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A gorgeous, bewitching story of two outcast girls whose lives are twisted by an ancient prophecy. Who will be queen of the witches?
The babies were born as the clock struck twelve. A bat fell from the air mid-flight. A silver salmon floated dead to the surface of the river. Snails withered in their shells, moths turned to dust on the night breeze and an owl ate its young. The spell had been cast.
Poppy Hooper has managed to deceive her father into believing that there is nothing mysterious or unnatural about her. He ignores the cats that find her wherever she goes, the spiders that weave beautiful lacy patterns for her, even her eyes – one blue, one green with an extra black dot orbiting the pupil.
Ember Hawkweed is a pitiful excuse for a witch. When the other girls in her coven brew vile potions, Ember makes soap and perfume. Fair and pretty, Ember is more like a chaff than a witch.
When the two girls meet, Poppy discovers her powers, and finds out the truth. Bound by their unlikely friendship and the boy they both love, the girls try and find their place in the world. But the time of the prophecy draws nearer – and the witches won’t give up the throne without a fight.
The babies were born as the clock struck twelve. A bat fell from the air mid-flight. A silver salmon floated dead to the surface of the river. Snails withered in their shells, moths turned to dust on the night breeze and an owl ate its young. The spell had been cast.
Poppy Hooper has managed to deceive her father into believing that there is nothing mysterious or unnatural about her. He ignores the cats that find her wherever she goes, the spiders that weave beautiful lacy patterns for her, even her eyes – one blue, one green with an extra black dot orbiting the pupil.
Ember Hawkweed is a pitiful excuse for a witch. When the other girls in her coven brew vile potions, Ember makes soap and perfume. Fair and pretty, Ember is more like a chaff than a witch.
When the two girls meet, Poppy discovers her powers, and finds out the truth. Bound by their unlikely friendship and the boy they both love, the girls try and find their place in the world. But the time of the prophecy draws nearer – and the witches won’t give up the throne without a fight.
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Reviews
Strong characters, complex relationships, and important themes of family, belonging, identity, love and loneliness, drive this absorbing story of magic and painful family secrets
Brignull's The Hawkweed Prophecy is a deft exploration of friendship, sacrifice and betrayal. I can't decide who I love more, the sweet and trusting Ember or the spunky, dark Poppy. You can't help but cheer for both girls, and ache when they are pitted against one another. I was completely absorbed in the sinister, complicated world of magic and witches. The coven is described so confidently and beautifully, it's hard to emerge from the novel without wondering if these women are operating somewhere just below the surface of our world. Full of romance, heart and suspense, readers will find themselves staying up all night just to spend a little more time with Ember and Poppy.
The Hawkweed Prophecy was bewitching from the get-go. Irena Brignull does an amazing job weaving a tale of pure magic in this debut novel. She'll have you on a roller coaster of emotions from the very first page. Get ready to be spellbound.
Wildly delightful
I loved this book! Irena has created such beautifully complete world--our world, and nestled within it, a simmering world of magic. The Hawkweed Prophecy has everything: friendship, desire, delicious earthy magic, secrets and spells and at its center, the wonderful young Poppy, on a journey of self-discovery. I so hope there is more to come!
Irena Brignull's THE HAWKWEED PROPHECY is a book of wicked, beautiful magic. Compulsively readable and delightfully gritty, one does not mess with these Hawkweed witches.
Isolation and loneliness are terrible things to have in common. Poppy has moved from school to school, her poor mother institutionalized. Ember, a witch with no magic, is picked on and shunned in her coven. When they accidentally meet in a junk filled glen, both girls realize a fascination with the other's world. Poppy is driven to the magic, and the power, while Ember wants to know about conveniences and boys. A homeless boy named Leo seeks comfort and acceptance. A cat named Minx wants to save Poppy. Despite early plot revelations, the story grabs you. All three characters are in untenable situations, not knowing who to trust. All three will have to make decisions that will change the course of their lives. Fantasy with a real world touch!
