Sweep: Book of Shadows -- Cate Tiernan

First of all, (yet again) Why I Am Not A Fan of Clothing Descriptions in Most Modern Fiction:

My best friend, Bree Warren, arrived in a peasant shirt and a long black skirt down to her violet toenails, and of course she looked beautiful and sophisticated.

Yeah. A peasant shirt and violet toenails = sophisticated? 

No. Peasant shirt—that makes me think hippie*. Hippie: that makes me think... well, not sophisticated.

Anyway.

I also thought it was odd that the main character had never seen a pentacle before. I'm not saying that she didn't know what the symbol's history was—I'm saying that she had no associations whatsoever. I mean, what? These kids don't have Buffy?

They live two hours from NYC and they find the idea of a classmate having piercings and a tattoo SHOCKING. Again... odd.

Synopsis: It's Sweet Valley High** and The Craft, but with boy witches, too! 

Seriously, this one will send anti-HPers through the roof.  THE ROOF. We've got spells, we've got rituals, we've got a Protagonist who is Forced to Rebel against her Catholic Parents. Also, skinny dipping.

Not a particularly good book, but it's attractively packaged—I do love the cheesy die-cut action—and I can see how some teens (especially Stolarz fans) might find the series addictive.

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*Also makes me think 10th grade, but whatever.

**Not surprising, as it's an Alloy book.

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Author page.

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Amazon | Indiebound.

Comments

[Little Willow]

:) This book was first published in 2001, so you've got to consider that...

[Anna]

I picked up this book last month because I read a blurb in Publisher's Weekly about it being similar to Twilight. I should have gone with my initial aversion to incredibly long series, because it really was like Sweet Valley High with witches!

[Leila]

I know, LW -- that's what I mean! Only six years later and all of those flourishes, those little details, seem dated.

It seems to be a common problem with these big series. (Or, at least, a commonality that I personally have a problem with. Or something.)

I think all the snow is affecting my brain.

[Little Willow]

Hee hee.

I think the repackaging will attract new readers. I know teens who are fairly addicted to trade paperbacks now. It's so weird. They are shelling out $16 per book. I paid less than $5 per BSC book - and I remember being upset every time the price went up, say, from $2.95 to $3.25, I was SO worried about them being expensive! I am all the more grateful for the library. We couldn't afford all of the books I wanted to read then and I can't now.

[Leila]

Definitely. And I especially love the new look because, well, What You See Is What You Get. It looks like an amalgam of SVH and The Craft, and that's exactly what it reads like.

Know what I mean?

Also, I hate to admit it, but if I had the second book in hand, I would probably read it. It's like junk food. You know it's bad, and yet...

[Chrissy]

Small rant here, pardon (related to Anna's comment):

Publisher's Weekly has become completely untrustworthy to me. They don't so much review books as market them, and it seems that they will say anything about a book to get a target audience to read it, rather than be accurate in their description or comparisons. So many times (and I mean since I worked at Waterstone's in 1998?, not recently) they've said "this book is just like X" and you run out and read it and can't help be wonder if the PW reviewer actually read the same book you have in your hands. They're still good for list of new books and industry trends, but I just don't trust their reviews anymore.

On the book, I'm seeing a lot of interest in horror/supernatural fiction, both in adult and YA lit. Part of it could be just a trend, but my other theory is folks are trying to fill the "Buffy Void". Lots of us miss Joss's work and are casting (bad pun) about for something, even if it's a few years old.

[Little Willow]

Many, many series (Sweep, Dish) and teen staples (Forever, A Summer to Die) are being republished with a facelift this spring and summer.

[Shrieky]

Sounds addictive, I think I can feel myself being pulled towards it already. Also actually a lot of teens(that I have the misfortune to be forced to associate with) have never heard of pentacles. Because that's how small and pathetic they are and also because they only read Gossip Girl. Although I have recently been privleged enough to witness a mob(okay maybe more like four or five) who wanted to borrow Twilight from one of my friends. But I think that's just the people I hang out with.

[Lorraine]

Oh, I loved this series. It's cheesy, yes, but I thought it dealt well with the issue of turning away from your parents' beliefs and what that does to teens and families. I like the parallels she draws between Catholicism and Wicca, too.

[Ashley Pesca]

Oh my god I love the the book. It talks about what teenagers deal with every day. Going to school, meeting a cute guy even though you want him you can never have him, and disobeying your parents. I can relate to this book. Im starting to get drawn to Wicca to.

