Review: 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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