Septimus Heap, born the seventh son of the seventh son of a wizarding family, was stolen within hours of his birth by a nurse midwife and declared dead to the world. On the same night, his father stumbles upon an orphaned child, with eyes of violet, left swaddled in the snow of the neighboring forest. The grieving Heaps take in the newborn baby girl, who they name Jenna, and raise her as their own. They keep their suspicions of her true identity a secret while never forgetting the son they lost.

The buzz of life remained constant over the next ten years crammed into a tiny dwelling filled of fishing rods, clothing, nets, plates and cups, bedding and above all the overflowing quantities of various books, ranging from Magyk to cookbooks and everything in between. All these books were stuffed everywhere the eye could see from crooked shelves, chairs and even some that propped up their table strewn with remnants of homework and everyday life. The Heaps soon forgot their fear of someone coming and taking Jenna away until one day when the Extra Ordinary Wizard paid them a visit which set in motion a series of events that would split up the family in their haste to flee and confirmed their previous suspicions about their adopted daughter.

Angie Sage weaves an enticing web of adventure and mystery to transport the reader into a world full of Magyk, wizards, witches and necromancers. The fear is palpable as the story unfolds and allows the reader to become attached to the Heaps in such a way that provoke strong emotions. Written using several different character point of views, Ms. Sage expertly places bits and pieces of the puzzle throughout the book, leaving the reader wanting for more at its completion. Septimus Heap is but one of a series of books that Ms. Sage has written, and I look forward to reading the others soon.

I highly recommend this book for preteens and adults who enjoy the fantasy realms of magic, wizards and villains. The well developed characters and plot along with Ms. Sage’s ability to describe people, places and things in such a way that make it all seem real are what hook the reader from the first few pages.

For more information, please visit her website and Amazon US or Amazon UK.

Happy reading!

K.D.