Those of you who have read and enjoyed the Seth Seppi Mysteries (The Last Chance Hotel et al), will be very familiar with Nightshade who's now back in her own book!
Nightshade has gone on holiday and has ended up in Twinhills where she quickly discovers that rumours are rife in the school that the The Howling Hag is causing chaos with her magic. Raven knows that her family are the only ones in the village who are supposed to be magic (although this is a secret to everybody else) and, along with the new boy, Mortimer Scratch (Morti), and a little help from Nightshade, they try to get to the bottom of what exactly is going on.
I first read The Last Chance Hotel whilst lounging next to the pool in Rhodes 3 years ago and was immediately enchanted by Nightshade's slightly sarcastic manner and attitude so I was thrilled to hear that she'd been given her own book... and also incredibly pleased to read her unique mannerisms and wit are still clearly evident. She has quite the way with her and most definitely helps Raven develop as a character.
Speaking of Raven: she's a rather conflicted young lady when we first meet her. She lives by her mum's life moto of 'deny everything' which comes in handy when you know that most of your family are magical (all except Raven's dad and Raven) and this is supposed to be a huge secret to everybody else. Her older sister, Rookery, seems to manage her magic effortlessly and Raven becomes increasingly worried as the book progresses, that she will never find her magical affinity and generally feels inferior to her sister- she really doesn't want to live without magic and this seems to constantly consume her thoughts; something that was evident as magic is a the heart of everything in this book.
Then there's Mortimer (Morti) who is new to Twinhills but immediately seems to feel as though he belongs. In his first meeting with Raven, he is full of confidence and insists on solving the mystery of The Howling Hag. He's determined and apparently afraid of nothing which contrasts Raven. Their chemistry together is great and, once you add Nightshade into the mix, they make a great detective team.
The Howling Hag Mystery is another absolute hit from Nicki Thornton. Excitingly magical with a host of wonderful characters and a mystery to solve (I didn't solve it!), I can't wait to see what the team will get up to next ... please tell me we'll be seeing more from Nightshade, Raven and Morti!
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