Hedgewitch by Skye McKenna

Title: Hedgewitch

Author: Skye McKenna

Genre: Fantasy

Publisher: Welbeck Publishing

Published: 10^th January 2023

Format: Paperback

Pages: 432

Price: $16.99

Synopsis: When Cassie runs away from her dreary boarding school, in search of her missing mother, she ends up in the magical village of Hedgely and discovers she comes from a family of witches – women who protect Britain from the denizens of Faerie, who are all too real and far more frightening than the story books suggest. Step into the magical world of Hedgewitch, where the land of Faerie lies just beyond our own, in this enchanting new series for children age 9+ and readers of Nevermoor, The Worst Witch and The Dark Is Rising.

Cassie Morgan has run away. After seven years spent waiting for her mother to return, she flees her dreary boarding school and sets out to find her. But the world outside her school is full of hidden magic and children have been going missing.

With the help of a talking cat and a flying broom, Cassie escapes to the enchanted village of Hedgely. There she will begin her training in the practical skills of witchcraft with the Hedgewitch, who watches over the Hedge, the vast forest that marks the border between England and Faerie.

Will Cassie discover the truth about her mother? Can she find the lost faery treasures before the wicked Erl King gets his hands on them? And what will it take to save her new home – and Britain itself – from the shadowing magic of Faerie?

~*~

Cassie has spent seven years at Fowell House, a boarding school where she is an outcast and bullied, forced to hide, and keep her head down so hockey captain Lizzie Bleacher doesn’t find her again.  But as she hides and keeps her nose in her books, Cassie still hears about the strange disappearances of young children – including a first year from Fowell House, sending the school into a flurry of panic – and all before Cassie is summoned to the headmistress’s office – where she is told her mother has been declared dead, and she’s to be sent to Burnhope’s Home for Children, where orphans are sent. This is the trigger for Cassie to run away from the school and into the London suburb of Trite, where she meets a very snarky grey cat called Montague, who whisks Cassie away to Hedgely and her aunt Miranda, the Hedgewitch. Cassie learns she comes from a long line of Hedgewitches – but first, she must join 1^st Hedgely Coven, study and learn how to do witchy things – but she is determined to find her mother – with new friend Rue’s help. And to top it all off, she has to show mean-girl Ivy that she belongs in Hedgely. But children are still disappearing in and around Hedgely and Faerie. So, Cassie needs to find them – and her mum, but can she find both and what sacrifices does she have to make for her friends?

This is the first in a five-book series and starts off as a grand old girl’s boarding school story, much like St Clare’s or Malory Towers by End Blyton, but with a magical twist. Set in the twentieth century – but without a specified decade, Hedgewitch delightfully takes us away from a technology-reliant world. That is one of my favourite things about books like this, because it allows imagination to flourish, and I like that the characters have to solve problems creatively, without resorting to computers. This makes a lot of sense in a magical world, and it is very fitting that Cassie’s love of books helps her as well. I loved that books could hold the answer but there were also times when Cassie, Tabitha, and Rue had to rely on their instincts, and what they knew – as well as working together to save the day numerous times when they stumbled into the Hedge. I loved the storylines that revolved around Cassie becoming a witch, and finding her family, but also, the search for her mother, Rose as well as the flourishing friendships. And key to this first book was the disappearing children and thwarting of the person or faery behind the kidnappings. I think these layers gave the book its heart and character, because we were able to understand what drove each character and watch their development across the novel and set them for what is to come in the next book, Woodwitch, which I am looking forward to.

I loved that the witches named their broomsticks, and that they all had their own familiars. But I think my favourite character was Montague – I love a good novel with a charming, sassy, and snarky cat character. And every cat character I have read is quite different and they suit the story that they feature in. I think Montague brought a distinct, mature, and reasoned voice to the novel and Cassie and Rue’s antics where Aunt Miranda was not around. It was like he was a friend or a conscience – and of course, like any cat, he didn’t like his sleep being disrupted but he put up with all the interruptions. I loved that he reminded me of my cats, and he was the perfect familiar for Cassie – I think this is a great story and one that has excellent promise with an ongoing mystery and a stellar cast. Perhaps one of the things I enjoyed the most was the inclusion of different myths and legends like the Erl King and different fairy tale creatures. I know a lot of fantasy books can do this but what I find interesting is how they are used and what is done with them – what the author uses from the myth to create their story and how the creatures and myths work within their story and world.

As this is the first in the series I think holding back was right, and dangling things like the potential of Cassie finding her mother, and her numerous escapes from Glashtyn worked well. Yes, there will always be tropes and familiar things in fantasy novels – patterns that we recognise from those that have come before, but I see that in every genre. It is what is done with these tropes and familiar things and character types that makes the novel for me. Witches and magic have always been part of children’s literature and every author has done their thing with it. To me this is the magical thing about books – that two authors can take the same topic and they will both write something very different and write in very different ways. I am hoping to hear more about Woodwitch soon, as I am keen to find out what happens next.