Book of Shadows (Sweep, No. 1)

by Cate Tiernan

Paperback, 2001

Status

Available

Call number

813.54

Publication

Puffin (2001), Edition: 1st Printing, 186 pages

Description

Fantasy. Young Adult Fiction. HTML: Something is happening to Morgan that she doesn't understand. She sees things, feels things in a new way. She can do things normal people can't do. Powerful things. Magical things. And it scares her. She never chose to learn witchcraft, but she's starting to wonder if witchcraft is choosing her. Morgan and her best friend, Bree, are introduced to Wicca when a gorgeous senior named Cal invites them to join his new coven. Morgan falls for Cal immediately�??and discovers that she has strong, inexplicable powers.

User reviews

LibraryThing member MartyAllen

When a new boy comes to her school, Morgan's world changes inways she never could have imagined. Though dealing with a controversial issue, the author manages to handle the story with poise. It is obvious she did her research, as Cal, Morgan, and the rest of the coven are not your ordinary witches.

Instead, the focus is on Wicca, the religion, and realistic spellwork and rituals. However, this is not an informational text, and factual material is balanced with elaborated action. Teens will relate to plain-Jane Morgan and will thrill with her as she discovers long buried powers, hoping to find some of their own. They will be breathless as she faces trouble with her friends and clashes with her parents on her religious choice, problems that they face in their own lives, even as she struggles to come to terms with who she is, an issue they can also relate to, even if not in the same way. Along the way, readers may find their own power and interest grow along with Morgan’s. This is a fascinating read for any teen.

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LibraryThing member nickeemattos

Enter into the world of the Seven Great Clans of Witches, where young Morgan Rowlands finds out in a blink of an eye that (1) She's adopted and (2) She's a "blood witch". Is she a Leapvaughn, Woodbane, Rowanwand, Wyndenkell, Vikroth, Brightendale, or Burnhide?

Last week she was just an ordinary

teenager, but ever since sexy Cal Blair showed up at Widows Vale High, nothing has been the same. Invited to her first coven "circle" with Cal, Morgan's introduction to Wicca is "to the manner born". She is able to conjure great power, cast her senses, make dead flowers bloom again and shoot out "witch fire". How is she able to do this?

What Morgan does not know is that while she is discovering herself and her powers, someone is closely watching her progress. For before her lies a bright future, but behind her trails a legacy of black majick and death, that she is only now unraveling. Who were her parents? Why were they murdered? Who created the "dark wave" which wiped out the tiny Irish hamlet of Ballynigel?

Morgan learns that with great power comes great responsibility and danger from those who would do just about anything to take it away from her.

Cunningly written, this first installment by Cate Tiernan is near blindingly perfect, with all the treats you would expect from a great read: plausible history of the Wiccan religion, the intracacies of ritual, and the palpable suspense that unwinds to the tune of the most basic of all conflicts, good versus evil, and a heroine who could effectively wield both. These situations keeps the reader turning and wondering where Morgan will land next. Excellent!

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LibraryThing member cheriedurbin

The Book: Sweep Book of Shadows by Cate Tiernan

The Publisher: Speak 2001

The Plot: When Cal walks into Widow's Vale High, lives change in an instant. Especially Morgan Rowlands' life. Cal, the new boy in town, is a witch and Morgan and her best friend, Bree, quickly fall under his spell. Will

Cal-and witchcraft-drive a wedge between lifelong friends Morgan and Bree?

The Good Stuff: Sweep is a good introductory to Wicca and dispels some myths about practicing Wiccans. The book is a real page-turner. I can't imagine anyone finishing this book and not wanting to jump into Book Two (The Coven).

The Bad Stuff: The girl's car names got on my nerves but a minor complaint for an otherwise excellent book.

The Moral: Learn all the facts about a religion before you condemn it.

The Thing I'll Remember Most About This Book in Ten Years: Sweep introduced me to Wicca, a religion I knew little about.

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LibraryThing member simply00complex

A quick and easy read with a nice font, which made it easier. I really enjoyed this book. The first person narrative made you feel very close and sympathetic to the main character. I have the next few books on my shelf and look forward to reading them.

