BOOK REPORT for Witch & Wizard by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet
BFF Charm: Maybe?
Swoonworthy Scale: 3
Talky Talk: Orwell-lite
Bonus Factor: Big Brother, Kid Nation, Alternate Dimensions
Relationship Status: I’ll Call You. Really.
The Deal:
Whitford and Wisteria Allgood are your run-of-the-mill teenagers. Their biggest worries are whether they’ll pass that math test and serving detention for bad attitudes in school. That is until soldiers break into their home in the middle of the night, arresting them under the authority of the New Order, in the name of The One Who Is The One, and bringing them to a court to face charges of Witchcraft by The One Who Judges. What?! They have no more idea what’s going on than we do. What is this New Order? They suddenly, what, just TOOK POWER??!!!! Yep, they did. And now things are getting weird. Wisty burst into flames in a fit of terror, only she didn’t get burned, and Whit stopped a flying gavel- thrown at him by The One Who Judges- in MID-AIR. Are they a witch and a wizard? Why didn’t they know about this? What happened to their parents? And why are there so many children, starving and being tortured in prisons? Oh, and if they ARE wizards, why can’t they control their powers, and get them out of prison before they’re executed?
BFF Charm: Maybe?
I liked both Whit and Wisty fine, but I didn’t really feel like we connected. They both evolved a great deal in this story, yet I didn’t feel like there was much time for actual character development. I’m not saying I WON’T ever give them my charm, I just want to wait until I read the next installment before I make up my mind.
Swoonworthy Scale: 3
Obvs there’s no swooniness in the brotherly/sisterly love Whit and Wisty share, cause that would be totes gross, so good. There are some love interests, or at least possible love interests for both of them, and the story definitely has some romance, but it’s complicated, and in this installment, there’s not much in the smoochie department.
Talky Talk: Orwell-lite
This story smacks of 1984, with a tiny twist. It’s told in very short chapters, alternating first-person narrative between Whit and Wisty. It moves swiftly and with precision. I was thoroughly engaged and proportionately creeped out, so even though I didn’t LOVE it, it had a LOT of great elements, and I will definitely be looking for the sequel.
I don’t know which parts were written by Patterson, and which parts were written by Charbonnet, or how, exactly this whole co-writing thing works for them, but hey, it got me to read a James Patterson book, and I can’t really think of anything else that would have done that…
Bonus Factor: Big Brother
He’s watching. He’s listening. And he’s gonna get your ass!
Bonus Factor: Kid Nation
As Whit and Wisty discover, the kids that AREN’T in prison have their shizz TO-GETH-ER! They’ve formed their own governing body, and guess what? It works! They actually learned from the mistakes the adults made about things like, say, power corrupts, and they take steps to prevent that from happening with them! All in huge old department store!
Bonus Factor: Alternate Dimensions
I love a story with some alternate dimensions! Maybe because they BLOW MY MIND! In this story they exist in the form of the Overworld, the Underworld, the Shadowlands and the Freeland.
Casting Call:
Anna Sophia Robb as Wisty
But with red hair. And…
Zach Gilford as Whit
Relationship Status: I’ll Call You. Really.
I’ll be the bigger person and admit that I was prejudiced against this book before I read it. (See Patterson entry above.) But the more time we spent together, the more I actually enjoyed it, realizing that this book and I have more in common than perhaps I initially wanted to admit. We went on a couple of dates, and I had a good time. There were no bells ringing or choirs singing, but this book and I were pretty good together. I’m not quite ready to take the plunge and start DATING dating it, but when we last parted, and I told it I’d call, I actually meant it.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
I liked this book more than I thought I would (see: I am wary of James Patterson too.) But in a world where there are endless amounts of young adult dystopian novels to choose from (yay!) I would say this is not one of my favorites. However, I will still read the sequel, because I am like that and I want to know what happens.
Kid Nation! I totally watched that show, on the basic premise that every episode would feature at least one kid falling down. And it totally did not disappoint in that regard! I wonder how that little Sophia is doing. She was a badass.
I admit to enjoying JP as a beach-read – my parents really like him so anytime I go to visit, I’ll pick up one of his books and start reading. I like it, because I’m not emotionally connected to it, and therefore I can just pick them up/put them down whenever. So I’ll probably give this one a read.
yeah, i’ll probably skip this one. alternating narratives kind of annoy me as a rule, even when they’re done well (although there are exceptions! although i can’t think of any right now!).
with that said, KID NATION! IN AN OLD DEPARTMENT STORE! if the book was just about that, i would totally read it immediately.
oh i just thought of the exception! i DID enjoy the alternating perspectives in “how to be bad” (which i reviewed on this here site!).
Just stopping by to leave you an award!
Check it out!
The book I’m currently reading, loaned to me by Erin (Mr. Toppit) has alternating perspectives done incredibly well!
I’m glad James Patterson has started writing YA, because his writing? It’s not for the grown ups.
also i feel the need to ask: WHY IS MATT, i mean zach, WEARING THAT NECKLACE IN HIS PICTURE? WHO IS HIS STYLIST AND WHEN CAN I FIRE HIM/HER?
um, wow, i’m really glad you chose to read james patterson so I DON’T HAVE TO. sorry for the jp hatin’. you actually managed to make the book sound almost like something i’d read, too. sounds like an ok book, but maybe i’ll just wait for the movie version.
and posh re: the necklace — word.
oh, and i don’t think jp actually WRITES anything anymore — i think he’s like the carolyn keene cabal, and comes up with very thin plot outlines, then farms out the actual work to someone else, slaps his name and fruity yacht picture on the cover and makes really REALLY bad tv commercials to sell the book (hel-LO have you SEEN the one for that worst case book?).