Highly enjoyable! Although I was afraid that this "young adult" novel would feel a bit juvenile, it didn't. The author's prose is simple but pleasing and she does a fine job of drawing the reader into the world that she has constructed. (My favorite part was the reference to George Washington -- I hope that later books in the series expound a bit more on this.) Recommended for fantasy fans who like a touch of literary flair. ( )

This is a really enjoyable YA novel set in an alternate North America, where the settlement patterns were similar if not necessarily identical to our own world. We don't know for sure where the history diverged, but there is, in passing, a reference to "King Washington." Date is pretty vague; there are references to trains for long-distance travel to larger population centers, but the story is set in small settlements where the technology is that of the frontier. Any reader of the Little House series will recognize it.

Except that, as we gradually discover, magic works.

Eleven-year-old Alfreda Sorensson's life takes a dramatic turn when her father and brothers, along with neighboring men, kill a wolf that turns out to have been a werewolf. In the aftermath of the werewolf killing, death and tragedy stalk the community of Sun-Return, and Allie discovers she has true dreams as well as other skills that help her family and neighbors to weather the crisis.

Yet her clearly growing talent raises the question of her education and training, and this is no easy choice. Being a practitioner brings danger as well as power, and Allie's mother Garda is determined to keep her safe. Her father, and his cousin Marta, herself a distinguished practitioner, equally concerned for Allie's safety, believe that her talent is too great to be safely hidden away. She needs to learn the skills to actively protect herself from the dark creatures of the night.

As Allie grows into adolescence, she experiences first crush and first jealousy, and first mastery of her growing talent--and a far more serious and insidious threat to her friends and neighbors than the werewolf, one of the creatures of the night that cousin Marta had feared to have her encounter without the skills and education for the challenge.

This is a really nicely done story, well-written, lovely character development, and a magic system that has real costs and dangers as well as rewards. I'm looking forward to reading more.

Highly recommended.

I received a free electronic galley of this book from the author. ( )

I have had this book to read for quite some time. It ended up being a very well done fantasy and I enjoyed it a lot.

Things were peaceful until the werewolves came, reeking havoc in the small village Sun Return. Then young Allie learned that she had special powers. All of her relatives and the other close magic practitioners were called in to decide how Allie would receive her training. Allie's mother and father were the first to train her, but as her powers grew it was time for her apprentice to her Aunt Marta. Allie and Aunt Marta now travel the land and fight the evil creatures that lurk there in an effort to protect the common village folk from the dark.

The whole story takes place in an alternate sort of America. Slavery still exists but a king and queen rule in Washington. Additionally fantastical creatures and magic are well known throughout the land.

The book starts out a bit slow and moves at a fairly deliberate pace. The first half is dedicated to Allie finding out she has a special gift and starting to train it. The second half reminded me of The Last Apprentice series by Joseph Delaney. Allie and her mentor travel around facing evil creatures of the night and protecting the villagers from them.

I really enjoyed the herbalogy throughout, it's very intricate and detailed and fun to learn about.

I also loved Allie’s character; she is so matter of fact about things and eager to learn and help. In fact I loved the majority of the characters in this story, even the side characters are very well done. By the end of the novel I was very engaged and attached to both the world and the characters here.

Overall this was a very well done fantasy novel with a historical paranormal feel to it. It starts out a bit slow and is pretty deliberately paced. However, I ended up really enjoying the world and characters. I would recommend to fans of classic fantasy who don't mind a historical paranormal theme to their fantasy. ( )

Superb. Very deftly written coming-of-age urban fantasy about a young girl becoming a witch.

The setting is 1800s back-country USA, a small immigrant village in the south somewhere. Alfreda is the daughter of a Norwegian family who've settled there some time ago. There is also Irish and German blood mixed in. These old families have also brought their old gods and demons with them - the Dark ones. Three segments of her teenage years involve episodes with ghosts werewolves and vampires, leading her mum to agree that she must be properly trained, and hence Alfreda spends several months with her powerful Aunt who starts her instruction in the deeper Mysteries.

Each segment would almost stand alone, but they link together very smoothly. It all sounds very trite, but it really works very well. Very cleverly written, from Alfreda's view, sympathetic family and well rounded villagers whom you can believe exist. Consistent and limited magic, and a simple hard but comfortable village life that seems real for the 1800s. A much gentler feel than the polish Witcher stories, but a similar essence somehow.

Eagerly looking forward to the next in the series which says enough on it's own! ( )

I liked this book a lot. I was confused at the beginning about exactly where and when the story was taking place (around the early 1800s, maybe late 1700s, American frontier, but at first thought it was Victorian era) and found myself questioning the historical accuracy of a couple of little things because of that confusion, but that was my main problem with it.

I'm not a big fan of werewolf and vampire books as a rule (not into horror, at all) but here they made sense. The main character and her mentors are very grounded and deal with these things without freaking out, and I loved all the digressions about herbs and magic lore.

I will probably even go on to read Book 2 of the series soon-ish. ( )