The King of Bones and Ashes

Horn (Shivaree) opens a supernatural series with an intricate family saga centered on a young woman who happens to be a witch. Magic seems to be waning, but Alice Marin, age 21, is more powerful than ever, and she’s still haunted by the evil entity called Babau Jean. She has just been released from a secret facility that houses emotionally disturbed witches. Her grandfather, Celestin, has died, and her family is determined to send him out in full New Orleans style. Alice doesn’t want to see her estranged father, Nicholas, feeling that he abandoned her, but she reluctantly returns to New Orleans and finds that her family is in disarray. Meanwhile, Evangeline Caissy, Nicholas’s lover, is tasked by her mother’s coven to find The Book of Unwinding. According to myth, the witch who possesses the book “would, in the end, control the last breath of magic and determine what was to come next.” Horn’s rich characterizations and setting, sparkling magic, and creepy villains bolster the narrative, and his focus on women as major players is particularly refreshing. The terrifying conclusion will have readers looking forward to the next installment. (Jan.)