A Witch In Winter - Ruth Warburton

A Witch In Winter - Ruth Warburton, published by Hodder Childrens Books Jan 5 2012

'Anna Winterson doesn't know she's a witch and would probably mock you for believing in magic, but after moving to the small town of Winter with her father, she learns more than she ever wanted to about power. When Anna meets Seth, she is smitten, but when she enchants him to love her, she unwittingly amplifies a deadly conflict between two witch clans and splits her own heart in two. She wants to love Seth, to let him love her – but if it is her magic that's controlling his passion, then she is as monstrous as the witch clan who are trying to use her amazing powers for their own gain.' - Goodreads

Disclaimer -  First review written in about four years so bear with me while I get my stride back!

Anna Winterson is your average teenage girl, that is until she moves to a small coastal town where it's discovered Anna's not the ordinary girl she thought she was.

During a sleepover with new friends a recently discovered spell book is put to use and whilst Anna doesn't mean to, she thinks of the local bad boy who is very much taken. Things go down hill from there with protestation of undying love from the boy in question, Seth, the very next morning.

Anna discovers she is in fact a witch and that she's not the only one in town or even in school. Once she becomes convinced that Seth does have real feelings for her and not just those conjured by an accidental love spell their relationship progresses nicely, it's only a mild case of 'instant love' which isn't as irritating as some YA books out there. Anna accepts her heritage with courage & a dash or two of stupidity and doesn't back down from a fight easily. Just as well, as the finale is a huge clash between two rival witch 'clans' where Anna comes into her own.

Supporting characters such as Anna's dad and her new found friends in the Winter coven are all fantastic, each relationship completely plausible, Anna's father in particular was a favourite along with Emmeline and Abe. It was a nice change too, not to read about vampires (sparkly or otherwise), werewolves or fairies. As much as I'm a fan of those it's nice to read something grounded in a setting not totally beyond the realms of reality. Although an important element of the plot the romance between Anna and Seth isn't the be-all and end-all of the storyline, I like that Anna learning about her witchcraft, adapting to her new environment and developing new friendships were just as significant.

Overall, a great read, well written and definitely worth reading the sequel which is next up for me - after Discovery Of Witches, Shadow Of Night and The Silver Bough. I did sit up until 1am reading A Witch In Winter and I finished it in about 36 hours so quite a compelling read.