STONEWITCH is the fourth book in the Hedgewitch series. Trainee witch, Cassie Morgan’s problems are escalating. Along with finding her mother, defeating the Erl King and being branded as a traitor by all but her friends, Cassie has to invent a new spell to complete the next step in her journey to becoming a qualified witch.
Stonewitch takes places in the wilds of Scotland at a Covenmoot. This ancient competition pitches witches from across the country against each other in a series of challenging games. While rivalry abounds, the Erl King’s power and reach is growing. Cassie is once again plunged into a fantastical adventure where her wits and magic are severely tested.
Skye Mckenna is an extremely talented story teller and, as with Cassie Morgan, her story telling magic grows ever stronger. The cover by the equally brilliant Saara Katariina Söderlund is gorgeous.

I devoured Stonewitch and can barely wait for the final book. Thanks to Welbeck Kids and Net Galley for this early read.

I know that many readers enjoy discovering a series once all of its individual instalments have been published so that they can binge the entire story in one go, but for me the anticipation that comes with being made to wait makes the eventual enjoyment of each individual book all the sweeter. Having read Hedgewitch on the recommendation of another book blogger, I have gone on to read the books that have followed with increasing pleasure as each has somehow been even better than the one which preceded it and this, the fourth in the sequence, has not only been one that held me spellbound as I read it but after its extremely exciting ending has left me in dire need of Book 5.

We rejoin trainee witch Cassie as she is trying to write a spell – not just an ordinary one but one that will be good enough to earn her her Sterling pin, which will take her a step closer to being fully qualified but that she is no longer sure is worthwhile following her previous adventure. All thoughts of this are put aside though when Cassie attends a meeting of her coven at which her aunt the Hedgewitch announces that the Witches’ Assembly has organised a Covenmoot – a gathering of all the UK’s covens – to allow the young witches to meet others and test the skills that they have so far acquired in a series of challenges.

Together with the other members of 1st Hedgely Coven, Cassie travels north to Scotland, where they soon find they have fierce competition in the form of their counterparts from Blusterham, led by the deeply unpleasant Prunella, who appears to be prepared to stop at nothing to ensure her coven wins the coveted Covenmoot Cauldron.

But it soon becomes clear that winning the prize is not going to be the biggest challenge that those at the meeting will face. As they learn about the legends of the legendary Stonewitch, dark forces are gathering around the site of the Covenmoot, and with the threat of the Erl King ever present, can Cassie and her friends not only prove their progress towards becoming fully-fledged witches but also put a stop to her enemy’s latest malicious scheme?

While Cassie and the other members of Oak Patrol are still enjoying the challenges that working towards becoming qualified witches brings, life is becoming steadily more complicated and testing for them all. Having gradually learned more about her mother throughout the previous books, Cassie is now starting to see her in a new light – something that brings with it the very real concern that she will follow in her footsteps and use the magic that she has worked so hard to gain for evil. In addition, there is friction between two of her friends that threatens to affect them all and the newest member of the group, Robin, is facing enormous prejudice simply because he is a boy.

Every bit as readable and compelling as the titles that precede it, as the book progresses it becomes darker in tone until the ending that leaves us in no doubt as to the seriousness of what is coming, and with Cassie facing some big decisions about exactly how she will progress. I for one cannot wait to discover how things continue and I know I won’t be alone in that.

My enormous thanks, of course, must go to publisher Hachette and to NetGalley for my advance virtual read. Stonewitch publishes in hardback on September 25th and in paperback on March 26th 2026.

A mild case of witch's block as the result of an attempt to come up with an original spell, means that young Cassie is only too eager to take any opportunity for inspiration that comes her way. And fortunately for her, a truly magnificent chance comes in the form of the forthcoming competition between various covens in the British Isles, to take place in Scotland this year.

Held every 5 years, this is a series of challenges that puts witches through their paces. And what could be a more perfect hunting ground for Cassie to develop the perfect spell? Even if things don't go quite according to plan...

The latest book in the series will definitely be enjoyed by readers in the target group. It gets 3. 5 stars.