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.