Review: Review
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 13, 2014
I have the great joy of being a new member of Claribel Ortega's street team. This is my first time to do anything like this, and I am very excited about it. Due to this, I was sent an ebook copy of this novella so that I could begin the journey into what I can tell is going to be an amazing series. I have not read many novellas, or many prequels of books for that matter, but I enjoyed this story immensely and I think that it was a great help in setting up for the start of the series.In the novella we are introduced to two characters; Margo Pennyfeather is from colonial America in 1650. She is a teenage witch who is thrilled to be put into a position where she can master her skills with the Priestess. Every time I read about Margo and her story I felt like I was actually there with her. I felt her fear as she was learning, her anxiety as she tried to develop her personal gift, and her joy when she was successful and proud of herself. She was an extremely likeable character, and it was nice to get to see into her world.The other character is Emerald Kipp, a high school teen growing up in New York City in the 1980s. We see her going to school, having friends, and getting into trouble as she tries to master being a witch and keeping it quiet so that no one else knows. I related very well to Emerald, probably because her story is written closer to the time we are currently in. One thing is clear, these characters are going to go through a whole lot as we get more into this series.I loved how Ortega wrote the novella going back and forth between the two girls and their stories. While this does not work in some cases, I felt that it was a very successful strategy to use in this short book. Ultimately, this novella has me eagerly awaiting the release of the first full-length book in the Empire Witch Series, The Riddle of the Timekeeper. I would certainly recommend this novella to fantasy fans. Ortega is a wonderful debut writer, and I cannot wait to continue her story.