Now fourteen years old and with a year of witchcraft under her belt, Abby finally feels like things are going her way. That is, until her mother announces they’re moving to a new town, her boyfriend stops speaking to her, and her eighth-grade classmates start vanishing in the middle of the night—only to return as something terrifyingly different than before.
When the mysterious Council of Witches summons Abby and her friends to their secret domain, then forbids the young coven from investigating the sinister events unfolding in Willow Cove, Abby begins to suspect the Council knows more about the disappearances than they’re letting on.
With the clock ticking and the danger getting closer and closer to Abby’s doorstep, she and her best friend Robby O’Reilly must both decide what they’re willing to risk to save everyone they love… before an ancient curse from Willow Cove’s past sinks its teeth into them all.
So while I read THE WITCHES OF WILLOW COVE in August, I remember noting in my review that it would be a perfect book to read around Halloween!
When Josh Roberts sent me a copy of THE CURSE OF WILLOW COVE, the second book in his upper-middle grade series (thanks, Josh!), I peeked at the first couple pages and noticed that this one is also set on/around Halloween (the main character, Abby Shepherd, was born on Halloween!), so I was able to time my reading of this one a little better to fully embrace the spooky autumn vibes of this series!
It’s a year after the events of the first book, and once again we catch up with Abby on Halloween night, her fourteenth birthday. Abby and her coven of witches have grown stronger and more confident, despite all the troubles from the previous year. Things are…perhaps as close to normal as they’re going to get in Willow Cove.
That said, Abby is also reeling from a seemingly-unexplained breakup, and then her Mom drops a bombshell on her and Amethyst (who has been adopted into Abby’s family): they’re moving to a new town.
This is just about the worst news that Abby could get. Leaving Willow Cove, most of her coven, and her best friend Robby feels like too much to bear.
And on top of all this, several classmates have gone missing, only to return…different. Changed. And out for blood.
Are there actual vampires in Willow Cove?!
This is a big book, and I’ve barely scratched the surface on all that happens! But that’s ok, because I’m always trying to rein in my bad habit of over-explaining the plot.
The book introduces quite a few new characters, most notably (in my opinion!) Briony. I don’t want to give away too much about Briony’s origins and what skills she brings to the group, but she’s a captivating, vibrant character & I’m really excited to see how she factors into the next book!
I referred to the book as “upper-middle grade” because I’m pretty sure I’ve seen the author refer to it as such. And it’s definitely an important distinction to make with these books, as the characters are getting closer & closer to high school age. A lot of the middle grade horror that I read features characters who are eleven or twelve, but in the WILLOW COVE books, everyone is around fourteen now. And that’s a big difference! So while it’s not uncommon for middle grade books to feature a crush or two, the kids in the WILLOW COVE books are exploring real relationships & heartbreaks.
There’s a lot of growth that happens in these books, and some friendships that go through big ups & downs. I love the evolving relationship between Abby & Amethyst, they have such contrasting personalities, but it’s really special to watch them grow closer and closer, and become sisters.
The WILLOW COVE books have such a great vibe overall & a ton of ambience. Autumn in New England can be such a special time, and I think Josh Roberts does great work bringing that almost intangible specialness into his books. It’s like you can smell the leaves decaying along the side of the rain-soaked road, or feel the warm late-afternoon sun give way to a seriously brisk night. There’s magic in the air sometimes, and you feel it in these books.
I had a blast with this one & I’m so curious to see what happens in the next installment! Again, big thanks to Josh Roberts for sending a copy of THE CURSE OF WILLOW COVE my way, I loved it!
