The Sacred & the Divine

Gr 9 Up–In their debut collaboration, Christensen and Henderson offer up a fast-paced romance and supernatural mystery with three female leads. On their 16th birthday, twins Daisy and Morrigan Wolfson join their older sister Avery in inheriting certain magical gifts. It’s 1848, the setting is Cape Cod, MA, and the three sisters set about using their talents to help the local townspeople. With her red hair and green eyes, Daisy is the fiery sister, and she gets into trouble by summoning a demon to little Redcliffe. She and her sisters must navigate romances and family secrets as they try to identify the evil in their midst. This novel invites readers into an alternate version of New England where witchcraft is accepted if not embraced. The book has hints of Pride and Prejudice with a brewing romance, but here against a magical backdrop. Fans of Bridgerton will appreciate the setting with its balls and tête-à-têtes. However, like Bridgerton, this book does not engage thoughtfully with issues such as racism. The lead characters acknowledge the existence of slavery when meeting their Black friend Frankie, but don’t interrogate their own prejudices within the world of 19th-century New England.