Gorgeous book. When I read it as a kid, it blew me away--I'd had no idea that a book could give one such a magical experience. This was one of the definitive reads of my childhood and one of my first exposures to the fantasy genre.

I loved the magic and the setting. This was a cozy fantasy story. Peril only reaches the level of the possibility of dying (many stories go beyond), so the tension isn't high, but the characters are well developed and you want to see them succeed. And there were still twists and surprises along the way.

One of my alltime favorite books from my childhood. Can not stop picking it up from time to time just to read it again. It never disapoints! Every time I reed it I want to be a witch like Juniper. That's every (fantasy) girls dream right?!

Women, magic, nature-what else can you want?

I loved this book as a teenager, and recommended it to my own daughter when she was old enough. So now I can read her copy, and I love it just as much as I did, back then.

I liked the book but felt that the storyline was a somewhat predictable coming-of-age tale - separation, transformation, and return. The medieval setting, characters, and fantasy elements were all appealing, though, and I plan on reading the sequels to see what happens to Juniper and Gamal and the other residents of Cornwall.

By 'atmospheric' the blurb writer means 'subtle.' Just as lovely as Wise Child. Either could be read first, tbh. Perfect for young girls who are wondering about the Pagan religion, but not anti-Christian at all. Women have their own strengths, their own perspectives... and their own initiations and apprenticeships. Science and magic, struggles and joy, life and death are all necessary parts of the whole... and health means balance.

Not that Furlong actually said anything of that. She just tells a story.

I just love this book and this series.

*3,8

Looking at someone else's list - worth bumping this up.

Read it to my son when it came out 30 years ago. A stunning book that changed both him and me. He and his sister - 2 years later - still remember it clearly!

The character Juniper - a healer, herbalist and unique individualist - is easy to identify with and a precursor of strong women that began to appear (finally) in children's books over the last 3 decades.

Now I'm looking forward to my grandchildren having their chance when their parents read them this wonderful story.

I learned about it in the preWWW days in a catalogue called Chinaberry books - which was so exquisitely curated at that time - that's also where I heard about Babe the Gallant Pig, Indian in the Cupboard - and Harry Potter. Chinaberry Books was a Kingmaker!

‘Ik denk dat als we ons zorgen maken over dingen, dit een manier is om alle mogelijke rampen van te voren te overwegen. Wat dan vaak gebeurt is dat die bepaalde rampen nooit voorkomen, maar andere dingen, waar je niet van gedroomd had, wel. Zo ging het ook met onze redding van Gamal.’

This was such a wonderful book. It reads like both a fable and an initiatory coming-of-age for a young witchy woman. So beautifully, simply written and it has so much heart and liveliness to it. It's middle grade, and well paced with a beautiful atmospheric quality.

I had already read Wise Child and liked it, yet this sequel I really adored.