Old Magic

Outlander gets a witchy Meg Cabot twist in this captivating and romantic YA contemporary fantasy following two witches who must travel back in time to stop an ancient curse.The moment new guy Jarrod Thornton walks into the room, Kate senses something strange and mesmerizing about him. Something supernatural. Her instincts are proven correct a few minutes later when, bullied by his classmates, Jarrod conjures up a freak thunderstorm inside the classroom. Only, Jarrod doesn't believe in the paranormal and has no idea his magic is behind the strange incidents that plague him. He finds Kate's convictions about magic especially frustrating because of the magnetic attraction between them. Why can't he fall for a normal girl? But, eventually, not even Jarrod can dismiss his gift...or the mounting danger it's causing. To save their future, Jarrod and Kate embark on an incredible journey to the past where they must foil the curse that has plagued Jarrod's family for centuries. Can these fledgling witches summon the strength to emerge victorious?

Jarrod Thornton is mesmerizing,

but Kate Warren doesn't know why.

The moment the new guy walks into the room, Kate senses something strange and intense about him. Something supernatural. Her instincts are proven correct a few minutes later when, bullied by his classmates, Jarrod unknowingly conjures up a freak thunderstorm inside their classroom.

Jarrod doesn't believe in the paranormal. When Kate tries to convince him that he has extraordinary powers that need to be harnessed, he only puts up with her "hocus pocus" notions because he finds her captivating. However, the dangerous, uncontrolled strengthening of his gift finally convinces Jarrod that he must take Kate's theories seriously. Together, they embark on a remarkable journey — one which will unravel the mystery that has haunted Jarrod's family for generations and pit the teens against immense forces in a battle to undo the past and reshape the future.

Publishers Weekly

An appealingly witchy atmosphere combined with breathlessly over-the-top narration and a generous helping of high school intrigue go a long way toward camouflaging the slack plotting and clich d characterizations of this first novel by an Australian writer. Witch-in-training Kate is smitten with Jarrod, the new boy at school. Numerous chapters which Kate and Jarrod take turns narrating chronicle in great detail Kate's efforts to convince the doubting Jarrod that, in addition to possessing a vast reservoir of untapped magical power, he is also the latest victim of a centuries-old family curse. On the social front, loner Kate must cope with her potential soulmate's adoption by the school elite and his apparent role as the chosen boyfriend of the most popular girl, a standard-issue nasty-but-gorgeous villainess. Eventually, Kate and Jarrod leave their tiny Australian mountain town and travel magically back in time, to a medieval-lite version of 13th-century England, where they try to stop the curse at its source. Not surprisingly, the curse is lifted by novel's end and equally important back in the contemporary world, Jarrod commits to taking Kate to a very important dance. More old hat than old magic, but fun nonetheless. Ages 12-up. (Mar.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

After Kate sees Jarrod for the first time she senses a connection to him, something supernatural about him, when Jarrod is bullied by his classmates, and he unknowingly conjures up a freak thunderstorm inside their classroom, Kate knows she is right. She tries to convince him that he has extraordinary powers that need to be harnessed, but Jarrod who doesn't believe in the paranormal, is only interested in her "hocus pocus" notions because he finds her captivating. But his powers turns uncontrollable and dangerous and thats when it convinces Jarrod to believe that maybe Kate's theories are true. Together, they embark on a journey, that transcends time and place, and unravels the mystery that has haunted Jarrod's family for generations and pit the teens against immense forces in a battle to undo the past and reshape the future Jarrod Thornton is mesmerizing, but Kate Warren doesn't know why. Kate senses something strange and intense about him. Together, they embark on a remarkable journey--one which will unravel the mystery that has haunted Jarrod's family for generations and pit the teens against immense forces Sensing that her new classmate, Jarrod, has supernatural powers similar to her own, Kate Warren tries to inform Jarrod of the gift he possesses, but he does not believe her until his power reaches a dangerous level