What do you think?
Rate this book
Doomspell #2
The Scent of Magic
Rachel and her brother Eric are extraordinary. She is a spell-maker, able to fly, take any shape, see far and wide with her many-coloured eyes. He is a destroyer of spells.
On the planet Ool, home of the Witches, the high Witch Heebra wants Rachel and Eric crushed, and her old adversaries the Wizards slayed. A party of Witches is dispatched to Earth to locate the thousands of children who have powers like Rachel’s, and turn them into a ferocious army.
Rachel, in search of the children, finds their magic at work across the world. In Africa she encounters the infant Yemi, whose gifts transcend all others. In Chile she meets the menacing Heiki, a girl who will perform any evil to win the approval of the Witches. And in the frozen wastes of the Arctic she and Eric engage in a desperate struggle for the hearts and minds of all children.
On the planet Ool, home of the Witches, the high Witch Heebra wants Rachel and Eric crushed, and her old adversaries the Wizards slayed. A party of Witches is dispatched to Earth to locate the thousands of children who have powers like Rachel’s, and turn them into a ferocious army.
Rachel, in search of the children, finds their magic at work across the world. In Africa she encounters the infant Yemi, whose gifts transcend all others. In Chile she meets the menacing Heiki, a girl who will perform any evil to win the approval of the Witches. And in the frozen wastes of the Arctic she and Eric engage in a desperate struggle for the hearts and minds of all children.
240 pages, Paperback
First published October 18, 2001
8 people are currently reading
833 people want to read
About the author
Cliff McNish
41 books252 followersI was born in Sunderland, a city in the north-east of England.
I don’t recall too much about my first 8 years of life other than I loved being outdoors especially in the woods near our house. I came home every night covered in scratches.
My first real book memory is being given C.S. Lewis’s The Magician’s Nephew by my English teacher, Mrs Baldwin. I loved that, and all the other Narnia books.
So how did I become an author?
As a parent I was used to making up short and funny stories for my daughter, Rachel. When she was about ten, however, she wanted a story about a really, really nasty witch. This time I put pen to paper and what started off as a tiny scrap of an idea got bigger and bigger and BIGGER. It became The Doomspell.
After I finished it, I continued my love affair with fantasy by creating The Silver Sequence which I still think is probably my best and definitely my most original work. Following that, I tried to scare everyone half to death with a couple of ghost novels – Breathe and The Hunting Ground.
I could tell you more about myself, but the truth is that perhaps the biggest gift we can give anyone is our imagination and everything important I have to offer you about that is in the novels.
I don’t recall too much about my first 8 years of life other than I loved being outdoors especially in the woods near our house. I came home every night covered in scratches.
My first real book memory is being given C.S. Lewis’s The Magician’s Nephew by my English teacher, Mrs Baldwin. I loved that, and all the other Narnia books.
So how did I become an author?
As a parent I was used to making up short and funny stories for my daughter, Rachel. When she was about ten, however, she wanted a story about a really, really nasty witch. This time I put pen to paper and what started off as a tiny scrap of an idea got bigger and bigger and BIGGER. It became The Doomspell.
After I finished it, I continued my love affair with fantasy by creating The Silver Sequence which I still think is probably my best and definitely my most original work. Following that, I tried to scare everyone half to death with a couple of ghost novels – Breathe and The Hunting Ground.
I could tell you more about myself, but the truth is that perhaps the biggest gift we can give anyone is our imagination and everything important I have to offer you about that is in the novels.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
January 30, 2014
Continuing the critical analysis review of this series, I have to say the scent of magic is my favourite in all the series, and I wish I could give it more than 5 stars, so this review will be a lot of praise and analysis and me struggling for criticism (unlike what my review of book 3 will be).
Let’s look at the basic premise of this book: a scorned mother seeks revenge and is killed herself for doing so in ill-methods. As evil as Heebra is her daughter was imprisoned for years and eventually killed in the least respectful way with no one to mourn except Calen, who is doomed at this point. You’d be pissed off too. When thinking about it, yes Heebra used foul tactics and made hundreds of children suffer (and let’s not even begin on Heiki) but Larpskendya put Dragwena through thousands of years of suffering – this pisses Heebra off, so Heebra does something to piss him off. Larpskendya's response is to call her unreasonable and let her know she has two choices: leave or die. But can we not forget he brought this on himself? Heebra should leave Earth alone, and Larpskendya has no other options, but if Larpskendya had done his job in book one there wouldn’t be this problem. If he had interfered and killed Dragwena as soon as she mastered taking children from Earth, Earth would have been left alone. Both sides of the war are kinda douchebags. However we can clearly route for Wizards, as Witches are painted as evil, and we see why Rachel is so loyal to Larpskendya, as is Morpeth. Although Morpeth’s reasons for loyalty more lie in the thought that Larpskendya is the only one who can possibly save them, they both whole-heartedly believe in him. Eric is young and takes things at face value, so loses his faith, but regains it at twice the strength once Larpskendya proves himself, which is key for book 3 and explains his actions.
