Book Recommendations
Want a book you can't put down? You've found them !!
Let Kit Berry- Author take you to Stonewylde,
a place of magic and transformation.
Stonewylde is somewhere that lives in our imagination. A beautiful Dorset estate hidden away in the depths of rural England, where the community live in harmony with nature. Stonewylde is the perfect place, a place where you can escape to in your dreams.
Stonewylde is a real entity, an enclosed sanctuary where nature is unharmed and undamaged by modern exploitation. It's a place of standing stones and earth energy, an idyllic refuge from the stress of contemporary life.
Magus of Stonewylde is the first title in a series of five. Written in an untapped genre, it’s contemporary fiction set in an authentic pagan context. The book appeals to both males and females, from young teens to senior adults. Stonewylde is an alternative community, a vast country estate hidden away in Dorset and enclosed behind high boundary walls. Ruled by the charismatic Magus, life here is simple and seems idyllic. Into this magical world come Sylvie and her mother, trying to escape the stresses of modern inner-city life. Sylvie suffers from chronic eczema and a strange malaise, but soon begins to heal in the peace and tranquillity of the beautiful Dorset countryside.
She and her mother are entranced, both by their new life in a place where time seems to have stood still, and by their attractive benefactor. But then Sylvie befriends Yul, a dark and rebellious Village lad, and slowly she begins to see that Stonewylde, and particularly Magus, are not quite what they appeared to be. Why is Yul so damaged? What secret is he trying to protect? And is the old crone on the hill a powerful wise-woman or simply a demented hag bent on destroying the equilibrium with her wild prophecies?
Sylvie and her mother Miranda are initiated into the community at Beltane, which is celebrated in a great Stone Circle hidden amongst the oak trees. They take part in the pagan festivals that are an element of everyday life here, and Miranda is introduced to the full moon rituals by Magus himself. Sylvie has her own problems to contend with at the full moon, which has always affected her in a strange way. She discovers a special standing stone where the hares dance to the moon and with Yul’s help realises that she is in fact moongazy. But this brings the wrath of two men on Yul’s head, and the boy is taken away for punishment of a barbaric kind.
Sylvie must learn to fight, and Yul must learn to bide his time. As the young pair’s friendship deepens into something more, Miranda realises she is expecting Magus’ child. The old crone’s ramblings take on a new meaning and Sylvie realises the full extent of Magus’ ruthlessness, and just how much danger Yul is in. Only she can save him. If not, the boy will be destroyed by the dark forces that Magus has at his command.
The first book in the Stonewylde series ends in an exciting and satisfying manner, and yet leaves the reader longing for the next book to take the story further. Meticulous research ensures authenticity to every detail of rural Dorset life, which makes the dazzling setting seem so real. Earth energy, moon magic – strange stuff, and yet all seems possible at Stonewylde.
Moondance of Stonewylde is the second in this series of five titles, and follows on from Magus of Stonewylde. The story is picked up again at the Summer Solstice, where Yul has incurred Magus’ wrath by challenging him for the leadership of the community. The sunrise ceremony amongst the great standing stones was a disaster for Magus, with Yul lighting the Solstice Fire and receiving the powerful earth energy in his place. But Magus still holds the power, and embarks on another attempt to subdue the rebellious Village boy.
The story unfolds throughout the glorious summer at Stonewylde, where crops are grown organically and the people are self-sufficient and productive. Beautiful descriptions flow of this idyllic place, a community steeped in magic and time-honoured traditions. There’s an exhilarating cricket match on the Village Green at Lammas, and the harvesting of wheat in honour of the Corn Mother. Yul proves worthy of the wise-woman’s prophecies, hardening himself to the brutality that Magus inflicts so casually, and waiting with growing impatience for the time when his destiny can be fulfilled.
But Magus discovers Sylvie’s secret gift, bestowed during the rising of each full moon, and sees a way to exploit her to boost his own waning power. His attempts to harness the young girl’s magic are aided by his shaman half-brother, who is weak and easily bribed with the addictive hallucinogenic cakes that are part of every pagan festival at Stonewylde. Sylvie grows fragile and thin again, and Yul seems powerless to save her from Magus’ cruelty.
The Autumn Equinox sees the harvesting of apples in the great orchards at Stonewylde, and Sylvie realises she has a rival for Yul’s affections. Her innocent and evocative relationship with the boy is developing into something more adult, and both struggle to control their powerful feelings for each other. Meanwhile Sylvie’s mother Miranda remains besotted with Magus and abandons any attempts to protect her daughter from the man’s exploitation. As Samhain (Hallowe’en) approaches, the tension notches even higher when Yul makes a disastrous attempt to rescue Sylvie from the clutches of the two men. By the end of the book, his life hangs by a whisker as Magus gives free rein to his excesses. The reader is left feverish to discover what happens next.
Once again, extensive research and close attention to accurate detail of life in an alternative Dorset community creates a sense of reality that seems at odds with the green magic and earth energy of Stonewylde. A bucolic cricket match and the weaving of corn dollies, reaping time with traditional threshing and winnowing, the apple harvest and cider making – but also a brutal fight scene worthy of any action movie and a romantic encounter in the Cider House that would put many bodice-rippers in the shade, means there is something for everyone in this electrifying sequel.
Solstice at Stonewylde continues the story of Sylvie and Yul, their developing love for each other, and their battle to survive the cruelty and domination of Magus. Yul was left hovering at the gates of death in the last book – now he is subjected to a terrifying ordeal in the Stone Circle at Samhain (Hallowe’en) as Magus attempts to negate the old prophecy. The Villagers rally around Yul and ill-feeling towards Magus grows, fuelled by his appalling treatment of his own son. The evil Jackdaw returns to help Magus, now that Alwyn has fallen so ill. Yul has somehow, against all odds, blossomed into a strong young man with a will of steel and a burning passion for justice. His boyish charms have developed into something more adult, and his love for Sylvie runs deep. Desperate to keep her safe from Magus at the full moon, Yul inadvertently harms her himself. Sylvie has many problems to contend with; a concerted effort by Magus to undermine her self-confidence, and increasing hostility from the Hallfolk girls. After Yul’s apparent rough treatment of her at the Owl Moon, her faith in him is destroyed. Their young love falters as Sylvie becomes entranced by Magus’ charms.Magus has been grooming Sylvie carefully, heaping luxury and privilege on her so that his true intentions are masked. Mother Heggy, the old crone, helps Yul to maintain his resolve – to overthrow Magus at the time of the Winter Solstice. But the wise woman has her own worries. She repeatedly sees five in everything, and knows that there will be five deaths at the Solstice. The question is – whose? Sylvie, glittering with diamonds and starved into submission, realises her mistake in trusting Magus. But too late. She’s in his clutches and then his real unspeakable intentions are revealed. Clip rallies round and finally learns to challenge his evil half-brother, but is it too late? Is Magus unstoppable, now that his clever manipulation of the situation has ensured Sylvie’s compliance? As the Winter Solstice approaches the tension mounts unbearably. The reader is held on a knife-edge as the plot gallops away, drawing in the characters towards a truly explosive climax. And as for those five deaths – they’re not who the reader would imagine and come as quite a shock. This third title does not disappoint, and exceeds the first two books in thoroughly ensnaring the reader in a web of intrigue and page-turning apprehension.
Will soon be available here at The Witch's Way also Available from all good bookshops
Kit Berry is an Honarary Member of The Crystal Cauldron
