Wood angel by Erin Bow

Chicken House, 2011. ISBN: 978-1-906427-60-3
(Age: 13+) Highly recommended. Alone in the world with only her cat Taggle for company, Kate makes 'lucky' wooden charms to sell. But her unusual gift marks her out in a place where witches are still burned.
When Kate's village falls on a bad time known as the 'Skara Rok' she is accused of practising dark magic. Scared for her life Kate turns to a stranger. But he has a plan more dangerous than Kate could have ever have dreamed of. It's up to Kate to carve good out of evil.The main character plain Kate is a teenage girl who faces a lot of problems during the novel. Kate's two main problems are dealing with the death of her father and everyone around her and losing her shadow to a stranger. She goes and joins a group of people known as the Roamers. She stays with them throughout the story and makes many new friends. During the novel Kate faces many added dangers and problems while trying to get her Shadow back from the stranger. Will Kate get her shadow back from the stranger before he harms everyone?
I like this book because it is told from Kate's perspective and the way that the Erin Bow brought it all together. It makes me feel as if I am in the story with all the characters. I also like the book because of the adventure, poetry and family themes in the novel.
Wood Angel is a highly engaging novel and Erin has written a beautifully crafted novel. I would love to find other novel written by Erin Bow as she is a stunning author. I would highly recommend this novel to others who are in to the fantasy genre.
Emily Madden (Student, Yr 9)