Book: Magazine: Book of Shadows/The Coven Publisher's Weekly Author: Date: Unknown December 11, 2000 This delectably dark pair of novels, first in the Sweep series, brings a supernatural spin to classic teen issues--popularity, romance, alienation and the search for self. Narrator Morgan, a high school junior in upstate New York, feels plain and ordinary, especially next to her flirty, drop-dead-gorgeous friend Bree. When Cal, a remarkably poised and handsome senior, transfers to their school, Morgan likes him almost immediately, an attraction she hides when Bree announces that she plans to win him for herself. Cal makes no secret of his belief in Wicca, inviting most of the junior and senior classes to join him in a Wiccan celebration. The rituals powerfully affect Morgan--could it be that she, like Cal, is a "blood witch" (a descendant of one of the seven great witch clans)? But how could she be a blood witch when everyone else in her family is so clearly not "magickal"? While Tiernan's ingredients are familiar, she stirs the cauldron with engaging, even cinematic, prose and sharply individuates her characters. She introduces the Wiccan material with some depth as well as with a skillful degree of ambiguity; readers will not know immediately whether or not the series embraces Wicca. Both books end on cliffhangers (Shadows, for example, closes as Cal kisses Morgan, in full view of Bree and the rest of their newly formed coven), fanning what will surely be an already keen desire to learn the whole story. Ages 12-up. TOP

Book: Magazine: Book of Shadows Booklist Author: Date: Catherine Andronik February 15, 2001 Morgan has never been someone people noticed, until an exciting new senior, Cal, enrolls in her high school. Cal reveals that he and his mother are Wiccans (witches), and Morgan, who seems unusually sensitive to natural energies and adept at "magick," becomes the focus of his attention. Could she be a blood witch, a member of one of the Seven Great Clans? This is largely an unexceptional high-school romance (first in a series) that spends inordinate amounts of time describing what the well-dressed teenage witch is wearing this season. More objective portrayals of the characters would have been desirable, too, (one future coven member is described as a "stuck-up JAP"), but this does have some information on Wiccan culture and presents it in a less sensational manner than many contemporary books and media (think Buffy the Vampire Slayer). Libraries that select this series, however, may want to be prepared for the possibility of challenges. Gr. 8^-12. TOP

Book: Magazine: Blood Witch School Library Journal Author: Date: Elaine Baran Black August 1, 2001 Tiernan's novel offers a protagonist not unlike Anne Rice's witches-she's for real. She can move things with her mind, she can speak in ancient tongues, and she's got incredible healing powers. Almost 17, Morgan has had quite an eventful year. She has learned that she is a "blood witch," that her birth parents were both powerful witches from the Woodbane family, one of the seven ancient Wiccan clans. She also finds herself involved with two young men-one who says he is her soul mate; the other seems to threaten her very being. The author does a fantastic job of creating a suspenseful mood and successfully sustains it throughout, and Morgan inhabits a world of magical powers that the average Wiccan does not. The information and facts about Wicca aren't as plentiful as in other series but the story is more exciting and adventurous. Unfortunately, parts of the narrative are confusing. Several chapters begin with diary entries from characters who may or may not be part of the current story. These journal entries do appear to have something to do with the larger story, but it isn't clear what. This third book in the series does not stand on its own and teens who haven't read the earlier titles may find themselves frustrated and lost. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information; Gr 8 Up. TOP

Book: Magazine: Changeling School Library Journal Author: Date: Michele Capozzella -- 2002 Unbeknownst to her adoptive parents, Morgan is a blood witch descended from one of Wicca's seven great clans. Although uninitiated and practicing magic for only three months, she is very powerful. The 17-year-old learns that her true father, a witch who killed her birth mother and has also tried to kill her, is planning to use black magic against another coven. A representative of the witches' council approaches Morgan to request that she establish a relationship with her father to learn more of his plot and possibly prevent it. Though not particularly well written, the series is popular. Morgan must struggle with the issues all young people must face: first love, making your own decisions, and deciding what's right. The addition of Wicca, one of the faster growing religions among teens, adds to the appeal. Morgan's adoptive parents are Catholic and disapprove of her involvement so she must hide her powers from them, but their influence brings her back to the church for the "comfort and structure" it provides. The book can stand alone, but readers will want to go back to the seven previous titles and fill in the blanks. Grade 9 Up TOP