Heebra dies and suddenly Larpskendya acts as if everything is OK, and shows no emotions like sadness – which is kind of dark because of how he tries to brush it all off as nothing and bury it. He seems a little too desperate to cover it up. Again I never noticed until I really thought about it. At the end Larpskendya kills Heebra (in fact you could argue Larpskendya turns every child on Earth into a murderer, which raises even more ethical issues in itself). Now he does this to save people’s lives – fair enough, right? No. No, no, no. Let’s take a journey back to the beginning of the book, in chapter two, in which Heebra releases the Griddas, a mutated and violent breed of Witches. We know only Heebra can control them (and even then she can barely do it), and Larpskendya knows that to, as we are told. Larpskendya is either an idiot (which we know he isn’t), dicking around or not as good as we are made to think. Or more accurately, Rachel is made to think because she’s being used as a weapon, as this book is from her perspective. I’m gonna go with the latter because it makes the most sense. Morality’s blurred lines is what makes this series so good, and another reason why it’s dark.
Other than plot, this book is beautifully written, and the pacing is perfect – it’s still the best pacing I’ve seen in any book I’ve read. The characters have depth and real emotion. We get excellent world building here, of culture and history, and it’s done through subtext as well as what’s on the page. In fact what makes this book so brilliant is what it doesn’t say to make the audience understand. From the script we get Calen and Heebra on Ool, and we learn a lot about their relationship and the characters. We learn Calen has always wanted to please her mother – no wonder she acts the way she does. We aren’t told much about Heiki's past but it’s heavily hinted at in ways that seem natural, and we easily build a picture of her life of why she is the way she is. I really love her character, mostly due to being able to relate to her, but she’s also a very good character. Even if McNish did to the evil albino thing, which kinda sucks. The amount of subtext in this book is on a level many authors would struggle with – it’s enough to be subtext, but not too hard to understand. Not all children would get it but teens would – as would adults, and as an adult I still love and am entertained by this book. One of my favourite of these is “she’s never faced a Witch’s punishments” – the book has so many character moments such as this that subtly give us information. And although the resolution was quick and a forced “happily ever after” it works with the tone of the book and makes it darker.
All in all this is one of my favourite books of all time and more than worth reading. I find it incredibly hard to fault this book and I’ll nitpick anything normally, so that’s saying something. All ages can enjoy this book on different levels, which is part of what makes it so good and I highly recommend anyone to read it.
Let’s look at the basic premise of this book: a scorned mother seeks revenge and is killed herself for doing so in ill-methods. As evil as Heebra is her daughter was imprisoned for years and eventually killed in the least respectful way with no one to mourn except Calen, who is doomed at this point. You’d be pissed off too. When thinking about it, yes Heebra used foul tactics and made hundreds of children suffer (and let’s not even begin on Heiki) but Larpskendya put Dragwena through thousands of years of suffering – this pisses Heebra off, so Heebra does something to piss him off. Larpskendya's response is to call her unreasonable and let her know she has two choices: leave or die. But can we not forget he brought this on himself? Heebra should leave Earth alone, and Larpskendya has no other options, but if Larpskendya had done his job in book one there wouldn’t be this problem. If he had interfered and killed Dragwena as soon as she mastered taking children from Earth, Earth would have been left alone. Both sides of the war are kinda douchebags. However we can clearly route for Wizards, as Witches are painted as evil, and we see why Rachel is so loyal to Larpskendya, as is Morpeth. Although Morpeth’s reasons for loyalty more lie in the thought that Larpskendya is the only one who can possibly save them, they both whole-heartedly believe in him. Eric is young and takes things at face value, so loses his faith, but regains it at twice the strength once Larpskendya proves himself, which is key for book 3 and explains his actions.
