Woodwitch (Hedgewitch #2) by Skye McKenna

Title: Woodwitch (Hedgewitch #2)

Author: Skye McKenna

Genre: Fantasy

Publisher: Hachette/Welbeck Publishing

Published: 30^th May 2023

Format: Hardcover

Pages: $26.99

Price: 416

Synopsis: Cassie, Rue and Tabitha’s magical training will be put to the test as they venture deeper into the Hedge and race to find the faery treasure before it falls into the hands of the Erl King.

Step into the magical world of Hedgewitch, where the land of Faerie lies just beyond our own . . . The enchanting new series continues.

Cassie has settled into life in Hedgely when, out of the blue, her troubled cousin, Sebastian, comes to stay for Hallowe’en. Sneering and scornful, Sebastian trails after Cassie and her friends, interfering with their coven projects and belittling the dangers of the faery world.

But Cassie, Rue and Tabitha have bigger problems – as the nights grow longer, a dark shadow creeps out of the Hedge and villagers start behaving strangely, possessed with the desire to find a mysterious object.

When the Hedgewitch is called away, the girls decide to investigate and discover that whoever is controlling the villagers is seeking a faery relic: an ancient and dangerous weapon, hidden somewhere in the village. Their magical training will be put to the test as they venture deeper into the Hedge and race to find the faery treasure before it falls into the hands of the Erl King.

Witches aren’t born, they’re made …

~*~

As Cassie, Rue and Tabitha’s witch training continues in Hedgely, the Hedgewitch, Cassie’s cousin Sebastian comes to stay. And of course he’s come to stay for Hallowe’en. Cassie doesn’t really want him around because he keeps sneering at her and her friends, making fun of them about their magic and espousing that science is better. Not only that, he keeps interfering with their projects at the coven whilst telling them the dangers of the faery world aren’t real. But things are getting dark and complicated during the long, dark nights. Shadows are possessing villagers, searching for something mysterious…and with Aunt Miranda away at a trial, it’ll have to be up to Oak Patrol to find out what is happening and stop things falling into the hands of the Erl King.

Welcome back to Hedgely, which is full of magic and witches, and sits on the border of the faerie world. Here, witches are made and not born. Cassie’s adventures continue. And she’s come a long way since Montague found her in London and took her back to Hedgely to live with her Aunt Miranda, the Hedgewitch. She’s doing well at school, and she’s learning how to be a witch, even when Ivy tries to make her look bad, and she is good friends with Rue and Tabitha. The three friends are caught up in Ivy’s antics as they rehearse for a play.

But there’s a constant unsettling feeling bubbling beneath in the second book in this series. Cassie is still looking for her mother, who disappeared several years ago into the hedge. She’s been warned against looking for her or going near the hedge again, despite her success in the first book, where she and her friends found out where the missing children were going. Whilst this is a next in series, it does talk a bit about the first book, but it is always good to read them in order as this gives a good understanding of how things have evolved prior to this book, and how Cassie came to live in Hedgely, and you do need this detail I think to appreciate what happens in this book. Because as things unfold, Cassie and her friends notice things that others don’t, they see things and hear things, and work things out. Even as they’re told to stay out of it. Their relief coven leader, Aoife Early, is keen to show them how they can work with the faerie world, which the girls see as suspicious. Can they trust her? Of course, everything and every character in this book has layers, and we learn more about everyone as the book goes on. Even Sebastian starts to look like he might be okay at one point, though I did understand Cassie’s frustration with him at times. Especially when he mocked them and didn’t listen to anyone.

The series is getting better as each book reveals something new about Cassie’s family, about the Erl King or about the faerie and magical worlds. It uses myths and legends that people know about and puts its own twist on them, tweaking British and Irish folklore so it fits in Hedgely. This creates a sense of familiarity amidst a story that is both familiar and unique, and one that is female-driven, showing girls being brave, scared, helping each other and learning about honesty and the world around them. Montague is my favourite character – he’s such fun and his attitude makes him shine through. Everything is used cleverly and purposefully, building on Woodwitch and leading into the next book, Seawitch, which will mark the halfway point of this five-book series. I’m looking forward to seeing where this goes next and how Cassie and Ivy get their mothers back – if they do. There are definitely a few threads and plots that are series long, that will take the entire series to resolve. Everything weaves in and out, and feels magical. It’s a world that I think is meant to be the 90s, but as its free of technology, it could be set at any time in the last thirty years or so. I do enjoy the books that don’t rely on technology, whether they are fantasy or not. It means that authors are more creative with solutions. Even when the worlds can come together as they do in this book, there is a sense that a character like Sebastian have to adjust to something unknown.

I think this was a great follow up to Hedgewitch, and the upcoming books will hopefully give us the answers we are hoping to get.