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T*Witches #7
Kindred Spirits
In the seventh installment of this mega-popular series, teen witches Cam and Alex return to their birthplace and discover a few shocking secrets about their mysterious past!
Welcome to Coventry Island, a lush, mystical land that is home to a powerful community of witches and warlocks. It is here that teen witches Cam and Alex were born. And now, the twins have returned to Coventry to say a final farewell to their beloved guardian Karsh. But when the girls visit their ancestral home on the island, they discover there are many truths to be revealed about their past. Their mother, Miranda, has secrets to share. And then there's the group of teen witches and warlocks who Cam and Alex meet. Will these teens help the twins...or are they up to something more sinister?
Welcome to Coventry Island, a lush, mystical land that is home to a powerful community of witches and warlocks. It is here that teen witches Cam and Alex were born. And now, the twins have returned to Coventry to say a final farewell to their beloved guardian Karsh. But when the girls visit their ancestral home on the island, they discover there are many truths to be revealed about their past. Their mother, Miranda, has secrets to share. And then there's the group of teen witches and warlocks who Cam and Alex meet. Will these teens help the twins...or are they up to something more sinister?
223 pages, Paperback
First published May 19, 2013
8 people are currently reading
452 people want to read
About the author
H.B. Gilmour
66 books54 followersH. B. Gilmour was a bestselling author of children's books. She grew up in Williamsburg, Brooklyn with her mother and the extended family and fondly remembered writing her very first poem for Arbor Day when she was just eight years old. As a teenager, she moved to Florida to live with her father. She attended college there and then moved back to New York City.
Gilmour’s first publishing job was at E.P. Dutton. In 1964 she joined Bantam Books where she worked as copywriter, editor, and copy chief and as an associate director of marketing. She was married to Bruce Gilmour in 1968. She had a child, Jessica, with him in 1970. They were divorced in 1972. Her first novel "The Trade", a trashy paperback about the publishing business, was published in 1969.
She wrote novelizations (including Saturday Night Fever) and children's books (including Muppets books) while working full-time at Bantam and raising a child on her own. She published her second original novel "So Long, Daddy" in 1985. The artwork for the dust jacket of the hardcover release includes a photo of her daughter, Jessica. Her third novel was "Ask Me If I Care", a book about a teenage girl who gets in with the wrong crowd.
In 1992 she joined the book division at Scholastic, leaving in 1995 to pursue writing full-time. She focused her energy on books for "tweens" and children which is what gave her the most joy.
She met John Johann, whom she would later marry, in 1992. They later moved to Cornwallville in upstate New York where she happily tended to the garden she never had in the city until her death. She died on June 21, 2009 of pneumonia due to complications from lung cancer. She is survived by her husband John, daughter Jessica, stepchildren Wendy and John, Jr. and step-grandchildren Reef, Riley, John Jr. and Jasmine.
Gilmour’s first publishing job was at E.P. Dutton. In 1964 she joined Bantam Books where she worked as copywriter, editor, and copy chief and as an associate director of marketing. She was married to Bruce Gilmour in 1968. She had a child, Jessica, with him in 1970. They were divorced in 1972. Her first novel "The Trade", a trashy paperback about the publishing business, was published in 1969.
She wrote novelizations (including Saturday Night Fever) and children's books (including Muppets books) while working full-time at Bantam and raising a child on her own. She published her second original novel "So Long, Daddy" in 1985. The artwork for the dust jacket of the hardcover release includes a photo of her daughter, Jessica. Her third novel was "Ask Me If I Care", a book about a teenage girl who gets in with the wrong crowd.
In 1992 she joined the book division at Scholastic, leaving in 1995 to pursue writing full-time. She focused her energy on books for "tweens" and children which is what gave her the most joy.
