The Haskell witches and selkie shapeshifting Morgan’s are two of Stonefort, Maine’s oldest families and like most unusual families, they have their secrets. This follows Dragon’s Eye, Hetley’s first novel of the series which saw the two families in an uneasy alliance against a powerful brujo. Trying to destroy the sorcerer took a heavy toll on both families leaving Kate Rowley and her lover, Alice Haskell seriously injured and killing Kate’s daughter Jackie and others. Lack of a body proved a troubling aspect of Jackie’s death so when residents of Stonefort began seeing her, Kate was understandably filled with hope. Rumors of Jackie’s presence begin about the same time ritualistically killed bodies begin appearing in unlikely places, their hearts ripped from bloodless chest cavities. Their nemesis somehow managed to survive and once again, it is up to the combined strengths of both families to protect the community and their magic from the power hunger brujo.
Alice’s daughter Caroline must decide whether to finish grad school or follow her mother’s footsteps and shoulder the responsibilities as the next Haskell witch. Her mentor in the southwest charged her with locating an important missing artifact and the more Caroline learns about it, the more she becomes convinced it could be the key to ultimately defeating the deadly force bent on destroying them all.
While attending college, Gary Morgan has met a strange young woman who is not what she appears to be. The family must try to give Gary the freedom to make his own choices but nothing will keep them from defending their kin. Meanwhile Ben Morgan is fighting demons of his own, he is unaccountably fascinated by an ancient flint knife and continues to feel like a lesser member of the family as he is unable to become a seal the way Gary and others can.
Mixing classic coming of age issues with traditional magics and family strife create a more complex tale then is typical with this genre. The combination of native American, Mayan and Welsh mythologies is surprisingly effective as they play off each other. There is a credible balance of tension between the characters as they attempt to make sense of the killings and protect themselves adding additional depth to this imaginative series.
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