February 1, 2021
A village girl and a cursed witch become unlikely allies on a quest to find the source of a devastating magical plague. In this rich, nuanced fantasy world, witches can either draw power from themselves, from sources--humans who are magical conduits--or from the earth. The latter is considered dark magic because the amount of power available is exponentially greater than a human body could produce, as is the corresponding environmental fallout. Five years earlier, now-17-year-old witch Tamsin used dark magic in a moment of desperation and was cursed and banished from the Coven as a result. Meanwhile, Wren, who is also 17, has spent her entire life concealing her identity as a source in order to care for her magic-hating, chronically ill father. When he is struck by the new plague ravaging the land and stealing its victims' memories, she turns to Tamsin for help. Theirs is an especially slow-burn romance, as Tamsin's curse prevents her from feeling, but the buildup allows for deeper character development and a very satisfying conclusion. Tooley's debut skillfully and subtly emphasizes the consequences of prioritizing power above people and the environment while the friction between regular people and magic-bearers poignantly echoes the fear and rejection queer people, who are accepted in this world, often face in ours. A White default is assumed. Thoughtful, ambitious, and unexpected. (map) (Fantasy. 12-18)
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January 29, 2021
Grades 6-9 Tamsin is an exiled witch, cursed to feel no real emotions of her own but to steal them from others in payment for her powerful workings. Wren is a source: pure magic in a body that feels no cold or warmth, though she can see magic. When a devastating dark magic plague begins to kill the earth, Tamsin and Wren are thrown together to catch the witch responsible for creating it. They broker a simple deal: if Tamsin can save Wren's father, she will get Wren's love in exchange--an emotion powerful enough to sustain Tamsin's dead heart for a long time. As Tamsin returns to the Witchlands and the people who once cursed her, old memories resurface, making the journey a more perilous one than either woman expects. The idea that magic has a price is common across YA fantasy, but this tale of transactional emotions offers a fresh twist on an old standard. This debut is a solid transitional title for middle-grade readers making their way into young adult.
COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
March 1, 2021
Gr 7 Up-Tooley's debut is a slow burn, enemies-to-lovers romance between heroines as they embark on a quest to find the source of the dark magic destroying the world. Seventeen-year-old Wren has sacrificed her entire life to keeping her bedridden father alive. When she learns the local witch, Tamsin, has paid her in fake coins, she is furious. Wren's avoided Tamsin to keep her own powerful connection to magic hidden, but when a plague of dark magic strikes her father and he loses his memories, Wren makes a bargain with Tamsin to go after the dark witch together. Tamsin is hesitant to return to the world of her fellow witches after her own brush with dark magic cost Tamsin her twin sister and resulted in her banishment. Though well written and paced, this novel turns stilted as it reaches the climax and falls on expository dialogue to tie up plot threads. Many well-read fantasy readers may feel that it ends too easily despite the deft twists in the plot. Tooley tackles topics like self-worth, sacrifice, and forgiveness from multiple angles with her characters, and brings those arcs to satisfactory conclusions. With high stakes and a wonderfully developed romance, Tooley's characters carry the adventure to its rather anticlimactic ending. Wren and Tamsin have pale skin. VERDICT A secondary purchase, this novel will appeal to younger readers who have tired of fantasies built on warfare. A good choice for fans looking for readalikes to Melissa Bashardoust's Girl, Serpent, Thorn.-Emmy Neal, Lake Forest Lib., IL
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