28th October 2022

This spin-off (and I think maybe prequel) to Threadneedle follows one of the original’s secondary characters as she heads to Wales for the summer.

It’s in some ways the classic tale of the teenager sent to live with some rural relative who makes a gang of friend to investigate some mystery. But it’s also more than that.

It’s really focussed on the character, and the worldbuilding that’s possible by seeing things through another pair of eyes. This helps add to the universe created in the original novel, without relying on the reader having actually read the original either.

Totally, it’s quite different though - this is lighter, a bit more fun, and while there’s some serious moments and character development, it’s not really focussed on that seriousness from a plot perspective.

I really liked seeing this side of Thomas’s world, and look forward to more variety like this.

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1st August 2022

Cari Thomas debut novel about a young witch growing up in London under the slightly too careful watch of her aunt provides everything necessary in a modern fantasy novel - world building, character, mystery, and adventure.

The world is slowly revealed to us layer by layer, without needing to paint all the detail but with hints that there is plenty more to discover. The characters are rich and varied and fascinating to find out more about, and particularly to see the main children evolve and grow their own understandings of the world they inhabit.

The plot is not overly complex, but felt a bit unbalanced in terms of how much of it came right at the end of the novel, and I think my brain is still digesting all the things that happened there.

I’ve already bought the follow up novella, and recommended this book to friends. So I look forward to reading more from Thomas in the future.

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