You know that feeling…when you sense someone or something is watching you…you look over your shoulder but there’s nothing there…

I was thoroughly bewitched! Phil Hickes had me under his spell from the very first chapter. This is spooky storytelling at its spine-chilling best with a plot so powerful it has the ability to completely enchant you. I was helpless to resist it’s charms, totally entranced, unable to tear myself away.

It’s the end of the summer holidays and Aveline has swapped spooky seaside location Malmouth for an equally eerie cottage in the remote village of Norton Wick – the village setting feels so authentic I found myself Googling to see if it really existed!

Steeped in superstition and folklore, Norton Wick has a pagan history and links to witchcraft. It seems almost deserted… lonely…yet Aveline constantly senses a mysterious presence.

Totally obsessed by all things supernatural, Aveline’s absolutely delighted when she discovers that the cottage her mum has rented is right next to an ancient stone circle that the locals refer to as The Witch Stones. She feels sure strange and scary things have happened there – sorcery, rituals druids making sacrifices – and can’t wait to investigate.

Then almost out of nowhere, Hazel Browne appears at the stones. She has a mysterious, almost ethereal quality and brims with confidence and coolness. Hazel is completely unlike anyone Aveline has ever met before and she’s instantly and completely taken by her. But there’s something about Hazel niggling away at the back of Aveline’s mind, a feeling that something is not quite right, a feeling of unease that gets stronger and stronger…

Aveline is joined at the holiday cottage by her floppy-fringed, slightly geeky side-kick Harold and ‘the oldies’ Aunt Lillian and Harold’s uncle, eccentric bookshop owner Mr Lieberman. Being reunited with these familiar characters from The Haunting of Aveline Jones felt like being back amongst good friends and the wonderful camaraderie between Aveline and Harold is stronger than ever. But Hazel Browne seems intent on breaking that bond and will stop at nothing to totally possess Aveline. Will Aveline find out the truth about Hazel before it’s too late?

In Phil Hickes’ signature style, a chain of chilling events build to a blistering conclusion with terrifying consequences – you really will be looking over your shoulder throughout. So gather yourself some herbs, polish those crystals and make sure you chant a protection spell before pre-ordering!

The Bewitching of Aveline Jones was one of my most anticipated reads of 2021 and it was everything I hoped it would be and more. I feel absolutely bereft that I’ve finished it and wish I could go back and read it all again for the very first time.

Thankfully the adventures with Aveline are not over yet – phew! At the end of the book there’s a teaser for The Vanishing of Aveline Jones, for which there now lies another agonising wait…

With thanks to Usborne Books and Netgalley for approving me to read an advance e-copy of this incredible book.

Every now and again a sequel will outshine the first….and this may be one of those times.
While I absolutely loved The Haunting of Aveline Jones, I felt that reading the second, The Bewitching of Aveline Jones, was even better!

I think purely from the perspective of character development and understanding her thrills about all things spooky and weird, Aveline is a more rounded character in book two. We know her, her love of books about ghosts, witches and eerie events. We also know that even when she may be afraid, she still manages to figure out the mystery and keep herself safe.

Aveline and her mum are away in a cottage for a couple of weeks at the end of summer. Aveline is thrilled as there is a circle of stones just outside the back gate and she is obsessed with learning more about them and their history.. When she spots another girl in the circle she hangs back, but over time the girls form a friendship.
It isn’t an easy friendship with Hazel, and it is marked by disappearances, jealousy and magic. When Harold comes to stay for a few days with the original cast from book 1, Aveline is thrilled and gives him a list of books to bring. Together they can solve the mystery and learn a bit more about the stone circle.

Haunting, thrilling and mysterious- this is one to read late at night with a torch!
I am also thrilled to see a third in this series- this is one series that definitely goes from strength to strength and will be treasured and shared!

