When Autumn Leaves

Foster's clumsy but ingratiating first novel is set in the “enchanting” little town of Avening, off the coast of British Columbia. Beyond its much-touted charm, Avening holds magical secrets, the most prominent being town witch Autumn. Autumn's bucolic lifestyle is interrupted when she finds out she's being admitted to a higher coven in an unknown location and that her first task is to find a replacement for herself among the women of the town. From there, readers meet a cast of offbeat women, each with her own special talents: shy Ellie, who can make herself invisible; middle-aged Stella, the local advice columnist, who is also a healer; and Molly, who has been hiding her preternatural gifts since she was a little girl. Unfortunately, Foster's attempts to charm and enchant are too heavy-handed and better suited to a YA offering, and her intriguing plot is subverted by wooden dialogue, predictability and an amateur approach to characters. (Oct.)