Book: Magazine: Strife School Library Journal Author: Date: Elaine Baran Blac -- 2002 Here, Morgan is out of control-and just when things seem to be settling down. Even though she is a powerful witch, her newbie status makes the magick difficult to control. Violent episodes appear to follow her, and her friends think the events are her doing. But are they? Could Morgan's biological father really be the cause of the dark magick? Or is there another powerful witch who is blind to her own power? Characters continue to develop and the thrilling action continues to move the series along nicely. Especially good are the passages involving Morgan's family. Her parents' reluctance to accept their daughter's new religion is a realistic addition. Still confusing, however, are the mysterious diary entries circa 1971. Some of their content mirrors Morgan's struggles, but readers may not be able to reconcile the diary's presence within the text itself. Still, it does help sustain the overall foreboding mood. This ninth entry is too involved to stand alone, but fans of the series will enjoy it. Grade 9 Up TOP Book: Magazine: Strife, Seeker, Origins Courier Mail (Queensland, Australia) Author: Date: Claudia Pryor March 11, 2003 Shows like Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Charmed and Sabrina The Teenage Witch have proved that witches are back in fashion. So it's not surprising a coven of witch-themed books have been brewed up by publishers seeking to cash in on the craze. One such series is Wicca, aimed at teenage girls who like their relationship fiction with a generous dose of sage and magic thrown in. The three latest books bring the Wicca tally to 11. The series' main character is Morgan Rowlands, a blood witch. In her flared jeans and peacoat she looks like a typical 17-year-old but she is the daughter of Maeve Riordan, the last most powerful witch of Belwicket, and of Ciaran MacEwan, who was one of the darkest woodbanes ever known to Wicca. She is part of a high school coven, and a Seeker. Wiccans see themselves not as occultist but as adherents to a gentle, loving, nurturing religion, in tune with nature. But in Strife Morgan finds her powers for good are seriously challenged by others who want to use their powers for evil to hurt her. In Seeker, Morgan's boyfriend and soulmate Hunter, a fellow blood witch, goes to Canada in search of his parents who he has not seen since he was a small child. What he finds there is not what he expects: his mother is dead and his father is in a dire state. Hunter's wicca powers are also tested as he struggles with his loyalty to the International Council of Witches and his love of his father. In Origins readers are taken back to 1682, a hard time for a witch by all accounts, to hear the story of Rose MacEwan. The Wicca stories make a great distraction from study but don't expect anything spell-binding. TOP Book: Online Source: Eclipse Barnes & Noble Online Author: Date: Editorial Review July 2002 Morgan, Hunter, and other witches of Widow's Vale are battling the darkest magick ever created in Cate Tiernan's heart-stopping 12th installment of Sweep. When Morgan's paid a surprise visit by her birth father, Ciaran, she learns that the murderous witch wants her to join forces with him. Not interested in dark magick, Morgan declines, but her decision puts her life in deadly peril -- Ciaran has conjured a darkwave to destroy Morgan and anyone associated with her. To save the village, Hunter's father has created a difficult spell to eliminate the darkwave, yet there is one hitch: The oncoming threat is making all full witches weak, and the spell's caster could die. After Morgan invents a plan to stop her natural father's power, using knowledge she's kept secret from everyone, the solution to the darkwave spell becomes clear -- Alisa, who's made some startling discoveries of her own. With powerful scenes and gripping suspense that's familiar to Sweep fans, Eclipse is another episode that won't let you down. TOP Book: Newpaper: First few books New Straits Times (Malaysia) Author: Date: Malina Shamsudin May 28, 2003 Beware the mage, and bid him well, for he has powers beyond your ken - WITCHES, WARLOCKS, AND MAGES, Altus Polydarmus, 1618 (Book of Shadows) SIXTEEN-year-old Morgan is pretty nondescript, aside from a very prominent nose. A wallflower, she's quite content to live a mundane but pleasant existence. That is, until a certain mysterious and beautiful newcomer, Cal Blaire, shows an interest in her. Suddenly, Morgan feels something awakening in her - strange and alien at first, but a power nonetheless. Magical powers. Witchcraft. Soon, Morgan realises that not only are her powers unusually strong but that she happens to be a forgotten bloodwitch, descended from one of the Seven Great Clans of Wicca, wielders of the most powerful forces. However, things slowly start spiralling out of control. Many are not as thrilled about this fact as Morgan is. Rumours circulate and with emerging fear also comes deep resentment. Her parents forbid this consuming quest, threatening to send her away if she persists. Even her oldest allies turn against her. But through the open door of magic, Morgan discovers shocking secrets. Like the mysterious execution of her birth mother. Like how she was adopted hush-hush. Lost, confused and betrayed, Morgan is desperate to solve the complicated puzzle - and all the while, her new powers are building up. To make matters worse two strange witches appear on the scene, claiming that her beloved charismatic Cal, Morgan's teacher and confidante, may be involved in a sinister plot - against her. Not knowing who to trust, and anxious to learn about her true identity, Morgan must ask herself the ultimate question: Is magic what it's made out to be? Not since L.J. Smith has fantasy been spun so well. Akin to Smith's Secret Circle trilogy, this 14-part series tells the tale of a young girl on a bumpy ride of dark discovery. Readers will hold their breath as each sharp corner reveals one frightening obstacle after another, bringing our heroine closer and closer to the whispers of death. With a thicker consistency than witchy fluff like Charmed, this series, also known as Sweep, proves to be highly entertaining if not addictive. Before each chapter are diary entries, written by characters uninvolved in the ongoing story but whose impact on the greater plot is unknown. Each title ends with a delicious cliffhanger, fanning the keen desire to learn the whole story. Tantalising. TOP Book: Magazine: Night's Child School Library Journal Author: Date: Molly S. Kinney --- Grade 7 Up--Moira Byrne, the 15-year-old daughter of the powerful witch Morgan of Belwicket, is faced with devastating family secrets, horrible forces, blossoming love, and possible betrayal in the 15th book of the series. Learning of her heritage, Moira gains insight and strength to conquer her fears, defeat evil, and face the future. This coming-of-age story succeeds because of balance. No one element overshadows another. The characters are well drawn and readers will empathize and agonize with Moira and Morgan's experiences and relationships with each other and the other figures in the book. The sturdy plot moves toward a satisfactory and sigh-of-relief conclusion. The mood and tension are skillfully sustained throughout, and the integration of factual information enhances the character development. The conversational tone of the writing makes this story highly readable and engaging. A good choice for fans of the series as well as those new to it.--Molly S. Kinney, Peach Public Libraries, Fort Valley, GA TOP Last Modified: Wednesday, 10/15/08