MIDDLE GRADE SPECULATIVE (Fantasy) FICTION : Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch by Julie Abe
ABOUT THE BOOK
Sometimes all you need is a pinch of magic...
Eva Evergreen is determined to earn the rank of Novice Witch before she turns thirteen years old. If she doesn't, she'll lose her magic forever. For most young witches and wizards, it's a simple enough test:
ONE: Help your town, do good all around.
TWO: Live there for one moon, don't leave too soon.
THREE: Fly home by broomstick, the easiest of tricks.
The only problem? Eva only has a pinch of magic. She summons heads of cabbage instead of flowers and gets a sunburn instead of calling down rain. And to add insult to injury, whenever she overuses her magic, she falls asleep.
When she lands on the tranquil coastal town of Auteri, the residents expect a powerful witch, not a semi-magical girl. So Eva comes up with a plan: set up a magical repair shop to aid Auteri and prove she's worthy. She may have more blood than magic, but her "semi-magical fixes" repair the lives of the townspeople in ways they never could have imagined. Only, Eva's bit of magic may not be enough when the biggest magical storm in history threatens the town she's grown to love. Eva must conjure up all of the magic, bravery, and cleverness she can muster or Auteri and her dreams of becoming a witch will wash away with the storm.
Eva Evergreen is determined to earn the rank of Novice Witch before she turns thirteen years old. If she doesn't, she'll lose her magic forever. For most young witches and wizards, it's a simple enough test:
ONE: Help your town, do good all around.
TWO: Live there for one moon, don't leave too soon.
THREE: Fly home by broomstick, the easiest of tricks.
The only problem? Eva only has a pinch of magic. She summons heads of cabbage instead of flowers and gets a sunburn instead of calling down rain. And to add insult to injury, whenever she overuses her magic, she falls asleep.
When she lands on the tranquil coastal town of Auteri, the residents expect a powerful witch, not a semi-magical girl. So Eva comes up with a plan: set up a magical repair shop to aid Auteri and prove she's worthy. She may have more blood than magic, but her "semi-magical fixes" repair the lives of the townspeople in ways they never could have imagined. Only, Eva's bit of magic may not be enough when the biggest magical storm in history threatens the town she's grown to love. Eva must conjure up all of the magic, bravery, and cleverness she can muster or Auteri and her dreams of becoming a witch will wash away with the storm.
REVIEW
Eva Evergreen refuses to give up on her dream of becoming a Novice Witch. Despite how weak her magic is and the tole it takes on her every time she uses it. She's determined to complete her Novice quest even though her parents are the only ones who believe in her. With her mother's help she gets assigned her quest and sets off to do good for a town, hopefully before the Culling occurs. The Culling is a magic disaster that strikes every year wreaking havoc on whatever region it happens to hit. Eva isn't real worried about it, her quest is only supposed to last 30 days and shouldn't require her to do anything as big as protecting a town against the Culling.
After landing in Auteri, a seaside town, Eva discovers the mayor isn't happy to see a semi-magical witch when she requested a fully trained, powerful witch. But Eva does her best to make the best of things and help the best she can using a combination of her creativity and her magic. She makes friends and comes to truly care for the town. And she seems to be doing some good despite her mishaps. But when the Culling arrives before it's expected, Eva's overwhelmed with the responsibility to try to protect Auteri with her limited abilities.
I really enjoyed Eva as a character. She's feisty but also struggles to believe in herself as so many things go wrong. Her confidence fluctuates as she tries to complete her quest. Her willingness to help and the unselfishness she shows in her efforts to do so are impressive. I also enjoyed reading about Eva's efforts to complete her quest, both the ups and downs. The setting is so well described I almost felt like I was there and I came to care for the town just like Eva did. I also enjoyed the plot as it moved briskly enough to be entertaining but slowly enough for Eva to develop as a character. A great fantasy story for those who enjoy books with plenty of excitement and some character growth to go with it.
This would have made so much more sense if I had been familiar with Kiki's Delivery Service first! Definitely a good choice for young readers who are just waiting for their magical powers to manifest themselves!
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