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A review by paperprivateer
The Witching Wind by Natalie Lloyd
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
“She imagines her heart, broken. Covered in crackly fault lines. But love still shines, even through the broken places. There’s plenty of love-light to share, too. So that’s what she does.”
This is another magical realism book from Lloyd, and the things that often shine in her books are present in spades here.
First is the characters. Every character in this book shines, even some characters that never have “on-screen” time and are only mentioned. The side characters, even a toddler and the elementary school librarian, come to life and make everything feel like I could be put right in the middle of their school and point out the people I recognize. I also loved how while the grown-ups are flawed, they aren’t completely useless either. Parents tell kids they want to hear what their kid is struggling with, and adults listen when they point out things that need work.
Our two main characters are different, with different voices, personalities, and struggles. I often struggle with books with multiple POVs because it’s often hard for me to distinguish between them, but that isn’t the case here. Grayson manages to have an incredibly positive attitude despite her many disappointments and setbacks. Roxie is self-conscious and sad about what happened with her ex-best friend. Both need people to understand them beyond their defense mechanisms, and the way they view each other in their respective points of view help build the characters in a way you don’t often get to see in a single POV book.
The kids in this book might get to see some magical happenings, but they aren’t spared from how hard life can be. They’re dealing with body shaming, missing family members, growing up, disabilities, and class in the rural Appalachian Tennessee background. They have to learn how to deal with grief when what they’re hoping for isn’t magically solved.
The magic in this book doesn’t cure or fix, which is something I love. Too often, the magic comes in and solves all the problems. In this case, the magic helps them understand themselves and life a little better. The magic is well balanced with the real world, so I was never confused about what might be magic and what wasn’t, which can be tricky in magical realism books. The magic also fits well with the setting. Families having a “knack” for certain things is exactly the kind of magic that fits so well in Appalachia.
The other thing I can’t help but love is Natalie Lloyd’s prose. I often find myself highlighting sentences because they’re just so beautiful. I still think of one particular line from “A Snicker of Magic,” and I think there are a few sentences from this book that might stick in my head too.
Occasionally, the book was a little too sweet and idealistic for me as an adult reader, but I think it will resonate well with many readers.
Overall, this is another magically sweet story about things that are missing and finding ourselves.
This is another magical realism book from Lloyd, and the things that often shine in her books are present in spades here.
First is the characters. Every character in this book shines, even some characters that never have “on-screen” time and are only mentioned. The side characters, even a toddler and the elementary school librarian, come to life and make everything feel like I could be put right in the middle of their school and point out the people I recognize. I also loved how while the grown-ups are flawed, they aren’t completely useless either. Parents tell kids they want to hear what their kid is struggling with, and adults listen when they point out things that need work.
Our two main characters are different, with different voices, personalities, and struggles. I often struggle with books with multiple POVs because it’s often hard for me to distinguish between them, but that isn’t the case here. Grayson manages to have an incredibly positive attitude despite her many disappointments and setbacks. Roxie is self-conscious and sad about what happened with her ex-best friend. Both need people to understand them beyond their defense mechanisms, and the way they view each other in their respective points of view help build the characters in a way you don’t often get to see in a single POV book.
The kids in this book might get to see some magical happenings, but they aren’t spared from how hard life can be. They’re dealing with body shaming, missing family members, growing up, disabilities, and class in the rural Appalachian Tennessee background. They have to learn how to deal with grief when what they’re hoping for isn’t magically solved.
The magic in this book doesn’t cure or fix, which is something I love. Too often, the magic comes in and solves all the problems. In this case, the magic helps them understand themselves and life a little better. The magic is well balanced with the real world, so I was never confused about what might be magic and what wasn’t, which can be tricky in magical realism books. The magic also fits well with the setting. Families having a “knack” for certain things is exactly the kind of magic that fits so well in Appalachia.
The other thing I can’t help but love is Natalie Lloyd’s prose. I often find myself highlighting sentences because they’re just so beautiful. I still think of one particular line from “A Snicker of Magic,” and I think there are a few sentences from this book that might stick in my head too.
Occasionally, the book was a little too sweet and idealistic for me as an adult reader, but I think it will resonate well with many readers.
Overall, this is another magically sweet story about things that are missing and finding ourselves.