Witch & Wizard
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Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Grade 5–9—Wisty and Whit Allgood have magical powers, but they don't know it. At least they don't know until they are arrested by the guards of the New Order, which has just come to power. Their parents have always been into herbs and plants and predictions; they don't send their kids to typical schools, and when the teens are allowed to take only one item each to jail with them, they send a drumstick and a book with no words that are visible to the naked eye. The kids start to get an inkling of what they can do when Wisty bursts into flames when she gets angry, and before long she is turning people into creatures and conjuring tornadoes, and lightning bolts shoot from her hands. The bulk of the book takes place when Whit and Wisty are locked up in a reformatory where they are bullied by the guards. The chapters are only one to three pages in length and alternate between the two main characters' points of view. The action doesn't really pick up until the last third of the book, when the siblings make their escape. Readers expecting something akin to Patterson's "Maximum Ride" series (Little, Brown) are bound to be disappointed, but the groundwork is set for subsequent volumes that might make wading through the first one worthwhile.—Jake Pettit, Thompson Valley High School, Loveland, CO
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Booklist
Although marketing muscle might make this book a hit, it’s hard to believe too many readers will be satisfied with the confusing blend of sorcery and political dystopia. Fifteen-year-old Wisty and her 18-year-old brother Whit are awoken one night by troops from the newly elected N.O. (New Order) regime. The siblings are chained, tossed into a prison, and accused of being a witch and wizard—a charge that seems preposterous until Wisty envelops her body in flames and is no worse for wear. With the help of Whit’s dead girlfriend (who exists in a limbo known as the Shadowland), the teens escape to a bombed-out department store where a teen resistance movement fights the dastardly N.O. Wisty and Whit are standard-issue teen smart alecks, the baddies are stock villains who use phrases like “dangerous fiends,” and the meandering plot seems to make up the rules as it goes along. It’s got an enticing prologue, though, and Patterson’s trademark bite-size chapters at least keep things zippy. Grades 6-9. --Daniel Kraus
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
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Customer Reviews
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
103 of 113 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Entertaining...If Nothing Else,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Witch & Wizard (Kindle Edition)
I absolutely love dystopian, end-of-life-as-we-know-it, type of novels. George Orwell's 1984 (Signet Classics) and Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale happen to be two of my favorites. This novel started with great promise...And then it fell short. Very short. The novel is about Wisty and Whit Allgood, two teenage siblings who are kidnapped by the New Order, a form of government that has taken over the world. During this time, Wisty and Whit discover that they have magical powers, and that is why the New Order considers them a threat. The story opens up with Wisty and Whit being led to the gallows in a sports arena, with thousands of people cheering on their hanging. As the proceedings commence, Wisty and Whit take us into the backdrop of the story, how they found themselves condemned to death.
In a trite and oversimplified manner, we learn that our political system crumbled overnight and was replaced by the New Order headed by "The One Who Is the One." As Wisty and Whit continue to battle some of their challenges, they become more aware of the magnitude of their supernatural powers. The story crosses over from Wisty and Whit's time in prison, over to other worldly dimensions (such as the Shadowland where spirits dwell) back to an unrecognizable world overwrought with despair, war, and hopelessness. But none of this is captured with any depth. What I thought would be a great dystopian story seemed more like a cat-and-mouse fantasy under a dystopian backdrop. I do enjoy fantasies and stories of magic along with mayhem, but there was something missing in this story. It was entertaining in some areas but it lacked the thrilling suspense I would expect in a novel written by Patterson. This is the first book in a new series and unfortunately, it leaves readers with a rather weak cliffhanger. This series may have some promise and hopefully, the next book will delivery on that.
57 of 67 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointing . . .,
By
This review is from: Witch & Wizard (Hardcover)
My daughter loves the Maximum Rides stories so I put this latest book by James Patterson at the top of her Wishlist. After reading it though, I'm feeling bad for the giftgiver -- it's just not good. The plot is skeletal and overly simplistic, and there is none of the sarcastic humor that peppered the Maximum Ride stories. It feels like it was written over a long week-end while the author was thinking of something else.
42 of 50 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
patterson fan, but disappointed,
By
This review is from: Witch & Wizard (Hardcover)
I am a big fan of James Patterson - Alex Cross, Maximum Ride, you name it. However, Witch and Wizard was a big disappointment to me. I tried to keep an open mind as I read it, but I found it disjointed and not well thought out. I would go so far as to say this may be the worst book i've read in years. (Sorry, Mr. Patterson!) I will not buy any more of this series...
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5.0 out of 5 stars
6 Reasons Why Witch and Wizard Rocks!!
Reason #1:It has great suspence! If your looking for a book that will leave you hanging, This book is for you.
Published 5 hours ago by O'Heir
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not typical of Patterson
This book is not a typical Patterson book, most adults i know who have read it hated it, but i have to say i enjoyed it, especially the way the chapters flip from one persons...
Published 2 days ago by theapo11
4.0 out of 5 stars
Orwell meets The Lake House
In the Orwellian world of the rising New Order, kids, and particularly rebellious teens, must either conform or die.
Published 5 days ago by susan jay, author of The House...
2.0 out of 5 stars
Sorely lacking
Extremely disappointed in this book and was expecting more from James Patterson. This book is his attempt at Harry Potter and it fails miserably.
Published 7 days ago by BriarRose
2.0 out of 5 stars
I tried, I really did
I've never read one of James Patterson's adult books, but I've read all of his YA books. If I could grade his novels, I would give Maximum Ride (the first 3) a C+ (the last four...
Published 10 days ago by AJ Hayden
1.0 out of 5 stars
Don't Read!
I really didn't know what to expect from this book, but the obvious drew me in as most readers. I read this book in one day, no biggie, but I wanted to finish it, bad or good,...
Published 12 days ago by Katrina L. Chilton
2.0 out of 5 stars
Waste of Time
Should have read the reviews first. But this one has been in pride of place in my bookstore and I like YA books about magic so I picked it up.
Published 14 days ago by James Held
1.0 out of 5 stars
This book has no point, no plot, and no ending
First off, let me say I am a fan of James Patterson, love the Cross series. But, this book is truly awful.
Published 19 days ago by Mark Richards
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Collins-meets-Rowling page-turner
From the title, one might misjudge the focus here, as Witch and Wizard is less Harry Potter, more Hunger Games dystopia w/magic bubbling beneath the surface.
Published 19 days ago by Laurie
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good Book
I found the book to be very entertaining. It changes point of view with just about every chapter, and since the character's names are similar, I did have a slight issue keeping...
Published 21 days ago by Elizabeth A. Kantz
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