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by Anthony Ray Olheiser
 White Witch Kana brings himself to earth to teach a group of young men and women to fight back against the devil.

Olheiser’s debut fantasy novel opens with a quote from ancient text the Tablets of Time: “There will come a young White Witch, Kana by name, who shall be more powerful than any White Witch before him. With the weapons of God and an army of Youth recruited from the earth, he will drive Satan from that world forever!” [pg. ix] The prophecy begins to come through after a party, where best friends Ryon and Mádeohn display supernatural ability when they attempt to fight off a tidal wave that suddenly crashes on the beach near them. Soon after this incident, the boys’ community college Mystic Arts class is crashed by Kana, a leading White Witch who also happens to be Ryon’s guardian angel. The time has come, he explains, to make sure Ryon and his friends are ready for the role they will play in saving the world from the Devil and his armies. After a lengthy explanation of the events leading up to Satan’s expulsion from heaven, and events thereafter, Kana effectively takes over the Mystic Arts class to teach the students how to fight and defend themselves, all with the power of their minds. They’ll need it, too - while most of the book deals with these lessons, and with the things that happen as certain students get closer to each other and closer to their supernatural benefactors, Satan is hatching plans, and they’ll need to use everything they’ve learned to make sure he doesn’t win. While the book introduces an interesting mythology and a few interesting characters, it suffers from a lack of insight into why these events are happening. What makes this the right time for Kana to teach Ryon what he knows? Why are these students enrolled in a Mystic Arts class? What makes Kana the most powerful White Witch? Why are witches synonymous with angels in this world? A deeper look into these ideas as the story unfolds would have made it a more powerful and compelling read. As it stands, it is entertaining and interesting, and makes additional stories in the upcoming series promising.

While it needs more depth, the world laid out in this book promises an entertaining series to come.

Pub Date: Jan. 22nd, 2014
ISBN: 978-0615886237
Page count: 298pp
Publisher: Anthony Ray Olheiser
Program: Kirkus Indie
Review Posted Online: April 14th, 2014
 by John Connolly by Neil Gaiman
