The Witches of Willow Cove by Josh Roberts

The dramatic opening chapter of The Witches of Willow Cove by debut novelist Josh Roberts plunges the reader directly into a world of magic, mystery, and secrets.

Chased off a clifftop one Halloween night, thirteen-year-old Abby Shepherd discovers she can fly. She’s not alone: five of her classmates also evolve witchy powers. The fledgling coven learn magic under the guidance of their mysterious history teacher Miss Winters, but as teenagers they must also navigate first crushes, petty jealousies, hard-fisted bullies, mobile phone photographs, rocky friendships, and the decisions of their parents.

When two local women disappear, Abby and her friends Robby O’Reilly and Amethyst Jones investigate.

The chapters alternate in points of view, and while I had little interest in the Robbie-Becca love story, it was easy to get swept away with Abby and Amethyst’s magical adventure. There is an interesting link between the Pleiades star cluster and the young witches, and I enjoyed the knitting vocabulary used for spell-casting, and the spooky gothic setting. Several open plot threads suggest a sequel.

The Witches of Willow Cove brews together contemporary realism, gothic landscape, and witchcraft, and makes an enjoyable magical mystery for middle-grade readers. It’s more likely to appeal to girls and will be published in May 2020.

If the front cover artwork appeals to you, check out this blog post by Josh Roberts on the development of the design and the earlier concepts. The illustrator is Levente Szabo.

Many thanks to Josh Roberts, Owl Hollow Press, and NetGalley for my advanced reading copy.