Malevolent Ignoble Calamity, Mel is a member of the Calamity Clan, the most feared coven of Bastan. Turning 18 it's time for her aetalus, the trial when each member proves their worth to the coven. The aetalus consists of three tests; one left by their parent, one assigned by the coven, and one by nature itself. Each aetalus is personal but always involve sacrificing a child. Mel is a direct descendent of Deidrick the Terrible so she is a duality witch meaning that she will need two sacrifices. She is expected to be bloodthirsty and cruel. The problem is that she is an innocent; kind, a peacemaker. She has no intention of killing. Slade Oliver, the Advisor to the Guild of Records no longer fixes fairy tales but he assigned himself to Mel's case. He's determined the fairytale will play out as much as it needs to in order to keep the world balanced and then the witch will die. But as new truths come to light, it seems that Mel must live and as Slade's feelings become involved, the complications only increase.
Disobedience is the retelling of Hansel and Gretal set in Jane Washington's world of Bastan Hollow. The characters are fantastic. Mel and Mal are wonderful, as were Des and Odi. These three set the bar for friendships. Slade returns as "Enforcer-Advisor,". I enjoyed him in Charming and he quickly became my favorite in this book. Lilou and Arlo from Charming also returned in this book. The appearance of the role-playing, panty-loving goblins was unexpected but so appreciated. They are hysterical.
This book did not capture my attention from the get-go like Jane's books normally do. She is such a magical writer that my expectations are nearly unrealistic but I know that she can always live up to them. Don't mistake my words, this is a very good book. It contains her brilliantly witty banter, her one of a kind storytelling, and the special quirky signature touches that only she is capable of. It just took me time to become immersed in it. There is so much story/world-building needed that it took time to get it all in place before Mel and Slade were sharing scenes. It was necessary but I was impatient. Once Slade and Mel shared pages, I was hooked. Their chemistry is fantastic. These two will never be boring. Their humor, lust, and general unexpectedness together captivated me.