Ingredients:
1 school plagued with curses;
1 young witch who can’t do magic;
1 talking cat sleuth on holiday.

Method:
Place the ingredients in a big cauldron and stir well over a low fire at midnight. Dancing and chanting optional.

Raven Charming has always known magic is real – she comes from a family of witches. And although she doesn’t seem to have any magical ability of her own yet, she knows how important it is to keep magic secret. So when mysterious things start happening at school, and people start whispering about an evil witch called The Howling Hag, she knows she’s got to investigate.

Luckily for her, she’s not alone. Nightshade is a talking cat who’d much rather be snacking on salmon and sleeping by the fire than solving magical crimes, but when a foolish human made the mistake of calling him a stray, Nightshade simply had to get involved. There is such a thing as dignity, after all.

The Howling Hag is a really fun mystery that, despite all the magical skullduggery, never gets too scary. At its heart, it’s a story about why people act as they do. Why is the new boy in the village squirting everyone with his water pistol? Turns out he just wants to get their attention, and he’s desperate for friends. As Nightshade says, solving magical crimes is really not too different to mundane crimes – follow the motives. Raven’s own motivation – her fear at not living up to the achievements of her family – is particularly relatable, especially her frustration at how terribly understanding everyone is.

So don’t be afraid of the gently bubbling cauldron! Guzzle it down, and you’ll soon find this book working its magic on you too.

(review by Tim)