Wicked Like a Wildfire

May 29, 2017
Readers will be immediately impressed by the lush and vivid writing in this debut novel from literary agent Popovic, which is set in Montenegro. Seventeen-year-old Iris and her twin sister, Malina, were both born with a supernatural “gleam.” Malina can use music to sway others’ emotions, and Iris can transform flowers into mesmerizing fractals: “Petal nested within petal, each level of the pattern cradling tiny versions of itself, stamen and pistil and vein and leaf swirling in concentric patterns like a nautilus shell.” Their mother, who also has the gleam, long ago forbade them from using their abilities, but the sisters are forced to embrace their magical heritage after someone attempts to murder their mother, her body somehow trapped between life and death. Popovic’s story charts a somewhat familiar course as the twins discover the true extent of their powers and some alluring boys enter the picture, but most readers will be captivated by her entrancing writing, evocative setting, and distinctive supernatural worldbuilding, and will eagerly await the second book in this planned duology. Ages 14–up. Agent: Taylor Haggerty, Waxman Leavell Literary.

June 15, 2017
Reminiscent of Practical Magic, this sensory-rich debut and series opener highlights the mysteries of life, death, and love for modern twin witches. Produced from their Eastern European mother and a Japanese father they've never met, mixed-race fraternal twins Iris and Malina know they are also witches born with "the gleam," a magical way to bring forth and manipulate beauty. Raised in the medieval town of Cattaro in the Balkan country of Montenegro and isolated from other witches, abrasive Iris has had less and less practice with summoning the beauty of fractals, particularly through flowers, and tender Malina, with eliciting emotions through her beautiful voice. Narrator Iris has resigned herself to making flowers only through glassworks and helping her gruff mother, Jasmina, in her confectionery until there are strange occurrences and visitors in town. When Jasmina is the victim of a possible murder attempt and left in a state between life and death, it's up to Iris and Malina to find the culprit. The real mystery, however, becomes discovering their complex coven background and connection to generations of strong women with varying gifts of gleam and breaking a deathly family curse. This deliberate narrative is not for fans of the quick, adventurous whodunit but for readers who enjoy detailed descriptions, particularly ones that evoke sights, sounds, and smells. Those looking for fantasy with diversity may find themselves bewitched. (Fantasy. 14-adult)

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August 1, 2017

Gr 9 Up-In beautiful Montenegro, there are two sisters gifted with powers that can manipulate beauty: Iris makes glasswork inspired by the flowers around her, while Malina can create music based on the moods she senses. Jasmina, their cruel and distant mother, can bake scenery into the elaborate confections in her bakery. The unforgiving Jasmina has forbidden the girls to share their "gleams" with anyone. Kindhearted Malina continues to believe that their mother is protecting them somehow, but Iris, spirited and defiant, spends her evenings partying and ignoring her mother's threatening demeanor. However, when Jasmina is attacked by a stranger at the bakery, Malina and Iris are forced onto a journey that unearths a family curse. What follows is a wild ride of magic and family secrets leading to a discovery neither girl was expecting. For fans of Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke and Bone, readers will be greatly pleased with this debut novel. Popovic mingles brilliant prose with sensory details that allows readers to smell the Montenegro breezes and see the beautiful old streets. The characterization is excellent: both girls are relatable and blatantly honest in their reactions toward their harsh mother. At the core of this novel is the love that still exists in a family filled with secrets and years of hurt. Nonetheless, the plot moves slowly in the beginning, making it hard to keep some readers enticed. If teens can move past this, they will be rewarded with a roller-coaster ride to the end. VERDICT A must-purchase for YA fantasy collections.-Brittney Kosev, Honey/Rush Elementary, Lubbock, TX

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2017
Grades 10-1 In a village in Montenegro, 17-year-old Iris lives with her sweet, musical twin sister, Malina, and her harsh, icy mother, Jasmina. Each possesses a gleam, or unusual magical art: Jasmina bakes confections that bring to mind specific locations, while Malina works moods and emotions into her music. But Jasmina has forbidden the sisters to speak of their gleams or to fall in love, for fear of heightening their powers, and Iris' gift has suffered as a result. Once, she saw the whole world in kaleidoscopic fractals, but now only flowers are magical for her. When Jasmina is attacked and left all but dead, Iris and Malina come face-to-face with hidden truths. With the help of their oldest friendsa pair of Romani siblingsthe twins delve into the secrets of the ancient, cursed family they never knew they had. Atmospheric and often sensual, this first in a duology is a slow-burning fairy tale about the power of love and the bonds between siblings. Patient readers will find much to savor.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2018
Twins Iris and Malina share a "gleam"--a magical ability to manipulate beauty--whose mythic origins and troubling endpoint they uncover when they pursue a mysterious white-haired woman who appears just as their mother suffers a deadly attack. Overlong but thickly textured with sensual descriptions, this folklore-based novel set in Montenegro builds to an agonizing choice over which sister will sacrifice for their mutual fate.

(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)