Charmed. Michelle Krys. Toronto, ON: Doubleday Canada, 2015. 361 pp., hardcover & ebook, $19.95 (hc.). ISBN 978-0-385-68053-0 (hc.), ISBN 978-0-385-68054-7 (ebook). Grades 7-10 / Ages 12-15. Review by Laura Dunford. **** /4 Reviewed from Advance Reading Copy.

excerpt:

I dig my fingers into my scalp and pace around the room. I'm fully aware of how impatient and unreasonable I must appear to him, but Paige doesn't have time for me to slowly improve. I need to get better, fast.

I can feel Bishop watching me. Finally, I turn to him again.

"Isn't there some other way?" Desperation clings to my voice.

"What do you mean?" he asks.

I throw my hands up. "I don't know. That I could learn faster?"

"You tried for like, two seconds," he says. "You need to relax - "

"Don't tell me to relax!" I yell. I feel guilty as soon as the words are out of my mouth, but seriously - who has ever actually relaxed when someone has said that?

"I'm sorry," I say. "It's just that since the moment I found out I was a witch I've been hunted. And my mom...I just want to get good at this fast. I don't want to practice for weeks or months or years."

I take a shaky breath. When I look at him, I know he sees the naked desperation in my eyes, and it makes me feel exposed. I pace to the window and look out at Paige's room. The curtains are up, and I can see the yellow paint on her walls. I wonder how long her parents will keep her room this way. When they'll realize she's not coming back. Whether her room is going to become some shrine to the daughter they once had.

"This is really important to you?" Bishop asks.

I don't answer. I can feel tears hot in my throat, and I don't want to cry right now.

"There is something we can try," Bishop finally says. His voice is dark, hinting at something dangerous.

I turn around.

He glances at the door as if to confirm Aunt Peny isn't listening in, and then crosses over to me. "There's this spell," he whispers.

The sequel to Krys' Hexed, Charmed picks up with Indigo "Indie" Blackwood as she struggles to deal with the recent death of her mother, the abduction of her best friend, and her newly discovered witch powers. As if this isn't hard enough, she finds herself travelling between high school and a hellish parallel dimension filled with evil warring factions of sorcerers and witches. This girl just can't catch a break! But Indie handles these trials with bravery, humour and determination.

      In this second installation, Kays takes the time to flesh out Indie's tornado of emotional turmoil incited by the traumatic events of the first novel, as well as develop her relationship with her older, bad-boy boyfriend, Bishop. As a result, this novel is host to heavier content, including a darker emotional landscape, violent imagery, and sexuality.

      Fans of Hexed will love Charmed. Indie comes into her own in this suspenseful and entertaining fantasy novel, and I highly recommend it for any adventurous and quirky teen reader.

Highly Recommended.

Laura Dunford is a graduate of the Master of Arts in Children's Literature program at the University of British Columbia.

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