It's no secret that our world has its fair share of environmental problems. The presence of smog in our air, a depleted ozone layer, polluted water and a questionable diet in the United States has led to a number of health problems in our population over the course of modern history. Lily Proctor, a high school student in Salem, Massachusetts, is allergic to just about everything. From alcohol to harmless potatoes, Lily reacts badly with everything from hives to seizures, and her body temperature is perpetually fevered. But things could be worse: she and her best friend Tristan have just started dating, and she might even get to go to a party while her sister takes care of their emotionally unstable mother.
But of course, things don't go as planned in the life of Lily Proctor. After a catastrophic evening, Lily finds herself pulled across the layers of the universe into an alternate reality. Here, in a completely unfamiliar version of Salem, witchcraft holds society together and science is persecuted viciously. And ruling over it all is Lilian Proctor, Lily's double, the Salem Witch.
Author Josephine Angelini has created a complex and interesting take on magic in the first book of what will be a new YA trilogy. I found the idea of a witch as a crucible particularly intriguing, seeing how foods and other elements were transformed into force and energy. But while I was very interested in that take on witchcraft, I was disappointed by the lack of explanation behind those powers. Lily is revealed to be a very powerful witch, yes. But the reasons behind what gives a witch her abilities, if it's biological or environmental or something else, are never addressed. I felt like that took away from my sense of appreciation for what Angelini had created in this take on magic, like she'd delved into it just far enough to write the basic story but didn't develop things any deeper. It was a letdown in an otherwise very convincing, immersive version of our world reimagined.
The other major plot hole that served to shake me out of my enjoyment of this novel lay in that while Lilian hinted to Lily more than once that she "needed" here in this other world, that there were plans for her and reasons for her to stay, nothing more than that was ever said. It left me frustrated and struggling to understand Lily's motivation for her actions in this strange Salem, if she didn't know or seem to pursue finding out Lilian's intentions for her. While Lilian never hurts her, just seems to scare her, Lily sees her immediately as evil and does her best to get as far away from her as possible. Basic things like why Lily was brought into an alternate reality or what Lilian has planned for her remain not just unanswered, but almost completely unaddressed. It could be that the author has a big reveal planned for the next book in the series, but it's my personal feeling that a little more information now would have done wonders to make me invest more in the story and its characters.
While I did have some definite criticisms of the way that this book is laid out in terms of plot development, the egalitarian nature of the relationship that develops between Lily and Rowan was a great breath of fresh air in a genre that seems to have a bad habit of sometimes seeing too much overblown romance in potentially unhealthy relationships between characters. (See Rachel Hanley's great blog post about how "romance ate the rest of my book!") Is this a teen book? Yes. Does that mean there's going to be some romantic agonizing and possibly obsession? Usually. But the way that Angelini managed to work a mutually beneficial, codependent relationship between a witch and her caretaker, or medic, was impressive and greatly appreciated. Especially in the case of Lily, who is completely lost in this new world, and Rowan, who had a complex and painful relationship with Lilian, they're both at each other's mercy regarding power and survival as well as emotions.
This book is a quick dip into a cleverly conceived alternate reality, intriguing despite some serious flaws. It's one of those premises that turned history on its head so completely, and in such an unexpected way, that I was swept right along with it. If you're willing to overlook some plot holes in exchange for a vivid world and some pretty fantastic characters, make sure you pick up a copy of Josephine Angelini's book Trial by Fire when it's released on September 2nd of this year. You can pre-order it now through your favorite independent bookstore!
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