LibraryThing member TheLibraryhag

Morgan is your average 16 year old. She makes good grades and goes to church with her family. Her best friend, Bree, is part of the "in" crowd but they have remained friends even though they belong to different cliques. When a new boy, Cal, comes to school, Morgan is completely taken with him. She

has never felt like that about a boy. What is even more surprising is that Cal seems to like her too. When Cal reveals that he and his family practice Wicca as a religion, Morgan, Bree and several other students are fascinated and attend one of his circles. It soon becomes apparent that when it comes to witchcraft, Morgan is anything but average.

I really enjoyed this book. Morgan is interesting because she is a really good girl who want to do the right thing. That is a hard stance for a 16 year old to take. Even when she tries to defy her parents wishes (they are totally against the whole witchcraft thing) her plans keep falling apart. The other characters are very good and represent the usual groups you see at a high school. I think the first person narrative rings true almost as if you are reading a diary. There is mystery and romance in the future. I will be reading the next book in the series.

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LibraryThing member bookluvrmindy

Wow! What can I say without completely ruining this book?

In previous reviews; I have complained about books with way too much page filler but not this book! It is a small, quick, easy and entertaining read!

Unlike a lot of the other Urban Fantasy books I have been reading lately, this book seemed

really lifelike! I could see how this would make someone curious about Wicca. I don't believe in "Wicca" or White Magic but I could see how this book could make someone really want to study into it.

Morgan is just an average shy girl with a very popular best friend Bree! Morgan and Bree have been best friends since they were young kids. Even with Morgan and Bree hanging out in two completely different crowds, it never dampens their close relationship.

There is a new boy in their school. Cal Blaire. The moment he walks up to the school, everyone's head turns in his direction. All the girls immediately salivate over his olive skin and gold colored eyes. To make it even worse, Morgan isn’t immune to his stunning looks! Morgan has never been fully in to a guy before now; she has never had a boyfriend or even her first kiss. She is automatically drawn to Cal but she knows that he is way out of her league.

Once everyone starts getting to know Cal; just about everyone either wants to be his friend or just “wants him period”. The exception is all the guys that are jealous that their girlfriend gawk at Cal right in front of them. Cal doesn’t fall into a click to “hang” with, he just accepts each person the same as the next. Morgan admires this about Cal; he even goes out of his way to start multiple conversations with her! Her one concern is that she thinks he is a player. He goes on dates with girls but just goes from one to the next.

One day, Cal goes around the school to all the Junior and Senior students to invite them to a party. The directions he gives them leads the partygoers to a large field and this is when Cal introduces Wicca. This meeting wakes up something in Morgan.

I am going to immediately start the second book to the series and I this is a book that I would highly recommend!

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LibraryThing member jackiemcd

Caitlin recommends the Sweep Series by Cate Tiernan. What would happen if everything you knew was a lie? This 15 book Young Adult series documents a 17 year old girl’s introduction to Wicca and the knowledge that her quiet life in New York is not what she thought. The series is a romantic,

adventurous account of a girl finding out who she really is. A must read!

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LibraryThing member lolitamuse

Author: Cate Tiernan
Pages: 192
Source: Purchased from Barnes & Noble
Series or Standalone?: 1st in series

Morgan thinks witchcraft is laughable when her best friend Bree drags her to a meeting of the Cirrus Coven. But during a cermony led by Cal, Morgan's long-time crush, Morgan feels a shock.

Suddenly everything looks brighter, clearer. Morgan doesn't want to get involved with witchcraft-but she feels like witchcraft is choosing her.

* * *

I picked up this book because it was about witches, and witches are one of my favorite sub-genres in fantasy. But I was actually quite surprised when I read Book of Shadows. I was expecting a lot more fantastical aspects to it, but it was really the story of Morgan, who leads a relatively normal life until she finds out that she’s actually a blood witch.

After she finds out who she really is, her world is turned upside down. She has to rediscover who she thought she was, which was interesting to read. Everything she had previously believed in began slipping away, and she was left to put everything back together.

And then there’s Cal… Cal was just smoldering. Even if he was kind of a jack ass at some parts. I fell head over heels for him. I just thought that his persistence in going after Morgan was a little suspicious. But for right now, I think I can over look it.

There is just something in how Tiernan writes from the perspective of a teenage girl that made me really enjoy this book. As a teenage girl myself, I found it very easy to relate to Morgan, which is always extremely important to me. The writing was good, which made this a quick and wonderful read.