She met John Johann, whom she would later marry, in 1992. They later moved to Cornwallville in upstate New York where she happily tended to the garden she never had in the city until her death. She died on June 21, 2009 of pneumonia due to complications from lung cancer. She is survived by her husband John, daughter Jessica, stepchildren Wendy and John, Jr. and step-grandchildren Reef, Riley, John Jr. and Jasmine.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
March 31, 2020
It’s official: I’m hitting the groove of read, review, forget on this series. I’m just not able to invest in it beyond one book at a time. (At least the back blurb is actually accurate this time!) Maybe for teens the story will hold enough plot/action/drama to interest them, plus the obligatory “relatable experience” (in this case, the funeral of a loved one and some of the different ways to experience grief), but for me, it’s just trying to check off too many boxes, trying to make itself too relatable to as many readers as possible. The T*Witches as the original Mary Sues? Maybe not really, but there are some valid parallels, especially when you take them as a package deal. I appreciate that the twins do not have the same reactions to events, or even feel the same way about many things, so they avoid being identical everything. But in so doing, in making them so opposite each other in most everything, when taken as a T*Witch package deal, they exhibit strong Mary Sue tendencies.
The story also continues to keep throwing things at us - new antagonists in the “Furies” of Coventry, new secrets revealed in the family history Karsh left to Ileana, new magic talismans to foster connections, and a maddening uncertainty of whether Thantos is 2D or 3D as a villain/not-villain (depending on if you see him through the twins and Ileana’s eyes, or through Miranda’s eyes). There’s also a small bit of teenage love-triangle drama (Cam, Jason, Shane) because teen drama must have a love triangle, which takes liberally from the playbooks of “but Guy B makes me feel like that, while Guy A just makes me feel like this even though I’ve known A better/longer” and “Guy A can’t know about magic/witchcraft” - you see, in this series, at the very beginning, Cam and Alex weren’t overly concerned about totally concealing their magical abilities, yet somewhere around the end of book 2/book 3, they started feeling like they had to keep it a big secret, that NO ONE must know. The thing is, there’s no big bad implied consequence to revealing their magic to people they trust - let’s face it, one of Cam’s friends is even into New Age-y stuff (Amanda), and it’s not like if one of the twins reveals her witchiness to a non-magickal person they’ll turn into a ball of wax or whatever it was like in Sabrina the Teenage Witch. (Which if memory serves, Sabrina is name-dropped once in this book, which got a half-smile out of me - loved that show!)
To finish on a positive note, I do like the development we’re getting out of both Ileana and especially Miranda. Ileana’s fleshing out is becoming more solid and mature, while Miranda is starting to come alive as a character with depth, and not to be underestimated.
Favorite quotes:
You don’t get what you deserve, not always. “You get what you get,” Cam’s friend Sukari said. - page 157
Do not let hatred weaken you. It is not seemly or serious. It is a joke one plays on oneself. For to hate, Ileana, is to drink poison and expect someone else to die. - page 169
Typos:
I can help you clean it up, if you want,” he offered. - page 27 - missing opening quotation marks at the beginning of this sentence.
…a country home easily twice the size of Ileana’s LunaSoleil. - page 87 - error: on page 17, it’s stated that the home of Aron and Miranda was called LunaSoleil, and other references to it also refer to it as the home of Aron and Miranda.
The story also continues to keep throwing things at us - new antagonists in the “Furies” of Coventry, new secrets revealed in the family history Karsh left to Ileana, new magic talismans to foster connections, and a maddening uncertainty of whether Thantos is 2D or 3D as a villain/not-villain (depending on if you see him through the twins and Ileana’s eyes, or through Miranda’s eyes). There’s also a small bit of teenage love-triangle drama (Cam, Jason, Shane) because teen drama must have a love triangle, which takes liberally from the playbooks of “but Guy B makes me feel like that, while Guy A just makes me feel like this even though I’ve known A better/longer” and “Guy A can’t know about magic/witchcraft” - you see, in this series, at the very beginning, Cam and Alex weren’t overly concerned about totally concealing their magical abilities, yet somewhere around the end of book 2/book 3, they started feeling like they had to keep it a big secret, that NO ONE must know. The thing is, there’s no big bad implied consequence to revealing their magic to people they trust - let’s face it, one of Cam’s friends is even into New Age-y stuff (Amanda), and it’s not like if one of the twins reveals her witchiness to a non-magickal person they’ll turn into a ball of wax or whatever it was like in Sabrina the Teenage Witch. (Which if memory serves, Sabrina is name-dropped once in this book, which got a half-smile out of me - loved that show!)
To finish on a positive note, I do like the development we’re getting out of both Ileana and especially Miranda. Ileana’s fleshing out is becoming more solid and mature, while Miranda is starting to come alive as a character with depth, and not to be underestimated.
