I'll admit - I was WAY more than a little curious when I started reading this book. I'd read a ton of reviews on it, claiming it was the most accurate fictional portrayal of real-life magic out there. Still . . . It was out of print, so I had to winder, just a little bit, if it stood up to that hype.
Answer? It totally does. The characters, Kate, Annie and Cooper are wonderfully done, and I feel like they're actual people. I can see a bit of myself in each of them. More than that, though, the explanations given are spot on. I've even dog-eared a few of the pages to use as reference later - I know need it when it comes to interpereting the Tarot cards!
When the characters use magic, too, it's exactly the sort of thing I'd do or see in reality. Calling the Quarters, visualisation, even use of an athame - though, admittedly, Bird only calls is a knife, but considering that A) I prefer a wand anyway and B) the girls are all portrayed as novices, it's beyond acceptable.
The effects of magic gone awry are funny and maybe even a mite too close too home. I've had my share of magical messes, and I can very easily see these ones happening. A few hit very close to home, too . . .
I love the ritual at the end. The girls finally end their troubles by giving up what they don't need, and the way they did so is beautifully executed. I love the imagination Bird put in to it and, in turn, had her characters thunk up. Very symbolic, and could see it all happening in my mind's eye, as if I were there, watching the girls myself. The mark of a brilliant author, in my book(er, fanfiction? I write that a lot . . . ), indeed.
So . . . yeah. I can't say I like all the characters - but then again, as the reader I'm not supposed to. Speaking as a high school student, it's beyond accurate, and I'm checking to see how old Bird was when she wrote this, because it's exactly like my school, except it isn't in the Hot and Muggy Weather state. Oh, snow, oh snow, my glasses for some snow.
Speaking as a witch, the advice the girls get is accurate, and the depiction of Wicca and witchcraft is perfectly right. No glaring misconceptions, and while I disagree with Bird's mention of not mixing systems to find what works best, I thinks it's great. It's the sort of book I wish I'd found when I was eleven, or fourteen/fifteen, when I first started wondering about magic being real and looking into it as a faith, respectively.
So, yeah, it's a great book. I'm ordering the next four in the series off of Amazon tomorrow to read while on vacation to Orlando in a few weeks. They're all about the same length as this first one - it only took me a couple of hours to read. It's great.
Deleriously happy with what I've read,
- Janie L.
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