Witch & Wizard by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet

Title- Witch & Wizard
Author- James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet
Trilogy- Witch & Wizard Book #1
Format- ebook
Published- December 2009
Publisher- Little, Brown and Company
Pages- 366
Source- Own

Overview:
A brother and sister destined to save the world must discover their true selves before they can save anyone. Whisty and Whit get a rude awakening when government soldiers break into their home and accuse them of being a witch and wizard respectively. The soldiers break into their home with the authority of The One Who is The One backing them. He is the new elected leader who is completely overhauling the government. He believes he needs to take action towards the more "dangerous" individuals who go against what he believes in. Mainly he targets children who are to him the most dangerous of all.

Review:
Did you notice the girl and boy on the cover? It's kind of freaking me out. There is a reason the book cover has fire. Whisty, the sister, not only has a fiery personality but she is confirmed to be a witch by catching on fire. Unbeknownst to her she thinks someone sets her on fire! Whit, the brother, on the other hand is the All-American boy who has become a little rebellious since his girlfriend, Celia, disappeared. I love the personality reversal in these two. Well maybe not personality reversal but I loved how Celia was full of emotion but the kind you could look up to. She is this already rebellious girl who's the take action type. Her personality threw me off which it shouldn't have really because there are plenty of strong female characters. I just didn't see her coming.

Whit is gentler. He's tough but you can tell by the way he acts and his powers that he's not crazy with anger or powerful emotion. He's a bit misunderstood and tries to be what everyone thinks he should be which I think should have been showcased more since it makes him more relatable. He's calmer whereas Whisty is more wild. The brother and sister dynamic or any sibling dynamic really is one I look for when reading a book. This one was very strong and adorable. They grew close to each other and the brother became a little protective of his little sister which is the adorable part. They complimented each other well and their powers balanced each other out too.

The main thing that really frustrated me was how they took so long to figure out that indeed they were a witch and wizard. I mean you were on fire but didn't feel anything then your parents proceeded to give you a drumstick and blank book telling you they love you. How is that not confirmation enough? They obviously gave you these things because they were magical. If you weren't what you were they would have given you something more personal to them or practical. But they still didn't get it and I could see their initial confusion and denial because not everyone is as immersed in fairy tales/paranormal books as readers are. However, other signs were plainly obvious. I don't like my characters to be so naive.

The book was very fast paced and had some action in there. Both characters provided some humor throughout the book while they were dealing with being in jail and losing their parents. Oh yeah... they are dealing with being sentenced to death too! A lot of other kids were put in their same situation. The One Who is The One does not like kids at all. Absolutely any sort of defiance like chewing gum when you aren't supposed to will get you sent to jail. This book took the adults being evil to a whole new level. Almost all adults conformed to the new government. You don't know of any other adult who stood up for their kids and rights. They just let it happen and I feel like it was a bit ridiculous and unrealistic.

There are negative aspects to this book but overall I did like it. What sold me on the book were the characters. They were exactly what this story needed. Now that they accept who they are I expect the next two books to run more smoothly. My book club is planning on reading the other two as well so I can see how their story ends pretty fast. The book really left you hanging. It felt like it was a part of one whole book the way it ended. Also, at the end there was something revealed if you caught it and it begs the question - who really is The One Who is The One? I'm excited to continue with the trilogy.