Heebra dies and suddenly Larpskendya acts as if everything is OK, and shows no emotions like sadness – which is kind of dark because of how he tries to brush it all off as nothing and bury it. He seems a little too desperate to cover it up. Again I never noticed until I really thought about it. At the end Larpskendya kills Heebra (in fact you could argue Larpskendya turns every child on Earth into a murderer, which raises even more ethical issues in itself). Now he does this to save people’s lives – fair enough, right? No. No, no, no. Let’s take a journey back to the beginning of the book, in chapter two, in which Heebra releases the Griddas, a mutated and violent breed of Witches. We know only Heebra can control them (and even then she can barely do it), and Larpskendya knows that to, as we are told. Larpskendya is either an idiot (which we know he isn’t), dicking around or not as good as we are made to think. Or more accurately, Rachel is made to think because she’s being used as a weapon, as this book is from her perspective. I’m gonna go with the latter because it makes the most sense. Morality’s blurred lines is what makes this series so good, and another reason why it’s dark.
Other than plot, this book is beautifully written, and the pacing is perfect – it’s still the best pacing I’ve seen in any book I’ve read. The characters have depth and real emotion. We get excellent world building here, of culture and history, and it’s done through subtext as well as what’s on the page. In fact what makes this book so brilliant is what it doesn’t say to make the audience understand. From the script we get Calen and Heebra on Ool, and we learn a lot about their relationship and the characters. We learn Calen has always wanted to please her mother – no wonder she acts the way she does. We aren’t told much about Heiki's past but it’s heavily hinted at in ways that seem natural, and we easily build a picture of her life of why she is the way she is. I really love her character, mostly due to being able to relate to her, but she’s also a very good character. Even if McNish did to the evil albino thing, which kinda sucks. The amount of subtext in this book is on a level many authors would struggle with – it’s enough to be subtext, but not too hard to understand. Not all children would get it but teens would – as would adults, and as an adult I still love and am entertained by this book. One of my favourite of these is “she’s never faced a Witch’s punishments” – the book has so many character moments such as this that subtly give us information. And although the resolution was quick and a forced “happily ever after” it works with the tone of the book and makes it darker.
All in all this is one of my favourite books of all time and more than worth reading. I find it incredibly hard to fault this book and I’ll nitpick anything normally, so that’s saying something. All ages can enjoy this book on different levels, which is part of what makes it so good and I highly recommend anyone to read it.
July 29, 2019
'Soon, making magic will come as easily to you as breathing.' He smiled. 'And then, of course, it will no longer seem like magic at all.'
---
I had to force myself a little bit to finish this sequel, but it's not that it isn't good. I actually really like some of the ideas.
It's imaginative. It's a bit rough for a kid's story (in a good way?). And it kinda feels like reading someone's dream / nightmare. I like that.
However, the writing isn't the best, in my opinion. The magic system isn't clearly established either. I still don't understand how it works exactly and what the limits are. When anyone can come up with any kind of spell, there's no clear stakes.
---
I had to force myself a little bit to finish this sequel, but it's not that it isn't good. I actually really like some of the ideas.
It's imaginative. It's a bit rough for a kid's story (in a good way?). And it kinda feels like reading someone's dream / nightmare. I like that.
However, the writing isn't the best, in my opinion. The magic system isn't clearly established either. I still don't understand how it works exactly and what the limits are. When anyone can come up with any kind of spell, there's no clear stakes.
September 3, 2020
Πριν κάνα χρόνο,σε στάση για ξαλαφρωμα σε κάποια ΣΕΑ (ούτε που θυμάμαι που,μην με ρωτάτε,δεν οδηγάω ,εγώ απλά χαζεύω την θέα και διαβάζω ή κοιμάμαι η μοσχαρα).
Το μάτι έπεσε σε κάτι που έγραφε βιβλία (ναι ,τα γνωστά Νάκας,που πετυχαίνεις κάτι ξεχασμένα βιβλία,διαμαντακια ή μη).
Το χέρι πήρε μηχανικά δύο : το αργό βάδισμα της Αίθρα ς και το πρώτο μέρος της τριλογίας του μαγεμένου κοριτσιού. Το φιλί της Ντραγκουίνας.
Εν τέλει ο υιός το σνομπαρε και το έβαλε μπρος η μαμά.
Και βρήκε τον μπελά της. Έψαξε τα άλλα δύο,πουθενά. Ε,ρε γλέντια! Και πως θα μάθουμε ρε φίλε την συνέχεια? Ρωτάω εγώ τώρα. Τι το ήθελα και το πήρα και άλλα τέτοια ωραία.
Αλλά ως γνωστόν,η υπομονή μου είναι γαιδουρινη. Βρήκα το τρίτο μέρος στα μεταχειρισμένα
Ω να σου.....
Ψάξε,ψάξε,ψάξε,ψάξε.....
Το βρήκα και το δεύτερο επιτέλους σε ένα βιβλιοπωλειο.
