gwendolyn_kensinger 's review for:

The Bewitching of Aveline Jones by Phil Hickes

4.0

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This was a fantastic follow up to The Haunting of Aveline Jones. I love how the story shifts the focus away from ghosts and focuses on witches in this one. The writing is so atmospheric and fun to read. It does mention a few details about the first book but nothing spoilery. I can picture everything that’s happening which I enjoy about the series. I continue to adore the characters too. We got introduced to 2 new characters and they were just as interesting as the original characters. I also felt like I got to know Aveline’s mom a tad more as well. 

The Bewitching of Aveline Jones takes place during Aveline’s summer holiday. Instead of going to the beaches in Spain like most of her classmates, her and her mom rented a cottage in the countryside, not too far from Bristol. The unique location of the cottage is perfect for curious Aveline because through the back garden lies The Witching Stones, a series of large stones that have been there for thousands of years, but it seems although there are many theories as to why it was built no one knew for sure. One day Aveline is exploring the ancient circle of stones and she sees Hazel, a young girl wandering around the stones. The two quickly strike up a friendship and Aveline is delighted at how funny and cool her new friend is, but when Harold comes to visit Hazel isn’t too pleased about it. From there Hazel seems intent on spending as much time with Aveline as possible. Before long Aveline begins noticing things about Hazel that worry her, and she can’t work out why. 

Couple of minor drawbacks to the story: the plot is very predictable -- I didn’t find that to be the case in the first book, I didn’t love the setting as much as the seaside town where her aunt lived, and this one wasn’t nearly as creepy but that’s probably because it was predictable. That being said though I thought this was still a really good book and I would recommend it if you enjoyed the first one.