Alice has lived alone in her cottage ever since her parents left to go hunting and never came back. As the years pass, the gossip and rumours of the girl living alone in the woods grows. The nearest town called Alder Vale is thick with it, until the townsfolk have assured themselves that Alice is in fact a witch. They blame her for anything that goes wrong in the town, from failed crops to burnt dinners.

Lily, the niece of the local apothecary, never thought any of these nasty things. Alice is Lily’s best friend, Alice even calling them Shadow Sisters. As often as she can get away from her duties as her uncle’s assistant, Lily visits Alice with treats to eat and posies of wildflowers.

Alice herself often wonders if she is a witch. She imagines making spells of her own from the Grimoire her parents left behind. But alas nothing works, and she makes do with her tiny cottage, the forest around her and Lily’s friendship.

One night during a storm, Alice hears a knock on her door. Frightened but curious, she discovers a letter on the step, dry despite the rain. It is an invitation to a life she’d always dreamed of.

On her next visit, Lily discovers Alice missing along with her treasured Grimoire. At first she is surprised, then worried, running home to her uncle, because other rumours have been rife in Alder Vale. Children have been disappearing from the area, blamed on a feared Shadow Sect rising from the past. Has Alice been snatched by these strangers? Lily knows she must go after her.

Jem is also missing a loved one. His sister Grace has disappeared. He isn’t the only one who misses her. Both Grace and Jem have been caring for a group of children they have saved from one terrible fate or another, and set themselves up in a lighthouse. They need Grace back, but can’t think of how they will ever save her.

Lily’s journey to find her friend takes her to Jem and his young charges, and together they devise a plan to save Grace and Alice. What they find is true evil.

Witches are a popular theme across all ages, and Sisters of Shadow offers something a little different. Witchcraft is being taught like in many novels, but this time it’s against the student’s will, for a hidden use in their future. There is a budding relationship, courage and selflessness, but also hate, evil powers and terror aplenty.

One rescue becomes two, one not possible without the other, bringing a group of young people together. All is not well yet, as a disastrous conclusion awaits them and draws the reader to the next in the series, due out July 22 (NZ / Aust). A gripping, witchy tale.

Author – Katherine Livesey

Age – 12+

(2022, Harper Collins, LGBTQ+, Witches, Evil, Friendship, Courage, Spells, Power, Lighthouse, Responsibility, Coven, Training, First love, Rescue Plan, Fantasy, Rumour, Suspicion, Apothecary, Potions, Action, Adventure, Betrayal, Fantasy, Historical, Horror, Magic, Mystery)