Clara Thorn, the Witch That was Found
by Don Jones
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Pub Date Sep 07 2022 | Archive Date Nov 01 2022
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Description
Poor Clara. On the one hand, things are going well: she’s aced her Math final, and school’s almost out for the year. Dad’s hanging in there with contract jobs, Mom’s helping make ends meet by cleaning other people’s homes, and they’ve at least got a roof over their heads. Vegas isn’t the nicest place in the summer, but it’s no worse than the half-dozen other places she’s lived in her short life.
But on the other hand, she has no friends. Everyone at school is either diffident or a bully—as if they can sense that Clara doesn’t quite fit in. And then there are the triplets, who mysteriously vanish in the Art Alley near the school.
That’s when things get interesting.
Clara follows them through a Border to Underhill, and before long she’s thrown into a world she never knew existed. A world of magic, witches, excitement, and danger. It seems she’s apparently the only one who can save all of Underhill from an exile who wants to trap them all and cut off the source of magic!
Also, she’s pretty sure her parents knew about this all along.
Advance Praise
Clara shines as a spunky protagonist who is grown-up enough to accept her destiny…. Jones links math and magic in a way that makes math seem cool…. Fresh ideas, some welcome diversity, and memorable character work enliven the material.” —Booklife
“Jones’ series opener brims with wonderful characters. … While a school for magical youngsters has become a popular subgenre all its own, this novel unfolds as an engrossing mystery. … Clara’s…synesthesialike power showcases the author’s radiant prose.”—Kirkus Reviews
“…an incredibly well written Young Adult Fantasy—using magical realism to bring the enchanting world of Underhill to life. The lore of the world…is easy to understand, as [Jones] reveals it in dribs and drabs, allowing the reader to learn about this new realm at the same speed as Clara…. He has hit on all of the typical tropes including found family and magic schools, while managing to create something completely and utterly unique.”—Reedsy.com Discovery
“This is the kind of book that, when you send your child to bed, you know they're making a tent out of blankets and reading by flashlight so they can continue to read.” —Ray Hayes (beta reader)
Featured Reviews
Kathryn M, Reviewer
this worked so well as a young adult fantasy book, it had what I enjoy about the genre. Don Jones has a great writing style and it does a great job in telling the story it needed to tell. I enjoyed the way the characters were written and their world, Overall this was a great job and I hope there is more in this world.
Abi M, Reviewer
Clara is used to moving around from city to city, but her parents tell her this time they’re going to stay put. Although she does well pretty well in school (and aces math), she doesn’t have any friends but does have some bullies. But one day, she sees three girls from school disappear in an ally. She follows them through a portal, and begins to realize that there’s a whole world of magic, witches, and danger that she just may belong in.
This was a fun young adult read full of magic and self-discovery. I loved the way the author chose to depict magic in this world (as mathematical equations) and Clara’s skills related to them. The setting was well constructed and described, making this an immersive read. The author also included a bestiary in the back and a recipe for the “fizzy cider” that the students drank, which was quite fun!
I also loved that the story focused on working together as friends without any sort of romance, especially as this work is for a younger audience. Clara was a relatable protagonist and she and the other characters were really well written.
I would have liked to see some more details related to the others’ magic, but hopefully that will be present in the next book. Similarly, there’s some dramatic reactions when other characters find out Clara’s last name, but we’re not really told why her parents were such a big deal. There were a few instances like this where I felt like more details should have been included to better flesh out the story.
Overall, this was an interesting and fun read. I highly recommend this work to younger readers, though I definitely still enjoyed it! My thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for allowing me to read and review this work.
Shelia E, Reviewer
Clara Thorn, the Witch That was Found, by Don Jones, was an astounding cannot put down book.
Clara’s biological parents, the Holdaways, are well-known by the Ordinaries and others. Her adoptive parents eventually revealed everything to her. This is when she went on her adventure to Underhill, the magical world of fantasy and whimsical charm. She never looked back on that life-changing day.
Clara has the gift that comes to every generation, she used her magic to balance the equations of her classmates’ magic to make it more effective. Everyone else had their own special magical spells and talents also. Even some of the staff were using magic on the students over disagreements and quarrels; it was exciting to envision the students use their skills. Their biggest threat was the paladins. The students even had sprites and elves to work for them.
I recommend this book for anyone who loves fantasy, magic, spells, and a book with exciting scenes, this is it!
Trisha B, Librarian
I want to think the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this book for an honest review.
This might have been my favorite book I have read in a long time for YA. The writing was superb, the characters rich, and the story was gripping from start to finish. My library would be lucky to have this in our shelves. (I may buy it for my own as well.
Ali M, Reviewer
When Clara stumbles upon a secret world of magical beings, she discovers more about herself than she ever thought real. And her parents seemed to know that she was special but never told her!? Why!? This new world shows her all kinds of new possibilities and more about herself as well. A great YA book!
Educator 550974
NetGalley ARC Educator 550974
Mystery, fae and math. Oh my. This is Clara's story. The author uses real life situations and math to help Clara overcome her trials. Throw in some witches and magic and we have a story for all ages. Teachers can use this book to get students more interested in math lessons.
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