The Thickety: A Path Begins - J.A. White

Well, this was amazing.

Firstly, Kara. She's a really likable person and I enjoyed her character a lot. Because I liked Kara so much, I hated that the townspeople were so mean to her and her family. Humans can be so cruel sometimes. I thought her relationship with her little brother Taff was super sweet and I liked her friendship with Lucas. I am so glad that there was no romance, because when Lucas was first introduced I thought he might be the love interest for Kara. But that was not the case, which I was thoroughly relieved about.

I also really liked the magic aspect and in general, the world building was excellent. I could really see the town of De'Noran, I could imagine the forest known as the Thickety. It was all really well done.

Holy crap, the villain freaked me out so much. Grace, to all the other townspeople, appears as a good and kind girl. But truly she is evil and manipulative and enjoys tormenting Kara and getting away with it. Grace is the epitome of twisted. And it was pretty cool.

I'm kinda surprised this is a middle grade novel, because some parts are a bit violent and creepy and Thickety is just quite dark at times. But if that doesn't bother you, I think you'll really like it. Happy reading!