Publishers Weekly
03/22/2021
Descendants of a witch who escaped persecution during the Salem witch trials, twins Hunter and Mercy Goode, cued as white, are celebrating their 16th birth- day with a ritual to confirm their patron deities. When the ritual goes awry and their mother dies in front of them, the twins search for ways to seal the five rotting gates of the underworld—representing Egyptian, Greek, Hindu, Japanese, and Norse mythology—that mark the boundary of their small Illinois town and have let in a one-eyed monster on a killing spree. Hunter and Mercy search for the cyclops while dealing with their own problems—Hunter’s anxiety over being bullied for her queerness, and Mercy’s aggressive boyfriend. When Hunter is asked to renounce her chosen god in favor of saving her sister and the town, her identity and power are put into question. Awkward descriptions (“Appeal poured from Emily like a tapped tree poured sap”) and troubling references to Native American people as magical conduits for white characters practicing witchcraft are found throughout, and an explicit sex scene feels out of place. Switching viewpoints among several characters, the mother-daughter collaborators (The Dysasters) also provide exciting cliffhangers that their fans will enjoy. Ages 12–up. Agents: Steven Salpeter and Ginger Clark, Curtis Brown. (May)
School Library Journal
03/01/2021
Gr 9 Up—Twin teenage witches Hunter and Mercy are direct descendants of Sarah Goode, Salem escapee and founder of modern-day Goodeville, IL. The town is located within the confines of five trees that serve as gates to various underworlds and now, like Sarah and others of her lineage, the twins are learning to become gatekeepers and protectors of the town. But when queer, bullied, introverted Hunter and wild, impulsive, trouble-making Mercy participate in a ritual gone wrong on their 16th birthday, a demon enters Goodeville through the Norse gate and a series of murders soon follow. The two witches must overcome loss, heartache, and their own splintering relationship if they intend to save the world as well as each other. Hunter and Mercy, both "fawn"-skinned and dark-haired, are part of a somewhat diverse cast of characters: Emily, who has "russet brown" skin, Jax, who is part Native, and blond jock Kirk round out the group. Teen readers will connect most with the twins, who are fiercely supportive of one another and friends, insecure and sometimes awkward, conscious of both women's and Native social justice issues, and tend towards text-speak and slang. Descriptions of thoughtful spell work will hook readers early and, though the novel focuses on Norse and Greek mythology, the twins get a glimpse into Egyptian lore and the setting is prepped for the introduction of Japanese and Hindu mythology in the novels to come. A satisfying cliffhanger sets the stage for the next in the series. VERDICT This fantasy is a solid choice for YA collections.—Maggie Mason Smith, Clemson Univ., SC
Kirkus Reviews
2021-02-09
The start of a new fantasy series about witchy twins from the mother-daughter Cast authors.
Hunter and Mercy Goode, twin sisters and descendants of Salem witch Sarah Goode, are turning 16 and being initiated into their full witch powers. Like all their ancestors, they are the guardians of the gates to different Underworlds—all located in Goodeville—including Egyptian, Norse, Hindu, and Japanese. Tragedy strikes when their mother dies while saving their lives when one of the gates briefly opens to unleash a monster during their dedication ceremony, the first in a string of mysterious murders, seemingly connected to the weakening of the gates, that spells global catastrophe if Hunter and Mercy can’t keep them closed. The book, which features graphic sex and violence, does well when showing the sisters’ relationships with one another and with their best friends, Jax and Emily, as well as when examining their internal struggles: Mercy’s dynamics with an abusive boyfriend and lesbian Hunter’s self-harming and trauma over childhood bullying. As a fantasy, however, it is less successful: The worldbuilding is weak, and the choice to situate the White Goode sisters as the sole, most powerful protectors of the entire mortal realm feels questionable in the context of the overall treatment of diversity. Emily is cued as Black while Jax seems to have a White mother and Iroquois father.
Only for hardcore fans of the authors. (Fantasy. 15-18)
