Sunday, December 24, 2017

Witchtown by Cory Oakes - ADVISABLE

Oakes, Cory Putman Witchtown Pgs. 310. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017. $17.99. Language: PG, Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG.

Macie O’Sullivan isn’t your typical teenager. She’s been on the run for as long as she can remember with her mother, who happens to be a witch. That wouldn’t be so bad if her mother was a nice witch. Unfortunately, her mother is a con artist who uses her powers and cunning to steal large sums of money then skips town without a trace. Finally, Macie and her mother have arrived at Witchtown, the most desirable of all witch havens. Her mother promises that this will be their last heist. When Macie starts to realize otherwise, she elicits the help of her new friend and love interest to rebel against her mother. In the process, she learns that money is not all her mother has stolen.

This book will appeal to many teenagers. After all, who doesn’t love a good witch story? Teen novels today seem to be a rehash of the same basic plot, but this one is refreshingly original. There’s plenty of conflict, romance, and mystery to satisfy the plot requirements of the typical teen reader, along with a strong female protagonist. The resolution isn’t quite there at the end, which leaves open the possibility for a sequel. Teens who have tended toward dystopian type novels, but are growing weary of the genre, might enjoy this one.

HS – ADVISABLE. Reviewer: Valerie McEnroe, Media Specialist

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