Aveline is back and this time she's spending two weeks of her summer holiday in a cottage in the small village of Norton Wick near Bristol and, although it's not the holiday abroad many of her friends are having, she's excited to learn that the house backs onto a field which is home to The Witch Stones, an ancient stone circle. Aveline wastes no time in climbing through the brambles to explore the stones, stumbling over an old, rattling bottle on the way. Whilst there, she sees a girl who seems to be stroking the stones. Worried about disturbing her, she edges away but keeps seeing her around the village. The pair eventually meet and become friends. Although Aveline feels there is something strange about Hazel Browne (with an e), she is equally fascinated with her, especially as she introduces her to the magic of the stones. When Harold arrives with his Uncle and Aveline's Aunt, he receives a frosty reception from Hazel. The pair know that there is something different about Hazel but they cannot figure exactly what it is ... will they work it out before it's too late?
I read The Haunting of Aveline Jones last summer and loved the tension and spookiness of it (I still remember getting the biggest fright when my phone pinged next to me as I read the end of the book!), so I was incredibly excited when I discovered The Bewitching of Aveline Jones had landed on NetGalley. So excited in fact, that when the book arrived on my home-page, I dropped everything and began to read it!
This time, the long, hot days of summer have replaced the dark and cold evenings of Hallowe'en; yet the spooky feel remains ever present in the book. With talk of witch circles, an old village with an ancient church and graveyard at its heart, and wide open spaces with nobody around, you instantly feel on edge. The house where Aveline and her mum are staying doesn't seem to have been used for many years the noises in the night are different to the ones Aveline is used to at home; combine that with the bramble-filled garden and The Witch Stones being visible from her bedroom window, and the hazy summer setting quickly becomes an eerie place where you find yourself just waiting for things to happen! It makes the book completely compelling and utterly unputdownable! (Trust me; my parents were coming for dinner on the day I read it, and I seriously contemplated whether I would get away with reading at the table!).
It was wonderful to be back with Aveline and her love of all things ghostly. She is still as determined as ever and fearless in her quest to get to the bottom of things; however, she also finds herself under Hazel's spell, finding her rather alluring yet she also feels hesitant about everything at the same time. This cool young lady seems to have the perfect house and the perfect life; she knows how to invoke the magic from the stones and even manages to persuade Aveline to ditch Harold whilst he's visiting. She has that edge of a dangerous friend, the one your parents always warned you about yet you were compelled to spend time with! Hazel is most definitely a character you'll be wary of but will equally want to see more of her! It's that pull which creates the tension that means you won't be able to stop reading once you've begun!
The entire book had me utterly under its spell (so much so, I stayed up until just before midnight so I could finish it ... I was slightly wary of switching the light off afterwards!). With its creepy, summery feel, the hint of magic and the sense of danger, you are going to absolutely love this book!
Before I go, I must give a nod to the wonderful illustrations: Keith Robinson has done a wonderful job at adding to the ambiance with both the front cover and those that appear throughout the book.
Due for release on the 16th September, this is a book you need to pre-order!
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