The First Midnight Spell by Claudia Gray Series: Spellcaster #0.5
Published by HarperTeen
Published on 5 November 2013
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Paranormal, Young Adult
Pages: 98
Format: eBook
Source: my local library
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In this suspenseful companion novella to New York Times bestselling author Claudia Gray's Spellcaster, learn the tragic origins of the dark witch Elizabeth.
It's 1695, and Elizabeth Cooper is a young witch in Fortune's Sound, Rhode Island. She spends her days perfecting spells with the local coven and dreaming about one day marrying Nat Porter. But Nat is the son of Widow Porter, another witch and the leader of their coven. According to the First Laws of the Craft, Elizabeth is strictly forbidden to marry him.
Elizabeth never imagined dabbling in the dark arts, bringing herself close to serving the One Beneath. But as she feels Nat slipping away from her, she will do anything to secure his love. How much harm could she do with one single spell, even if it is black magic?
This is a companion novella from the Spellcaster series told from Elizabeth’s point of view.
It’s not essential reading to understand the rest of the series, but my library had a copy, and I really like reading ‘downfall’ or ‘villain’s comeuppance’ type novels. I like reading about terrible people and the terrible things that happen to them as a result of their terrible actions. This is why Wuthering Heights is one of my favourite books of all time, and why although I don’t care much for the Fallen books by Lauren Kate, I really enjoyed The Rise and Fall of Natalie Hargrove.
One of my favourite obscure books is called The Summer Witch by Louise Cooper, which I haven’t reviewed, but I have mentioned a few times here, here, and here. It’s about a young girl who dabbles in magic until it drives her crazy. In a similar way, The First Magic Spell reminded me of that book. It’s about Elizabeth’s transition to using dark magic to getting what she wants, and explores her early life the first time she was a young woman.
It’s absolutely not essential to read it to understand the series, but it is a really interesting book, and this time we get to see an actual coven and what they do to combat witches who break the rules. It also explains why dark magic is so seductive, and has a few really greats twists in it.
Basically, if you do get a chance to read this between Spellcaster and Steadfast, and if you’re enjoying the series as I was, I do recommend it because I really enjoyed it.
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About Nemo
A lover of kittens and all things sparkly, Nemo has a degree in English Literature and specialises in reviewing contemporary, paranormal, mystery/thriller, historical, sci-fi and fantasy Young Adult fiction. She is especially drawn to novels about princesses, strong female friendships, magical powers, and assassins.
