August 1, 2023
Two witch covens vie for power, one hoping to take it all and the other to preserve it. Told in the first person, present tense by 12-year-old Clem, youngest member of the Merlyn coven, this story loosely recasts the Morgana-Merlin struggle from Arthurian legend. Although they're related, for centuries the Morgan and Merlyn covens have stayed away from each other, only meeting at midnight each Oct. 1 to access magic from the stars--magic that is available to them only for that month. The covens are different--the Morgans are power hungry while the boisterous Merlyns are home centered. The plot unfolds as a grab bag of ideas is thrown together without coming together to form a cohesive whole. The Merlyns grow a giant pumpkin in the hope of being able to harvest and store their magic after October ends; this upsets the Morgans, leading to a battle. Arthurian legend is revisited via a sword and a cave; a segue compares receiving new magic to the menstrual cycle but is not developed. And the too-much-power-is-bad theme doesn't lead to fresh insights. The characters feel one-dimensional, with singular defining characteristics hammered home repetitively and without nuance, as with Aunt Prudie's constantly shouting sentence fragments and Aunt Connie's continual reminders that time is running out. Characters read white. A mishmash of half-developed ideas. (Fantasy. 8-12)
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August 1, 2023
Grades 4-7 Clementine Merlyn is nervously awaiting October's arrival. It's the month when her matriarchal household, including her mother, several aunts, and a sullen cousin, are imbued with their magical gifts, and Clemmie wonders if her powers will finally manifest. The Merlyns, distant descendants of the famous Arthurian witch, have been locked in centuries of conflict with the rival Morgan clan; both are desperate to maintain their magic year-round. Clemmie receives her powers but finds them surprisingly painful and unwieldy. She can't help wondering if magic only brings mayhem--a suspicion further confirmed by a disastrous Merlyn family magical attempt that sees the older relative spirited away by the malicious Morgans for nefarious purposes. It's up to Clemmie, her reluctant cousin, and some truly unexpected allies to unravel the Morgan/Merlyn mystery and right their extraordinary world. This clever coming-of-age story is chock-full of magic and mythology, mixing Arthurian legend with Practical Magic and plenty of adventure. A marvelous modern fantasy for any young reader in search of a little magic.
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