Rating: 4 stars

The Witch opens with a tender scene; daddy telling his son a fairy tale made up on the spot. What neither daddy or the boy, realizes is that mommy is there watching. It's been a few months since Cathy took her life in their basement. She's been watching over Stephen like a hawk since, but her motive isn't pure; Cathy is a witch and until her death, had been practicing the craft with her son. Now she wants him to summon her back so she can get even.

Stephen is a sweet little 5-year-old boy. He has his father's blonde hair and blue eyes. He loves his dad and his babysitter is the greatest but he loves and misses his mommy very much. Stephen only has a few of his mother's possessions; a fertility goddess she used to wear, her comb, locket and earrings he had bought her. Every evening he holds the earrings and wishes his mommy was with him again. Unfortunately, he doesn't realize that you should be careful what you wish for.

Cathy has a box in the basement that looks like it has ugly creatures carved on it; however, the creatures aren't carved on -- they are evil spirits. Stephen calls them "the uglies" and he is afraid of them even though he helped his mother fashion bodies for them from clay. Cathy sends Stephen to release the uglies to avenge her. Stephen is too innocent to see what she has planned; her husband and their 17-year-old babysitter must pay for the affair that drove her to her death. Cathy's mother, Mable, also will not get away with the oppression and hurt she put her daughter through.

The Witch weaves a tale of a child's unconditional love within the pain of loss and disappointment. The author expertly winds the fairy tale from the beginning throughout the story, delving into the past and bringing it all together with the present. The characters are well rounded and believable; the pain emanates from the pages as the young boy struggles with first loss and then the realization of the evil he has released.

Your emotions may catch you off guard as your heart breaks for Stephen and the hell in which he's caught. This book is hard to put down as you hope Stephen will break his mother's hold and banish the evil uglies. You can't help but love the little one as he struggles with the realization tha his mother's spirit isn't really there to protect him. All and all, a well-written book that you'll enjoy late into the night.
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Pub. Date: February 2007
Publisher: Medallion Press
ISBN-13: 9781932815818
ISBN: 1932815813
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