Old Magic

Kate has always been aware of her magical powers, inherited from her grandmother Jillian, with whom she lives. When Jarrod arrives in her class she recognises the same power in him - which he refuses to acknowledge until a series of tragedies convince him that his family is cursed and only he can save them. Jillian sends Jarrod and Kate back in time to 13th-century Britain to unravel the mystery of the curse and destroy it. The details of the black arts and the prejudice surrounding magic and healing are deftly handled but the time travel sequence strikes chords of disbelief. Dialogue does not always ring true and this fractures belief in an already improbable world. There is excitement and romance in Jarrod's battle to lift the curse but some parts of the second section of the book descend into melodrama. Old Magic will interest lovers of fantasy able to maintain interest through the protracted first part of the book.