Favorite quotes:
You don’t get what you deserve, not always. “You get what you get,” Cam’s friend Sukari said. - page 157
Do not let hatred weaken you. It is not seemly or serious. It is a joke one plays on oneself. For to hate, Ileana, is to drink poison and expect someone else to die. - page 169
Typos:
I can help you clean it up, if you want,” he offered. - page 27 - missing opening quotation marks at the beginning of this sentence.
…a country home easily twice the size of Ileana’s LunaSoleil. - page 87 - error: on page 17, it’s stated that the home of Aron and Miranda was called LunaSoleil, and other references to it also refer to it as the home of Aron and Miranda.
August 30, 2017
Teen me: 5 stars
Adult me: 5 stars
*For the first book in a "child/teen/middlegrade/nostalgic" book, I am going with the rating younger me would have gone with, then if I read on in the series, I will rate the books what adult me believes it should be rated. If the book is a stand alone, I will go with whatever rating I feel most comfortable giving the book. Please note, I do not really think books should have an age limit. People should read what they want to regardless of the intended age group, except for kids reading erotica or something, of course.*
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I really liked this as a teen and I have not read it as an adult yet, but I would like to believe that my feelings and rating would be the same. I will see upon a reread.
Adult me: 5 stars
*For the first book in a "child/teen/middlegrade/nostalgic" book, I am going with the rating younger me would have gone with, then if I read on in the series, I will rate the books what adult me believes it should be rated. If the book is a stand alone, I will go with whatever rating I feel most comfortable giving the book. Please note, I do not really think books should have an age limit. People should read what they want to regardless of the intended age group, except for kids reading erotica or something, of course.*
--
I really liked this as a teen and I have not read it as an adult yet, but I would like to believe that my feelings and rating would be the same. I will see upon a reread.
October 16, 2018
Kindred Spirits
Plot: After the death of their beloved mentor Karsh, the twins head for their birthplace Coventry Island. Alex immediately feels a connection to the island, but Camryn just feels danger and separation. Instead of a warm welcome the twins get indifference from Illeana, (who’s still struggling with Karsh’s loss as well as the loss of her powers) and distance from Miranda (who feels helpless as a mother). Soon after the funeral Camryn makes an enemy of a trio of renegade witches that call themselves the Furies, as she’s hooked back up with Shane the leader of the clique (Sersee’s) love interest (or as she’s fooled herself into believing boyfriend). Sersee decides to get even and uses Jason (Cam’s Marble Bay guy) as incentive to drive her back to Marble Bay by working her evil “charms” into him and turning him into a beast. And uses Cam as bait in a little game of “cat and mouse”. Illena meanwhile learns more about her hidden roots being a part of the Antayus clan when she unlocks the secrets of her family history that Karsh left behind in his journal. Meanwhile the twin’s bond when the discover the remains of their parent’s castle
LunaSoiel.
My Thoughts: I like Jason! I don’t understand why Cam keeps fronting on her feelings for this guy. Book after book he puts his self out for her. A MUCH better match for her than shady behind Shane. Yeah, yeah. I know. You can’t always help who you fall for. Don’t I know? Although how he got through that ceremony and didn’t catch on that this wasn’t a normal funeral and this isn’t a regular island makes me think he just might be a little thick. You mean to tell me no magik was performed at all during this ceremony? I was half expecting them to be a scene after she catches up with him. Then I guess she would have just wiped his memory and sent him home. Which maybe would have been the best thing considering what happens. I don’t really think I like this version of Miranda. I don’t expect much from Illeana anymore. Even not grieving it wouldn’t surprise me if she brushed the twins off same way when they arrived. She’s that kind of character. But I expected more from Miranda. She just meet her daughters after being apart for them for 14 years. She should have been the FIRST one to greet them off the ferry. And again, I’m not feeling this hopeless mother thing she throws up. Yes, you were sorry to give the twins up Miranda but that was then (and even though you can’t take that back) it’s a new day. Welcome your daughters’ home and be there for them. This is all new to them. Basically, you’ve abandoned them again to deal with the after math of the one person that was present in their lives. Reading the Antayus history was interesting. I had to read it a couple of times to really let the ties sink in. And why do the all so conveniently have a match that one has sight powers and one has sound powers. Nathan and Karsh have it. Illeana and Miranda have it. Alex and Camryn, have it. It feels a little redundant and I just wish they’d made it the twin’s thing. And then why are Tsuris and Vey still walking around the island? Shouldn’t *they* be living in the caves and either being exiled or sent to prison with their Father? Over all I liked the emotion and warmth of the twin’s discovering their Castle and the bond it evokes (and memories) as they touch different things Arron touched.
