The Witching Hours: The Troll Heart

The Witching Hours #2

by Jack Henseleit

The second book in a spooky new series for only the bravest of readers--perfect for fans of The Spiderwick Chronicles!
After their adventures in Transylvania, Anna and Max just want to stay out of trouble. But trouble has other plans...
The Professor takes them to the foggy fields of England, where a new mystery is already afoot: a small boy has vanished near a strange and mysterious river, lost without a trace. Armed with her magical white knife, Anna is convinced that another monster is behind the boy's disappearance. But when the sinister secret of the river is finally revealed, will she and Max be able to save the missing boy--and themselves?
A deliciously scary modern Brothers Grimm tale, The Troll Heart will keep readers turning pages long after things start to go bump in the night.

Genres: Middle Grade, Childrens

272 pages, Hardcover

Published August 13, 2019

About the author

Jack Henseleit was born on a winter evening in 1991, just after the stroke of midnight. When the weather is dark and stormy, he writes fairy tales – real fairy tales, where witches and goblins play tricks on unwary girls and boys. Not all of the tales have happy endings.

Reviews

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a strong sequel & on par with the first book.

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Troll Heart is a delightful follow-up to The Vampire Knife, and exactly the kind of thing I would have enjoyed reading when I was in primary school. Even as a 23-year-old I enjoy watching Anna and Max caper around the world under the not-so-watchful gaze of the Professor and get into all sorts of trouble.

I read a lot of spooky fairy/fantasy books when I was a kid, so I'm pretty confident in saying that The Witching Hours series stacks up. The story is great and the illustrations compliment it so well. I particularly like that in addition to the usual backbone of spooky, adventure, and supernatural elements, the fact that a girl is doing all the saving is treated as totally normal.

Based on the books I read 10 or 15 years ago, usually girls who got the leading role had to be 'extra special' in some way (maybe they have elven blood, or are secretly witches, ancient curse, whatever) in order to explain why they could step up to the post - whereas boys just got to be kickass purely by the value of being boys, no otherworldly explanation needed.

In The Troll Heart, like in The Vampire Knife, there's no fanfare or hand-wringing over why Anna is so kickass - she just IS. Sure, she has the magic knife from book one, but that's no different to any male hero picking up a magic sword.

I also like the story's treatment of Max's hand - no spoilers, but it feels true to the way the series has been marketed. This isn't your standard rosy fairytale and I love that.

My only wish for The Troll Heart would have been slightly faster pacing, but all in all I thoroughly enjoyed it and can't wait to read the next book when it comes out.

[Sem · Rating 4 out of 5]

Henseleit manages to write a children's horror story with a healthy mix of fun (friendly pet goats!) and genuinely spooky stuff (children with arms bitten off by a troll, caves made out of slime). The writing seems to have improved further after the first book in the series and Henseleit keeps applying new twists to the standard folklore monsters. While it would have been nice to explore the troll's bridge and what it's used for a bit more, it's clear that the series is building up to some bigger picture, which I, for one, am very keen to see. And the art is still gorgeous, even though the artists change with every installment. It's definitely the kind of book I would have chugged down when I was little and it still managed to capture me for half a weekend.

[ZoeM · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jack Henseleit is such a lovely narrator for co reading adventure and developmental questions. My younger sister was constantly asking questions, often being left in suspense. The first book was beautiful and we were not disappointed by the second.

I would recommend for audiences of roughly 7 years old. There were some themes that may scare younger children, but nothing that would cause endless nightmares. Nice development in language, giving children a chance to be exposed to new vocabulary in a connected story.

Little Sisters Review- Annika: “I loved the entire book ❤️❤️. I really really liked all the action and Anna is my favourite. I’m excited for number three”

Loved by both adult and children audiences, looking forward to continue the series.

[Rebel Scum · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE this series! The combination of fairytale, realistic characters and adventures as well as the proper scary mood-real dangers- and the brilliant writing style is just awesome. And there's a bit of humour in there too! I really enjoyed this one and am looking forward to going on another adventure with Max and Anna!

[Sean Harding · Rating 4 out of 5]

Henseleit Bulbs #2
Thee Witching Hours #2
Second yarn in the series is quite creepy in parts and may scare younger coves.
Good use of the lore from tales of Trolls from yesteryear and making the story his own.
Inventive and a good fun ridiculous read.

[Emma Darcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this. Very cute and I loved the solution at the end

[Kara Rowley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cool and scary

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great tale for children 👏

[Billy]

Jack Henseleit
Jack Henseleit
Jack Henseleit
Jack Henseleit
Jack Henseleit
Jack Henseleit
Jack Henseleit
Jack Henseleit
Jack Henseleit

[Arabella Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book series is good if you like mysteries and supernatural creatures.

[Clo-Star · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy read. Good for a younger audience. Fast paced.

[Irene Pearl · Rating 4 out of 5]

SPOILER ALERT!! This is a pretty scary book, not as scary as the first one though, the main characters sibling love made her smart, and she saved her brother, I really enjoyed the mystery in it too,

[Soleil🌞 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one is definitely much better than the first book. It has more content and character development. Can't wait to read the third one.

[coala · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grußliger Abenteuerspaß für Jung und Alt

Es handelt sich bei "Echt Böse! Den Letzten beißen die Trolle" um das zweite Abenteuer der Geschwister Anna und Max. Das Buch kann aber auch gut ohne Vorwissen gelesen werden, da am Anfang schön noch einmal Bezug genommen wird zu den Geschehnissen aus Band 1.
 
Zusammen mit ihrem Vater reisen Anna und Max nach England in ein kleines beschauliches Dorf. Zwischen nebligen Feldern und unheimlichen Flüssen erfahren sie von einem Jungen, der spurlos verschwunden ist. Er scheint in den Fluss gefallen zu sein, doch man munkelt auch von einem Troll, der unter einer verfallenen Steinbrücke haust. Mutig begeben sich die Geschwister auf die Suche nach dem verlorenen Jungen, nur bewaffnet mit einem magischen Dolch, und stolpern in das nächste Abenteuer.
 
Es geht spannend zu im Abenteuer von Anna und Max und natürlich auch wieder mehr als gruselig. Das Setting im ländlichen England unterstützt dies perfekt. Man kann sich durch die bildhafte Sprache sehr schön in die Umgebung hineinversetzen und fiebert quasi bei jedem Schritt mit. Die Sprache ist dabei sehr schön altersgerecht gehalten, sodass auch Jüngere die Geschichte gut lesen und erfassen können. Die Handlung ist daher auch eher komprimiert gehalten und eher auf das wesentliche konzentriert. Die Spannung und das Gruselfeeling kommen aber nicht zu kurz und steigert sich bis zum dramatischen Ende sehr schön, sodass viele sicherlich das Buch ungern aus der Hand legen wollen, ehe es nicht ausgelesen ist.
 
Ein perfekter Gruselspaß in großer Schrift und nicht zu vielen Seiten, sodass gerade die jüngeren Leser ihren Spaß am Buch haben werden. Was das Cover verspricht wird auch gehalten - nach Vampiren überzeugt auch das zweite Abenteuer von Anna und Max.

[Rendz · Rating 4 out of 5]

More mystery than scary but still solid! RTC

[Carmen Galvez · Rating 1 out of 5]

No t lo recomiendo