Description
Maude is the daughter of witches. She spent her childhood running wild with her best friend, Odette, weaving stories of girls who slayed dragons and saved princes. Then Maude grew up and lost her magic - and her best friend. Storytelling is her only gift that remains.
Odette always hungered for forbidden, dangerous magic, and two weeks ago she went searching for it. Now she's missing, and everyone believes she's dead. Everyone except Maude.
Maude is sure she can find Odette inside the ruins of Sicklehurst, an abandoned power plant built over an ancient magical forest -a place nobody else seems to remember is there.
The danger is, nobody knows what remains inside Sicklehurst, either. And every good story is sure to have a monster ...
Review
Maude lives with her two grandmas, ever since her mum died. Her mum was a witch and so are her Nan and Maude, but magic is now tightly controlled by the government and big corporations.
Maude and her best friend Odette spent everyday of their childhood together, with Maude weaving stories of dragons, princesses and princes, and magical creatures that need their help on mysterious and exciting quests. But when Maude loses her magic, she also loses Odette and they stop speaking for years.
But then Odette suddenly disappears and no one can find her. Even though they haven’t been close in a long time, Maude is certain she can find her in the old power plant where they used to play, but what else will Maude find on her quest back into the ruins?
This is a spellbinding and intriguing story of magic and how it can be corrupted and manipulated, but also how it can be amazing and breathtaking. You will love Maude as she struggles to understand what is happening around her.
Readers will identify with her struggles over her friendship with Odette, and her confused relationship with the ever-present Rufus, who has also been a constant in her life.
This is a dark and enthralling mystery, with a strong theme of female empowerment running through it. A perfect fantasy for readers in middle secondary and above.
Reviewed by Michelle
