SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About TLT
  • Reviews
    • Book Reviews
    • A to Z Book Lists
    • Book Review Policy
  • Teen Issues
  • Middle Grade Mondays
  • Programs
    • TPiB
    • Tech Talk
  • Professional
    • Teen Services 101
    • Things We Didn’t Learn in Library School
  • MakerSpace
  • Projects
    • #SVYALit
    • #FSYALit
    • #MHYALit
    • #Poverty in YA Lit

October 29, 2012 by Karen Jensen, MLS

Book Review: Conjure by Lea Nolan

October 29, 2012 by Karen Jensen, MLS   2 comments

Be careful what you search for…

Emma Guthrie expects this summer to be like any other in the South Carolina Lowcountry–hot and steamy with plenty of beach time alongside her best friend and secret crush, Cooper Beaumont, and Emma’s ever-present twin brother, Jack. But then a mysterious eighteenth-century message in a bottle surfaces, revealing a hidden pirate bounty. Lured by the adventure, the trio discovers the treasure and unwittingly unleashes an ancient Gullah curse that attacks Jack with the wicked flesh-eating Creep and promises to steal Cooper’s soul on his approaching sixteenth birthday.

When a strange girl appears, bent on revenge; demon dogs become a threat; and Jack turns into a walking skeleton; Emma has no choice but to learn hoodoo magic to undo the hex, all before summer—and her friends–are lost forever. (Synopsis from Goodreads)

Read author Lea Nolan’s Why YA? post here

What is not to love about this synopsis: pirate bounty! messages in bottles! flesh-eating Creeps! and walking skeletons! You know right away you are entering into a Southern Gothic tale steeped in the traditions of hoodoo magic.  Conjure is a very unique read as this type of magic – Hoodoo Magic – doesn’t often appear in ya lit and it definite gives it a distinct advantage; you are not in for a typical ya book.  And it should go without saying that there are some unique gothic overtones to Conjure with a little Southern drawl to give it that special kick.  The setting just captures the reader and keeps you invested, a wonderful example of creating atmosphere.
Hoodoo: : a body of practices of sympathetic magic traditional especially among blacks in the southern United States (Definition from Merriam Webster online)
Like pretty much all yas these days, there is a nice little romance involved.  I love that here we have childhood friends with secret crushes and the opportunity for it to turn into something more.  Here again Nolan meets readers expectations but with a twist and step around some of the more normal ya paranormal tropes.
 
Learn more about Hoodoo Magic with these 10 fascinating facts
I do have to say that this is a great book to pair with The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater.  There is just something special about these intimate looks at magic.  And I mentioned there were pirates, right? Come on, pirates! You can’t beat that.
“Richly filled with exquisite imagery, a compelling story, and a strong, smart heroine. Conjure will keep you up way past your bedtime.” –Trinity Faegen, author of The Mephisto Covenant series

This is an unexpected read: exciting, dangerous, adventurous – everything we want from a good book. Yet Nolan puts that creative twist on all the elements, making Conjure something special.  Conjure is recommended, 4 out of 5 stars. Also, it looks like a great 2013 trend is going to be a look at more traditional forms of magic such as Hoodoo and “Earth” magic (again, see Raven Boys), as opposed to the more fantasy magic of things like Harry Potter.

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Other books of interest:
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
Enchantment by Orson Scott Card
Anansi Boys and more by Neil Gaiman
Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan
Meet Lea Nolan:
Lea Nolan couldn’t read until the third grade. After a lot of hard work she finally got the hang of it and devoured any book she could find with a shiny Newberry Award sticker on the cover. Today she writes the stories she sought as a teen—smart paranormals with bright heroines, crazy-hot heroes, diabolical plot twists, plus a dose of magic, a draft of romance and a sprinkle of history. She holds degrees in history and women’s studies concentrating in public policy and lives with her heroically supportive husband and three brilliant children in Maryland.