Δεν μιλάω για την χαρά που πήρα!
Αφού έκανα μια δεύτερη επιγραμματική επανάληψη του πρώτου,ήρθε η ώρα να βουτήξω στο δεύτερο.
Το άρωμα της μαγείας.
Στο πρώτο η ιστορία σε συνεπαίρνει από την αρχή μέχρι το τέλος.
Στο δεύτερο λίγο με ξένισε η μετάβαση ενός χρόνου ξαφνικά,ενώ σε άφηνε με την αίσθηση της κομμένης σκηνής στο δρόμο.
Το προσπερναμε όμως.
Η συνέχεια της ιστορίας ήταν λιγάκι αδύναμη.
Τα παιδιά αρχίζουν και ανακαλύπτουν την μαγεία μέσα τους και την εξασκούν με επιφυλακτικότητα. Κάποια είναι πιο αδύναμα,κάποια πολύ δυνατά σαν τον μικρό Γεμι με την χρυσή καρδιά,του οποίου οι δυνάμεις είναι πέρα από κάθε φαντασία. Η της Χαικι που θέλει να τις χρησιμοποιήσει για να εντυπωσιάσει,μη έχοντας εντελώς ξεκάθαρο την αίσθηση του καλού και του κακού μέσα της. Είπαμε,για παιδιά μιλάμε και τα περισσότερα στην εφηβεία
Η Ρέιτσελ,το μαγεμένο κορίτσι,μαζί με τον αδερφό της τον Έρικ,του οποίου η έλλειψη μαγείας αντισταθμίζεται με ένα εξίσου μοναδικό χάρισμα,που ούτε οι μεγάλοι μάγοι,ούτε οι μάγισσες έχουν ξανασυναντήσει στους αιώνες που ζουν.
Οι διαμάχη των μεγάλων μαγισσών με τους μάγους συνεχίζει ασταμάτητα.
Θα μπορέσει αυτή η μικρή παρέα που αποτελείται από τα δύο αδέρφια,τον Μορπεθ και τα πραπσια να σταματήσει τις μάγισσες από το να στρατολογήσουν τα παιδιά υπέρ τους?
Εδώ να πω δυο πράγματα.
Τα πραπσια,αυτά τα κοράκια με τα φαφουτικα κεφάλια μωρού ήταν οι αγαπημένοι μου χαρακτήρες. Γέλασα πολύ μαζι τους.
Στα συν της γραφής,είναι ότι κάποια κομμάτια στα αποσαφηνίζει περιληπτικά ο συγγραφέας. Και ναι μεν,υπάρχουν επαναλήψεις,ωστόσο μπορείς να τα διαβάσεις και τα τρία ανεξάρτητα χωρίς να έχεις χάσει πολλά και χωρίς να σου μένουν πολλές απορίες.
Το μάτι έπεσε σε κάτι που έγραφε βιβλία (ναι ,τα γνωστά Νάκας,που πετυχαίνεις κάτι ξεχασμένα βιβλία,διαμαντακια ή μη).
Το χέρι πήρε μηχανικά δύο : το αργό βάδισμα της Αίθρα ς και το πρώτο μέρος της τριλογίας του μαγεμένου κοριτσιού. Το φιλί της Ντραγκουίνας.
Εν τέλει ο υιός το σνομπαρε και το έβαλε μπρος η μαμά.
Και βρήκε τον μπελά της. Έψαξε τα άλλα δύο,πουθενά. Ε,ρε γλέντια! Και πως θα μάθουμε ρε φίλε την συνέχεια? Ρωτάω εγώ τώρα. Τι το ήθελα και το πήρα και άλλα τέτοια ωραία.
Αλλά ως γνωστόν,η υπομονή μου είναι γαιδουρινη. Βρήκα το τρίτο μέρος στα μεταχειρισμένα
Ω να σου.....
Ψάξε,ψάξε,ψάξε,ψάξε.....
Το βρήκα και το δεύτερο επιτέλους σε ένα βιβλιοπωλειο.
Δεν μιλάω για την χαρά που πήρα!
Αφού έκανα μια δεύτερη επιγραμματική επανάληψη του πρώτου,ήρθε η ώρα να βουτήξω στο δεύτερο.
Το άρωμα της μαγείας.
Στο πρώτο η ιστορία σε συνεπαίρνει από την αρχή μέχρι το τέλος.
Στο δεύτερο λίγο με ξένισε η μετάβαση ενός χρόνου ξαφνικά,ενώ σε άφηνε με την αίσθηση της κομμένης σκηνής στο δρόμο.
Το προσπερναμε όμως.
