Poppy Hooper has managed to deceive her father into believing that there is nothing mysterious or unnatural about her. He ignores the cats that find her wherever she goes, the spiders that weave beautiful lacy patterns for her, even her eyes - one blue, one green with an extra black dot orbiting the pupil.
Ember Hawkweed is a pitiful excuse for a witch. When the other girls in her coven brew vile potions, Ember makes soap and perfume. Fair and pretty, Ember is more like a chaff than a witch. One of the Hawkweeds will be queen of the witches - but everyone knows it won't be Ember.
When the two girls meet, Poppy discovers her powers, and finds out the truth. Bound by their unlikely friendship and the boy they both love, the girls try and find their place in the world. But the time of the prophecy draws nearer - and the witches won't give up the throne without a fight.
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I received a copy from the UK publisher (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review!
What I say: Witches, a prophecy and a whole lot of drama is exactly what we get in The Hawkweed Prophecy. The narrative has a sweet tone which is reminiscent of an old fairy tale.
The story focuses on two girl Ember and Poppy. Ember is born into a coven of witches with seemingly little power or interest in the usual witchy things, whilst Poppy is a human who doesn't feel like she fits in anywhere. A twist of fate pushes them together and they discover that everything they believed in is wrong.
I loved their friendship. Poppy shows Ember about being a normal human teenager whilst being educated in the magical traditions Ember's family live by. Each is particularly intrigued by the others world.
A potential romance threatens to dismantle their beautiful friendship but far more is at stake than kissing and first flirtations.
The world building is fun and I kinda wanted to go join the witches. I was a little unsure about the targeted age range for this one but I'd probably class it as more middle grade than YA.
3.5 Stars in my Sky!