Social Media links:
Website: http://www.leanolan.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Lea_Nolan
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TheHoodooApprentice
Group blog: http://honestlyya.blogspot.com/

Information:
Title: Conjure (The Hoodoo Apprentice, #1)
Author: Lea Nolan
Genre: Young Adult
Length: 400 pages
Release Date: October 16, 2012
ASIN: B009NY42GM
Print ISBN: 978-1620610978

CONJURE on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13425130-conjure

http://www.amazon.com/Conjure-The-Hoodoo-Apprentice-Nolan/dpsr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1345168145&sr=8-1&keywords=conjure+lea+nolan

On Entangled: http://www.entangledpublishing.com/category/young-adult/

Buy Links:
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/conjure-lea-nolan/1109672878?ean=9781620610978
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1620610973/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_0Gqnqb1CVCX0Q%20
Powells: http://www.powells.com/biblio/62-9781620610978-0
Book Depository: http://www.bookdepository.com/Conjure-Lea-Nolan/9781620610978
Indiebound: http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781620610978
Books-a-million: http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Conjure/Lea-Nolan/9781620610978?id=550228716449

Filed under: Book Reviews, Conjure, Lea Nolan

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments

About Karen Jensen, MLS

Karen Jensen has been a Teen Services Librarian for almost 30 years. She created TLT in 2011 and is the co-editor of The Whole Library Handbook: Teen Services with Heather Booth (ALA Editions, 2014).

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

October 2012

Why YA? Twilight (Stephenie Meyer) and Impossible (Nancy Werlin) as discussed by author Lea Nolan

by Karen Jensen, MLS

January 2023

Book Review: Play the Game by Charlene Allen

by Karen Jensen, MLS

January 2023

Book Review: The Davenports by Krystal Marquis

by Karen Jensen, MLS

January 2023

Post-It Note Reviews: A mayor dog, a bunch of Big Bads, a mobster, and more!

by Karen Jensen, MLS

January 2023

Book Review: The Roof Over Our Heads by Nicole Kronzer

by Karen Jensen, MLS

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

Sydney Taylor Blog Tour: THE TOWER OF LIFE by Chana Stiefel and Susan Gal

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

Abecedarian Movement and Dance: A Q&A with Corinna Luyken About ABC and You and Me!

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Akim Aliu Dreamer | This Week’s Comics

by Lori Henderson

Heavy Medal

What’s Coming in 2023, A Feedback Poll, and Goodbye for Now…

by Steven Engelfried

Teen Librarian Toolbox

Writing Trans Joy in Spite of Everything, a guest post by Edward Underhill

by Amanda MacGregor

The Classroom Bookshelf

The Classroom Bookshelf is Moving

by Erika Thulin Dawes

The Yarn

A Book 25 Years in the Making: Marla Frazee Visits The Yarn

by Travis Jonker

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

New Year, Past Winners | Pondering Printz

Happy Pride! 26 LGBTQIA+ Titles for Teens

My Top 20 Books of 2020 | Read Woke

9 Adult Books with Teen Appeal | Great Books

17 Magical and Mind-Bending Sci-Fi & Fantasy Titles for Teens | Summer Reading 2020

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. mobb says

    October 30, 2012 at 8:45 am

    hhmmm…
    nice cover. maybe i should give this a try

  2. aqui lano says

    November 15, 2012 at 9:36 am

    I have to agree with everything in this post. Thanks for the useful information.
    The best sitebook reviewer us.

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

Follow This Blog

Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

Primary Sidebar

  • News & Features
  • Reviews+
  • Technology
  • School Libraries
  • Public Libraries
  • Age Level
  • Ideas
  • Blogs
  • Classroom
  • Diversity
  • People
  • Job Zone

Reviews+

  • Book Lists
  • Best Books
  • Media
  • Reference
  • Series Made Simple
  • Tech
  • Review for SLJ
  • Review Submissions

SLJ Blog Network

  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal
  • Neverending Search
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn

Resources

  • 2022 Youth Media Awards
  • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
  • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
  • Summer Reading 2021
  • Series Made Simple Spring 2021
  • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
  • Summer Programming Survey
  • Research
  • White Papers / Case Studies
  • School Librarian of the Year
  • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
  • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

Events & PD

  • In-Person Events
  • Online Courses
  • Virtual Events
  • Webcasts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Media Inquiries
  • Newsletter Sign Up
  • Content Submissions
  • Data Privacy
  • Terms of Use
  • Terms of Sale
  • FAQs
  • Diversity Policy
  • Careers at MSI


COPYRIGHT © 2023


COPYRIGHT © 2023