Books like this remind me of how unlucky I was as a child when it came to available reading. Kids now are just so lucky to get lengthy fantasy stories like this instead of the the shorter ones I remember.

This was a really good book, even though the witches were cliched. (After all, they are so easy to persecute as the bad guy.) The story was quick to read and ended well. My favorite character was the Spook's boggart. I really hope to see it in the next book!

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pretty good story, not predictable

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I hope Delaney writes more in this series. I love this book. Joalice

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The style of writing was juvenile, not meant in a negative way at all. On the contrary, personally I would've devoured these books when I was in elementary school. Of course, I never did scare easily (I'd gone through the horror section of both the public library and video store before I hit double digits in age). The witches were scary, or would be with the correct audience. Witches who are bound to their bones so they are still a threat after death. Witches who aren't bound and are still a threat after death. Using children's blood in rituals, a few deaths, a truly haunted house. It would be too much for some children, and some adults for that matter. For me, it wasn't even creepy. It was interesting though, and overall, I enjoyed reading it.

It reminded me a lot of the old Grimm Fairy tales. Not the sanitized versions, the originals. I liked the storyline and plot, and I may one day read another in the series. I'm just not overly eager to do it anytime soon. I just don't think I'm the target audience any longer.

This book reminds me of a quote by C. S. Lewis, "A children's story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children's story in the slightest." It's a good story and can be enjoyed by people of all ages.

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