The Wren Hunt occupies an eerie, in-between place, where fantasy and reality meet in a contemporary Ireland infused with ancient magic. Two rival magical factions, the judges and the augurs, are locked in a fierce battle for nemeta – magic – and so for survival. For the past few years, the judges have been winning and coming close to destroying their sworn enemies for good, but Wren Silke, an augur with a powerful and dangerous gift, is determined to change that.
Intent on saving her family, Wren undertakes a secret assignment that leads her into the heart of their enemies’ world. Cassa Harkness is a powerful judge who has spent her life researching a transformative spell that will seal the fate of the factions. Wren infiltrates her house as an intern, and must navigate its treacherous corridors, as well as her own desires for knowledge, and for a handsome judge guard.
Variously described as folklore, fantasy and mystery, The Wren Hunt wears its labels lightly, shedding one genre for another with a sort of slippery grace that initially confuses. But the story takes flight once Wren is ensconced in the judges’ territory, and the book settles into a deft equilibrium between thriller and myth. Watson’s writing has the sort of poise rarely found in a debut, moving the plot at a steady pace, shot through with moments of true beauty.
Wren is a flawed and likable protagonist. Her talent is unusual even among the augurs, and serves to incapacitate as well as to illuminate her. Her motivations are complicated, and while she is level-headed for the most part, her anxieties will be recognisable to any teen who has felt as if they might be getting everything wrong – though, hopefully, not with quite so much at stake. The progress of a love interest is believable and well paced, if a little secondary to the story.
The Wren Hunt is engaging contemporary storytelling that rings with ancient resonances. While fans of Maggie Stiefvater, Peadar Ó Guilín and Melinda Salisbury will find plenty to savour here, the book is its own thing entirely.
• Kiran Millwood Hargrave’s The Girl of Ink & Stars is published by Chicken House. The Wren Hunt is published by Bloomsbury. To order a copy for £6.79 (RRP £7.99) go to guardianbookshop.com or call 0330 333 6846. Free UK p&p over £10, online orders only. Phone orders min p&p of £1.99.
