Threadneedle

 

Title: Threadneedle

Author: Cari Thomas

Publisher: 2nd June 2021 by HarperCollins Australia

Pages: 576 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: young adult, urban fantasy, witches, contemporary

My Rating: 4 cups

Synopsis:

Within the boroughs of London, nestled among its streets, hides another city, filled with magic. ‘Magic and love. Love and magic. They destroy everything in the end …’

Anna’s Aunt has always warned her of the dangers of magic. Its twists. Its knots. Its deadly consequences.

Now Anna counts down the days to the ceremony that will bind her magic forever.

Until she meets Effie and Attis.

They open her eyes to a London she never knew existed. A shop that sells memories. A secret library where the librarian feeds off words. A club where revellers lose themselves in a haze of spells.

But as she is swept deeper into this world, Anna begins to wonder if her Aunt was right all along.

Is her magic a gift … or a curse?

My Thoughts

Threadneedle is the first instalment of a new YA fantasy series. The idea of creating a fantasy in contemporary London was very clever. It is great for young readers to relate to as we follow teenager Anna who is being raised by her Aunt after the death of her parents. Her Aunt believes magic is a sin and should be denied or controlled, thus she is insisting Anna be ‘bound’ and become a trained Binder through magic stitchery (her magic is bound and no longer usable). 

‘Rules. They were the grid lines of her life. They gave things a framework for measurement, for meaning. In her head the grid lines began to rise up, criss-crossing, entangling, floating off into space - but what was left? A rootless, drifting world.’

It is a long book and can at times become slow but the ending is truly worth the journey. Although the first in a new series, there is an ending that is conclusive but with obvious room to grow. This is also most definitely a young adult book with teen dramas and behaviours. Yet a worthy coming of age tale through the exploration of magic -  how clever! 

The themes of this book can be best summarised by the author herself: ‘What drove me to write Threadneedle is just how relevant these questions still feel today (witches: powerful women who must be put back in their place) … tensions running throughout the book (include) - repression, rumour, gossip, fear - but at its heart: feminine power and sisterhood.’

‘All of us. Witches. Women. Souls who question the way things are - free-thinkers, deep-thinkers, the cows who hoped to jump over the moon. All are at risk. Especially the cursed.'  

I believe this is to be a great YA read - beyond the whole teenager angst and schoolyard pranks - there is room through Cari’s good writing to sympathise with Anna who does not agree with her Aunt and wishes for a different future. There are a range of strong characters and some, like Effie and Attis, play pivotal roles.

I enjoyed this book with an ending I found most compelling. Young people will gain much from Anna’s journey to discovery - about her family, her magic and ultimately, herself. 

‘Why would you want to be like other people? I hate other people. We belong to legend, to fairy tale and storybook … Witches, sorceresses and enchantresses … fairy godmothers or wizened hags in the dark of the woods. Sacred. Sinners. Wonders. Wicked. Virgins. Whores. Call us what you will. It's our duty to bring magic into this world.'

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: Magic Lessons - A Prequel to Practical Magic

Title: Magic Lessons - A Prequel to Practical Magic

Author: Alice Hoffman

Publisher: 7th October 2020 by Simon & Schuster (Australia)

Pages: 400 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: historical fiction,  magical realism, fantasy, witches

My Rating: 4 cups

Synopsis:

From New York Times bestselling author Alice Hoffman comes the origin story of her beloved novel and basis for the cult classic film Practical Magic—taking us on a captivating journey to the Salem witch trials, featuring the indomitable matriarch of the Owens family, Maria.

It’s no secret that love has plagued the Owens family for centuries. But when did the curse begin, and why? It all began with Maria Owens, who arrived in America in 1680, with a baby in tow…

Born with pitch-black hair and pale green eyes, Maria was abandoned in the English countryside by her birth mother and raised by Hannah Owens who warned her, “Always love someone who will love you back.” She inherits Hannah’s Grimoire—a magical book of enchantments that include instructions to heal illnesses, ingredients for soaps that restore youth, and spells that make a person burn with love for another. When Hannah dies in an attack, Maria leaves for Curacao, where she meets John Hathorne, a magistrate from Salem living freely for the first time in his life as he falls in love with Maria. But Hathorne soon abandons her, before Maria realizes she’s pregnant. When she gives birth to a red-headed baby girl, Faith, who possesses immense magical talent, Maria embarks on a voyage to Salem to face her destiny, with or without magic.

But aboard the ship bringing her to America, fate intervenes and she meets a man who will change her life, if she’ll only let him. Her journey, laced with secrets and truths, devastation and joy, magic and curses, will show her that love is the only answer, always.

My Thoughts

‘For some, witchery was a choice, but not for them. It was in their very nature, and they must do their best with it, but how did a woman survive when she would surely be judged again and again?’

I am a fan of Alice Hoffman over the years, but you are never sure what you are going to get. Magic Lessons is a prequel to the Practical Magic series with Maria Owens, the original witch in the Owens bloodline. It would be fair to say that Alice’s writing is in itself magical in this 17th century historical fiction story. She certainly has a gift. 

‘It was a time of evil, when people were owned and women were treated no better than they had been across the sea.’

This book tells the story of Maria Owens (and later on her daughter Faith) from her start in England, then onto Curaçao, Salem and finally New York. I will admit to being a bit nervous in the beginning as it was somewhat slow to get going. It begins with Maria abandoned as a baby and raised by a witch. It then progresses to her being a servant in Dutch Curaçao and finally to Salem and New York. 

‘A woman alone who could read and write was suspect. Words were magic. Books were not to be trusted. What men could not understand, they wished to burn.’

As ever, Alice Hoffman’s writing is the real attraction - it is beautiful. Her capacity to portray not only a sense of place and time but also authentic and real people and stories. This book required finesse given it covers historical events such as the plague, life in a Dutch colony and the Salem witch trials. Her attention to detail is exceptional and I love how she gave voice to a period when women had no power. Then to bring in all things magic - everything from listed ingredients for curing ailments to evoking black magic and spells. Tying it all together is a tale of love and loss, betrayal and revenge. It is dark at times and sad,  yet you cannot help but get swept along with Maria and Faith on their journey.

If you have not read (or seen the movie) fear not, for this can certainly be read as a standalone. The attraction of an Alice Hoffman book always brings an element of surprise - what will be on offer this time? Magic Lessons is a beautifully written tale that I would recommend. 

‘Fate is what you make of it. You can make the best of it, or you can let it make the best of you.’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.