I have always been fascinated by standing stones but I’m not sure I want to visit the ones in Norton Wick! The Bewitching of Aveline Jones is another deliciously creepy adventure - every page overflowing with suspense and that spine-chilling feeling that nothing is quite as it seems.
Aveline is on holiday with her mum in Norton Wick near Bristol. Their cottage is right next to ‘The Witches Stones’ – ancient standing stones with a dark history. Always curious, Aveline is determined to find out their real story. Were there witches in Norton Wick? Are there witches there now? And what is the purpose of the strange bottle she finds buried at the end of the garden? The village is full of paganism, folklore and a history that leads to more questions than answers.
When Aveline meets a mysterious girl walking among the stones, she is drawn to her intriguing ways. At first, Hazel is fun and friendly but the more time Aveline spends with her, the more unsure she feels. Thankfully, her good friend Harold is coming to visit with a stack of books from his uncle’s shop. Hopefully, these books will hold the answers, even if it means discovering something that doesn’t want to be revealed.
Phil Hickes is the king of middle grade spooky thrillers. Layer after layer of mystery is unwrapped as readers are carried along with Aveline right into the heart of a ghostly connection. The anguish of those who are trying to connect with the human world is so real and positively eerie. When my copy arrived, the pull of the storytelling was so strong that I had to drop everything to read it immediately. I can only imagine the effect it will have on young readers.
Thank you to Usborne books for this brilliantly creepy book!

Aveline is back and this time she's spending two weeks of her summer holiday in a cottage in the small village of Norton Wick near Bristol and, although it's not the holiday abroad many of her friends are having, she's excited to learn that the house backs onto a field which is home to The Witch Stones, an ancient stone circle. Aveline wastes no time in climbing through the brambles to explore the stones, stumbling over an old, rattling bottle on the way. Whilst there, she sees a girl who seems to be stroking the stones. Worried about disturbing her, she edges away but keeps seeing her around the village. The pair eventually meet and become friends. Although Aveline feels there is something strange about Hazel Browne (with an e), she is equally fascinated with her, especially as she introduces her to the magic of the stones. When Harold arrives with his Uncle and Aveline's Aunt, he receives a frosty reception from Hazel. The pair know that there is something different about Hazel but they cannot figure exactly what it is ... will they work it out before it's too late?
I read The Haunting of Aveline Jones last summer and loved the tension and spookiness of it (I still remember getting the biggest fright when my phone pinged next to me as I read the end of the book!), so I was incredibly excited when I discovered The Bewitching of Aveline Jones had landed on NetGalley. So excited in fact, that when the book arrived on my home-page, I dropped everything and began to read it!

This time, the long, hot days of summer have replaced the dark and cold evenings of Hallowe'en; yet the spooky feel remains ever present in the book. With talk of witch circles, an old village with an ancient church and graveyard at its heart, and wide open spaces with nobody around, you instantly feel on edge. The house where Aveline and her mum are staying doesn't seem to have been used for many years the noises in the night are different to the ones Aveline is used to at home; combine that with the bramble-filled garden and The Witch Stones being visible from her bedroom window, and the hazy summer setting quickly becomes an eerie place where you find yourself just waiting for things to happen! It makes the book completely compelling and utterly unputdownable! (Trust me; my parents were coming for dinner on the day I read it, and I seriously contemplated whether I would get away with reading at the table!).

It was wonderful to be back with Aveline and her love of all things ghostly. She is still as determined as ever and fearless in her quest to get to the bottom of things; however, she also finds herself under Hazel's spell, finding her rather alluring yet she also feels hesitant about everything at the same time. This cool young lady seems to have the perfect house and the perfect life; she knows how to invoke the magic from the stones and even manages to persuade Aveline to ditch Harold whilst he's visiting. She has that edge of a dangerous friend, the one your parents always warned you about yet you were compelled to spend time with! Hazel is most definitely a character you'll be wary of but will equally want to see more of her! It's that pull which creates the tension that means you won't be able to stop reading once you've begun!

The entire book had me utterly under its spell (so much so, I stayed up until just before midnight so I could finish it ... I was slightly wary of switching the light off afterwards!). With its creepy, summery feel, the hint of magic and the sense of danger, you are going to absolutely love this book!

Before I go, I must give a nod to the wonderful illustrations: Keith Robinson has done a wonderful job at adding to the ambiance with both the front cover and those that appear throughout the book.