Published February 17, 2015 by Forge Books
Allison Darling, former foster child, now a stay-at-home mom
of three, desperately wants to fit in with the organic latte drinking,
hundred-dollar-yoga-pants-wearing moms who run Monrovia, her charming seaside
village. Constantly feeling like an outsider, Allison dreams of more for her
children. When the Glamour Girls, a soap-selling company run by the most
charismatic and powerful women in town, recruits Allison, she jumps at the
invitation. The Glamor Girls have a hand in everything in Monrovia, from bake
sales to business deals. This is what Allison’s wanted her whole life—to be
liked. To be popular. To belong. After Allison’s estranged mother passes away,
she learns her family’s heartbreaking legacy and the secret Allison’s been
fighting to suppress all her life emerges: she’s a witch. What’s more, she’s
not the only one in town. There’s more to the Glamour Girls then it seems… and
once you’re a Glamour Girl, there’s no going back. Allison must use her
rediscovered magic to defend Monrovia, protect her marriage and her children,
and reclaim her legacy. Fighting tooth and nail for her family is easy, but
what about for herself? Is it too late to confront her own demons and become
the woman she dreams of being?
My Thoughts…
Oh my witches! This
is the cutest, most fun book I have read in a very long time. The town of Monrovia is interesting. I knew right away something was off. There is no way that a town can be that
“perfect.” It took me a lot of reading
to start putting the clues together. I
am glad that Katie Schickel did not give it all away too quickly and made the
reader work for the answers. As the
clues started falling into place I could not wait to keep reading and find out
how the story would end.
The movement from past to present was seamless. There was no real break in the story as
the same characters were in both parts.
I enjoyed learning the history of Allison and her family. The surprises in who was who and how they
were all related surprised me sometimes, but it all made sense as more of the
history was shared. The witchcraft
part of the story was told perfectly in both parts of the story and made total
sense. It was not way out there or
making me think “no way.”
My favorite character (yes I am crazy) is Freya. I loved her spunk and attitude. Her belief in herself and what she is doing
is so strong who could possibly disagree with her? The clues to what happen to Freya were
buried in the chapters and took some time for me to put together. I actually gasped out loud when it finally
came together. It was truly my ah-ha
moment with this book.
I definitely recommend The Housewitch for anyone looking for
a great read.
What others are
saying…
“An unforgettable cast of characters and a powerful story
about family, secrets, and magic. A magical, beautifully entertaining debut.” —
Suzanne Palmieri, author of The Witch of Belladonna Bay
“In the spirit of John Updike’s The Witches of
Eastwick and Alice Hoffman’s Practical Magic, Schickel
casts a spell all her own. Housewitch takes us deep inside the
darks arts of twenty-first century motherhood and sparkles with unexpected
magic.” — Amber Dermont, New York Times bestselling author
of The Starboard Sea
“Positively enchanted me from the first page to the last. Perfectly
paced, witty, and sharply observant. This is a don’t-miss debut by a writer to
watch.” — Meg Mitchell Moore, author of So Far Away
ABOUT THE
AUTHOR
KATIE
SCHICKEL
graduated from Georgetown University with a degree in English. A former
newspaper reporter, Schickel's writing career and passion for scuba diving has
taken her to Pensacola and Key West, FL, as well as throughout the Caribbean,
Central America and the Pacific. She has been a freelancer for several scuba
magazines, including Scuba Times Magazine
and Outside Magazine. Schickel lives
in Massachusetts where she spends her time writing and with family. When
she’s not doing that, Schickel also surfs the chilly waters of New England,
even in the winter. HOUSEWITCH is her first novel.
ABOUT
FORGE BOOKS
Forge
Books, an imprint of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC, is a New York-based publisher
of hardcover and softcover books, founded in 1993 and committed (although not
limited) to thrillers, mysteries, historical fiction and general fiction. Forge
includes books by bestselling and critically acclaimed authors such as Douglas
Preston, Eric Lustbader, W. Bruce Cameron and Ralph Peters. Tom Doherty
Associates, LLC, is also the home of award-winning Tor Books, which annually
publishes what is arguably the largest and most diverse line of science fiction
and fantasy ever produced by a single English-language publisher.
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