I couldn't put The Hawkweed Prophecy down. It was captivating and devastating and full of the reading magic that changes the way you feel about the next book you pick up. What a great story - I immediately made a list of the people I'll share it with as soon as it is available! Thanks for giving me a chance to read it in advance - I can't wait to talk about it!
The Hawkweed Prophecy is awesome! The writing is excellent and the characters are so lovable
Wise, weird, a touch evil and totally charming, Irena Brignull's tale of magic in our time is as rich and complicated as sisterhood. From the first page, I felt drawn into a modern classic.
I loved the friendship between Ember and Poppy, it's always wonderful seeing positive, strong female friendships.
At heart, this is an entrancing, emotionally-charged book about growing up and forming deep bonds of friendship. Younger YA readers with a penchant for the paranormal will be spellbound.
This was like a fairy tale and modern story in one.... I recommend this to all YA fans who like their fiction with a bit of mysticism.
It's a fantasy with the air of a classic, yet one that's also entirely contemporary in its tight focus on identity, friendship, and romance
Strong characters, complex relationships, and important themes of family, belonging, identity, love and loneliness, drive this absorbing story of magic and painful family secrets
Brignull's The Hawkweed Prophecy is a deft exploration of friendship, sacrifice and betrayal. I can't decide who I love more, the sweet and trusting Ember or the spunky, dark Poppy. You can't help but cheer for both girls, and ache when they are pitted against one another. I was completely absorbed in the sinister, complicated world of magic and witches. The coven is described so confidently and beautifully, it's hard to emerge from the novel without wondering if these women are operating somewhere just below the surface of our world. Full of romance, heart and suspense, readers will find themselves staying up all night just to spend a little more time with Ember and Poppy.
The Hawkweed Prophecy was bewitching from the get-go. Irena Brignull does an amazing job weaving a tale of pure magic in this debut novel. She'll have you on a roller coaster of emotions from the very first page. Get ready to be spellbound.
Wildly delightful
I loved this book! Irena has created such beautifully complete world--our world, and nestled within it, a simmering world of magic. The Hawkweed Prophecy has everything: friendship, desire, delicious earthy magic, secrets and spells and at its center, the wonderful young Poppy, on a journey of self-discovery. I so hope there is more to come!
Irena Brignull's THE HAWKWEED PROPHECY is a book of wicked, beautiful magic. Compulsively readable and delightfully gritty, one does not mess with these Hawkweed witches.
Isolation and loneliness are terrible things to have in common. Poppy has moved from school to school, her poor mother institutionalized. Ember, a witch with no magic, is picked on and shunned in her coven. When they accidentally meet in a junk filled glen, both girls realize a fascination with the other's world. Poppy is driven to the magic, and the power, while Ember wants to know about conveniences and boys. A homeless boy named Leo seeks comfort and acceptance. A cat named Minx wants to save Poppy. Despite early plot revelations, the story grabs you. All three characters are in untenable situations, not knowing who to trust. All three will have to make decisions that will change the course of their lives. Fantasy with a real world touch!
I couldn't put The Hawkweed Prophecy down. It was captivating and devastating and full of the reading magic that changes the way you feel about the next book you pick up. What a great story - I immediately made a list of the people I'll share it with as soon as it is available! Thanks for giving me a chance to read it in advance - I can't wait to talk about it!
The Hawkweed Prophecy is awesome! The writing is excellent and the characters are so lovable
Wise, weird, a touch evil and totally charming, Irena Brignull's tale of magic in our time is as rich and complicated as sisterhood. From the first page, I felt drawn into a modern classic.
I loved the friendship between Ember and Poppy, it's always wonderful seeing positive, strong female friendships.
At heart, this is an entrancing, emotionally-charged book about growing up and forming deep bonds of friendship. Younger YA readers with a penchant for the paranormal will be spellbound.
This was like a fairy tale and modern story in one.... I recommend this to all YA fans who like their fiction with a bit of mysticism.
It's a fantasy with the air of a classic, yet one that's also entirely contemporary in its tight focus on identity, friendship, and romance
Strong characters, complex relationships, and important themes of family, belonging, identity, love and loneliness, drive this absorbing story of magic and painful family secrets
