In addition to the main perspective of Sol and Connie there are passages telling the stories of Gertrude, the cursed hunter and the poor thrush who is desperate to complete his mission. This delicious fractured fairy tale will beguile younger kids with the spooky magic and adventure while the gothic undertone will appeal to tweens. Tanaka’s lovely soft brushed black and white illustrations are a perfect match for McGowan’s ghostly yarn. (Book provided for review by Children's Lit - www.childrenslit.com).

 

Sweep series by Cate Tiernan
Target audience: Young adult
Rating: Dragon

I recently discovered the awesome Sweep series by Cate Tiernan. There are 15 in all and I read through them at lightning speed. This is the story of young Morgan who discovers Wiccan culture while under the roof of her adoptive Catholic parents. The more she delves into it, the more she finds out her true heritage. She and her friends are drawn into the Wiccan world by the new hottie, Cal, at school. Of course jealousy and backstabbing common to high school are still present. But then you add in circles, blood witches, books of shadows and rituals and the drama gets even better. Each chapter begins with an excerpt from a book a shadows (BOS) so you have two stories overlaying each other. I just love that part. Each book features the BOS of someone related to a character in the main story, often an ancestor.

I often compare this series to an addictive TV show. Each installment leaves you dying for more. The second book is the one with the major cliffhanger at the end. I mean it literally ends right in the middle of a critical scene. I had not gotten the 3rd book on hold yet at the library when I finished the 2nd one and was almost ready to buy it at the store, but mercifully it came in for me the next day. All's right with the world. It's like that TV series 24, you cannot read them out of order. So, if you like high school drama and intrigued by Wiccan Culture, this is definitely for you.

Dragonswood by Janet Lee Carey
416 pgs.
Target audience: Young Adult
Rating: Dragon

This is an outstanding companion to Dragon's Keep although it can be enjoyed as a standalone book. The kingdom on Wilde Island, mourning its king and anxiously awaiting the return of the prince, is in the hands of the bloodthirsty and evil regent, Sackmoore. The fragile alliance between fairies, dragons and humans is strained. On one of the regent's witch hunts, Tess, who has the gift of firesight, is accused of witchery and is forced to flee with her two best friends, Poppy and Meg. They're offered shelter by a royal huntsman, Garth who is the younger prince in disguise. Tess soon discovers that her father is fey which explains her gift. The dragons play a larger role in the latter half of the story. The pace is slow at first but builds to an amazing climax keeping the reader riveted to the page. All the characters are fully drawn and come to life on the page.This is a must for epic fantasy lovers. There's romance, adventure, history, mythology and political intrigue all against a beautifully rendered medieval landscape. What more could you ask for?