Book Review: "House of Ivy and Sorrow" by Natalie Whipple

Witching families aren't like other families, as we discover in House of Ivy and Sorrow by Natalie Whipple. That sounds like stating the obvious, but magic isn't the only thing that separates Josephine from the people around her; it's just the catalyst. Jo and her grandmother are the last of the Hemlock witches, a once-powerful witching family. But it seems that the Curse that has plagued witches for centuries, the same Curse that killed Jo's mother, has finally found them at their safe haven in Iowa. Unwilling to abandon the magical ground from which she and her grandmother absorb their power, Jo and her grandmother must track down the Curse's origins before whoever is controlling it can overcome their defenses. But why would they be successful where entire generations have failed before?

The situation would seem impossible if all Jo had to worry about was herself and her grandmother, but there are other lives at stake as well: her best friends Kat and Gwen, and her new boyfriend Winn. Whoever is coming after the Hemlock witches isn't afraid to use them to manipulate and threaten Jo. If she stretches herself too thin, protecting them all, how can she protect herself? The only answer may lie with a stranger who offers her a dangerous alliance, and despite her misgivings, Jo may have no other choice.

This was a dark, suspenseful read about the power of family ties, blood or otherwise, and overcoming impossible situations through ingenuity and resourcefulness, and the joys of having the people you love around you. I loved the family dynamic that Whipple created between Jo and her grandmother, the tradition of the women in their family and how it's all based around the magic. It helped to inform the closeness between as well as their relationship with other witching families.

I also liked the nature of witch magic as described by Whipple. She made it very clear from the outset that magic is not something trivial; it is dark in nature, and everything you do with it has a price. The point becomes that a person, witch or not, should consider the price of their actions beforehand and consider if something is really worth the cost. The lesson is delivered without all sounding at all preachy, and Jo finds herself doing things like collecting spiders for spells in exchange for her grandmother's help. The spells, like the magic, are pretty nasty even when their purpose is good. It was a great way to combine the image of the creepy Halloween witch with the loving circle of friends and family at the center of the story.

If you like the idea of practical magic and family, and enjoyed books like Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time series, consider picking up a copy of House of Ivy and Sorrow by Natalie Whipple. It was released on April 15th and is available at your favorite independent bookstore.