Reluctant witch is an appropriate title, since Willa is slow
to accept her magical ability. Despite witnessing her thoughts causing things
to happen, she doesn’t want to stay in the king’s castle to learn about magic.
In one year, she’ll be forced to decide which of the two covens will become her
home, and choosing from opposing sides isn’t unique in children’s novels.
However, in this case, Willa will blow up if she doesn’t make a choice, and
that is truly peculiar and imaginative. The two witch covens have been at war
for years, casting spells back and forth at each other, with an area of Ordinary
Folk living in between. The focus of the plot shifts from Willa’s problem to
mysterious spells being cast directly at Ordinaries, a violation of the laws of
the land.
Willa is an orphan, and she dreams of being reunited with
her parents, victims of a spell that changed them into clouds. This is a bit
strange, since most of the memories describe them as being critical and trying
to suppress her undiscovered magic. Willa hasn’t felt like she belonged with anyone
since her parents left, so she’s excited to meet Gish, a messenger for the
king’s clerk, and Marceline, a princess looking for adventure. Together, the story
describes their efforts and escapades to find the rogue witch terrorizing the
Ordinary Folk and to help Willa. There must be a way for her to not choose one
of the creepy, disgusting covens without exploding when she turns thirteen.
The author makes humor a big part of the descriptions. The
opening scene finds frogs literally raining down from the sky, and other spells
cause people and animals to dance until they drop or capture their voices in
floating bubbles. The king is frightened of magic and is often found behind
plants hiding from his constituents. The prince takes over and becomes obsessed
with finding witches which makes him an irritating character, if not an actual
antagonist. Willa searches the library for help with her magical problem, but a
mischievous, rogue book constantly torments her and thwarts her efforts. Spell-casting
by the two covens involves dancing, spinning around, and repeating nonsense
words, and Willa’s attempts frequently result in unpredictable incantations. An
inner voice of wild magic wants to be released, so Willa frequently has mental
clashes as she struggles to keep the power under control.
What didn’t work as well:
The silliness of the magic sometimes overshadows more important
moments. It’s awkward to have critical confrontations or investigations while
strange-looking characters or errant spells are involved. However, the whimsy
and playfulness of the book are keys to its appeal. It has a clear, engaging conflict
that is enhanced by the author’s wit.
The Final Verdict:
You can’t make a swan quack. Learning to be who you’re meant
to be, not what others try to make you, is an important lesson. The mystery of
a rogue witch stirring up war and a main character who might explode offer compelling
problems to entertain readers. The addition of humor is icing on the cake. I
highly recommend you give this book a shot.
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