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Library | Call Number | Status |
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Searching... McMinnville Public Library | White, J. | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Independence Public Library | J FICTION - WHITE | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
For fans of Neil Gaiman, The Whispering Trees, book two in the Thickety series by J. A. White. It is the story of a good witch, a bad witch, and a forest demon, trapped together in a world that is both enchanting and dangerous.
After Kara Westfall's village turns on her for practicing witchcraft, she and her brother, Taff, flee to the one place they know they won't be followed: the Thickety. Only this time the Forest Demon, Sordyr, is intent on keeping them there. Sordyr is not the Thickety's only danger: unknown magic lurks behind every twist and shadow of the path.
And then they discover Mary Kettle, an infamous witch with a horrifying past. She offers to lead them out of the Thickety while teaching Kara how to cast spells without a grimoire. The children are hesitant to trust her . . . but this could be their only chance to escape.
Or the first step down a dark and wicked path.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-8-In this relentlessly grim follow-up to 2014's The Thickety: A Path Begins, (HarperCollins), siblings Kara and Taff are on the run inside the dangerous forest known as the Thickety. Demon Sordyr is hot on their heels and intent on keeping them inside the woods. With the help of a beguiling new friend with a demonic past, Kara and Taff search for a way out of the cursed forest and away from their lost lives in the village of De'Noran. Kara's magical ability to communicate with animals begins to grow, but like all magic, it comes at a terrible price: in this case, her memories. The plot turns come fast and furious, while the dark imagery of the forest and spot illustrations add to the underlying feeling of dread. The nail-biting suspense will keep readers turning the pages late into the night, and in Kara, readers will find a protagonist to root for. Fans of happy endings, however, should search for a different adventure. VERDICT Readers who enjoyed the spine-chilling first installment will be eager to get their hands on this sequel.-Elisabeth Gattullo Marrocolla, Darien Library, CT (c) Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Given the literal wild ride that ends The Thickety: A Path Begins, with nascent witch Kara Westfall and her brother escaping into the eponymous forest, it's tempting to plunge into this sequel at full speed. But fans of the previous book will be rewarded by taking the time to savor the uncanny and blighted realm Kara and Taff must now cross, pursued by the demonic Sordyr and aided by legendary witch Mary Kettle. Among the perils they face are the Draye'varg (a plain of stone that creates murderous simulacra from those that cross it); darkeaters, which kill by consuming shadows; and Imogen, a tentacled creature that feeds on the emotions of false memories. Their one chance of defeating Sordyr may lie in allying themselves with the adversary who bound him to the Thickety in the first place. With a plot that coils like a tangle of brambles and an ending that, while more predicable, is no less twisty than that of its predecessor, this sequel will keep readers invested in Kara and Taff's adventures in this dangerous and imaginative world. Ages 8-12. Author's agent: Alexandra Machinist, Janklow & Nesbit. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Kara and Taff struggle through the menacing Thickety hoping to both escape the Forest Demon and rescue their father. The ordeals that test them also make them stronger, however, and even the most threatening creatures turn out to have intriguing histories. The story is slow moving, but fans of A Path Begins will enjoy the ominous atmosphere and twisted myths of this sequel. (c) Copyright 2015. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
This fantasy follow-up to A Path Begins (2014) continues the story of 12-year-old Kara Westfall and her brother, Taff, who escape their village by riding the mare Shadowdancer into the surrounding Thickety. Tension picks up from Chapter 1, as the siblings flee through the forest. The children fall asleep on horseback and wake up in a huge meat-eating plant called a gritchenlock. Luckily, Kara remembers a trick their mother taught her that makes the plant drop them. Landing at the feet of the infamous witch Mary Kettle, Kara has toreluctantlyaccept the old witch as a guide and teacher. The siblings must evade monstrous animals; cross the Draye'varg, a dangerous mound of boulders that create dangerous simulacra; and, finally, destroy Imogen, a terrifying, tentacled predator. And then there is the Forest Demon.The unexpected climax and ending guarantee another book to enjoy. Readers new to the series will catch up quickly thanks to White's adept incorporation of back story. This title has all the ingredientsa doughty heroine and her admirable younger brother, an unreliable guide who can't stay the same age for long, and a heavy "ick" factorto keep readers glued to it. (Fantasy. 11-15) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* The menacing Thickety is forbidden, but it's safer for Kara and her little brother, Taff, than staying in the village, now that it's being controlled by a vicious witch. As soon as Kara and Taff step inside, however, they face the terrifying presence of Sordyr, the forest demon who controls the Thickety and is infecting its denizens with a mysterious plague, which transforms peaceable creatures into malignant jumbles of branches, thorns, and clods of dirt. The only person who comes to Kara and Taff's rescue is the infamous Mary Kettle, a witch banished to the Thickety for killing dozens of children to enchant magical toys. Mary seems to have redeemed herself and helps Kara shape her unique power to communicate with animals, but can she really be trusted? Crosses and double-crosses abound in this second volume, and the twisted plot is perfectly matched by the twisted atmosphere. White has hit his stride in this follow-up to A Path Begins (2014), in many ways surpassing the series opener. He's created a vivid, unsettling environment of rich magic and terrifying horrors: monsters composed of bones and teeth, tentacled creatures that feed on feelings, shadows that consume bodies, and more. Kara still seems much older than her 12 years, but that's a minor complaint that doesn't distract from the lush descriptions of a spine-tingling, captivating place.--Hunter, Sarah Copyright 2015 Booklist