The Witches of Willow Cove by Josh Roberts
Release: May 26th 2020
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Owl Hollow Press
Source: Netgalley
Synopsis:
It’s not easy being a teenage witch. Seventh grader Abby Shepherd is just getting the hang of it when weird stuff starts happening all around her hometown of Willow Cove. Green slime bubbling to life in science class. Giant snakes slithering around the middle school gym. Her best friend suddenly keeping secrets and telling lies.
Things only begin to make sense when a stranger named Miss Winters reveals that Abby isn’t the only young witch in town—and that Willow Cove is home to a secret past that connects them all. Miss Winters, herself a witch, even offers to teach Abby and the others everything she knows about witchcraft.
But as Abby learns more about Miss Winters’ past, she begins to suspect her new mentor is keeping secrets of her own. Can Abby trust her, or does Miss Winters have something wicked planned for the young witches of Willow Cove?
The Witches of Willow Cove Review:
A big thank you to NetGalley and Owl Hollow Press for providing me an advanced reader’s copy of “The Witches of Willow Cove” by Josh Roberts.
This was such a fun story to read! It is the perfect middle grade novel (that can even pass off as YA) if you are in the mood to read a good Halloween like story about witches. All the characters are distinctive, funny and interesting in their own manner. Amethyst turned out to be my favorite character even though I didn’t like her in the beginning. The villain, Miss Winters is also very intriguing and you don’t really know what she has up her sleeve.
In fact, I loved everyone in the entire group, whether it be Abby or Amethyst or Piper. The author has also paced the story very well, where we are thrown into the action right from the first chapter. I also liked how he included the history of the Salem witch trials into the plot with his own twist.
However, there are some minor things which I felt could have been written better. While Daisy and Delphi were quirky and interesting with their Shakespearean qualities, I felt we did not see much of them. I would have liked to see more of Piper in the book as well because she was so interesting! Moreover, the book tended to focus mainly on Abby and Amethyst, along with Becca, Robby and Zeus. Also, while I enjoyed the story immensely, I really didn’t like the instant romance between Robby and Becca. It appeared out of nowhere, and it took me a while to get used to them. I’m not really a fan of insta love, and considering that this is more of a middle grade book, it was difficult picturing the two in that manner.
But apart from that, I absolutely loved reading this tale and would definitely recommend if you are in the mood for a spooky read.
