Thank you to Hachette for this book in exchange for an honest review
Synopsis:
Twelve-year-old Art lives in a small village in Scotland. Her mother has always made potions that cure the sick, but now the townspeople say she is a witch.
One cloudless night, Art’s mother is accused of Witchcraft, arrested, and taken from Scotland to England. Art mounts her horse, taking a sword, a tightrope, and a herbal recipe book, and begins a journey through wild forests to find her mother before summer solstice, using nature’s signs and symbols to guide her.
On her journey, Art will discover what sacrifices she will need to make to be reunited with her mother – and to alter the fate of women everywhere. But will she reach her, before it’s too late?
Review:
I have to admit, I read two books with the same basic plot, one was meant to be a dark and brooding tale while this one is a fluffy middle grade. Oddly enough (And probably the first time ever) the dark and brooding book fell short to this middle grade.
What I loved about this book was the amount of detail that went into scenes. You got the details of the sword fights, how they could strike their opponent or disarm them. I know this seems like a pitiful detail to rave about this book. But honest to god, the younger generation are not marshmallows, they know more dirty jokes then I do, they know what death and harm is. I mean have you seen some of the stuff they watch on TV? This is the kind of book that they would enjoy, that doesn’t get dumbed down for them. That doesn’t get ‘oh and I waved my sword and disarmed him,’ you actually get detail!!! I’m not talking about arm chopped off and blood EVERYWHERE kind of detail, but enough detail that the younger generation deserves. After what they have seen on the news in 2020, they can definitely handle this book and most likely enjoy it as much as I did.
Besides the level of detail, this book was enjoyable and like I mentioned previously, had an interesting plot! If you are a fan on middle grade or know someone in that age bracket, then this is the book you should add to your collection.
Rating: 4/5
Publisher: Orion Children’s Books
ISBN: 9781510108356