Like a Curse (Like a Charm #2) by Elle McNicoll
Published by Random House on February 2, 2023
ISBN: 0593649524
Genres: Adventure, Fantasy, Juvenile Fiction / Social Themes / Friendship
Format: Middle Grade Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads

In this follow up to Like a Charm, Ramya has been sent to Loch Ness to learn to control her magic from her grandmother and Aunt Opal. But Ramya is impatient: having discovered that she’s a witch, she has no use for lessons – she’s ready to do – especially since the evil siren, Portia, is gaining control over the humans in Edinburgh and beyond. She and her cousin Marley befriend a dryad, a dragon and a siren in their quest to first get out of the house, and next, to save the hidden people and humans of Edinburgh.

This will be most enjoyed by readers who started with the first book in the series. Ramya and her aunt Opal are both neurodivergent, and that plays a significant role in Ramya’s life and how she interacts with the world, which many readers will appreciate. A great addition to library shelves that also have the first book. 4 stars.

Reviewed by Jenny Martinez Nocito, Maine State Library, Augusta