Moonset

February 25, 2013
Sins of the parents haunt 17-year-old Justin Daggett and four other children orphaned when the terrorist witch coven known as Moonset was destroyed 15 years ago. All their lives, the Moonset orphans have been guarded and scrutinized against the possibility of their accessing dark magic known as Maleficia, as their parents did before them. In the town of Carrow Mill where Moonset was born, the orphans learn that they are the target of both a warlock and Cullen Bridger, the last survivor of Moonset. Though Tracey’s protagonists have magical abilities, they also bicker, rebel, and agonize over the mysteries of dating like ordinary teens, as they attempt to blend into the mundane world. There’s plenty of sharp banter among the characters, and Justin is an engaging narrator, equally worried about his budding relationship with free-spirited local girl Ash (who succumbs a bit to the manic-pixie-dream-girl model) and about the warlocks stalking him and his family. It’s a promising start to a planned series, with an ending that raises the stakes for a sequel. Ages 12–up. Agent: Ginger Clark, Curtis Brown.

March 1, 2013
The orphaned children of a terrorist witch coven are pulled into danger and intrigue by their parents' legacy. Justin Daggett is used to getting kicked out of schools--his sister is a notorious troublemaker, and, as they and their three adoptive siblings are a package deal, when one gets removed, the others all follow. Before their executions for waging a brutal war against the witch Congress and other covens, the Moonset coven--Justin and his siblings' parents', whose story is told through chapter epigraphs--cast a powerful curse that prevents their children from being separated. But after an expulsion immediately followed by a wraith attack, possibly linked to the warlock who's the last remnant of the Moonset rebellion, the Congress changes strategy, beefing up the Moonstone children's protection and moving them to the town where their parents started the coven. Justin must piece together the Congress' agenda while under threat from escalating dark magic. Distrusted and feared by other witches, the orphans face suspicion and are kept helpless by protectors who refuse to teach them useful magic despite the attacks. The orphans' attachment is tempered by realistic sibling squabbling, and the characterization in general is rich. While the story's climax comes and goes quickly, the political maneuvering in its aftermath is tense and exciting. Another page-turning magical mystery from Tracey. (Urban fantasy. 14 & up)

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April 15, 2013
Grades 8-11 Stop me if you've heard this one before, maybe lots of times before: orphans with supernatural powers are targeted by dark forces, constantly get into trouble at school, and of course, develop crushes on normal teens. Yet the fact that Tracey manages to command our attention despite the familiarity of such elements is a testament to how compellingly he crafts his characters. Another thing Tracey does to distinguish our witch narrator, Justin Daggett, and his siblings from YA stereotypes is to make their parents a coven of magical terrorists whom the righteous witches, well, simply had to destroy. This I'm-the-offspring-of-villains theme, psychologically reminiscent of E. L. Doctorow's The Book of Daniel (2005) and Marvel's Runaways, lends a grittier edge to generic material that should appeal to fans of Rachel Hawkins' Hex Hall and Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl's Beautiful Creatures series. Sure, this first-in-series novel occasionally gets too talky as it establishes multiple intrigues and histories, but its mix of satisfyingly explaining some mysteries while raising deeper ones bodes extremely well for future installments.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)