The start of an imaginative and fun duology in an original fantasy world inspired by classic fairy tales.
Twelve-year-old Maud has grown up in a house made of gingerbread and sugar, crafted by Mother Agatha. Maud herself is made of gingerbread as well, but unlike Mother Agatha’s other creations, like a talking hazelnut mousse squirrel or a bird with spun-sugar feathers, Maud looks like a human. She also has a witchmark, identifying her as a witch—but Mother Agatha has yet to teach her any spells.
Before she can do so, however, witch hunters Hansel and Gretel break through the cottage’s wards and push Agatha into the cottage’s oven, reducing Agatha to ash and endangering the creations she brought to life. Maud must flee, but soon discovers that the First Witch’s spellbook might hold the secret to resuscitating Agatha and saving herself and her friends. It lies in the dangerous forest of the Shadelands, however, and to get there, Maud must brave witch hunters and others set on using the spellbook for their own means. Maud is a delightful protagonist, off on an action-packed quest for a magical object, but also, like many tweens, sometimes stumbling as she learns the skills of adulthood while also trying to determine her own path.
Author Alexandra Overy has created a unique world with a fresh plot and original characters, which nevertheless draws on elements from several classic fairy tales. “Little Red,” for example, is a heroine to witches for outwitting the witch hunters who came to capture her, but the witch hunters tell tales of a “Crimson-cloaked Witch who murdered our ancestors.”
There’s a two-mom relationship that we learn of near the end of the book; it’s central to the denouement but not an extensive part of the book. Since it is a spoiler, though, I’ll write it in white on white below; click and drag if you want to know:
Mother Agatha was in a relationship with another witch, and their combined powers created Maud, just before the other witch died.
There’s also an in-passing mention of another two-woman couple, making it clear that queer people are an accepted and unremarkable part of this world.
This is the start of a duology, and I can’t wait for the next volume.
Maud is White; one other character is said to have brown skin.