Η συνέχεια της ιστορίας ήταν λιγάκι αδύναμη.
Τα παιδιά αρχίζουν και ανακαλύπτουν την μαγεία μέσα τους και την εξασκούν με επιφυλακτικότητα. Κάποια είναι πιο αδύναμα,κάποια πολύ δυνατά σαν τον μικρό Γεμι με την χρυσή καρδιά,του οποίου οι δυνάμεις είναι πέρα από κάθε φαντασία. Η της Χαικι που θέλει να τις χρησιμοποιήσει για να εντυπωσιάσει,μη έχοντας εντελώς ξεκάθαρο την αίσθηση του καλού και του κακού μέσα της. Είπαμε,για παιδιά μιλάμε και τα περισσότερα στην εφηβεία
Η Ρέιτσελ,το μαγεμένο κορίτσι,μαζί με τον αδερφό της τον Έρικ,του οποίου η έλλειψη μαγείας αντισταθμίζεται με ένα εξίσου μοναδικό χάρισμα,που ούτε οι μεγάλοι μάγοι,ούτε οι μάγισσες έχουν ξανασυναντήσει στους αιώνες που ζουν.
Οι διαμάχη των μεγάλων μαγισσών με τους μάγους συνεχίζει ασταμάτητα.
Θα μπορέσει αυτή η μικρή παρέα που αποτελείται από τα δύο αδέρφια,τον Μορπεθ και τα πραπσια να σταματήσει τις μάγισσες από το να στρατολογήσουν τα παιδιά υπέρ τους?
Εδώ να πω δυο πράγματα.
Τα πραπσια,αυτά τα κοράκια με τα φαφουτικα κεφάλια μωρού ήταν οι αγαπημένοι μου χαρακτήρες. Γέλασα πολύ μαζι τους.
Στα συν της γραφής,είναι ότι κάποια κομμάτια στα αποσαφηνίζει περιληπτικά ο συγγραφέας. Και ναι μεν,υπάρχουν επαναλήψεις,ωστόσο μπορείς να τα διαβάσεις και τα τρία ανεξάρτητα χωρίς να έχεις χάσει πολλά και χωρίς να σου μένουν πολλές απορίες.
August 30, 2019
Iets minder goed dan deel één, maar alsnog wel leuk.
-----------
In dit deel zijn Robin, Erik en Mordan een jaar (denk ik?) terug van hun avontuur. En op een dag besluit ineens dat Heebra, de moeder van Dracunea de dood van haar dochter wil wreken en hun iets aan wil doen. Ze smeedt een plan, en gaat samen met haar dochter en nog drie heksen naar de aarde in de hoop een kinderleger te scheppen tegen de tovenaars. Dit plan mislukt, maar wel net aan. Uiteindelijk weet een kind van nog geen vier jaar oud, die een enorme berg aan magische kracht bezit, iedereen te redden. Heebra gaat dood, en alle kinderen op aarde hebben nu magische krachten. Een probleem wel; de griddas (extreem wilde heksen) die Heebra heeft losgelaten zijn nog altijd op strooptocht....
-----------
In dit deel zijn Robin, Erik en Mordan een jaar (denk ik?) terug van hun avontuur. En op een dag besluit ineens dat Heebra, de moeder van Dracunea de dood van haar dochter wil wreken en hun iets aan wil doen. Ze smeedt een plan, en gaat samen met haar dochter en nog drie heksen naar de aarde in de hoop een kinderleger te scheppen tegen de tovenaars. Dit plan mislukt, maar wel net aan. Uiteindelijk weet een kind van nog geen vier jaar oud, die een enorme berg aan magische kracht bezit, iedereen te redden. Heebra gaat dood, en alle kinderen op aarde hebben nu magische krachten. Een probleem wel; de griddas (extreem wilde heksen) die Heebra heeft losgelaten zijn nog altijd op strooptocht....
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 20, 2023
Me gustó, es una linda continuación de El maleficio, pero no siento que haya estado a la altura del primero. Me gustó conocer a otros niños con poderes, ver desarrollarse (más) los poderes de Rachel y conocer un poco más sobre el mundo de las brujas y el conflicto con los magos. Sin embargo me faltó esa chispa de misterio y misticismo que tenía el primer libro.
March 2, 2020
This is the second in a truly outstanding trilogy!! Perfect for both younger readers and those looking for an easy/quick read. The story is incredible - imaginative, magical, exciting - and the characters and descriptions are so full of life. I could reread this book over and over again!
