Review: Another great book from a great YA author
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 7, 2012
Auburdeen (Burdie) Hayle is the sassy daughter of the future leader of their coven. She isn't happy about being banished to London during the transition of power from the previous coven leader, but Burdie is now suddenly next in line to be a coven leader after her mother, and she must be protected.  Burdie is sent to stay with an old friend of her mother's, a woman who is also the leader of her coven. Sassafras, a demon boy in a cat's body, is sent to London with her, to try to keep her out of trouble and to serve as a connection to communicate with her mother while she is there. The first day she is in London, Burdie encounters Jack, a young man who hides in her hansom when he is being chased by the police. As she gets to know Jack, she starts uncovering secrets of the family she is staying with and is put into direct conflict with them.My favorite sentence of the entire book is: "She can have a lady or she can have a coven leader. She can't have both." This sentence describes Burdie's personality perfectly. She is not the demure "lady" that was expected during that time in London. She is respectful of others, but she has a strong willed personality. You can definitely picture her as a strong, powerful coven leader.Patti Larsen is an amazing author. She describes her characters and their personalities in such detail that you feel as if you know them. You are drawn in and engaged immediately and want to keep reading to find out what happens. My only complaint about this book is that it ends right in the middle of the action, so you are left wanting more. The good thing is that the next book in this series is already available.Smoke and Magic is a historical, paranormal YA, but the history is very subtle. The main focus is on the characters, especially Burdie, and the situations she gets herself into. It is the first book in a new series, Blood and Gold, which is a prequel to The Hayle Coven novels. Burdie is the ancestor of Sidlynn Hayle, who is the main character in Patti Larsen's Hayle Coven Novels. I would recommend this book (as well as the Hayle Coven novels) to anyone who enjoys paranormal YA.