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Book Reviewed by:Welcome to Foxfire.
The rules here are simple:
Don't look in the trees.
Don't whistle in the woods at night.
Don't answer if you hear your
name called.
And remember ... everything wants.
Verity Vox is a witch-in-training who has never met a problem her spells can't solve. But when a cryptic plea for help sends her to the forgotten coal mining town of Foxfire, she soon learns even magic has its limits.
Verity discovers a curse was laid years ago by a traveling magician who vanished into the ancient Appalachian hills to seek greater power. Crops won't grow. Bellies go hungry. Even treasured possessions fall apart. What's worse, people have gone missing amidst rumors that they've sought out the magician who is lying in wait for those foolish or desperate enough to strike a deal with him.
The witch must break the curse, find a missing girl, and solve the mystery of what's really under the mountain before the town falls forever into the clutches of the monster lurking in the hills.
Verity is a lovable heroine; she works tirelessly to assist those in need, wielding her powerful magic—her specialization is to channel magic and spells through inventive songs—to reassemble homes, revive gardens, and reinvigorate livestock. But she's also a flawed novice: hubristic, self-righteous, and overly reliant on using magic forcefully... To succeed at breaking Earl's curse and complete her training, Verity must hone the mental conjurations central to her spell-making—while also maintaining the tentative trust the Foxfire townsfolk hold for her, an additional source of compelling interpersonal tension...continued
Full Review
(831 words)
(Reviewed by Isabella Zhou).
Jason June, New York Times bestselling author of Out of the Blue and The Spells We Cast
Verity Vox and the Curse of Foxfire is quite simply magical! A book that can stand beside (or fly by broomstick next to) the classics and will be included as one in no time. K. Ancrum, author of Icarus and The Corruption of Hollis Brown
Beautifully written, quizzical, and sharp, Don Martin's Verity, brings the whimsy of witches to the vibrant tapestry of real American History. The gift of a brand new American Tall Tale, in this urgent time when we need it most.
Verity Vox and the Curse of Foxfire is about a witch who saves an Appalachian town called Foxfire from a curse. The Appalachian mountain region has its own tradition of using native plants to perform magic and healing, which is also referred to as root work, granny magic, granny witchcraft, kitchen witchery, or Braucherei.
Appalachian folk magic is borne of a melting pot of different cultures. The Cherokee and the Choctaw were the first to combine the region's nature with spiritual ritual. When European settlers came in the 18th century, they brought traditional folk healing practices from Western Europe, which they later combined with Native knowledge about flowers, berries, roots, and leaves in Appalachia. And they incorporated the...
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