Rating: 7
Plot: After the death of their beloved mentor Karsh, the twins head for their birthplace Coventry Island. Alex immediately feels a connection to the island, but Camryn just feels danger and separation. Instead of a warm welcome the twins get indifference from Illeana, (who’s still struggling with Karsh’s loss as well as the loss of her powers) and distance from Miranda (who feels helpless as a mother). Soon after the funeral Camryn makes an enemy of a trio of renegade witches that call themselves the Furies, as she’s hooked back up with Shane the leader of the clique (Sersee’s) love interest (or as she’s fooled herself into believing boyfriend). Sersee decides to get even and uses Jason (Cam’s Marble Bay guy) as incentive to drive her back to Marble Bay by working her evil “charms” into him and turning him into a beast. And uses Cam as bait in a little game of “cat and mouse”. Illena meanwhile learns more about her hidden roots being a part of the Antayus clan when she unlocks the secrets of her family history that Karsh left behind in his journal. Meanwhile the twin’s bond when the discover the remains of their parent’s castle
LunaSoiel.
My Thoughts: I like Jason! I don’t understand why Cam keeps fronting on her feelings for this guy. Book after book he puts his self out for her. A MUCH better match for her than shady behind Shane. Yeah, yeah. I know. You can’t always help who you fall for. Don’t I know? Although how he got through that ceremony and didn’t catch on that this wasn’t a normal funeral and this isn’t a regular island makes me think he just might be a little thick. You mean to tell me no magik was performed at all during this ceremony? I was half expecting them to be a scene after she catches up with him. Then I guess she would have just wiped his memory and sent him home. Which maybe would have been the best thing considering what happens. I don’t really think I like this version of Miranda. I don’t expect much from Illeana anymore. Even not grieving it wouldn’t surprise me if she brushed the twins off same way when they arrived. She’s that kind of character. But I expected more from Miranda. She just meet her daughters after being apart for them for 14 years. She should have been the FIRST one to greet them off the ferry. And again, I’m not feeling this hopeless mother thing she throws up. Yes, you were sorry to give the twins up Miranda but that was then (and even though you can’t take that back) it’s a new day. Welcome your daughters’ home and be there for them. This is all new to them. Basically, you’ve abandoned them again to deal with the after math of the one person that was present in their lives. Reading the Antayus history was interesting. I had to read it a couple of times to really let the ties sink in. And why do the all so conveniently have a match that one has sight powers and one has sound powers. Nathan and Karsh have it. Illeana and Miranda have it. Alex and Camryn, have it. It feels a little redundant and I just wish they’d made it the twin’s thing. And then why are Tsuris and Vey still walking around the island? Shouldn’t *they* be living in the caves and either being exiled or sent to prison with their Father? Over all I liked the emotion and warmth of the twin’s discovering their Castle and the bond it evokes (and memories) as they touch different things Arron touched.
Rating: 7
June 26, 2020
In terms of plot, this book was not as good as some of the others in the series. What it lacked in plot, however, it more than made up for in character development, even ending on a bit of a cliff-hanger. This series might work well as a high-low series (high interest level, low reading level), since the girls are 15 and have some minor boy troubles. Either way, I'm definitely enjoying the series and look forward to reading the next installment.
May 11, 2024
Bit disappointing it takes 7 books for the twins to return home to Coventry and start to actually learn more about their family and their magical heritage, but the stakes are more real, their family is complicated, and they grow together and apart. One of my favorites in the series even though we are saying goodbye to a beloved character.
February 23, 2022
3.5 stars
December 31, 2024
This one had secrets and history about cam/ alex' family along with ileana the magic was positively witchy in this but i can't give 5 stars as it just seemed to lack something
November 2, 2025
alex, upon meeting another female witch her age: wow she’s so evil. i can’t stand her. i also can’t stop thinking about her and her motivations and her tattoos.
karsh gay icon also.
karsh gay icon also.
