Half-Witch

"Jesus?" said Lizbet, "forgive me, for I am about to sin."

Oh, wow, I had not expected this to be so excellent. I am not a particular fan of middle-grade novels or of books with a strong Christian element, and this one totally should not have worked for me.

With a swift gesture, Lizbet knock the gilded lid off the pyx, grabbed a fistful of the consecrated hosts, and dropped them in her skirt pocket.

But really, who doesn't like to read about a heroine who actually uses her brain, proactively drives her plot, and works to be a better friend. And Lizbet -- clever, resourceful, and observant; who stumbles upon an unlikely companion and fights to keep her; who won't let devils or gods or even mortal folk bar her way -- kept me riveted show more throughout this book.

"Lizbet?" said Jesus. "Lizbet, put them back."

Five stars, with added bonus for some really good writing. I would definitely read more of Schoffstall's work. show less

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from LibraryThing in return for an honest review.

Lizbet Lenz has been following her father, Gerhard, from place to place just ahead of people out to get her father after a series of unfortunate events caused by her father. In Lizbet's world people can speak to God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit by eating the Eucharist. Her world is also full of demons, witches, goblins, and magic. Until her father is out in jail after making it rain mice in Albalia. The only way to free her father is to find a book the leader of Albalia lost in the Montagnes du Monde mountains. With the help of the witch girl, Strix, Lizbet sets out to find this book. But there might be bigger issues for Lizbet, like a revolution show more brewing in Heaven.

Initaly I had a hard time getting into this book. I found the author to be a little slow in setting up the world of this story but once I began to understand the characters world I got sucked into the story. Overall it was an interesting story and I cannot wait to see what is next for Lizbeth and Strix. show less

Other reviewers (esp. Kirkus) explain this wonderful book well, so I'll focus on the spiritual aspect. I was drawn in by the cover art, though I failed to notice some of the beautiful details until the book revealed them. But I felt troubled by the embrace of witchcraft. Here's my take: it's not the Christian story, but it has some amazing illustrations of God's relationship with humanity, human nature and community, and evil. It also illustrates some appealing but unBiblical ideas, so a reader should exercise discernment, as always. For me, the benefits of delightful, complex characters, fun, humor, and all the elements of great speculative fiction plus the frequent spiritual insight far outweigh the unBiblical parts. Read it, share show more it, talk about it. It's a great read.

It's marketed as a youth book, but has interest for all ages. Kids old enough to read it should be OK though some parts might scare the sensitive.

Merged review:

Other reviewers (esp. Kirkus) explain this wonderful book well, so I'll focus on the spiritual aspect. I was drawn in by the cover art, though I failed to notice some of the beautiful details until the book revealed them. But I felt troubled by the embrace of witchcraft. Here's my take: it's not the Christian story, but it has some amazing illustrations of God's relationship with humanity, human nature and community, and evil. It also illustrates some appealing but unBiblical ideas, so a reader should exercise discernment, as always. For me, the benefits of delightful, complex characters, fun, humor, and all the elements of great speculative fiction plus the frequent spiritual insight far outweigh the unBiblical parts. Read it, share it, talk about it. It's a great read.

It's marketed as a youth book, but has interest for all ages. Kids old enough to read it should be OK though some parts might scare the sensitive. show less

This was a quick and clever read. The main character, Lizbet, goes on a quest in an effort to win her kindly con-artist father's release from prison. Along the way she meets witches, outlaws, and goblins, and learns a lot about the nature of the world and the character of the people around her.

It took me a bit to really get hooked into this story, because the setting was a bit ambiguous at the beginning and I was not sure if this was going to be all fantasy or some kind of alternate history. But once things got rolling I enjoyed it quite a bit. Lizbet goes from being a bit of a goody-two-shoes to a strong-minded protagonist, and some of the plot devices I thought were very clever and original. I can't explain too much without giving a show more lot of spoilers, but suffice it to say that I definitely recommend this book. show less

I suspect Isabel would love this book, but it's too slow and meandering for my taste.