July 13, 2020
Ήταν τόσο ωραίο το πρώτο, το αγάπησα τοσο σαν παιδί που πραγματικά τώρα που διαβάζω το δεύτερο ήταν μεγάλη απογοήτευση. Το γράψιμο κυρίως ήταν αυτό που δεν απέδωσε καθώς επίσης κ αυτό το σύστημα μαγείας που είναι αόρατο αόριστο βολικό και ασαφές εντελώς. Ελπίζω το τρίτο να διαβάσει πιο εύκολα.
October 30, 2020
I would give this the same rating as the first simply because my critiques for the first remain the same for the second in the series.
I’m trying to love it, I really am, but i’m struggling to want to read this story.
I’m trying to love it, I really am, but i’m struggling to want to read this story.
March 11, 2018
Great absolute imagination so much details you could think its real
February 18, 2019
A highly enjoyable and original series.
December 16, 2019
Le doy también tres estrellas, pero en realidad me ha gustado más que el primer libro de trilogía.
March 8, 2021
At par with the first part . I just can't wait to read the third part and know what is that final thing that happens between the griddas and Rachel.
This book is truly worth it all.
This book is truly worth it all.
November 1, 2021
Vamos nuevamente con estos hermanos mágicos y esta historia, el primer libro me gusto un poquito más que este historia, creo que si hubiera terminado en el primer libro hubiera sido mejor, y claro es un libro de fantasía dirigido para niños y jóvenes pero aún así es demasiado. No logro conectar con ningún personaje, si les va bien o les va mal da igual porque sabes con certeza que algo pasara y todo saldrá bien y que creen, pues eso es lo que pasa: "Algo" y no se pero no me la creo. Una vez empiezas a leer es seguro que lo terminas porque no es tedioso o pesado, al menos eso a favor si lo tiene.
January 3, 2022
An imaginative and surreal story. Can't wait to see what what happens in the next one.
February 9, 2025
La magia vuelve a la tierra. Y las Brujas también. Segunda parte muy entretenida también.
September 24, 2020
¡ATENCIÓN, PUEDE CONTENER SPOILERS DE LA PRIMERA PARTE DE LA TRILOGÍA!
En esta nueva entrega de la trilogía del Maleficio nos ubicamos justo después de que Dragwena fuese derrotada, y después de que algunos seres y niños decidiesen volver a casa, y otros quedarse en Itrea. Tras regresar, Raquel se ve obligada a ocultar su magia, pero esta quiere ser utilizada, lo que provoca que sus hechizos se revelen mientras duerme. Al mismo tiempo, Dragwena logra llegar de vuelta a su mundo, donde su madre y su hermana le encuentran, y estas, tras descubrir lo que Raquel le hizo, deciden clamar venganza.
He de decir que en esta nueva entrega me costó un tanto avanzar. Si bien es cierto que el ritmo de la trama sigue el mismo estilo que en la anterior entrega, y que la idea es, más o menos, parecida, en esta entrega la acción cuesta un tanto más en llegar, lo que hizo que me costase más el engancharme al inicio. Además, la trama sigue bastante la idea del anterior, por loque a veces se hace un tanto repetitivo y predecible.
De igual forma, una vez la acción empieza, la cosa se empieza a poner interesante. Y es que en esta nueva entrega se nos presentan unos personajes nuevos de lo más atrayentes, como, Heebra, la madre de Dragwena, que es una bruja despiadada y egoísta, pero que al mismo tiempo haría lo que fuese por los suyos. O Heiki, una niña con una gran ambición, dispuesta a lo que sea por conseguir lo que quiere.
Además, también aparecen algunos antiguos personajes, lo que ayuda a que veamos el desarrollo que van teniendo estos, cosa que me ha gustado mucho. Por otro lado, al aparecer la madre de Dragwena se nos dan más retazos sobre estas brujas: de dónde vienen y cuál es su origen, cosa que también me ha gustado mucho.
Sobre el final, he de decir que no me esperaba un final como ese, y aunque no ha sido un final completamente sorprendente, sí que me ha dejado con ganas de leer la última entrega de la trilogía para saber cómo seguirá la historia.
En definitiva, aunque esta nueva entrega sigue la misma línea que el anterior y puede ser un tanto predecible, nos cuenta más cosas sobre el origen de las brujas y nos ayuda a centrarnos un poco mejor para la siguiente entrega. Además, el final ha resultado completamente inesperado.
Lo mejor: el poder saber más sobre el mundo de las brujas y llegar a conocer mejor a algunos personajes.
Lo peor:> la trama se parece bastante a la entrega anterior, por lo que resulta un tanto repetitivo.
