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Mystic
Knoll
Reviewed by Tim McCree
February 2005
BOOK: Mystic Knoll
AUTHOR: Diana G. Gallagher
NOTE: This review may contain plot spoilers.
Getting away from it all, we all
like to do that sometimes. However, when you’re a Charmed One,
taking a vacation from work is not always as easy as it seems.
When Paige suggests a family
vacation, the Halliwells grudgingly accept the idea. Paige wants
to go to Salem, Massachusetts, to explore her heritage, but
Piper and Phoebe would rather go to the beach. Leo comes to the
rescue when he suggests they can do both. So the family sets off
for the East Coast. However, things do not go as smoothly as
they had hoped. Due to seemingly random mistakes, the Charmed
Ones end up in the small town of Cairn, New Hampshire. Once
there, they find more than they bargained for.
In Cairn, the Halliwells stay at
a Bed And Breakfast, run by a woman named Ida Thornwood. Ida
lives there with her granddaughter, Harriet. Both lead a
reclusive and solitary life, shunned by the rest of the town for
reasons that become apparent later in the story. Although Ida is
not too thrilled about having guests, she soon allows the
Halliwells to stay.
As the story progresses, the
Halliwells find out about the Mystic Knoll, a local ancient
site, where it is said that magic was once performed. It is said
that the Knoll still has powers which affects the local animal
life. That is when the questions start. Why does this happen?
How are Ida and Harriet connected with it? Why does Ida close
her B&B for three days every month? Finally, what does an
upcoming solar eclipse have to do with what is going on?
I enjoyed this book, it was
funny to see that even when the Halliwells want to take a
vacation from magic, it seems that magic always finds them. This
story is no exception as the Charmed Ones are drawn into a
mystery of this small town and forced to deal with events that
began twenty years earlier. Although a little reluctant at
first, the Charmed Ones soon throw themselves into the task,
determined to save the day and protect the Innocents.
Another thing about this book is
that it’s the first one to include baby Wyatt. In the last
Charmed Book (Pied Piper), Wyatt had still not been born. Now
that has been rectified as Piper and Leo bring their newborn son
along. There are plenty of cute scenes with Piper and Leo
playing with Wyatt. Also, we see that Piper is worried about
Wyatt and the powers he has. So she wants to protect him.
Considering what we saw on the show, I can’t blame her.
Paige also gets to shine as she
finds herself attracted to a local handyman named Nathaniel.
However, things rapidly go south when Paige finds that Nathaniel
has a stubborn "There is no such thing as magic and anyone
who believes in it are idiots!" opinion. One can almost
hear Paige thinking: Boy, I could show HIM a thing or two!
Phoebe is also likable in this
book. I’m glad the writers of the books have not made her into
the shallow and selfish character that the show has.
Some other points:
-once again Cole is not
mentioned at all. I guess he’s been dropped from the books
now. Which is ironic, considering his upcoming appearance on the
150th episode of the show.
-as I said above, this story has
baby Wyatt, but Chris has not appeared yet. I wonder if the
later books will have Chris in them at all.
-although Ida, Harriet, and
Nathaniel are okay, the other local townspeople that appear in
this book could have been a little more fleshed out, character
wise. They just seemed to fade into the background to me.
-the ruins of Mystic Knoll may
have been inspired by the ruins of Mystery Hill, a real life
site in New Hampshire. This site baffled archeologists for
years, until one noticed how similar it was to Phoenician ruins
(the Phoenician civilization thrived in the Mediterranean region
about 3000 years ago, they were based in what is now Lebanon).
Interesting that the Phoenicians may have reached our shores
about 2000 years before Columbus. However, I digress!
All in all this was an enjoyable
book. I give it a 9/10 rating.
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