Book of Shadows (Sweep, No. 1)

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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
Morgan thinks witchcraft is laughable when her best friend Bree drags her to a meeting of the Cirrus Coven. But during a cermony led by Cal, Morgan's long-time crush, Morgan feels a shock. Suddenly everything looks brighter, clearer. Morgan doesn't want to get involved with witchcraft-but she feels like witchcraft is choosing her.

Customer Reviews: Read 97 more reviews...

1 out of 5 stars

Sweep...This Into the trash December 6, 2004
9 out of 15 found this review helpful

I am Wiccan and after reading the Circle of Three series by Isobel Bird, I was looking for some more Wiccan fiction. I had heard good things about the Sweep series and I am here to let you know that it was all lies.

This author has obviously read a Wicca 101 book and used bits and pieces to produce this grotesque distortion of our religion. There were several things wrong with this book and almost all of them violate the basic principals on which we base our workings.

1. No good Wiccan would invite people to a circle without telling them before they got there what they were going to be doing. Most of us used to belong to some form of Christianity and do not appreciate it when people try to impose their religion on us, so we try not to do it to other people

2. That "grounding" they did when Megan or whatever her name is took in too much energy? The exercise would have been believeable if they were telling her to concentrate and release some of the energy back into the earth. But they weren't, and the best thing to do in order to ground yourself is to eat something.

3. Some groups might be selective about who they let into their group, but it would be based on their attitude towards Wicca and how well they follow the basic principles, not on whether they "did it right" or "felt like witches". We are willing to teach anyone who is willing to learn.

4. The way Bree is acting about Cal ("I love him!" and so on and so forth) makes me think that she might be under a love spell. The fact that she slept with him also concerns me. If she is under a love spell, Cal has committed a very serious breach of Wiccan laws. We DO NOT do spells that will mess with a person's free will. It's the basic rule you first learn when studying Wicca "If it harm none, do what thou will". The only circumstance I could think of where this would be acceptable is if you were doing a spell to bind someone from causing harm.

The reason Cal sleeping with Bree concerns me is because some people will use the fact that Wicca is very open when it comes to sexuality to take advantage of people. As their teacher, it would be a breach of the coven's trust to take advantage of a fellow member like that, especially if Bree is under a love spell.

5. The scene where they're all skinny-dipping in the pool is not cool at all. Being skyclad (Wiccan term for naked) while performing rituals helps some to get closer to the earth. It's not for everyone and even though they weren't working any magick, Cal should have let the main-character-who's-name-I-can't-remember leave if she was uncomfortable in that situation.

6. There are such things as blood witches, but they don't have supernatural powers. They're human, just like you and me. The only difference is that they might have a stronger connection to Wiccan teachings at first, but anyone can build that up over time.

If you aren't really concerned about the religious facts being right, this book is horrible even from a literary standpoint. The whole book comes off as being soap-operaish. So if you're looking for a mature look at the Wiccan religion, check out the Circle of Three series by Isobel Bird and stay far, far away from this series.

5 out of 5 stars

Starts off a great new series. January 31, 2001
8 out of 9 found this review helpful

Morgan Rowlands considers herself a pretty average, not particularly attractive sixteen-year-old girl. Living in a small town in upstate New York with her parents and younger sister, her life is uneventful. Until Cal Blaire, the best-looking guy Morgan and her friend Bree have ever seen, moves to town. Cal's not just any guy, though - he's a Wiccan. He invites many of the students to a circle in which they perform a magic ritual. He then invites those that show an affinity for magick to join his new coven. The circle awakens something within Morgan that she never knew existed before. Soon, Morgan begins to question herself, her family, and everything that she has believed herself to be for her entire life. Witchcraft has helped Morgan to find her true self - but it has also torn her away from everything she has always known and believed in. Is her newfound talent worth the price she will have to pay for it? I reccomend this series to fans of the TV show Charmed.

5 out of 5 stars

Wow! Awesome! February 2, 2001
7 out of 8 found this review helpful

This is a super book! I picked it up because it had a cool cover and was about magick, which I'm totally into. I started it one afternoon, and actually read it all night long! Now I'm reading Sweep #2, and I only put it down to write this review! These books are about a girl named Morgan who discovers her own magickal talent with the help of Cal, who just moved to her town. This book is so realistic about Morgan and Bree's friendship, and Morgan's feelings and insecurities. And the scenes with magick in them are just beautiful! I read them over and over. I highly recommend this series to anyone, not just people who are into magick!

5 out of 5 stars

Great book from a sensitive author. June 16, 2002
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

I read this book at 32, after seeing an ad for the series in a magazine for school library professionals, and I really enjoyed it. The author treated the high school scene (which hasn't changed much since my day except for the odd henna tattoo and body piercing) with knowledge, realism, and sensitivity. I liked her mix of characters who come together to learn about Wicca. Her lead male character, Cal, who is a witch, is sweet, smart, and believable, and I related to her lead female character, Morgan, who learns to recognize her inner power. I felt Wicca was portrayed positively and realistically, and so was the family scene (with Morgan having a lesbian aunt). The teen books from MY teens years seemed to ignore facts of life like that one. The author picked up on the similarity between realizing you're a witch and realizing you're gay. They don't call it "coming out of the broom closet" for nothing. We're not all the same, people, made from the same mold and destined to follow the same path, and enlightened teens who understand this will appreciate this book. Bravo to a great author. Again, open-minded readers won't be disappointed by this one.

5 out of 5 stars

Great start to a Great Series! June 30, 2002
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

Morgan Rowlands is your average plain girl who has always felt that she has been living in the shadow of her best friend, beauty queen, Bree Warren. But then one day the gorgeous and mysterious Cal Blaire comes to Widow's Vale High. He instantly becomes one of the hottest and most popular guys there. Morgan instantly starts to fall for him as does Bree. One night Cal asks a bunch of people to a "party" which turns out to be a potential circle for the celebration of the Wiccan sabbat Mabon. At the circle something strange happens to Morgan and she starts to become a walking physcic. Slowly Morgan is drawn deeper into the beautiful and magickal world of Wicca but problems soon arrise

1.) She and Bree start to fight over Cal.

2.) Her parents are Catholics who dissaprove of Wicca and forbid her to practice it.

But Morgan is starting to realize that Wicca is choosing her as much as she's choosing it.

A great series! It has likeable and well-developed charecters. It gives an accurate portrayal of Wicca and gives you some good information.

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