Julia Defiant

Reviewed by: Sarah Cropley - Scarborough Public Library, Scarborough, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: February 13, 2018

Review

Julia Defiant is the second in the Witch's Child trilogy by Catherine Egan. It continues the story of Julia, a girl who lives in an alternate historical time where witches are real, but are not accepted in her country. As a result, her mother was drowned as a witch when Julia was young. She has always gotten by with her power to vanish in plain sight, though Julia found that there was more to that power than she realized. Wrapped up in a war between demi-god like creatures, Julia would do anything to save the life of the little boy she once kidnapped, Theo, even if that means putting herself at risk. That singular focus has taken her to Yongguo with a band of magic users and misfits. There, Julia learns more about herself than she realized there was to learn and fights desperately to save Theo. Egan has crafted a complex mystery led by an intensely engaging protagonist. As the mythology of Julia's world unravels around her, readers will find themselves pulled into the story, wanting more. Strongly recommended where fantasy novels are popular.

Overall Book Score: very good