En esta nueva entrega de la trilogía del Maleficio nos ubicamos justo después de que Dragwena fuese derrotada, y después de que algunos seres y niños decidiesen volver a casa, y otros quedarse en Itrea. Tras regresar, Raquel se ve obligada a ocultar su magia, pero esta quiere ser utilizada, lo que provoca que sus hechizos se revelen mientras duerme. Al mismo tiempo, Dragwena logra llegar de vuelta a su mundo, donde su madre y su hermana le encuentran, y estas, tras descubrir lo que Raquel le hizo, deciden clamar venganza.
He de decir que en esta nueva entrega me costó un tanto avanzar. Si bien es cierto que el ritmo de la trama sigue el mismo estilo que en la anterior entrega, y que la idea es, más o menos, parecida, en esta entrega la acción cuesta un tanto más en llegar, lo que hizo que me costase más el engancharme al inicio. Además, la trama sigue bastante la idea del anterior, por loque a veces se hace un tanto repetitivo y predecible.
De igual forma, una vez la acción empieza, la cosa se empieza a poner interesante. Y es que en esta nueva entrega se nos presentan unos personajes nuevos de lo más atrayentes, como, Heebra, la madre de Dragwena, que es una bruja despiadada y egoísta, pero que al mismo tiempo haría lo que fuese por los suyos. O Heiki, una niña con una gran ambición, dispuesta a lo que sea por conseguir lo que quiere.
Además, también aparecen algunos antiguos personajes, lo que ayuda a que veamos el desarrollo que van teniendo estos, cosa que me ha gustado mucho. Por otro lado, al aparecer la madre de Dragwena se nos dan más retazos sobre estas brujas: de dónde vienen y cuál es su origen, cosa que también me ha gustado mucho.
Sobre el final, he de decir que no me esperaba un final como ese, y aunque no ha sido un final completamente sorprendente, sí que me ha dejado con ganas de leer la última entrega de la trilogía para saber cómo seguirá la historia.
En definitiva, aunque esta nueva entrega sigue la misma línea que el anterior y puede ser un tanto predecible, nos cuenta más cosas sobre el origen de las brujas y nos ayuda a centrarnos un poco mejor para la siguiente entrega. Además, el final ha resultado completamente inesperado.
Lo mejor: el poder saber más sobre el mundo de las brujas y llegar a conocer mejor a algunos personajes.
Lo peor:> la trama se parece bastante a la entrega anterior, por lo que resulta un tanto repetitivo.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 16, 2013
Zelfstandig te lezen tweede deel in de trilogie 'Robin en de Aardskinderen', uitstekend uit het Engels vertaald door Potter-vertaler Wiebe Buddingh. Omdat Robin (in deel 1) de machtige heks Dracuena verslagen heeft, nemen de moederheks en haar andere dochter, samen met 756 van de beste heksen wraak. Kan tovenaar Larpskendaya iets doen om Robin en de mensenkinderen te redden? Smeuig verteld en breed uitgesponnen heksenverhaal, waarin ijzingwekkende taferelen worden beschreven. De fantasywereld wordt naast de dagelijkse realiteit geplaatst, waardoor lezers even op adem kunnen komen. De spanning wordt langzaam in 20 getitelde hoofdstukjes opgebouwd. Goed geschreven verhaal in begrijpelijke taal met veel dialoog. Paperback met omslagillustratie in kleur van Robin en een heksenklauw. Herkenbaare kaft met op balk serievermelding; andere uitgeverij, ander lettertype. Voor kinderen vanaf 10 jaar die bestand zijn tegen een lekkere portie griezelen. - J.H.J.B. Boelens
Alhoewel ik het eerste boek van de serie gelezen heb, al was het een tijdje geleden, vond ik het in het begin moeilijk in het boek te komen. Maar na de eerste twee hoofdstukken begon het verhaal spannend te worden, en ik werd helemaal meegetrokken naar het eind. Dit is geen verhaal over een heksenschool, zoals 'Harry Potter' of 'De Hopeloze Heks'. In deze serie ontdekken normale kinderen dat ze bijzondere talenten hebben, en in dit boek moeten Robin, haar broer Erik en hun vriend Mordan het opnemen tegen de sterkste heksen. Robin heeft zelf een sterke toverkracht, maar is onervaren, Erik heeft het verrassende gave om spreuken te kunnen vernietigen, en Mordan was op een andere wereld tovenaar en is eigenlijk heel oud met veel ervaring, zodat hij goede raad geeft. Samen moeten ze vechten tegen de heksen en de kinderen die ze aan het opleiden zijn. Het lijkt hopeloos, maar hulp kan komen uit een onverwachte hoek.
