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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
Creepy, but hard to put down. A fast read with nice pacing of the revelations of the core unknowns of the story. Rather dark.
Basically, a strict community with harsh rules against witches and witchcraft. There's fast-growing noxious and deadly weeds that grow up around the perimeter of town and beyond that, "the Thickety" a forbidden forested area where it's rumored you will lose your mind. Looking forward to the story developing further in book 2.
Basically, a strict community with harsh rules against witches and witchcraft. There's fast-growing noxious and deadly weeds that grow up around the perimeter of town and beyond that, "the Thickety" a forbidden forested area where it's rumored you will lose your mind. Looking forward to the story developing further in book 2.
Couldn't stop listening!
I'm not sure what website recommended this book to me but I wish I did so I could go back and get more recommendations. A dark and twisted coming of age tale with two thirteen year old girls at the center. Well written characters and plot. Unfortunately my library system doesn't have the sequel but I'll be buying it. I want to find out what happens to Cara and Taff!
The description says middle grades story but nothing about it stick me as being too young for me.
I'm not sure what website recommended this book to me but I wish I did so I could go back and get more recommendations. A dark and twisted coming of age tale with two thirteen year old girls at the center. Well written characters and plot. Unfortunately my library system doesn't have the sequel but I'll be buying it. I want to find out what happens to Cara and Taff!
The description says middle grades story but nothing about it stick me as being too young for me.
Okay, I'm hooked! This book was recommended to me by a bookseller when I mentioned I am part of a book club that reads middle grade novels. (Club members are all writers for children; we read for story and for craft points.) Not all of our book club members like magic or magical realism, but I do, and this book does not disappoint. J.A. White is a master world builder. He immerses readers immediately into Kara's story and keeps that story moving right to the end - which isn't the end, because there are 2 more books! Middle grade readers will find much to love about this series.
There are some kids books that retain their charm well into adulthood. For me, [b:Bunnicula|281235|Bunnicula (Bunnicula, #1)|Deborah Howe|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348802537l/281235._SX50_.jpg|1142982], as well as most books by [a:Beverly Cleary|403|Beverly Cleary|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1616795777p2/403.jpg] and [a:Judy Blume|12942|Judy Blume|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1430843076p2/12942.jpg] rank highly in that category. Then there are other books that were amazing when I was a kid but when I read them now, I wonder how I was so easily hornswaggled. [b:Grandmother's Heart|5642044|Grandmother's Heart|Jim Patton|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1432046785l/5642044._SX50_.jpg|5813491] is a perfect example of such a tale. I was probably in fourth grade when I got that book and I fan fictioned the hell out of it. I still have some of my drawings of what I thought everyone should look like, how and where I would interact with the characters, and other amazing scenes I'd made up out of love for that story. I've tried to re-read it many times and I always fail. It's a short book. It's also an awful book. But it wasn't always awful and I still love it because I had loved it so well when I was 8. 7. Whatever age I was when I first read that marvelous (horrendous) story.
This book probably falls more closely to the latter category. It's a story about a girl, Kara, whose mother was killed for witchery seven years ago and the consequences that event has had on Kara, her brother, who was a baby when it happened, and her father, as well as upon the rest of the island town's inhabitants who adhere to the Path of Timoth Clen and shun witchcraft and all its evils.
The writing is probably better than what you'll find in Grandmother's Heart, but the story, itself, leaves a bit to be desired for the adult mind. I had some serious problems buying Kara's twelve-year-old self. She seemed closer to fifteen or sixteen. I had a hard time believing in Grace, the Nellie Oleson of this tale, before and after her discovery. I couldn't quite follow the story and had to bridge all the gaps myself. I rolled my eyes vehemently at the last few chapters.
These are things a young reader will overlook. A young reader with imagination will fill those gaps automatically, will insert themselves into Kara and her brother, will insert their enemies into Grace. It will all fit together perfectly.
And the illustrations, simple and stark, are delightful, so that's a plus.
This will be a wonderful book for the 7-12 year-old set. As a read-together with an adult, though...well, the adult is probably going to need a bit of patience and understanding. This was not written for us. It was written for them, the childrens, and I hope they love it. I would have.
This book probably falls more closely to the latter category. It's a story about a girl, Kara, whose mother was killed for witchery seven years ago and the consequences that event has had on Kara, her brother, who was a baby when it happened, and her father, as well as upon the rest of the island town's inhabitants who adhere to the Path of Timoth Clen and shun witchcraft and all its evils.
