The Secrets of Wilderfort Castle: The Waiting - Reviewed by Jo Lucre | Regional News Connecting Wellington
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The Secrets of Wilderfort Castle: The Waiting

Written by: Jessica Jayne Webb

Jessica Jayne Webb

Reviewed by: Jo Lucre

In the second installment of this fantasy series, author Jessica Jayne Webb builds on her first novel, The Secrets of Wilderfort Castle by expanding her otherworldly setting of mystery, intrigue, and a plot full of twists and turns.

In The Waiting, Agatha Wilderfort, now well versed in the many secrets her inherited Wilderfort Castle holds, is at first listless and disengaged – Charles (her love) is missing, or perhaps worse, in the daemon realm. Buoyed by those around her, Caelan, Variwen, Naga, Helgam, the girl-witch Pollyanna, and the deadly but loyal Fey, all encourage her indomitable spirit. The possibility of being able to contact Charles to find his exact whereabouts by combining three dangerous spells is irresistible to a desperate Agatha, and so the journey begins.

The Waiting is Charles’ story too, with the alliances and tradeoffs he must make to survive and return to Agatha unscathed. Lord Caspian is back in all his ugly glory and an uneasy suspense unfolds over Oxxy, the air daemon. Retrieved from Caspian’s manor, Oxxy’s subsequent behaviours beg the question whether he is in the throes of a stunning betrayal, or the victim of something more sinister.

It’s hard not to notice Webb’s progress as a writer in this fantastical saga with daemons – both good and bad – and the parallel realms in which they reside. I enjoyed the carefully crafted characters, the water daemon, shape changer, forest daemon, warlock, and girl-witch. These otherworldly beings with their magic and nuanced powers complement the romance element of the story.

Whether thwarting an impending threat of a greater daemon entering the human realm or summoning her burgeoning powers as a choler, the race is on to open the door to where Charles lingers.

My only slight frustration with The Waiting was the trees printed on the pages, most probably intended to evoke a sense of a dark and foreboding realm. Instead, they were a little distracting. This aside, I look forward to reading the next installment from Webb: The Change, where a new war is brewing.

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