[Payton]

I just finished the first book and i dont think i ant read the rest!!!!!!!

[ama]

I've read it, and about eight books more in the series and my final conclusion is this: not very orginal, mediocre prose, but really, really fun to read. Also the romance gets less obnoxious as time goes on. It definetly beats Gossip Girl and mst of the recent Meg Cabots

[meliisssa]

oh my gosh dude! these books are sooo addictive. i am totally hooked. I've never read SVH but ill be sure to do it soon. Whoa, so good.

[Gio]

im wondering.
does Tiernan actually pratice wicca?
if so why does she pay such close antention and detail to the "dark" side
i know its important to be full and complete in your quest along your spirtal path
but still it seems as if she knows more than needs to be of it

[Jessiee]

I don't think that Cate Tiernan is into wicca at all. Or at least, I never read anywhere that she is. I think a lot of what she does is just try to get something that's interesting for teens. Wicca is getting rapidly more popular as the days go by --- people are experimenting with different religions, you know? Trying to find what they think is right for them. I think she just ties in a lot of real life events, though some more... dramatized and exaggerated -- and uses something that she thinks is interesting todays generation of teens, to make it more exciting. In Harry Potter, what makes everything more challenging and dangerous for them. Magic. And what is more exciting then the possibility of REAL magic (though I don't personally believe in real magic) with something that is actually real and existing in our world -- a religion many believe in, and have for years?

As for why she focuses on the dark side, I don't really think she does. It's more like... the battle within ourselves. Our constant conflict we have, with being good, or bad. Committing crime -- bad. Helping old ladies with their groceries -- good. We all have times when there's those two paths, one good, and one bad. She just uses wicca in the Sweep series, and Balefire series, to get that point across.

[mathijs]

fantastic book!¿¿¿¿¶¶¶´´´«««««««««««««««««««««»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»

[Aerona]

Look, I really looooved the series, I know its not a great work of literature, yada yada yada(I know, master of understatment) but I does get you hooked, I was borrowing them from my friend, got all the way to book nine in 5 school days, and then she didn't have ten, I was tearing my hair out over it! (not literally but you get my drift) I know the books are absolute crap, cheesy, corny etc, but they're really good for light reading. Oh and by the way, CATE TIERNAN IS NOT WICCAN, my friends mum is a friend of hers.

[mich]

I really liked all the books. the first one was ok but as you go through the books they become harder to put down. i suggest you get through the first few and you will find theat you will be hooked.
the only problem with the republishing is that i finish esch book in a day and i wan the next few but i have to wait for them to come out

[liz]

i got into sweep ages ago, back when i was about fifteen or sixteen
[i'm almost twenty now]
and i loved them then, and i love them now.
they're so short, i can read them in a day.
they may not be the deepest series,
but they're good for people who maybe are afraid of long books
or people who want a quick read.
and they honestly do get much much better as they go on.
you just gotta give them a chance.

[maddi]

I acually like this series
its kinda cool once you get into
although i do agree with you on the outfits

[Gabriels]

OMG! im in number 14 and i love it!! is like wow! im sad though cuz itz the last book... well i still need to read child of the night... and dude it is adictive!

[Rossy]

i love the books! they should totally do a movie like with twilight!

[samm]

Now, i am definately a harry potter fan, and i'm not a twilight reader, but i really like sweep. yeah, its cheesy, but its kind of realistic- minus the actual witchcraft of course.

[Paige]

I'm a teenager and I can't stop reading these books I've almost read everyone of them and I'm amlost done reading them.I'm just trying to say or ask if anyone knows wheres to buy number 14(full circle)and the sweep Novel which is number 15 (Nights child) so can someone please e-mail me if you know where to by the two last books and I'm really really wondering what happens next since I read them all so many times and since I'm only 13. Well I hope someone can help me. And thank you if you can

[Rebecca Argudo]

My daughter, who is 14, received the first book from my friend & High Priestess. I bought her the second one. She likes the series so far. I also read it so I would know the content, and it seems fairly accurate.

[Stephanie]

Hey i got the first two books of the series for christmas the year before in the new format so i bought the next 3 which got me up to the 8th bok in the series but the rest haven't been published in a while...does anyone know when they will be? any info is appreciated :)