Unfortunately, THE HAWKWEED PROPHECY is another case of the
synopsis sounding fabulous and the execution not living up
to expectations. I loved the prologue: Beautifully written
with an ominous sense of foreboding. It didn\'t last, though.
THE HAWKWEED PROPHECY tells the story of two babies, born
at the same time who are switched at birth by a spell.
Poppy is a witch, who is raised in a chaff (non-witch)
household. She knows she\'s different and so do her parents,
but they do their best. Ember isn\'t a witch, and is raised
in a coven where she prefers to make soap and perfume to
spells with snake venom. Her cousin, Sorrel, torments, her
but her aunt Raven—the one who cast the spell which we know
early on—protects her. There is a prophecy that says the
child of Raven or her sister will become queen.
Neither girl fits in, but neither understands why. They
finally meet after Poppy\'s father moves them north after
one too many incidents at Poppy\'s latest school where she
accidentally unleashes her magic when she\'s upset. The two
form a bond, and gradually become friends, sharing their
worlds with each other. Ember shares magic, and Poppy
shares music and gossip magazines. As with most teen girls,
what comes between them is a boy named Leo.
I\'m not normally a fan of love triangles, and this book is
no exception. There are some interesting twists, and some
gravely made decisions, some good and some not—some
believable and some not.
Brignull touches on some important subjects in this coming-
of-age novel that will prove important to many young women.
How much of belonging comes from within and how much from
without? What does friendship mean? Is a boyfriend more
important than a girlfriend? What does family mean?
For ideas on how to tackle some of those questions, THE
HAWKWEED PROPHECY does a good job. Even if the message is
more of what not to do than what to do. It's hard to put my
finger on why I didn't love the book, but I think the
problem for me is that I didn't care so much about the
characters. For me to love a book, the characters must
illicit an emotional response. I will definitely give
another book by Brignull a chance. After all, it's easy to
be a critic when I couldn't come close to doing the job
myself.
Poppy Hooper and Ember Hawkweed couldn’t lead more different
lives. Poppy is a troubled teen: moving from school to
school, causing chaos wherever she goes, never making
friends or lasting connections. Ember is a young witch,
struggling to find a place within her coven and prove her
worth. Both are outsiders: feeling like they don’t belong
and seeking escape.
Poppy and Ember soon become friends, and secretly share
knowledge of their two worlds. Little do they know that
destiny has brought them together: an ancient prophecy, and
a life-changing betrayal. Growing closer, they begin to
understand why they’ve never belonged and the reason they
are now forever connected to each other.
Switched at birth by the scheming witch Raven Hawkweed,
Poppy and Ember must come to terms with their true
identities and fight for their own place in the world. Enter
Leo, a homeless boy with a painful past who – befriending
them both – tests their love and loyalty. Can Poppy and
Ember’s friendship survive? And can it withstand the dark
forces that are gathering?
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