Het is dus wel de moeite waard om door de eerste twee hoofdstukken te worstelen, want dit is echt een superspannend boek met een griezelig en sterk verhaal. Niet lezen als je makkelijk lijdt aan nachtmerries!
January 2, 2015
I really loved the first book of this series so when I found out there were other two, I obviosly had to read them.
So Raquel, her brother and Morpet are back home and think everithing is over.
But something isnt right with Raquels magic, Dragwena wasnt dead (she still had a bit magic left and made it to Ool) and her mother finds the earth to take revenge for her daughter.
It was a bit exhausting reading this because of Raquels immaturity. She didnt want to put her family and friends in danger, but I couldnt understand why it took her so long to save the other kids.
In this book she didnt really show how much power she has in her...
So Raquel, her brother and Morpet are back home and think everithing is over.
But something isnt right with Raquels magic, Dragwena wasnt dead (she still had a bit magic left and made it to Ool) and her mother finds the earth to take revenge for her daughter.
It was a bit exhausting reading this because of Raquels immaturity. She didnt want to put her family and friends in danger, but I couldnt understand why it took her so long to save the other kids.
In this book she didnt really show how much power she has in her...
December 19, 2018
No puedo decir mucho de este libro, más allá de que hice una relectura diagonal y rápida para saber de qué iba la historia y cómo avanzaba.
Me temo que ya lo empecé sin ganas, pues, al releer el primero, no me gustó demasiado y no me dejó con ganas de leer el resto de la saga. Claro que tenía los tres libros por casa y me había propuesto leerlos todos, cosa que llevaba años queriendo hacer, así que me puse a ello y, al ver que este libro me interesaba tan poco como su predecesor, opté por hacer una lectura salteada.
Y peca de los mismos errores que ya mencioné al escribir mi opinión sobre el primer libro, por lo que voy a evitar repetirme.
Me temo que ya lo empecé sin ganas, pues, al releer el primero, no me gustó demasiado y no me dejó con ganas de leer el resto de la saga. Claro que tenía los tres libros por casa y me había propuesto leerlos todos, cosa que llevaba años queriendo hacer, así que me puse a ello y, al ver que este libro me interesaba tan poco como su predecesor, opté por hacer una lectura salteada.
Y peca de los mismos errores que ya mencioné al escribir mi opinión sobre el primer libro, por lo que voy a evitar repetirme.
June 19, 2012
Another beautifully written novel in this trilogy which continues the adventures of the characters from the first novel. McNish has a wonderful gift for projecting images from his words. It wasn't as scary as The Doomspell and I suppose the lessened shock made this a little less enjoyable, but it was still a wonderful journey.
December 27, 2013
I said I'd be back to this series soon....
In the 2nd book in the "doomspell" series, Rachel, Eric & Morpeth have returned home to Earth. However, Dragwena's family want revenge....
This brings the action back home-& is unflinching in its portrayal of how cruel children can be, given the opportunity. Again the plot canters along nicely, & the characters (even the witches) have good well-nuanced characters.
Must go now- book 3 awaits my attention...!
In the 2nd book in the "doomspell" series, Rachel, Eric & Morpeth have returned home to Earth. However, Dragwena's family want revenge....
This brings the action back home-& is unflinching in its portrayal of how cruel children can be, given the opportunity. Again the plot canters along nicely, & the characters (even the witches) have good well-nuanced characters.
Must go now- book 3 awaits my attention...!
April 14, 2014
I found this book more thrilling than book 1, which i found a little slow. The character of heiki is very convincing and interesting, and the rachel vs heiki is very compelling. i also love yemi's character, very lovable.
very well written.
would recommend for children 10+
very well written.
would recommend for children 10+
October 18, 2015
Een goed vervolg op het duistere kasteel. Ik vond Robin en Erik wel wat naar de achtergrond gedrukt. Ook de tovenaar vind ik helemaal niks, hij laat het vooral aan het lot van de kinderen over. De heksen waren wel erg goede personages.
August 22, 2019
I read the Doomspell trilogy when I was a child so I don't really remember many details, but what I do remember is that even if I've never been a great reader, I remember having an amazing time reading this trilogy.
August 17, 2013
Covers of first and second book are soooo off putting but inside is amazing
March 29, 2024
I love Dragwena, Heebra and Calen. Is that so wrong? I love them to this day, a good 15 (ish) years after reading these books.
March 21, 2014
Not as good as the first one but I still found it enjoyable to read. And with a dramatic cliffhanger at the end I need to get started with the last book right away!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews