A review by kblincoln
Majix: Notes from a Serious Teen Witch by Douglas Rees
4.0
Kestrel (actually Susan, but she didn't like that it meant "lily" and so changed it) is in Jurupa, California living with her Aunt Ariel, a hippy-dippy white witch after she is sent away because her father needs time to recover from a heart attack.
In Jurupa, Kestrel, black-wearing and a huge chip on her shoulder, immedaitely attracts the wrong kind of attention from the Richard Milhouse Nixon High School's in crowd.
Hazing and Bullying ensue. While Kestrel started out as a white witch, she is now tempted to ask the universe for bad things to happen to her enemies.
But when she follows Ariel's advice by looking underneath the bad behaviors for deeper motives, she finds the universe itself is there waiting to bring her friends: Jose, a tactiturn incredible artist, Laura a friend interested in witchcraft, and Blake Crump, bully-turned-protector.
Kestrel's voice is fun and engaging, her problems cringe-worthy, and her slow gathering of friends truly wholesome and psychology-wise new agey good.
However, I wasn't completely satisfied by the all story threads tied up neatly in a perfect package ending. I felt the happy ending didn't quite do justice to the unfair and difficult relationship she had with her parents, or the wonderful and romantic relationship her Aunt develops with her friend Jose's older brother.
In otherwords, the ending was rushed and I wanted all these wonderful characters to have time to play out their stories.
This Book's Food Designation Rating: Bread and Butter Pickles for the compulsive fun of reading the story, but for feeling a little bit like something wasn't quite satisfied by the ending.
In Jurupa, Kestrel, black-wearing and a huge chip on her shoulder, immedaitely attracts the wrong kind of attention from the Richard Milhouse Nixon High School's in crowd.
Hazing and Bullying ensue. While Kestrel started out as a white witch, she is now tempted to ask the universe for bad things to happen to her enemies.
But when she follows Ariel's advice by looking underneath the bad behaviors for deeper motives, she finds the universe itself is there waiting to bring her friends: Jose, a tactiturn incredible artist, Laura a friend interested in witchcraft, and Blake Crump, bully-turned-protector.
Kestrel's voice is fun and engaging, her problems cringe-worthy, and her slow gathering of friends truly wholesome and psychology-wise new agey good.
However, I wasn't completely satisfied by the all story threads tied up neatly in a perfect package ending. I felt the happy ending didn't quite do justice to the unfair and difficult relationship she had with her parents, or the wonderful and romantic relationship her Aunt develops with her friend Jose's older brother.
In otherwords, the ending was rushed and I wanted all these wonderful characters to have time to play out their stories.
This Book's Food Designation Rating: Bread and Butter Pickles for the compulsive fun of reading the story, but for feeling a little bit like something wasn't quite satisfied by the ending.