The writing is probably better than what you'll find in Grandmother's Heart, but the story, itself, leaves a bit to be desired for the adult mind. I had some serious problems buying Kara's twelve-year-old self. She seemed closer to fifteen or sixteen. I had a hard time believing in Grace, the Nellie Oleson of this tale, before and after her discovery. I couldn't quite follow the story and had to bridge all the gaps myself. I rolled my eyes vehemently at the last few chapters.
These are things a young reader will overlook. A young reader with imagination will fill those gaps automatically, will insert themselves into Kara and her brother, will insert their enemies into Grace. It will all fit together perfectly.
And the illustrations, simple and stark, are delightful, so that's a plus.
This will be a wonderful book for the 7-12 year-old set. As a read-together with an adult, though...well, the adult is probably going to need a bit of patience and understanding. This was not written for us. It was written for them, the childrens, and I hope they love it. I would have.
3.5. A solid YA book, but the story pushes the hopeless predicament(s) of the protagonist a bit more than I would like at points.
While I found the story to be interesting and full of potential....and I'm sure it will be well-received by its intended audience... I found the writing and plot/character development lacking.
This is a juvenile fiction book, and it is so. dope. Beginning with the public execution of her mother, we quickly learn that Kara's story is one of poverty, torment, and grief. Her small village despises her for her dead mother's witchcraft, the highest order of sin within their devout community. This book is full of danger, battles, and the seductive power of magical creatures and enchanted objects. The events that play out while not just one, but two witches come of age, asks a selfless, kindhearted young girl to accept an overwhelming amount of responsibility and anguish on behalf of a community that has shunned, shamed, and punished her for her entire life. Recommended for anyone who likes anything badass and bitchin'.
It all starts when Kara is woken up in the night and taken to the village square where she witnesses her mother being sentenced for the worse crime of all...witchcraft! Seven years later, the villagers are still wary and cruel to Kara and her family. They fear Kara is a witch just like her mother. On the outskirts of the village is The Thickety, a magical forest that is home to strange and ferocious beasts and full of secrets, like the book Kara finds there, which may or may not be her mother's grimoire. This book had me in its grips from the very beginning. I can't wait for the sequel!
White, J.A. Thickety: A Path Begins. Katherine Tegan Books, 2014.
Kara's mother is killed for being a witch; Kara narrowly escapes the same fate, but is derided by the villagers for being the daughter of a witch. Her puritanical village is thrown into upheaval, though, after Kara discovers a grimoire and the village leader's daughter steals it to use for her own devices. Can Kara save everyone from destruction? After the way they've treated her, does she even want to?
This book would make an excellent read-alike for kids who have read and enjoyed Harry Potter or any of the Rick Riordan series. The book is thick, but the story is filled with intricate details and descriptions, and there is enough action to keep it moving. I will note that readers who are sensitive to violence may wish to read something else; there are several instances where characters are killed or injured rather suddenly, so it would be difficult to skip over the violent bits just to read the rest of the story. The second book in this series is on my to-read shelf, and I am looking forward to further adventures with Kara.
Recommended for: tweens
Red Flags: violence - Kara is nearly stoned, several characters die in a violent manner
Overall Rating: 4/5 stars
Read-Alikes: Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, The Night Gardener
Kara's mother is killed for being a witch; Kara narrowly escapes the same fate, but is derided by the villagers for being the daughter of a witch. Her puritanical village is thrown into upheaval, though, after Kara discovers a grimoire and the village leader's daughter steals it to use for her own devices. Can Kara save everyone from destruction? After the way they've treated her, does she even want to?
This book would make an excellent read-alike for kids who have read and enjoyed Harry Potter or any of the Rick Riordan series. The book is thick, but the story is filled with intricate details and descriptions, and there is enough action to keep it moving. I will note that readers who are sensitive to violence may wish to read something else; there are several instances where characters are killed or injured rather suddenly, so it would be difficult to skip over the violent bits just to read the rest of the story. The second book in this series is on my to-read shelf, and I am looking forward to further adventures with Kara.
Recommended for: tweens
Red Flags: violence - Kara is nearly stoned, several characters die in a violent manner
Overall Rating: 4/5 stars
Read-Alikes: Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, The Night Gardener