Witch & Wizard

Brother and sister, Whit and Wisty, have Wiccan powers that they do not fully realise and only learn to utilise when they are accused of witchcraft and condemned to death by a cruel, ruthless totalitarian regime that has taken over the land. What follows is a fast, exciting, fantasy adventure told in turns by the siblings, with wall to wall thrills and spills.

There is some preachiness at the end but this is outweighed by the page-turning suspense, pace and invention, street smart irony and upbeat humour of the style. Most of the young characters ring near to true though the adults are grotesques, even the goody, goody parents.

In truth it does feel as though it might have been produced in a series writing factory and the ending suggests that this is not going to be a stand-alone. The last 24 pages contain a mix of extra detail as well as self promotion that characterise the whole production of the novel.