Orla and her Jack Russell, Dave, are back and, together with her brothers, Tom and Richard, they are heading to stay with their Uncle Valentine at Sicow's Creek in Norfolk for the Easter holidays. The house is isolated with the tidal salt-marsh coast on one side and Anna's Wood on the other, and the first thing they are told when they arrive is to be home by dark, stay out of the water and Anna's Wood is out of bounds. Of course, this is like a red rag to Orla who heads straight to the woods where she finds a magpie stuck in a trap. In freeing it, she receives a 'kiss' from the magpie as a thank-you, which Uncle Valentine tells her will show her what fate has in store. That night, Oral dreams of GasFrac and the destruction of Anna's Wood with the wildlife being killed and left homeless. Anna realises that the woods are in imminent danger and, with the villagers refusing to do anything, it's up to Anna to lead the fight to protect the area. However, when she discovers who the head of GasFrac is, she realises she may have taken on more than she can handle. Can Orla save the wood and protect her family as well?
I read Orla and the Serpent's Curse during the first lockdown in March 2020 and loved the sinister mystery and twists in the plot so I was very much looking forward to seeing what Orla was up to next. Orla and the Magpie's Kiss opens with Orla, Dave and her brothers on the train, heading to Norfolk and it's lovely to have the time to get to know them again before the action starts and gave me the time to remind myself of what happened in book 1 whilst also getting to know exactly where they were heading and why.
Orla is as determined and headstrong as in book 1. She is fiercely determined not to allow her Uncle Valentine's stereo-types of girls to change her holiday, or of his warnings of the local area to stop her exploring - quite the opposite in fact; if anything, they spur her on (and I love that!). She's not open about her witch status at the beginning of the book, choosing only to reveal it when she has to, but I feel she grows more comfortable with it as the book progresses. Despite this, there is a self-doubt that remains with Orla, one that is fuelled by her need to protect her friends and family and it makes her all the more real because of this.
For all I love Orla, it's Dave who is my favourite character again, and the one who I feel steals the show! A truly loyal and protective dog, with feline qualities thanks to events in book 1, he has a very human personality that comes to the fore and he has a rather rye sense of humour at times that brought a smile to my face and, indeed, makes him appear more human than dog at times. I love his 'Never. Off. Duty.' style of personal security and would love to have him by my side.
With fracking and preservation of the natural environment one of the main themes of the book, this is perfect for Orla and it was no surprise to me that she was determined to do the right thing.
Magic, adventure and an action-packed plot, combined with a baddie who is truly evil, Orla and the Magpie's Kiss is a perfect sequel and one I know will go down well in school.
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