Book Review: Hedgewitch

Author: Skye McKenna

Publisher: Welbeck Flame 2022

Genre: Children’s Fiction

Pages: 417

Date Read: June – July ‘25  

Main Characters:

Cassie Morgan (Young girl in search of her Mum)

Lizzie Bleacher (School bully)

Jane Wren (Lost girl)

Renata Rawlins (Warden)

The Garm (Headmistress)

Montague (Grey Cat)

Tabitha Blight (Newfound friend)

Brogan (Gardener)

Mrs Briggs (The housekeeper)

Rue Whitby (Newfound friend)

Miranda (Hedgewitch)

Ivy Harington (Coven member)

The Erl King (Goblin leader)

Blurb:

Cassie Morgan has run away. After seven years spent waiting for her mother to return, she flees her dreary boarding school and sets out to find her. But the world outside her school is full of hidden magic and children have been going missing.

With the help of a talking cat and a flying broom, Cassie escapes to the enchanted village of Hedgely.

There she will begin her training in the practical skills of witchcraft with the Hedgewitch, who watches over the Hedge, the vast forest that marks the border between England and Faerie.

My review:

As you can see from my star rating, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Obviously being a children’s fiction story, it is an easy read but one that is full of nostalgia. It is very reminiscent of  ‘The Worst Witch’ with its hand drawn illustrations and schoolgirl trials and tribulations. The fact that the main character ‘Cassie’ starts off in an ‘ordinary’ school attempting to keep a low profile so as not to gain the attention of the school bully is something that will be very relatable to a lot of bookworms. You instantly warm to Cassie and fear for her safety as she runs away from the familiar into the unknown. Thankfully an artifact that her mother left her with comes in handy although it is also the cause of trouble later on in the story. As Cassie learns more about the magical world of her family the reader is taken on the same journey of discovery with wonderful magical elements and folklore woven into the story. Nature and the lure of the unknown feature heavily in this book as Cassie is understandably curious about the ‘Hedge’ despite being warned of its many hidden dangers. There is a certain ‘coming of age’ element to this book, although as this is the first instalment in the trilogy, it is clear that the character still has much more developing and self-discovery to do. I look forward to reading the other two books.

A must read for anyone wanting a mostly light-hearted story of magic, mystery and sisterhood.

Star rating: 5 out of 5.