Weekly Reader: The Mind Witch (The Magi Series Book 1) by Nicole Demery; Short Character Driven Novel About A Woman Embracing Her Witchly Powers

 

Weekly Reader: The Mind Witch (The Magi Series Book 1) by Nicole Demery; Short Character Driven Novel About A Woman Embracing Her Witchly Powers

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Nicole Demery's The Mind Witch is a brief fantasy novel about a woman discovering her inner powers. However, the book grabs your attention right away making the Reader want to read more.

Cassandra Whelan, an Irish Studies grad student has the usual difficulties of university life: turning in dissertations on time, trying to please difficult professors, welcoming visitors and so on. She also possesses the ability to read minds and not just the people around her. While writing a dissertation on the mythological meaning behind W.B. Yeats' poetry, she provides analysis towards the poet's thought process because she knows exactly what was going through his mind when he wrote them. That's because she is a seer, one of the four classes of fey that interact with the human world. She shares this gift with her grandmother.

Seeing can be a very uncomfortable gift as Cassandra can be bombarded and overwhelmed by thoughts if she doesn't protect herself which is why she prefers the solitude of her apartment with her understanding roommate. She also can sense the presence of other magic users and vice versa as a visiting professor identifies her. Then Cassandra senses a mysterious presence from a young man who seems to keep following her.

Because the book is short, we don't get much plot. Cassandra struggles with her abilities and encounters a mysterious stranger. She barely meets the stranger before the book ends (no doubt saving their relationship for the next book.) 

Most of the book is focused on character and Cassandra is an interesting protagonist. We see her in her daily life as a normal single woman in Boston. We see her struggling with the pressures of academia and fighting with a pompous professor. We see her struggling with finances and worrying about a future with an Irish Studies degree.

 We also recognize her seeing abilities. She can be overwhelmed when other's thoughts interfere inside her brain. She learns to focus her powers and the history of the fey from her grandmother. She also receives magical gifts that sometimes come with a price. The overall effect of covering Cassandra's regular and supernatural life is that Demery treats her like a normal identifiable woman who just happens to have a unique ability.

The Mind Witch is such a brilliant character driven short novel that it's a shame that it's so short.