Well Witched
Well Witched
By: Frances Hardinge
For those of you who loved Fly By Night I am happy to report that Hardinge has written yet another whopper of a tale. The tales are vastly different as far as their settings go, but they are both really great books.
Well Witched is the story of 3 children; 2 who worry about getting into trouble and 1 who doesn't seem to care about trouble, even when he knows what his punishment is going to be. Ryan is our narrator and he takes us through his adventures with his friends. Chelle is the only girl of the group and has a tendency to chatter on and on. Ryan sometimes feels bad because he doesn't pay attention to her, but by the end of the story he will have to. Ryan and Chelle both feel privileged to be Josh's friend. Josh defends the two of them even though he's a bit of an unlikely candidate for the job.
When an afternoon adventure turns into a wish and a curse that will have the three children in its grips you know you're in for some excitement. The children are doing the best they can with the task they've unwittingly taken on but are now compelled to carry out. When their results aren't quite what they were hoping for, Ryan and Chelle realize something's not right and needs to change. Josh, on the other hand, is enjoying his new ‘powers' and is in no way, shape or form giving them up without a fight.
What happens when you have to take a stand against your best friend? What happens when everyone you try to help ends up a little bit more miserable? Will Ryan and Chelle be able to figure out the curse in order to save themselves and Josh?
This is a wonderful tale that will have you on the edge of your seat until the very end. I will admit it took me a bit to get into it (just a chapter or so) since I was expecting something along the lines of Fly by Night, but this was a wonderful tale all on its own!
Recommended To:
- Those with wishes unfulfilled - you may not mind so much after reading this!
- Those interested in stories of friendship and what you will or won't do for a friend
- Everyone!
Notes on the Cover:
I have the American edition. I am a bit disappointed that they changed the title from the British edition which was Verdigris Deep. I love that title (and that cover). The Verdigris part intrigued me. It is explained in the story, but I almost feel like they were dumbing-down the title for the American audience. That being said, the cover is good, the three children are at the well, all pertinent facts to the story. On the other hand, I really like the cover to the British edition. I don't think I can be diplomatic on this one as I just really liked the British cover and nothing else can compare to that.
On our shelves!