Review: The Hawkweed Prophecy and The Hawkweed Legacy

The Hawkweed Prophecy and The Hawkweed Legacy
by Irena Brignull
Age Range: 13 & up
Release Date: September 6, 2016 and August 15, 2017
9781602863132 and 9781602863149
Weinstein Books

There was a time last year when an ARC of The Hawkweed Prophecy found its way to me. It had all the right elements to catch my intrigue: magic, schemes, wickedness… And witches. Witches are not currently as prominent in literature as I would like, and their presence is almost always guaranteed to catch my eye. However, for whatever strange universe/timing issue, I just couldn’t get into the story. It has been over a year, and having just been given the opportunity to read both The Hawkweed Prophecy and its newly published sequel, The Hawkweed Legacy, I decided to give it another go. Which just goes to show you, timing truly is everything. I could not put this dark and twisty story down this time around, and Irena Brignull, if you are reading this, my sincerest apologies for my previous lack of taste.

Poppy Hooper has never fit in. Strange happenings always seem to follow her, she’s been kicked out of more than her fair share of schools, and something about her very essence intimidates her peers. Ember Hawkweed is also an outsider. Her lack of magical skill is no secret to the coven, and she’d rather smell the flowers than disembowel… Well, anything. These two could not be more different, save for always existing on the outskirts.

While there is a lot going on in both novels, Poppy and Ember are at the true heart of the story. Poppy just wants her life to be normal. She wants her mother out of the hospital and in her right mind. She wants her father emotionally present and wishes she wasn’t an eternal disappointment to him. She does like the wild cats that are drawn to her everywhere she goes, but leaving constant accidents in her wake is no picnic. When by happenstance Poppy meets Ember, she is puzzled by the other girl’s naivety, but drawn to her lively energy.

Ember is the perfect foil to Poppy. Light where Poppy is dark. Optimist and pessimist. Unbridled joy to cynicism. Her innocence about the world often makes her seem younger than she is, but Ember is by no means one-dimensional. She has no talent or love for witchcraft, but her heart is open. She loves fiercely. Her mother is her champion and her support. Poppy is the friend and sister she never had. She even loves her stern Aunt Raven and surly cousin, Sorrel. Unfortunately, enjoying the prettier things in life – her lovely-smelling soaps and beautiful golden hair among them – does not sit well with the other witches. Poppy’s the first person to see beyond Ember's failures, just as Ember is the first to not be put off by Poppy’s strangeness.

The connection between the two girls is just beautiful. Brignull has given us a gloriously refreshing homage to feminine strength in Ember and Poppy. Even in the midst of the dreaded love triangle, the two girls maintain their fierce, sisterly connection and never once let a boy come between them, turning the tired stereotype on its head. Molds continue to be crushed underfoot, as while Ember is the more obviously “feminine” of the two, she carries a strength and a grace that is not ever diminished by Poppy’s more explicit “power,” just as Poppy is not any less feminine for said power.

As the bond between the two girls grows, secrets and plots begin to unfold. The twistiness to both of these books is intoxicating. Readers are privy to a major plot element from the first few pages, which makes Poppy and Ember’s story all the more intriguing, but the twists certainly don’t stop there. Even a character by the name of Leo, who I had first written off as merely a love interest to create a wedge between the two girls, is crucial to the story in ways he does not at first appear to be.

The Hawkweed Prophecy begins the tale of Poppy and Ember. The Hawkweed Legacy continues it, equally and deliciously dark and schemey as the first. If you’ve been craving a witchy reading experience, or just want to see traditionally “feminine” tropes tossed to the wind, Irena Brignull has you covered. For in the presence of the Hawkweeds, nothing is as it seems.

Thank you to Wunderkind PR for both of these books! I was given them in exchange for an honest review, and I am immensely grateful to have been given a second chance with these stories. Timing is wildly unpredictable, isn’t it?

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