Review: The Witches' Kitchen

The Witches' Kitchen

Allen Williams

Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone

Release Date: October 2010

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Pages: 256

Author Site: http://ijustdraw.blogspot.com/

My Rating: 4.5/5

Source: Won from giveaway from Yankee Romance Reviewers

Synopsis:

[from goodreads.com]

Deep in the walls of a witches' cottage lays an ancient magical kitchen. Dangling over that kitchen's cauldron, pinched between the fingers of two witches, is a toad. And the Toad has no idea how she got there, and no memory of even her name. All she knows is she doesn't think she was always a Toad, or that she's ever been here before. Determined to recover her memories she sets out on a journey to the oracle, and along the way picks up a rag-tag team of friends: an iron-handed imp, a carnivorous fairy, and a few friendly locals.

But the Kitchen won't make it easy. It is pitch black, infinite, and impossible to navigate, a living maze. Hiding in dark corners are beastly, starving things. Worse yet are the Witches themselves, who have sent a procession of horrific, deadly monsters on her trail. With some courage and wisdom, the Toad just might find herself yet-and with that knowledge, the power to defeat the mighty Witches.

Filled with forty stunning pencil illustrations from the author, the Witches' Kitchen is a rich, well-imagined fantasy setting unlike any other.

Review:

I didn’t really know what to expect when I opened The Witches’ Kitchen up. Honestly, I was worried it would be a little too “middle grade” for me (if that makes sense). At least that’s the impression I got from the blurb. But to my surprise I got sucked into the story from the beginning and found myself really enjoying the characters, the writing, and the awesome illustrations.

The Witches’ Kitchen is about a dark and magical kitchen that houses some really fantastical and frightening creatures. Among those creatures are two witch sisters that are up to no good. The book opens to the two of them dangling a poor toad over a bubbling cauldron. The toad isn’t too sure why she’s hanging upside down or why she’s even in the clutches of the witches. She’s not even sure what her name. After escaping from the witches, Toad sets out to recover her memories and somehow get away from the dangerous world that is the Kitchen. She ends up finding some unforgettable companions that help her with along the way.

Like I mentioned earlier, I had no idea that I was going to pretty much love this story. The writing style was simple yet really engaging. I was a little worried after the first few characters were introduced because they were crazy. Like out of this world crazy. Williams has a brilliant imagination and the illustrations were not only helpful, they were really well done! Of course, I had an ARC copy of the book so all the art I had wasn’t final. I can’t wait to get a finished copy and see the art in its entirety.

Toad’s character was timid at first. Of course, she has no idea who she is and why she’s in Kitchen in the first place. But she grows in development and becomes a strong-willed character soon enough. It’s hard to trust the supporting characters at first because nothing is what it seems in the Kitchen but those characters are just as important to the story as Toad is. The witches are nuts! They are power-driven, crazy, and just flat-out scary. Williams did an excellent job setting up the world of the Kitchen as well. It was never-ending, dark, creepy, and I know I would freak out if I found myself trapped there.

The Witches’ Kitchen is a book I never thought I’d end up liking. I’m so glad I won the ARC because I don’t I’d ever have read it on my own despite the interesting blurb. I recommend this to anyone who likes imaginative characters, great story-telling and beautiful artwork.

P.S. (cover talk)

My ARC wasn’t too different from the finished product. The finished cover is definitely different and scary looking. I think it goes very well with the story!

Book Arrivals

-----------

Won

Daughter of Darkness :: V.C. Andrews

(October 2010 - Pocket Star)

When I was a little girl, Daddy told me never to fear the dark. “We exist because of the darkness,” he told me. “All of you are daughters of darkness.” Beloved bestselling author V.C. Andrews’s passion for vampires comes to spellbinding life in a long-awaited novel of dark desires as all-consuming—and forbidden—as in Flowers in the Attic. One night, with the sound of a young man’s scream, high school senior Lorelei discovers that her stern but loving father, who adopted Lorelei and her sisters as infants, is no ordinary man. He has raised his beautiful girls for one purpose: to lure young men into their world of shadows. Like her sisters, Lorelei has been trained in the art of seduction and warned never to fall in love. But when she meets a handsome and charming classmate, she boldly defies her family and follows her heart—even if love is a poison. . . . Dangerously enticing and deliriously intoxicating, V.C. Andrews’s Daughter of Darkness will leave readers thirsting for more.

