The Phoenix Girls - Book 1 - The Conjouring Glass - by Brian Knight - A YA adventure about magic in the Pacific Northwest

4 of 5 Stars


Review Copy

I first read Brian Knight last year.  At the time it was a few shorts and a novel on the Misadventures of Butch Quick.  An adult series that was fresh and fun and which I hope to see revived at some point.

This time around, Brian Knight has released his first effort in a new YA series .  A charming book called The Phoenix Girls  Book 1  The Conjuring Glass.

From the very beginning there was a special vibe with this story.  And, I found the illustrations to be top notch.   A nice touch, especially for an eBook.

In the Prologue we have a flashback to an earlier time with a group of four girls seeming to end their alliance.  "Break the circle, kill the magic."

From there, we move to current day where Penny Sinclair is moving to her new home in Dogwood, Washington. to live with her Godmother.  This following the death of her Mother and a short time in an orphanage.

The Conjuring Glass is the story of two young girls, each new in town, and their growing friendship, yet it's so much more.  The story covers the familiar territory of how difficult it is making friends in a new town, how mean others can be to outsiders, especially the town bully, "Rooster" Price.  It's all pretty standard fair, until Penny discovers a fox that speaks to her.  And that is just the beginning of an adventure that leads to a world of magic and hints about her parents past.

At times the story seems to drag a bit, but there is a lot of action and plenty of villainy from characters like, Tovar the Red and the Birdman. As well as a number of missing children from Dogwood and neighboring communities.

Although there is a story here, and a pretty good one at that, the work creates many unanswered questions.  I guess you have to save some answers for the sequel(s).

I'm sure I would have enjoyed this more, if I was much younger.  It seems the target audience is teenage girls, which I'm not and never was, but all in all a good story is told and it's one I can most certainly recommend for that YA audience.

The Phoenix Girls  Book 1  The Conjuring Glass is available from JournalStone Publishing, one of my favorite small presses right now.  Be sure to Google them, as they have a lot to offer.  In addition The Phoenix Girls  Book 1  The Conjuring Glass just showed up on Amazon.com this week.