The Gleaning, Spellspinners Series #2 by Heidi R. Kling

The Gleaning, Spellspinners Series #2 (The Spellspinners of Melas County)

There's not much I can say about this book.  The entire book is reminding us that Warlocks are dark, Witches are light.  Something must be done to save magic.  Like the first it offers us a choose your own adventure style of reading.  If you just read through with your choices then the book is quite short.

Like the first book, it's not a complete story.  The twist is very predictable.  The final battle, well, it feels like it was cut in half thanks to the twist - ending the book right when something is finally happening.  Obviously if you want to get a complete story with this series you need to get all ten books (I think it is ten) at once and just read through.  While the story does seem like it can be good,  I'm done with the series.  It leaves me feeling incomplete.   As though I am just reading teasers for what might someday 8 books in really show off how good the story can be.  I don't like being strung along with the promise of you'll get a real adventure later if just keep reading, and that is what this is.  Sadly.

* Disclaimer: I received this book at no cost in order to review it. I offered no guarantee of a positive review, though I only request books I think I'll like because why read a book you think you’ll hate?

Witch's Brew, Spellspinners Series 1 by Heidi R. Kling

Witch's Brew, Spellspinners Series #1 (The Spellspinners of Melas County)

Summary:  Magic is in trouble.  The witches all notice it.  They're off.  The curse is catching up with them.  The warlocks know a different version.  One girl and one boy could save them all, even if they are natural born enemies.

I have a couple of issues with this book - 

- some of the dialogue just doesn't flow well.

- the flowery names, it's part of the whole witchy thing but there's not enough character development to distinguish the girls as it is, add in similarly themed names and I found myself thinking "wait is that the sister or the best friend" once or twice.

- it's a cliffhanger without any sense of a completed adventure here (you're buying this book as a stepping stone to the real action)

- the inevitable love triangle didn't feel at all warranted.  It existed for no reason.

Now for the good:

- the story of the witches and warlocks is a good one, with some edits it could be great

  Neutral:

The choose your own adventure style book.  On the one hand it's charming, lets you feel you're affecting the story, nostalgic for those books in your childhood.  On the other hand it doesn't add much to the book and simply distracts you from how short and unfinished this book feels.

Onto the next as I do want to see what happens, but if something doesn't pick up drastically there, I'll be bumping the priority way down on this series, if not ditching it.

* Disclaimer: I received this book at no cost in order to review it. I offered no guarantee of a positive review, though I only request books I think I'll like because why read a book you think you’ll hate?

Witch Child

Witch Child by Celia Rees

Witch Child is historical fiction done the way it should be done, the way that makes some people wonder if it's fiction at all. The book starts off by letting us know that the pages of a diary have been found, stitched in between the fabric of an old quilt. That diary belonged to a young girl named Mary. Mary's story is a sad one, raised by her grandmother during the 1600s. She had no idea who either her mother or father were. When her grandmother was accused of a being and consequently hanged, Mary knew that she'd likely follow. That is until a mysterious woman yanks her off of the street, saving her, offering her passage aboard a ship sailing to America. America, a land where people could be free to be who they wanted to be, free from silly baseless persecutions -- in theory.

Mary's new "family" is a group of Puritans who were also afraid they'd not accepted for religious reasons. They too felt America was a safe place. They, however, would not accept a witch. Mary knows this. She knows she must hide her family history. To fit in, to have a home, she will. She'll change her last name, she'll go with an invented back story. She'll play down her knowledge of things that could be seen as witchy.

This is the 1600s though. A pregnancy goes wrong? There must be a witch who cursed the mother. An animal is acting out of the ordinary? A witch is nearby! You don't like someone? Call them a witch! Poverty, desperation, religious fanaticism, and just flat out cruelty caused people to abuse that one accusatory word "WITCH" to the point that anyone and everyone was in danger of losing their life. Mary knew that she especially was at risk. If anyone figured out her history, she'd surely be accused. If they realized she had "the sight", she'd be accused. Even Puritan girls are boy crazy, they see Mary as a threat, what if they decide to accuse her publicly of something?

Still, despite all of the fears, Mary has made a friend or two. Her life isn't easy in their little town, but it is a life she can handle. Then one day the signs and accusations get out of hand and Mary's life is on the line. She writes about it furiously, stuffing as much information as she can into the quilt lining, wanting to be sure she leaves a written record of her final days at the Puritan camp. But will she get out alive or not?



If only the author had ended this book just a little sooner, it might have been perfect. There is sequel: Sorceress (which I have not read and at this point have no plans to read). Generally when there is a character that you care about, you want more more more. There should be no loose ends. This, however, is a rare exception. I feel like there are a lot of aspects of Mary that should be a mystery. Were she real (and I have no doubts there have been many a Mary throughout the course of history) she'd have disappeared from the face of the planet) her story would not have been told at all, finding the diary would have been a lucky find, filling in the missing details would surely never happen. I won't spoil it, but I am sure that anyone who reads this book can guess where I'd end it.

Overall an excellent book, written in diary format, about life in the 1600s. About how "words have power". About how sometimes even if you're worried about treated horribly for being different, eh, you have no problem with going after others who might be different. A little of everything in a book of its size (about 300 pages)

Witch Twins

Witch Twins by Adele Griffin

When this book popped up as a title available for review, I considered requesting it, but then again my book reading plate was rather full. The author's name seemed familiar to me. I looked her up. Oooh! I'd read another series of hers: Vampire Island, and while it wasn't perfect it had been a solid 4 star children's series that had turned vampires into something unique and silly, safe reading for kids. I had to see what she'd do with witches. What she did was something fun, of course. Claire and Luna are twins (Luna is 13 minutes older and far more serious). As is the case with many twins they're quite different and yet they can get on the same wave length quite easily. They're also both witches. When they spot the ring on the girlfriend of their father they start to imagine what it means - disaster of course. She'll take daddy away from them, far far away. No matter what their grandma has warned them of (that using magic to change fate is bad) they know that drastic times call for drastic measures - magic of course. Never mind that they haven't yet even reached 1 star witch status and most of their spells go a little awry. Still, if they can stop the wedding, surely that means that they'll be spared of having a step-mother named "Fluffy" and there dad will never be at risk of being whisked off to Texas, right? A charming witchy tale for young readers. An extended preview for the follow-up book (Witch Twins at Camp Bliss) is included and won't disappoint. I'd recommend this one to people who remember television shows like Sabrina the Teenage Witch or Bewitched and want to experience that type of lighthearted witchiness from a children's book.

* Disclaimer: I received this book at no cost in order to review it. I offered no guarantee of a positive review, though I only request books I think I'll like so as not to waste my time.