Two Spells by Mark Morrison

Hello everyone! We're officially back from our long hiatus and I, Shani, will be kicking our blog off with a review for the wonderful fantasy novel Two Spells by Mark Morrison.

Two Spells focuses on Sarah and Jon, twin brother and sister, and their journey to discover their magic. The twins are unaware that they possess any power until their mother takes them on a family trip to Wales, where they meet their grandparents who they haven't properly met before (which I found slightly odd). Their grandparents tell them all about the magic in their family and where it originates from. An aspect of the novel which I really enjoyed was the way that Morrison set his story in Wales, particularly the way that he describes the landscape, and how he paints the mystical library of Two Spells, the place where Sarah's grandparents stole an enchanted book and gained access to their magic. Two Spells is the mythical place that readers, such as myself, dreamt about as children. Not only is it described as an elegant yet ancient building, but it also has an air of mystery and fear associated with it whenever Morrison mentions it. From the very beginning of the novel Morrison does a fabulous job of creating a sense of anticipation surrounding Two Spells, embedding fear but curiosity in both Sarah and Jon, thus causing the same reaction from the reader. The mythological side of the novel was also intriguing and I thoroughly enjoyed how Morrison created such an intricate history for library of Two Spells.

The dynamic between Sarah and Jon reminded me of my own dynamic with my siblings, fighting one minute and protecting each other the next. It was very humbling to see that the twins had an typical sibling relationship rather than just having either a hateful relationship or a loving one like some novels do. Whilst it is true that these types of relationships do exist between siblings, it was refreshing to see that Morrison went with a normal dynamic. I enjoyed the characters of Sarah's grandparents as well, though at the beginning they frustrated me slightly because they were all giving the reader tidbits of information about Two Spells and the family's magic, however the family dynamic between all four characters was heartwarming to see.

One criticism I have for the novel is the ending and the amount of characters that Morrison introduces in a short space of time. For a children's novel there were a number of characters who are suddenly thrust into the novel towards the very end, which isn't always a bad thing, but in my opinion I felt that there were too many new names and personalities to learn about in a very short space of time. Had the characters been introduced at an earlier point in the novel it probably wouldn't confuse the reader as much, however, throwing the characters in last minute does cause some confusion.

The novel ends on a cliffhanger, which I will definitely will not spoil as I suggest you all go and read the novel for yourselves, that sets up the next novel. This novel is the first in a series so though I wasn't a huge fan of what happened at the denounement, I understand why Morrison has chosen to end his novel in this particular way as it sets up a plot line for the next novel.

Overall, I did enjoy Two Spells and would recommend it to fans of Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, and The Chronicles of Narnia as the fantasy element of the novel is fantastic. Praise to Morrison for creating a fantastical fictional world for children to bask in once more.

If you're interested in reading Two Spells the link to Morrison's amazon page is here, you can order the paper back for £7.99 or read a free copy of it through the kindle edition: https://www.amazon.co.uk/TwoSpells-Mark-Morrison-ebook/dp/B079ZBBSPM/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1536492101&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=Two+Spells+Mark+Morrison