Other books in this series:
The Coven
Blood Witch
Dark Magick
Awakening
Spellbound
The Calling
Changeling
Strife
Seeker
Origins
Eclipse
Reckoning
Full Circle
Night's Child

Other books by this author:
A Chalice of Wind
A Circle of Ashes
A Feather of Stone
A Necklace of Water

Immortal Beloved
Everlasting Dark (UNRELEASED)
Everlasting War (UNRELEASED)

Plot: 4.5/5
Cover: 4/5
Writing: 5/5
Uniqueness: 5/5
Characters: 6/5!

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LibraryThing member oopers

I read Sweep-Book of shadows. It was written by Cate Tieran.I chose to read this book because i looked really good so i figured that i would give it a shot. It was actually kinda informational. I liked it a lot.

I like how it teaches you about Wicca at the same time that it gives a great story about

some people that practice it. I thought that it was a wierd religion until i read about it in this book but now i see that its kinda interesting. A lot of the stuff that we do now comes from some of their traditions.

Overall i thought it was a very interesting book and that others should read it. I think that it was better than the standards i had set for it when i read what it was about.

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LibraryThing member sszkutak

I read these books during high school as a way to de-stress and disconnect from the real world. They were entertaining and good reads for that time. I recommend them for any younger women who have a fascination with the occult like I did.

LibraryThing member Raben

The book that drew me in, "Book of Shadows." A book about an ordinary Catholic girl living a normal life...until she meets Cal Blaire. Cal Blaire is the most perfect guy in the school, the one every girl wants, including Morgan and her best friend Bree Warren. At a party Cal reveals his Wiccan

origins and holds a circle to celebrate Mabon. In the circle Morgan shows an uncanny knack for Wicca, which led to Cal having an interest in Morgan that drives a wedge between Bree and herself. At the end of the book we learn a startling face about the young Catholic girl Morgan Rowlands...we learn she is a....(You will have to read to find out.)

A captivating, well written book, that grabs the reader from the beginning. Its drama packed pages leaves the reader wanting more. It is one of those books you stay up late under the covers with a flash light to finish reading. As you read the book, and the series, you come to learn that nothing is what is seems.

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LibraryThing member susiesharp

This was a good read,Cate has a nice style of writing and you really came to care about the characters.I'm glad I had the second book right away cuz the ending just stopped in the middle of the story .I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

LibraryThing member ladybug74

I enjoyed this book, so I plan to read the next book in this series some time soon to see how this story continues. It was obvious at times that this book was written for teens or young adults, but it was still an interesting story. I would like to read more about Morgan's discovery of witchcraft.

LibraryThing member travenwill

When Morgan meets Cal her life changes. She begins to know what will happen before they happen. She also falls in love with Cal, but doesn't see how he can possibly love her.
I liked this book and would recommend it for 8th graders and up. There are a couple of passages that briefly mention

swimming with no clothes on (not of a sexual nature), smoking pot (later the person quits) & a brief mention of going to bed with someone. However, nothing is expounded upon.

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LibraryThing member RyitGrrl

The first in the 14 part Wicca series (Sweep in the US) this book is mind blowing. Practices and ideals are losely based on real Wiccan events, traditions and beliefs, which weaves an under current of believability into the story. Her main character is a strong female precence which only grows

stronger throughout the series. A great book about growing and finding your way.

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LibraryThing member EKAnderson

Morgan is excited to be starting her senior year of high school. While she lives in a small town, she and her best friends, Bree and Robbie, keep her sane. On the first day of school they notice there's new senior at Widow's Vale High - the kind of boy that would never talk to plain, self-conscious

Morgan. Cal, however, invites her and anyone who wants to come to a party, which is how Morgan discovers Wicca. As she explores this new faith with Cal and Bree, a few things go wrong. One: She and Bree both have a crush on Cal, and even though they've been best friends for years, there's nothing like a boy to come between them. Two: Morgan's mom is petrified of Wicca, not wanting to hear about how it's a peaceful, nature-loving faith. Three: Morgan might be a blood witch, which means she's super sensitive to magick, and she's developing powers at a terrifying speed.

Tiernan's world shines a light on Wicca that most teen fiction avoids, presenting it first as a faith and secondarily as an element of fantasy. Her characters, while many, are well-crafted and Morgan's voice is strong and sincere. While the book does end abruptly, there are several more volumes in the Sweep series with which to tie off any loose ends, and I look forward to seeing these character develop.

