About the Book
Grace has never been good at anything except magic—not that anyone believes her. While other children are adopted from the orphanage, nobody wants Grace. So she decides to make a home for herself by running away and offering herself as an apprentice to the witch in the nearby woods. After all, who better to teach Grace to use her magic? Surely the witch can’t be that bad.
But the witch is that bad—she steals souls for spells and gobbles up hearts. So Grace offers a deal: If she can learn all 100½ spells in the witch’s grimoire, the witch will make Grace her apprentice. But if Grace fails, the witch can take her magic. The witch agrees, and soon an unexpected bond develops between them. But the spells are much harder than Grace expected, and when a monster from the witch’s past threatens the home Grace has built, she may have to sacrifice more than her magic to save it.
Inspired by Anne of Green Gables, this is a magical story of found family, loss, and the power of a girl’s imagination.
Book Links
Releasing February 14th
My Thoughts
“As it turned out, wisdom wasn’t only about knowing what you didn’t know- the world wasn’t quite so miserable as that. It was also good for sizing up problems and finding solutions.”
I was in the middle of book 3 of the Anne of Green Gables series when I came across this as an ARC. Having just recently fallen in love with this author, I knew it was meant to be. I don’t usually read middle grade, but it didn’t matter because so many moving cogs clicked into place for this book.
This storyline heavily focuses on Grace, her pact with the witch, and her ability to pull people into her orbit. There is something so special that even the witch, who seems forever at odds with Grace’s personality, is drawn into this unique young girl. Her connection to Windweaver is special. The bird adds another fun element to the storyline.
I enjoyed watching Grace figure out how to work the spells and make them her own. I loved watching people come together to help Grace out. And I absolutely adored the way Fawcett weaved Anne into the storyline and made it uniquely Grace. As I’m rereading that series, it’s so fresh in my mind, and it was fantastic to have a fantasy retelling of a girl who has had such an impact. This is an enjoyable story for readers of all ages. Thank you, HarperCollins Children’s, for the ARC.
Rae's Reading Lounge 
That’s so cool that you were reading Anne of Green Gables series at the time you read this!
LikeLiked by 1 person