Mark Stay

The extraordinary coming-of-age novel about life, love, war and magic - Maisie Dobbs meets The Magicians (with a helping of Terry Pratchett!)

The Witches of Woodville 1

The Crow Folk

Moray Lyle McIntosh

In 1940s Kent Faye is a young woman navigating the Second World War, the rigours of bell-ringing and the colourful locals. And she had just discovered that that her dead mother was a witch and a large group of scarecrows have come to life and are terrorising the town.

It's a fun premise and the local coven is (too) clearly based on Terry Pratchett's witches but the execution falls far short of genuine comparisons. Faye is seventeen but reads as someone about 13 and the book struggles to overcome this contradiction, veering wildly between jokes aimed at younger readers and content for older readers. The plot is largely predictable except a crucial detail that is withheld from the reader so that the reveal is confusing and feels tracked on. Disappointing but may be entertaining for some younger readers

The Crow Folk The Witches of Woodville 1

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