Witch Catcher (review)

Jen's father has inherited a mysterious castle in the mountains, and Jen, an adventurous twelve-year-old, can't wait to explore it. She is less thrilled, however, with Dad's new girlfriend, Moura, whom he has been dating on the sly, and with whom he is completely smitten. Already suspicious of Moura (Jen's certain her hypnotizing perfume is entrancing her father), Jen's convinced that the mysterious glass ball she finds is connected to the woman; after the witch catcher is broken, a quirky fairy girl emerges out of the shards and confirms Jen's suspicions, alerting her to Moura's true witchy self. Now Jen, who had only hoped for a cool new house, is burdened with a lovestruck and suddenly distant father, a family of shape-shifting and untrustworthy fairies who need rescuing, and the dangerous Moura, who will stop at nothing to get what she wants. It is unclear why the witch traps would work as well for fairies as witches (Moura kept the fairy family trapped for years before Jen's arrival), but this is a minor confusion in an otherwise carefully developed fantasy. Realistically squicky detail (there's a great evocation of the way it might feel to be transformed into an ant), elegant descriptions (the swirls of colors in the glass traps are described with particular artistry), and a clever twist that allows the fairies to retain their integrity as tricksters all combine to make this fantasy an intriguing read. Hahn's taut, fast-paced writing style works effectively to sweep readers into the story and keep them engaged until the fairies go home, Moura is stopped, and Jen finally gets her newly appreciated "regular" life back.