Changes

|date=August 2015

|isbn=9781447283553

|video=SmqFp-S2vYc

|aznuk=1447283554

From the very first lines we know we're in the midst of a story full of sinister forces. A blind old hedge-witch has a mysterious visitor late at night, whose soft voice conceals menace and threat. He's seeking a particular witch, and he will use anything, even a demon, to get what he wants. Contrast him, with his power and willingness to break the rules of magic in order to achieve his ends, with our heroine: young, vulnerable and innocent of the world outside the Border Hedge – in fact, her magical powers haven't even begun to manifest themselves yet. Sadly, the shock of seeing Hecate carried off provokes Hazel's gift – the ability to unleash boiling waves of fire – but too late: her mother is gone.

This may sound a gloomy tale, but it's not. The acerbic comments of the chattiest dormouse in the history of the world manage to cheer even the scariest scenes, and poor Hazel's gooey-eyed encounter with the first boy she's ever met will cause readers to chuckle. Matt Ralphs gives the reader just enough of the background to this fantasy world, which is based on the terrible conflicts that tore England apart in the seventeenth century, but with the additional premise that magic is real. Against such a frightening and dangerous background the story of Hazel and her companions occasionally approaches horror, but never too close: it is, after all, only the first in a series. It's funny, exciting, nail-biting and utterly gripping, and Bookbag strongly recommends it for both boys and girls.

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