Twilight Hauntings
By Angie Sage
Fantasy Fiction
Well looky here, it’s a new middle-grade fantasy series starter from the author of Magyk, Angie Sage! If you like fantasy with intricate plots, memorable characters, and moments sparkling with witty humor, this is the one for you.
Our main character, Alex, has a set of magic cards that she uses to try to interpret the future. She has to use them in secret though, because magic is outlawed in the kingdom of Rekadom. Years ago, they prophesied that the king of Rekadom would be killed at the hand of an Enchanter’s Child. That’s why he banished all Enchanters from the land, including Alex’s parents.
Alex goes on the run from the city of Luma when her foster sister turns her in to the authorities for using magic. The Twilight Hauntings pursue her. These are creatures that are trained to seek out Enchanters and kill them. One of these Twilight Hauntings is a giant hawke and its lethal rider that prove especially difficult to shake.
But the story doesn’t just follow Alex. There are chapters from the perspective of Alex’s villainous sister, Zerra, the rider of the hawk, Danny, a boy named Ben who befriended Alex when she used her cards to tell his fortune, the king’s former royal Enchanter, Hagos, and many others! The large cast of characters was the most enthralling part of this book for me. All of the characters’ stories initially seem to play out independently of each other, but as the book progresses, their paths intersect and collide in ways that are sometimes dramatic, sometimes hilarious.
Speaking of hilarious, this book is full of quirky humor. There’s a delightful smattering of funny elements: runaway lemon carts, oracles who knit octopuses, and the antics of a socially awkward Enchanter who has been hiding in the forest for perhaps a couple years too many.
And if nothing else, you have to admire that eye-catching cover!
Written by Molly, Children’s Department
