Orphan Witch is more fantasy than sci-fi, but I do read both. Author Paige Crutcher has created a world where a magical island allows visitors only half the year due to a curse cast by witch sisters hundreds of years ago. The island’s inhabitants cannot leave during the winter and no visitors can arrive—until Persephone May shows up to visit her friend Hyacinth Ever. Unknown to Persephone, she is related to Hyacinth and so is a witch as well. Hyacinth and her sister Moira tell Persephone the prophecy that a “world walker” will be able to break the curse. And it turns out Persephone can travel into different dimensions. She finds a mysterious Library, falls in love with its caretaker, meets two cousins who are seemingly out to kill her, and tries to master her talents before the deadline to break the curse is reached. I’m enjoying this book and am looking forward to any further books this debut author creates.
I’m also browsing through Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman. I think I read this years ago because it seems awfully familiar – or maybe I just saw the movie. At any rate, I’m revisiting the story and it’s a good one, although it would be nice if sisters could get along without jealousy and pettiness. I suppose it’s something all families have to put up with and either grow out of or learn to deal with. In this book, two sisters have been raised by their eccentric aunts, who may or may not be witches. At any rate, they sell potions and such, and people seem to get what they deserve. The sisters, Sally and Gillian, take different paths in order to leave home. Gillian runs after man after man, most of them of the “bad” variety. Sally falls in love with only one man, but he is killed before his time. They reunite at Sally’s normal suburban home, where Gillian reveals she has accidentally poisoned her latest boyfriend. They bury him in the back yard and things begin to happen, most of them unpleasant.
I’m always on the lookout for more science fiction, so I’ll probably find something more science-y pretty soon. Until then, keep reading!
