Dark Sister (Hardcover)

Bound by her husband's lack of respect for her and her dreams [he forbids her to return to school to study psychology, wanting her to be a "proper mother], and the duties of mothering, Maggie searches for her identity by reading the diary and learning more about the remedies and potions described within.
Unable to find all of the herbs mentioned, or to understand the old English words for some of them, she engages the help of a local herbalist, Ash, who has a shop in town. She develops a strong bond with Ash, who is concerned for Maggies zeal to dive in too quickly to the potions and magic described in Bella's diary. He sends Maggie to "Liz" a strange old woman who lives alone and who is quite obviously a witch. Liz shares her knowledge with Maggie, but holds back a secret that is later revealed in the novel.

As Maggie becomes more and more involved in witchcraft, the time she spends away from home and her children becomes a sore point between she and her husband, Alex, who would prefer that she sit at home, minding the children all day.

Also, as Maggie reads further, she discovers that Bella has a "dark sister" mentioned only as "A" in the diary, whom she accuses of causing her to do things that she doesn't want to. Bella becomes increasing paranoid and frightened in her diary and Maggie wants to find out why.

She tries the potions and finds out things about Alex which, coupled with his jealousy of her new hobby and her time away, prompts a serious rift in the marriage, as Alex is completely absorbed in a new area of the dig, which is producing some very exciting and disturbing finds. This dig is an area, coincidentally, which Maggie herself suggested that he might find something.

Maggie continues to move too quickly into the world of Wicca, and on the brink of losing her children and her sanity, comes to a discovery of the true story of Bella and her dark sister.

The story of Bella and her dark sister is so moving and sad, and speaks so well of human ignorance. The novel ends well, and I felt that loose ends were well tied up. I especially loved the way the novel was written, in terms of the speech used by the Bella, and old Liz.

This is a wonderfully entertaining novel, which explores both Wicca, it's past, and equality in relationships. Enjoy!

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Maggie is an engrossing character caught in a stifling marriage. She's a stay-at-home mom who longs for a little more than keeping house (and getting criticized by husband Alex when things are not up to his standards). Alex, an insecure turd, is the type who would lock her in a tower and throw away the key if he could get away with it and refuses to allow her to return to school. When the not-so-happy couple discover an old journal filled with herbal lore Maggie becomes a little obsessed with learning its secrets. As Maggie delves deeper into the world of magic and makes two new friends (a lonely herbalist and an eccentric, crusty old lady) who become part of her journey, her marriage continues to go down the tubes. I found Maggie's magical discoveries quite interesting but it's the increasing destruction of her family life that adds an emotionally grueling level to the story.

Maggie is a much more sympathetic character than Alex the a-hole but she also has her share of faults as well (but, hmmm, are they all her fault?). In anger, she says a few well deserved horribly awful things to Alex but I cringed because her young children were listening (and she knew it). She also forgets her responsibilities (i.e., her children) one time too many when her other world begins to consume her and she doesn't seem overly bothered by the fact. These missteps added to the realism of her character. I'm so sick of flawless characters and these people, even when unlikable, were a smack of reality and a nice change of pace.

Another thing I liked was the depiction of Maggie's youngest son. He looks like a cherubic angel but acts like a real kid. He's a genuine, tantrum throwing brat who reacts to the increasing turmoil within his family with fear and fits. I found this very sad and yet another eloquently written layer of the story.

As the story progresses and Maggie's dabbling with magic has some eye-opening results (love the revenge on Alex) but also awakens her "dark sister" and the story becomes even more intense. Another highly recommended book from beginning to end.

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