Can you believe it? I found this book sitting on the very end of the free shelf at my local library this morning. I’d checked it out and returned it last week, which means, that I was the last person to read it. How do libraries decide what ends up in the slush pile? I don’t understand. I mean, this series is amazing. Blue’s story is the focus of book three–this book. I actually finished The Raven King, which is book four, and realized I’d forgotten to write anything about this book. So, it’s come back to me. You see how that works? It’s not that I don’t have anything to say about it; in fact, I was so tucked into the characters, I didn’t really realize what was happening plot-wise. Urban fantasy doesn’t really work like that. It’s more about characters and emotions. And these characters are some of the best characters you’ll ever meet. So, what do I remember about Blue Lily, Lily Blue?
-the illicit love between Blue and Gansey. Illicit only because Blue kind of had a hand-holding thing with Adam to begin with and, Gansey and Adam are best friends, and well, there’s a social rule being broken
-her funky home with her psychic mother and aunts
-something tasty evolving between Ronan and Adam
-a ton of angst occurring at Gansey’s political mansion in Washington, DC. This is not the best space for trailer-park-son-of-an-abusive-father Adam. Or maybe it is.
-the elusive Cabeswater . . . What the hell is it, anyway? And when they finally get there, will Gansey find his Immortal Welsh King? And why a Welsh King? Is this the orphaned child of a real mythological legend? Damn. I wish I’d thought of this.
-details of Gansey’s horrific hornet experience. Have you ever been bitten by vicious meat-eating hornets with giant stingers and long, wispy legs? I have. When I was seven or eight, I climbed into my father’s old black pick-up truck. We started rumbling down the road. The hornets had build a nest under the bench seat on my side. Before we hit Dixie and Finch, they flew up my pant legs. I went so ballistic, my father pulled over, dragged me out of the truck, and ripped off my pants. I was horrifically embarrassed—I mean, there I was standing on the side of the road in my white cotton undies in front of my father. Now, I think, how did he have the presence of mind to do that? I mean . . . child-eating hornets? Did he get stung?
-something horrible happening at 300 Fox Way which I will not divulge
-some nasty-pants villains developing, of course.
Do I recommend this series? Yes. In fact, it’s in my Amazon Wishlist. Just sayin’. There may come a day when I pass this hardcover on to a little library somewhere in the world. Oh Maggie, what have you done?
Fantasy sometimes gets a bad rap, but good fantasy ushers us through the hearts and minds of beings we can identify and sympathize with because it’s driven by the human condition. Affected by forces both benevolent and evil, the protagonist often fights to restore justice. Exceptional fantasy is a keystone, offering us insight, adventure, and escape while leaving us better people in its wake. Way of the Argosi is such a book.
To put it in its place, Way of the Argosi is a prequel to de Castell’s Spellslinger series and branded Young Adult Fantasy; though as is the case with most YA, this book will be as well-received as Lord of the Rings by adult readers. And good news, a sequel, Fall of the Argosi, is on its way.
Sebastien de Castell (this is his real name by the way) introduces us to an extraordinary orphan. Following the dark path of the mythic Hero’s Journey, first conceived by Joseph Campbell, eleven-year-old Ferius Parfax sets out alone after her tribe is massacred by a band of mages. This is a book about power, politics, and genocide and, most importantly, how to not only survive against adversity but change the world for the better. Ferius’s people, the Mahdek are the victims in this vicious war.
Along the way, Ferius meets Durrall Brown, a “meddling frontier philosopher” who is in my humble opinion, one of the greatest characters ever written. Durrall Argos, the man in brown, is a cowboy Buddhist who carries a razor-sharp Tarot deck that can cut you as easily as cure you. Brown instructs Ferius, and us, in the Way of the Argosi. Are you hooked yet?
This is a beautifully produced book with a stunning Tarot card cover that features mirrored images of Ferius Parfax and Durrall Brown. Other intricate full-size black and white images drawn by Sally Taylor separate philosophical sections. And there is a detailed map that reminds me of Ireland, as all maps do. Skip the e-book and buy this book in print. It’s a keeper and one you will return to read again and again if only to learn to be a better human being and savour the feel of slipping inside a velvet cloak by a fire on a rainy day.