November 27, 2017
In Kindred Spirits, Alex and Cam are off to Coventry Island—the small island where they were born and where witches and warlocks are free to use their magic. But it’s not all fun. The twins are there for a funeral—but may soon be attending their own.
The Twitches are back in the seventh installment of this fun, magical series. Alex, excited to be finally around people and magic she understands, feels at home on Coventry Island. Not so much for Cam, who feels like the only home that is truly hers is the one she left behind. Either way, both girls get to see their family estate their own is the ruined house where they were born. They get to meet up with Miranda, their mother, plus Ileana and Thantos, who each have agendas and drama of their own.
The plot focuses on them “coming out” into the witch land and accepting their heritage, dealing with the loss of their beloved mentor Karsh, and facing off against a new enemy they weren’t expecting.
Sersee is an interesting villain, though she doesn’t come off as truly evil—more something to be feared, but also pitied. She’s got a history and a bad one at that. Plus she’s determined to prove herself to Thantos, so she’ll do anything to please him, even if it means handing over the twins to him.
But in the end, the sisters kick butt and use their powers of good to help win the fight. It’s cheesy and sometimes overdramatic, but still a fun read for kids and adults going through their old books. *wink wink*
The Twitches are back in the seventh installment of this fun, magical series. Alex, excited to be finally around people and magic she understands, feels at home on Coventry Island. Not so much for Cam, who feels like the only home that is truly hers is the one she left behind. Either way, both girls get to see their family estate their own is the ruined house where they were born. They get to meet up with Miranda, their mother, plus Ileana and Thantos, who each have agendas and drama of their own.
The plot focuses on them “coming out” into the witch land and accepting their heritage, dealing with the loss of their beloved mentor Karsh, and facing off against a new enemy they weren’t expecting.
Sersee is an interesting villain, though she doesn’t come off as truly evil—more something to be feared, but also pitied. She’s got a history and a bad one at that. Plus she’s determined to prove herself to Thantos, so she’ll do anything to please him, even if it means handing over the twins to him.
But in the end, the sisters kick butt and use their powers of good to help win the fight. It’s cheesy and sometimes overdramatic, but still a fun read for kids and adults going through their old books. *wink wink*
April 5, 2012
I think this is a series you need to grow up with. I struggled more with the writing than the story. There is a lot of switching between talking vocally and mentally and other such bouncing around that kept me from settling into the story. This was book seven and I have not read the others so maybe a lot that is taken for granted in this book is the reason I was lost in it. So this series seems to be one you definitely want to start from book one. But there are a lot of secrets and such and the story is good I just could not get into the writing style of the author. Coventry Island is an island of witches and everyone knows everyone else so the twins get to see and feel the place they were born. There are lots of secrets and conflicts which will keep you wondering who is who and what is what. If you like the writer's style you will probably really enjoy this book.
February 10, 2016
This is the seventh book in the series. Cam and Alex go to Coventry Island for the funeral of Karsh. They meet with Thantos and Miranda, get threatened by three teen-age witches, see a boyfriend turned into a panther, one of the twins gets turned into a hamster, and overall they have a rather bad time of things.
Which could make a fairly interesting story, except that there are too many things in the novel that make no sense (to me, at least) at all. Period.
Perhaps I expect stories to make logical sense. Perhaps I expect too much out of the characters. Yet, in relation to Alex and Cam, there is a background that has been established, a background of events which shows that they have been in danger and very likely could be in danger again.
Which could make a fairly interesting story, except that there are too many things in the novel that make no sense (to me, at least) at all. Period.
Perhaps I expect stories to make logical sense. Perhaps I expect too much out of the characters. Yet, in relation to Alex and Cam, there is a background that has been established, a background of events which shows that they have been in danger and very likely could be in danger again.
November 19, 2011
This book has me divided. On one hand, there are some really good aspects to it. The twins return to Coventry, their relationships to Illeana and their mother, and learning about their history for example. On the other hand, there are parts of this book that make me want to scream. Hopefully the things that frustrated me will be worked out in the next volume.
October 26, 2009
I read all these books about 4ish years ago (I think). It was right after the last one came out..anyways, they are WAY better than the movie!
November 26, 2011
This was a very exciting book. I very entertaining read.
June 7, 2017
I read most of these in my early teens. Was very enjoyable at that time
May 24, 2021
Official Rating:
5/5 stars 🌟
5/5 stars 🌟
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews