Review of The Apprentice Witch-James Nicol

Such a lovely book!  Reading this reminded me of how I felt when I first started reading the Harry Potter series.  Although the novel is not as complex (or long) as the books in that series, I'm hoping that the author will develop the characters and their world in future books.  Arianwyn has failed her first assessment and will not move on to be a full Witch, but is assigned to a small town as an Apprentice Witch.  Her new town is not completely boring, though; strange creatures, visitors and hexes start to plague the community.  Soon, Arianwyn's true talents start to shine and as she grows more confident in her magic, others start to notice (including her new friends). 4 Elves - Highly recommended for readers 7-12 and up