THE THIRTEEN is very different from any other witch story
I've read. The witches of this book are very real and very,
very evil. I immediately identified the antagonists because
they literally gave themselves away. The witches of this
book have no morals, they only want to serve the darkness.
When Paula comes into town, the witches see an opportunity
to hurt her in one of the worst ways possible.
In the beginning Paula is actually a bit of a
disappointment as a main character in some ways. She is
overshadowed by the witches' personalities and actions when
I wanted to find a strong, protective woman. Paula is not
careful with her child and ignores the witches until she
can no longer brush them away. Her daughter, Rowan, does
not ignore the witches though. The adults wonder at the
weird happenings while the children are very aware.
I found THE THIRTEEN to be filled with amazing antagonists
and a strong heroine in Rowan. The events in this book are
fairly fast-paced, especially the portions with those evil
witches and unpredictable. If you enjoy witch books, THE
THIRTEEN is one you won't want to miss!
The Witches of Eastwick meets Desperate Housewives in Susie
Moloney's The Thirteen, her new and long-awaited novel.
Haven Woods is suburban heaven, a great place to raise a
family. It's close to the city, quiet, with great schools
and its own hospital right up the road. Property values are
climbing. The streets are clean, people keep their yards
really nicely. It's fairly pet friendly, though barking dogs
are not welcomed. The crime rate is practically
non-existent, unless you count the odd human sacrifice,
dismemberment, animal attack, demon rape and blood atonement.
When Paula Wittmore goes home to Haven Woods to care for a
suddenly ailing mother, she brings her daughter and a pile
of emotional baggage. She also brings the last chance for
twelve of her mother's closest frenemies, who like to keep
their numbers at thirteen. And her daughter, young,
innocent, is a worthy gift to the darkness.
A circle of friends will support you through bad times. A
circle of witches can drag you through hell.