Sebastien de Castell’s lyrical prose, brilliant world-building, and exceptional dialogue will keep you turning pages long after your candles have burnt low. “I was tired of living like a wandering ghost, punished by the sight of the hideous, scrawny, sexless creature I glimpsed in grimy pools of street water. I wanted to be clean again” (65). I hear echoes of Tolkien and Stephen King’s Dark Tower series. Another bonus is that de Castell was a fencing choreographer; something evident in the cracking fight scenes that take us directly into the fighter’s mind. Did I say I love this book?
Here you will enter a society like many in Earth’s history where cultures exterminate cultures only to be wiped out themselves. But within the violence are those who illustrate compassion, courage, and wisdom; those who walk with the Way of Water.
Sebastien de Castell
*published in the Ottawa Review of Books, October 2021
If you’re a fan of Alice Hoffman’s novel, Practical Magic, you’ll like this series. I picked up Book One on a free promotion. I’m not fond of the cover; in fact, I wouldn’t have bought it based on the cover. But I was intrigued by the teaser and it was free, so I gave it a chance.
It turns out that The Witches of Dark Root is one of the few paranormal fantasies I’ve read that offers a great storyline, believable magic, clever writing, and enough light to balance the darkness.
Maggie-Mae Maddock, with wild red hair hanging to her waist, is sarcastic, complex, and funny. Some folks call her a wilder. I warmed to this Welsh witch right away.
In the beginning, Maggie and her boyfriend, Michael, are religious leaders living in Woodhaven Compound in Northern California. She followed him out of Dark Root, Oregon seven years before.
Then her older sister, Merry, calls to say their mother, Sasha Shantay, is quite ill and they need her to come home. (Merry is the Herald.) Michael has become way too friendly with Leah, another woman in the compound, who’s threatening to replace Maggie as star of the religious show and seems to have Michael under her thumb. So Maggie decides to leave Michael and goes home.
This is a family of women. There are four sisters: Ruth Ann, Merry, Maggie, and Eve. They all meet up in Dark Root, except for Ruth Ann who left years ago and hasn’t been heard from since. The sisters all have witchy gifts. Maggie’s is electrokinesis, the ability to manipulate the energy of electrical devices like the radio and cell phone. Eve is an actress who can create potions and spin love spells. Merry is a healer and mother to sweet little June Bug. Their mother, Sasha, once led the coven, but now she’s old, frail, and near comatose. The family have been living in Dark Root for generations since their witchy ancestor, Juliana Benbridge, escaped there with her children. A few men appear as love interests but the romance is second place to the relationships between the women.
This book is contemporary urban fantasy, spliced with flashbacks and dreams where Maggie reveals her memories and family history. There are a few scary moments but the antagonists are quite tame and easily vanquished.
April Aasheim is a clever writer. Music is interwoven through this book’s pages. Chapter titles are all 70s songs so you’ll find yourself singing along. Really, this book has its own built-in soundtrack as some of the characters are performers. I’m a fan of cool chapter titles and this gimmick caught my eye.
Aasheim also has an excellent grasp on Wicca and spices up the brew with gems of magical knowledge:
“all homes were said to be alive and should thus be named” (I like to name my home.)
“There are no coincidences … there are forces in the world at work, whether we see them or not” (Too true.)
“a witch never cuts her hair … the longer her hair, the more powerful the witch” (I didn’t know this Sampson twist.)
“one can never stay down long when there’s music in the house.” (Yes!)
When drawing a pentagram with white powder “the star must be inside the circle, but the two shapes must not touch.” (Always good to know for when you’re drawing pentagrams.)
“the symbol of the cross predates Christianity. It has been used since the dawn of civilization as a means of keeping the dark at bay … Symbolism, like any form of Magick, is reliant on a collective belief system.”
At Halloween “the veil between the worlds was lifted. Spirits moved freely between planes, spells were stronger and a witch’s power was doubled.” (True. It’s the beginning of the witch’s new year.)
“Magic could be found through music and laughter and love and, above all, family. This everyday magic was more powerful than any incantation or spell or working of the craft. This was the magic that lit up the world.” (This, I believe, is the story theme.)
If you’re curious about witchcraft, The Witches of Dark Root is a great place to start. And if you’re knowledgeable, you’ll enjoy the romp. Because it’s a series, when you finish one, there’s another waiting. I might just buy the boxed set. I feel like this is the kind of series that blossoms and grows with each book, filling in holes and letting us sink into the complex characters. And I like this cover!
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