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LibraryThing member simplykatie

light cheesy predictable ya lit. my teens check it out constantly though. it's never on the shelf.

LibraryThing member hoosgracie

The first book in the Sweep series introduces Morgan Rowlands. When a new student, Cal Blair, shows up a school his appearance changes her life forever. Cal is a witch and starts a coven where Morgan discovers she has a knack for magic. My only complaint about this book and the others I’ve read

in the series is that the books abruptly end and then start right at the same point in the next book.

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LibraryThing member monica.mott2191

Morgan Rowlands is an ordinary grl, or so she thinks. Cal Blaire moves to Widows Vale, New York with his mother. Cal is there looking for something or more like someone and he finds her. She goes by the name Morgan Rowlands. Cal is a witch and as Morgan is about to find out she is, too. They are

both blood witches. Blood witches are witches by heredity. Morgan's best friend Bree wants Cal and she is used to getting what she wants expecally when it comes to guys.
Yes, I really loved the book.I loved it because it kept me on my toes and guessing what would happen next. Yet I could also guess somethings that Morgan refused to believe. The book got the rating it did because I was intoxicating.I couldn't put the book down and I didn't want to. It kept me guessing and when I thought onething was going to happen something else did instead. It has twisted love tales and it is mysterious. Only a skillful writer could write something as genius as that. It was by far one of the best books I read.

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LibraryThing member Ritastradling

Cate Tiernan is a fabulous writer. That said, 176 pages? Seriously? I bought this online, not realizing and was... Pissed!
After reading a couple more in the series I decided this would be a four or five star series... But:
These books are like tv episodes rather than full length movies. For me

library-bait as I have to limit my book budget because of my veracious literary appetite, and half length books just can't fit in that. Recommendation: if you can get this in a multiple book- book do it otherwise do what I did after I bought the first, skip on down to the library.

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LibraryThing member lxydis

The first 2-3 books in this series are addictive, a fresh "modern-teen" POV in the tired genre of witches/kids with supernatural powers finding themselves (and the wonder of Wicca) among families/communities who "don't get it".

After #3, it goes downhill. There is no psychological development of the

main characters (and the secondary characters are quite shallowly described and hard to distinguish throughout the series; even the more promising and believable ones, BFFs Bree & Robbie are essentially dropped from the books by #4) a lot of the narrative suspenseful points are all "tell" and no "show", the conclusions are hurried and tied up nicely--except for a minimum of predictable suspense that the publisher made you have to draw people through the series. Also, each book is so short, (it's like a single chapter of a Harry Potter) that the narrative arc is predictable and hasty, and makes one wonder if these were paid by the book, or that the series was extended way beyond what should have been its natural life span by the publisher, or what.

It's no Harry Potter, that's for sure. Apart from the above flaws, here's no humor (unless you count Morgan's drinking Diet Coke all the time, which gets tired really fast) and no writing good enough to be enjoyed by adults as well (a sure sign of a good children's book).

Also there's way too much touchy-feely Wicca rituals and pseudo Gaelic chanting, which is not well enough written to be convincing and also gets tiresome.

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LibraryThing member Savanna11

Dark magic and mystery,Great combination! Characters you will love and hate at the same time! Hunter best character of series, cute English blonde boy. Easy read. Give it a try.

LibraryThing member lisa.isselee

I liked this whole series a lot, the whole wiccan thing wasn't as much of a hype so I really treasured these books.
I looked up to the main character and I was sooo in love with the guy.

LibraryThing member lisa.isselee

I liked this whole series a lot, the whole wiccan thing wasn't as much of a hype so I really treasured these books.
I looked up to the main character and I was sooo in love with the guy.

LibraryThing member Salsabrarian

Cal Blair is the stunningly handsome new boy at school who invites several students, including Morgan, to a get-together at a field. At the event, Cal introduces the celebration of Mabon, a Wiccan sabbath. Morgan finds the experience physically and emotionally intense, more so than her best friend

Bree (who is more interested in snagging Cal) or anyone else in the circle. She feels drawn to Wicca, its history and philosophy. It is also apparent to Cal that Morgan is a blood witch. Not scary or horrific, just the story of a young person discovering a niche and pursuing it, but finding herself at odds with her parents over it. Series title: Sweep

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