The Night Gardener

 by Jonathan Auxier

Reviewed by

Elizabeth Mosolovich

            Irish siblings Molly and Kit have arrived in England looking for work following the terrible Irish potato famine, and the only people that will hire them live in a creepy old mansion far away from the rest of the town. Lost on their first day, the brother and sister encounter a storyteller on the road, who offers them directions and some information in exchange for a story about the house after they've settled in for a while. Somewhat disturbed by the woman, the older sibling, Molly, agrees, and eventually she and her brother arrive at the home of their employer.

            The home is built out of a nightmarish-looking tree, and when Kit and Molly enter the house, the mistress of the house, Constance, tries to turn them away. Frightened but desperate, Molly earns Kit and herself a place as a handyman/gardener and servant with her own story-telling skills, and while Constance's daughter Penny is a sweet little girl and she and Kit have a roof over their heads and food in their stomachs, something just feels off about the house, especially when she finds a family portrait painted "just last summer," depicting a healthier, less pale, more robust looking family than the pale, sluggish people she now works for.

            Things get even stranger when Molly finds out that the tree next to the house is magic, and will grant the asker the thing which they desire most. But such presents do not come without a price, and if Kit and Molly don't discover how to kill the tree, and the frightening Night Gardener that guards and nurtures it with the life essences of those in the house, then six, body-sized holes dug by the Gardener will be filled, sooner rather than later.

            This was definitely a book on the darker side, but still an enjoyable one. Kit and Molly's relationship was fun to read about, especially as Molly tried everything she could to keep a secret about their parents from Kit. There was a bit of historical fiction in this book as well, due to the setting of it in the mid-1800s, and a whole lot of paranormal, nightmarish-like content. An easy read, mostly, and a little slow at some points, but still very interesting, and worth giving a try.

House of Ivy and Sorrow

by Natalie Whipple

Reviewed by

Elizabeth Mosolovich

            In the small town of Willow's End, Iowa, it's whispered a powerful old witch lives in a house under a bridge, offering her services to those willing to pay the price of magic, be it a memory, an arm, or even years off their life. The whispers are true. Except they forgot to mention that the witch, Dorothea Hemlock, has a 16-year-old granddaughter who strives to be normal with her two best friends, Gwen and Kat, and maybe even go on a date or two with her crush, Winn, all while helping her grandmother carry on the traditions and work of all her witch ancestors.

            Josephine, or Jo, thought she was doing pretty well keeping both the witch and non-witch parts of her life balanced, until her long-lost father, abandoned by her mother without ever knowing he had a daughter, arrives looking for Jo's mother, who's been dead many years from the Curse. No one knows who cast the Curse, or how it can be stopped, only that it kills witches by draining their magic, and whoever sicced it on Jo's mother tried to use her father as a weapon as well. Jo and her grandmother devise a simple exorcism spell, but thing go downhill fast after that. The Curse is back for them; Jo's friends have discovered her double life; her crush, while totally in to her, has a secret nearly as bad as hers; and a mysterious boy named Levi claims he wants to help, but things have to be done his – somewhat disturbing –  way, or everything Jo has worked so hard for and loves will be taken away from her.

            This was an awesome book. There were twists and turns aplenty to keep you turning pages, and the relationships between all the characters was warm and heartfelt, something I really liked. The way magic and witches are described are fascinating, though definitely on the darker side, with a heavy emphasis on quid-pro-quo (though Jo's friend Kat is allowed to keep her memories of seeing Jo and Dorothea doing magic, she must be bound to Jo, and a powerful spell like that requires a whole fingernail and a snippet of flesh), though there is a good amount of humor to liven things up. Jo's father even stuck around the whole time, black magic-free and eager to pursue a relationship with the daughter he never knew but grows to care for very much, a fact I loved immensely. Also, Winn and Jo's relationship is an adorable, sweet romance that just makes one feel good. I highly recommend this book for those who enjoy books about paranormal, romance, magic and witches, and strong relationships and friendships.