**Thank you Roxanne from Fang-tastic Books

Dark Song :: Gail Giles

(September 2010 - Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

Mark said he heard the dark song when he creeped houses. The song the predator's heart sings when it hears the heart of the prey. I heard it now. Mark said it had always been in me. Lurking. Waiting for me to hear.

Ames is not the person she was a few months ago. Her father lost his job, and her family is crumbling apart. Now, all she has is Marc. Marc, who loves her more than anything. Marc, who owns a gun collection. And he'll stop at nothing--even using his guns--to get what he wants. Ames feels her parents have betrayed her with their lies and self-absorption, but is she prepared to make the ultimate betrayal against them?

**Thank you Terra from Yankee Romance Reviewers

Manifest :: Artist Arthur (Mystyx series, book one)

(August 2010 - Harlequin)

When fifteen-year-old Krystal Bentley moves to Lincoln, Connecticut, her mom's hometown, she assumes her biggest drama will be adjusting to the burbs after living in New York City.

But Lincoln is nothing like Krystal imagined. The weirdness begins when Ricky Watson starts confiding in her. He's cute, funny, a good listener—and everything she'd ever want—except that he was killed nearly a year ago. Krystal's ghost-whispering talents soon lead other "freaks" to her door—Sasha, a rich girl who can literally disappear, and Jake, who moves objects with his mind. All three share a distinctive birthmark in the shape of an M and, fittingly, call themselves the Mystyx. They set out to learn what really happened to Ricky, only to realize that they aren't the only ones with mysterious powers. But if Krystal succeeds in finding out the truth about Ricky's death, will she lose him for good?

**Thank you Jessica from Shut Up! Im Reading

Birth of a Killer :: Darren Shan (The Saga of Larten Crepsley series, book one)

 (October 2010 - Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

 
Before Cirque Du Freak...
Before the war with the vampaneze...

Before he was a vampire.

Larten Crepsley was a boy.

As a child laborer many centuries ago, Larten Crepsley did his job well and without complaint, until the day the foreman killed his brother as an example to the other children.

In that moment, young Larten flies into a rage that the foreman wouldn't survive. Forced on the run, he sleeps in crypts and eats cobwebs to get by. And when a vampire named Seba offers him protection and training as a vampire's assistant, Larten takes it.

This is his story.

**Thank you Terra from Yankee Romance Reviewers

The Witches' Kitchen :: Allen Williams

(October 2010 - Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

When Toad wakes up, dangling over a bubbling witches' cauldron, she has no memory of her former life, not even her name. With some luck, she escapes and sets out on a journey to the oracle of the kitchen. Along the way, she makes friends with Natterjack, an imp who refuses his demon ancestry; Horsefly, a carnivorous fairy; and Pug and Sootfoot, residents of the Kitchen. But the Kitchen and the witch sisters it belongs to, is not a place one wants to end up lost. The Kitchen is pitch black and infinite, filled with furniture that constantly moves when unobserved, making navigation nearly impossible. Its residents are both animals from the outside, unwitting victims of the Witches, and creatures who were born or made in the Kitchen itself - many of whom would not mind eating the Toad and her friends. And let's not forget the Witches themselves, who seem to have a special interest in the Toad. With some courage and wisdom, the Toad just might find self-realization yet - and with it, the power to defeat the mighty Witches.
 

**Thank you Terra from Yankee Romance Reviewers

Bloodthirsty :: Flynn Meaney

(October 2010 - Poppy/Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Some vampires are good. Some are evil. Some are faking it to get girls. Awkward and allergic to the sun, sixteen-year-old Finbar Frame never gets the girl. But when he notices that all the female students at his school are obsessed with a vampire romance novel called Bloodthirsty, Finbar decides to boldly go where no sane guy has gone before--he becomes a vampire, minus the whole blood sucking part. With his brooding nature and weirdly pale skin, it's surprisingly easy for Finbar to pretend to be paranormal. But, when he meets the one girl who just might like him for who he really is, he discovers that his life as a pseudo-vampire is more complicated than he expected. This hilarious debut novel is for anyone who believes that sometimes even nice guys-without sharp teeth or sparkly skin--can get the girl.
 

**Thank you Terra from Yankee Romance Reviewers