School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-8-Fantasy and intrigue blend in a mythical medieval land where good and evil are not always clearly distinguishable. When the story opens, 12-year-old Makenna has just witnessed the murder of her mother, the local hedgewitch, by decree of a priest of the Hierarch, aided by the villagers whom Makenna's mother had always helped. Angry and bitter, the grieving girl seeks revenge on the village and runs away into the woods, where she encounters and befriends the goblins-a small, magical race of people who are being systematically exterminated by the Hierarch. Advance five years to another part of the Hierarch's territory and meet Tobin, a knight who takes the blame for his younger brother's role in an attempted coup. Tobin will be allowed to redeem himself by capturing the sorceress who has aligned herself with the goblins. This, of course, is Makenna. When the two young people meet, they discover that the world around them cannot be viewed as all good or all bad and together they attempt to provide a safe haven for both humans and goblins. Fantasy novels for young people do not often explore the gray areas, which makes for some interesting and thought-provoking reading here. However, Bell provides few transitions between times and places, making it difficult to discern what has happened and where readers are in this mythical world. This lack of transition detracts from an otherwise promising political fantasy.-Sharon Grover, Arlington County Department of Libraries, VA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Magic battles magic in Bell's (Matter of Profit) winning fantasy, an inspired meditation on war, prejudice and friendship. Makenna, the 12-year-old daughter of a hedgewitch who has been drowned for using outlawed magic, learns that it is sometimes necessary to fight in order to maintain balance in the Realm-Beyond-the-Bright-Gods. When the Hierarch decides that all power not stemming from the Seven Bright Ones must be coming from the Dark One, he issues the Decree of Bright Magic, ordering that hedgewitches, seers and their ilk be slain or turned over to the church. In response, Makenna joins forces with goblins. With a light touch reminiscent of Jane Yolen or Patricia McKillup, Bell rehabilitates the goblin from its traditionally fearful reputation (as in, for example, Christina Rossetti's "Goblin Market"). By presenting goblins as just another race trying to survive, the author illuminates the sometimes spider-thin lines that prevent cultures from living together in peace. The fast-moving plot weaves in a romance, too. Tobin, a dishonored knight attempting to prove himself anew, seeks to capture Makenna, whom he believes to be a sorceress; he ends up falling in love with her. Genre fans will relish the combination of a resourceful, determined heroine, densely packed action and thought-provoking themes. Ages 10-up. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
(Intermediate, Middle School) Under the ""Decree of Bright Magic,"" lesser magical beings such as hedgewitches, seers, and goblins have been declared minions of the Dark One and are to be destroyed; hence Makenna, a young hedgewitch, allies herself with the goblins after her mother's execution for witchcraft and becomes their general in a fight against human efforts to exterminate them. Meanwhile, in a losing war against southern invaders, young Sir Tobin is wrongly arrested for treason; when a powerful priest offers him a chance to redeem his name, Tobin agrees to a mission to capture or kill the ""sorceress"" leading the goblin forces. Makenna and Tobin meet, and wits are matched. Readers won't be surprised that Tobin comes to admire the tenacious, loyal goblins and their tough-minded young leader, causing him to switch loyalties. Bell's decision to keep offstage the important character developmentsof Makenna's adoption into goblin society and growth into a master tactician somewhat hampers belief; likewise, Tobin's sense of knightly honor is more told than shown. But the addition of political motivations to a genre mostly dominated by a good/evil dichotomy is a pleasing surprise: the priest's enmity--and, in fact, his Decree of Bright Magic--both stem from efforts to preserve the realm from the southern invaders, a complication of realistic motives that adds depth to Makenna's realization that ""this priest had become what he was because he let nothing stand in the way of saving his people, just as she had let nothing stand in the way of saving her goblins."" It's a thoughtful conclusion to a rousing fantasy adventure. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
In an exciting fantasy, the author of Songs of Power (2000) and Matter of Profit (2001), creates a world at war, one in which the rulers of a theocracy attempt to exterminate a non-human race as well as those humans with magical powers who aren't priests. That's why 12-year-old Makenna watches her sorcerer mother's drowning on the order of the village priest. Filled with hatred, she escapes into the forest and organizes the goblins into a guerilla force, orchestrating their withdrawal behind a wall that separates the country's south from north. Meanwhile, Tobin, a young aristocrat from the south, is manipulated by the religious authorities and sent to trap Makenna and allow the priests' leaders to break the power of the goblins. As usual, Bell's story is complex, with several subplots, and a surprising, satisfying ending; likewise, the character development is exceptional: the humans are very real and understandable, while the goblins are convincing and sympathetic. This raises questions about the ethics of war, justifications for revenge, and motivations of human conduct. Strong, likable characters and the involving plot make this a surefire winner. (Fiction. YA) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Gr. 6-10. After her mother is drowned as a sorceress, young hedgewitch Makenna flees into the woodlands. While there, she accidentally antagonizes some goblins, who plague her until she captures one, Cogswhallop, and inadvertently puts him in her debt. As she travels with Cogswhallop, she learns goblin rules about repaying a favor, and she soon finds herself united with goblins in a battle against the ruling Hierarchy, bent on eradicating all magical creatures. Five years later, a young knight comes to Goblin Wood to trap a powerful human sorceress who is thought to lead an army of enslaved goblins. By this time, Makenna has become a strategist par excellence and the Hierarchy's greatest threat. Leavened by humor and a dollop of romance, this well-crafted fantasy adventure demonstrates Bell's talent for creating enduring characters and worlds. It also has a cliffhanger ending that begs a sequel. The author of A Matter of Profit (2001) comes through again. --Sally Estes Copyright 2003 Booklist