JUNE 2014 - AudioFile
Susan Duerden narrates White’s series opener. Listeners immediately feel the story’s ominous mood as Kara Westfall witnesses her mother’s hanging for witchcraft. Afterwards, everyone in the small island community of De’Noran fearfully shuns Kara and her family. While Duerden’s authoritative tone skillfully displays the village hierarchy, it also makes Kara’s dialogue seem shrill and overdramatized. Further, the audio format highlights the parts of the story that strain credibility. When Kara discovers that she, too, has magical abilities, the evil in the Thickety tempts her down a dark path. The magical battles between Kara and another witch will keep listeners engaged. C.A. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine
Publishers Weekly
★ 03/24/2014
The followers of the Path have left the sinful world behind to live in the isolated community of De’Noran, which is increasingly encroached upon by the Thickety, the domain of the forest demon Sordyr. Kara Westfall’s mother was executed for the crime of witchcraft, and now her family ekes out a living under the burden of the community’s suspicion. It falls to 12-year-old Kara to keep her sickly younger brother and dysfunctional father alive. She negotiates the treacherous road of a pariah, attempting to persuade a proto-Puritanical society that she is harmless, even while the dangerously addictive powers she has inherited from her mother well up within her. In this darkly imaginative debut, White creates a fantasy world with creatures that are anything but sweet—a cyclopean bird, a multi-mouthed horror—and, after a deceptively satisfying resolution, he unfurls a twist that will make readers want the next chapter of Kara’s story immediately. White’s prose is evocative without being dense, and Offermann’s sharp-edged silhouettes (not all seen by PW) add an ominous note. Absolutely thrilling. Ages 8–12. Agent: Alexandra Machinist, Janklow & Nesbit. (May)
The Bulletin of The Center for Children's Books
A startling plot twist at the end will have readers urgently waiting for a sequel, and it may even lead them right back into the book to see if they missed earlier clues.
Angie Sage
The Thickety may give you nightmares, but it is a gripping story with a great heroine.
Lisa McMann
The Thickety is a sinister, magical debut with a marvelous and shocking heroine. J.A. White’s elegant writing and masterful plot kept me turning pages late into the night.
JUNE 2014 - AudioFile
Susan Duerden narrates White’s series opener. Listeners immediately feel the story’s ominous mood as Kara Westfall witnesses her mother’s hanging for witchcraft. Afterwards, everyone in the small island community of De’Noran fearfully shuns Kara and her family. While Duerden’s authoritative tone skillfully displays the village hierarchy, it also makes Kara’s dialogue seem shrill and overdramatized. Further, the audio format highlights the parts of the story that strain credibility. When Kara discovers that she, too, has magical abilities, the evil in the Thickety tempts her down a dark path. The magical battles between Kara and another witch will keep listeners engaged. C.A. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2014-02-19
Nail-biting suspense is the hallmark of this long fantasy novel, from the terrifying prologue to the shocking epilogue. This pleasantly accomplished debut presents readers with a dystopian, theocratic society that fears and executes witches and magic users. The community lives on the island of De'Noran, where the habitable land is being devoured by strange forest called the Thickety. In the prologue, readers meet little Kara Westall, who is roused from her bed and dragged to watch her mother's execution as a witch. Years later, Kara, now 12, is responsible for herself, her younger brother, Taff, and their father, crippled by depression. When Kara finds her mother's grimoire in the Thickety and uses it, the already suspenseful narrative becomes nerve-wracking. The author's storytelling chops show in how he ratchets up suspense, delivers believable characters (both good and evil), and reveals information slowly and only when absolutely necessary. There is a stunning climax and a seemingly perfect resolution. Readers will know, however, that nothing is perfect, and the epilogue confirms this fact while providing hope for a sequel. The spellbinding story, lashings of suspense and stalwart heroine will draw in fantasy fans and keep them reading until the bitter ending. (Fantasy. 11-14)
