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A review by saesteorra
Hedgewitch by Skye McKenna
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
It's so rare to pick up a book that captivates you immediately, that feels like it was written just for you (or your 10-year-old self, anyway!), but that's what Hedgewitch was for me. Skye McKenna's debut was one of my favourite middle grade reads of 2022, and I know I will be re-reading and sharing it for a long time to come.
When Cassie Morgan receives the news that her mother, missing for seven years, has been declared dead, she decides it's finally time to run away from her miserable boarding school. A flying broomstick helps her to evade capture by goblins, and a talking cat introduces himself as Montague, her familiar. He has been sent to find her by her aunt Miranda, the Hedgewitch.
Cassie and Montague find their way to Hedgely, a quaint village on the edge of the Hedge - the largest, most ancient wildwood in the country. Cassie learns that not only is she a witch, but she has a lot of catching up to do if she wants to live up to her family's reputation and keep up with her new friends at 1st Hedgely Coven...
I fell in love with the village of Hedgely, from Cassie's new home at Hartwood Hall to the quirky businesses in the village centre. Above all, I was drawn (like Cassie) to the Hedge. McKenna's love of nature is apparent in her evocative descriptions of the woods and I'm sure will be invaluable in helping young people to truly see and appreciate the diverse species surrounding us here in the UK. McKenna weaves magic expertly into this vivid setting and the characters who inhabit it.
When Cassie Morgan receives the news that her mother, missing for seven years, has been declared dead, she decides it's finally time to run away from her miserable boarding school. A flying broomstick helps her to evade capture by goblins, and a talking cat introduces himself as Montague, her familiar. He has been sent to find her by her aunt Miranda, the Hedgewitch.
Cassie and Montague find their way to Hedgely, a quaint village on the edge of the Hedge - the largest, most ancient wildwood in the country. Cassie learns that not only is she a witch, but she has a lot of catching up to do if she wants to live up to her family's reputation and keep up with her new friends at 1st Hedgely Coven...
I fell in love with the village of Hedgely, from Cassie's new home at Hartwood Hall to the quirky businesses in the village centre. Above all, I was drawn (like Cassie) to the Hedge. McKenna's love of nature is apparent in her evocative descriptions of the woods and I'm sure will be invaluable in helping young people to truly see and appreciate the diverse species surrounding us here in the UK. McKenna weaves magic expertly into this vivid setting and the characters who inhabit it.