Hello!
It's My First Post!!!! (Screams of excitement ☺)
Anyways...
Witch and Wizard by James Patterson
Before I start criticising this book, I want to say that although I found it annoying, overactive, unrelenting etc etc. I did really enjoy it! I know. This makes no sense...
Witch and Wizard is essentially a story about a Witch and a Wizard (who'd have guessed ☺) in modern, 21st century England, where a new government regime is arresting and executing young people for a variety of 'crimes', one of the most serious being existing as a witch or wizard.
The book is written from two points of view, that of Whit, a 17 year old Wizard, and his sister Wisty, or Wisteria a 15 year old Witch.
One thing about this book I found fairly hard to swallow, is that being a fanatical 'Merlin' lover, I recognised to much of it from the television series. IMHO, although 70% of it was completely original, and I've never read anything like it, some themes were just too similar - the persecution of those who have magic for example. It was a bit to same-samey to some other fantasy/magic books I have read.
I think the setting of 21st century was a fantastic twist, and makes you question all of the prejudices/fears etc. that we have in our society today, because that is what this book is based upon. The arrests, I felt, were done simply to create fear amongst the people, and they served their purpose well.
In summary, I think this is a well written novel, I thorougly enjoyed Patterson's writing style, the characters were written so well I could imagine meeting them, and I think he captures Wisty's young teenage voice perfectly.
Whit portrays the protective older brother (I wouldn't mind having him around myself in my hour of need!) and the cruel prison guards are just as you want them. Cruel, but not so horrible that you fear Wisty and Whit have no chance!
I read this book (all 329 pages of it ☺) in one sitting last night, and really enjoyed it.
I give this book 7/10 on my scale of book-related brilliance ☺
(I should probably post my scale of book-related brilliance here sometime shouldn't I?)
