Sweep: Book of Shadows

Author: Cate Tierman

Genre: Fiction, Young Adult

Publisher: Speak

Year: 2007

Ranking: 3/ 5

  Synopsis

Morgan Rowlands is a high school student living in the picturesque town of Widow's Vale. Overall, Morgan is an ordinary girl who lives an ordinary lifestyle. However, her life becomes unsettled upon meeting Cal Blaire. With his angelic face, gold-colored eyes, perfect body, and olive skin, Cal quickly becomes the center of every girl’s admiration, this including Morgan and her best friend, Bree Warren, who breaks up with her boyfriend, Chris, and Raven (a girl who is popular because she wears heavy metal style and has quite a lot of tattoos on her body).

After gaining enough popularity with his air of charisma and good looks, Cal manages to gather over several dozens of students from his new school to a “homecoming party”. During the party, Cal reveals his Wiccan origins by inviting his peers to join him in a circle to celebrate Mabon, one of the Wiccan Sabbaths. When feelings of discomfort and surprise cause many of the guests to leave, both Bree and Morgan decide to stay for the circle. From that moment forward, Morgan begins showing a knack for Witchcraft, which sparks Cal's interest.

The Author

Cate Tiernan (born July 24, 1961) is the pen name of Gabrielle Charbonnet, an American author. Writing as Cate Tiernan, she is best known for her Sweep series, which follows the Wiccan adventures of a cast of high school students. The stories are sold as the Wicca series in the UK, Belgium, The Netherlands and Australia, and as White Magic (Magie Blanche) in Italy and France.

Under her own name, she is chiefly known for children's books in the Princess, American Gold Gymnasts, and Disney Girls series.  In 2008 and 2009, Charbonnet collaborated with author James Patterson on two "young adult" novels, Sundays at Tiffany's  and Witch & Wizard. Charbonnet has written about 75 books under her own name, her pseudonym Cate Tiernan, and miscellaneous other pen names as a ghost writer.

Personal Experience with This Book

I personally started really liking this book. But as the story progressed I was more bored while reading it. The concept of Wicca and everything is well explained which was very interesting to read. but about the plot I just have to say that it did not captivated me.

I mean the book was a good intro for the series because it actually gives you the whole background and information that you will need afterwards. But at the same time it does not have like an own plot. The whole book is around Morgan discovering the world of Wicca. It gets really boring.

Many would say, you have to read the rest of the series Sheyla. The problem is that with that kind of first book you don’t really want to know what happens in the rest. I mean, when I get one first book in a series, apart from setting into the world I look for a good story.

I don’t really know how to describe the feeling. I enjoyed but not the point of liking it very much. I did find it interesting but just that not entertaining and normally I read because I want something to distract me from my normal readings for school.  I did not get the feeling of wanting to continue the series, for me the first book was enough. I feel like I know more about Wicca now but that’s all. Can’t say anything else.