Books4Tomorrow: REVIEW: SASSAFRAS by Patti Larsen

Title: Sassafras

Author: Patti Larsen

Publisher: Patti Larsen Books

Publication Date: January 21, 2013

Genres: YA, Paranormal

Reviewed by: Ellen Fritz

Source: Received for review from author

Ellen’s smiley rating: 5/5

SUMMARY

Sassafras

Banished

Power engulfed me, a strong hand stroking my fur as Ahbi's mind met mine. I wish you well, Sassafras, she sent. Do come to visit someday.

No time to respond, not while her magic lifted me, sent me forward, toward the gap in the veil, through it—

My new body fell, landed hard on cold, wet gravel, the light from the veil shining one more moment. It snapped shut behind me, leaving me alone in the cold dark.

When the demon boy Sassafras breaks Demonicon’s oldest law and strips the power of another, he is sentenced to death. Only his influential father’s pleading commutes Sass’s sentence to banishment. Forced into the body of a silver Persian, his power taken from him, he is dumped in the dark streets of Victorian London and left to die. Rescued by a young witch and integrated into her family, Sassafras finds purpose at last, guiding and loving the Hayle family, sharing his heart with the remarkable coven he claims as his own.

REVIEW

As Sassafras is one of my favorite characters in the Hayle universe, I was absolutely thrilled to receive his story for review. Banished from Demonicon, Sassafras lands in a cold, wet Victorian London as a silver Persian cat. Almost entirely stripped of magic and in order to survive he must learn about humans, dogs and all the other mishaps that can befall a cat. This is until Thaddea Hayle finds him and he needs to shift his focus from his own survival to that of the Hayle Coven.

This story touched me deeply and quite often moved me to tears. Sassafras, the demon boy from a highly dysfunctional family, had never known love and believed that, as a demon, he was incapable of the emotion. Only a short while living with the Hayle family teaches him the opposite. As generations of Hayles pass, Sassafras becomes more and more responsible for the wellbeing of the coven as well as individual members, specifically the women who are destined to take up leadership of the coven at some time in their life.

Throughout the years with the coven Sassafras has to play nurse maid to impossibly naughty, wilful witches, see premature babies die, watch his beloved witch friends grow old and pass away, and witness the insanity of several. Every time a well-loved witch friend dies, it means great loss and deep mourning for the demon cat who never grows old. When one particular witch almost completely destroys the coven, Sassafras is the one who brings her to justice. Although a witch with only a latent magical talent is a huge problem to many witches, this dear, loyal cat loves them as much as he does the rest of the family.

To say I enjoyed reading Sassafras is an understatement. I loved every moment of it! If I could give this book a seven star rating, I would do so in a heartbeat. With a liberal Kleenex warning, I declare this book a must-read!