BY DAWN WOODS

 

Nathan Byrne is a young witch, persecuted by the white witch community because he is a half-black witch.

Raised by his Grandmother, he has always known that it was his Father who was the 'bad' guy – a black witch who killed and drank the blood of his victims in order to absorb their 'gifts'. These talents could be to cure through potions, or to become invisible (rare) or to turn into animal form.

This is no Hogwarts v Muggle world. The book is far darker, yet still has echoes of a young adolescent with raging hormones trying to find his place in the world; a world full of prejudice from adults who should know better.

Nathan is practically feral, and becomes more so with each passing year. He struggles with reading, not made easier with his struggle against his peers at school who detest him because he is not a pure white witch. The one person who does not is Annalise and the two form a secret bond. As Annalise's Uncle is on the Council who assess Nathan each year to see if he has grown more black than white, their friendship is forbidden. Annalise's brothers also take matters into their own hands and torture Nathan to show they mean business. But that's just the beginning as Nathan ends up in a cage for three years, forced to live the life of an animal.

The book is bad v good, but matters are never black and white. Nathan is a complex character and the author has accomplished these contradictions superbly. The reader wavers between sympathy and shock. Sally Green is a new author and I can guarantee young people will get to know her name once this first book is published. There are obviously sequels to come and the jacket is marketed to appeal to twilight fans who need a change from vampires, yet like the blood and horror.

This book was published by Penguin and is available to buy for £7.99. It can also be borrowed from The Hive as well as other Worcestershire libraries. Click here to check availability and check it out.