Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for granting me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review! Unfortunately, as this book has already been published, I will not share my review on Netgalley at this time.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

Having not read the first book, it took me a while to get into this one. So I would recommend reading the first book first! Or at least a synopsis. Nonetheless, it was an enjoyable read.

Recommended for middle grade readers who enjoy middle grader fantasy. It was a bit slow for me to get into, but that is probably due to not having read the first book.

I look forward to going back and reading the first book! Perfect for those who enjoy witches and fantasy. Which my 11 year old does!

Full review to come on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy.

This is the second book in the series and will probably be enjoyed more read in order. Rosie Oak's is a twelve-year-old witch hunter along with her best friend Germ have set out to rid the world of witches and find Rosie’s twin brother.
I really enjoyed the first book and couldn’t wait to see where Rosie's adventures led her next. She still has quite the adventure ahead of her, but her determination is quite inspiring. The time in the time whale causes the story to really drag on. During that time, you really have to push through to the other side because it does eventually get better. Once Rosie really sets her mind to the plan of getting rid of the witches the story picks up its pace and tension mounts, while all sorts of problems come their way.
I liked this one, but not quite as much as the first, which has circulated well. I'm curious to see what happens in the third book, I am very curious what direction it will take.

I'm always amazed when a writer is able to bring you into the story -- even when you haven't read the first book. The lyrical writing, the way the backstory unfolds, and the enticing friendship between characters lured me in quite quickly. I can see why the first book in this series continues to be popular, and I know that this will only add to the allure.

Rosie Oaks had triumphed over an evil witch, opening a world of magic and experiences. As the last of a long line of witch hunters, it's up to her to track down and defeat the original Thirteen Witches. Rosie has a time-traveling whale to help her complete this quest, but does she really have the skill to defeat witches that had centuries to develop their talents?

This is the second book in the Thirteen Witches series, following The Memory Thief. I hadn't read that one, but in it, sixth-grader Rosie had to take care of everything in the house that her forgetful mother couldn't. There's allusion to this in the prologue, told from the POV of Rosie's mother, who is unable to follow Rosie because the only way to find her brother. Another witch declares that Rosie will die, which adds to the tension from the very start of the story.

As a book series meant for elementary school readers, of course, our heroine is young. Germ's initial wish for an adult to come help them is a very real one because, for all that Rosie has skills and her natural inherited abilities, they're both twelve! This is a concept that all middle schoolers understand: they want to be more independent, but are still children and realistically can't do everything they want to do. In this case, hunting down dangerous witches. Rosie knows she isn't as skilled, which for this novel makes her think about her journey, the job at hand, and the world she's now exposed to. As someone who missed the first book, this was a very smooth way to introduce the worldbuilding, as well as a way to learn more about Rosie and her best friend Germ. In a way, we also see why some of the witches do what they do. Their hearts are literally outside of their bodies and disconnected from them, and the stretch of immortality in front of them is incredibly empty. It's such a mature concept to put in the book, and I enjoy how the bad guys aren't simply evil for evil's sake.

In this book, Rosie and her allies don't charge in swinging and trying to fight off everything at once. I appreciate that, as well as the appreciation for Rosie being "weird." It's more than her imagination is her real tool, and being creative is celebrated. She thinks outside the box and is still affected by friendships, fear, and the need for connection with others. I love how communication remains one of her big go-to skills, even though she is twelve and sometimes gets caught up in what she's afraid of or what she thinks is happening around her. Rosie's strength is her connectedness with others, and how much she cares about her friends, her family, the brother she'd never met, and doing the right thing. What she thinks is a weakness for her or Germ or anyone else is actually what helps them meet their goals. It's a series, so this isn't the end of everything, but she has the strength to keep going even when it's hard, which is wonderful to see.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to review this ARC with honesty.

This book takes place after The Memory Thief, the first of the series. Since this may contain spoilers if I go to far into the book, I'll refrain from too many references and keep it brief.

Rosie now is faced with winning a challenge placed upon her. And the sand in the hourglass is ticking. With the help of friends, she faces off things she never would have thought possible until now.

I liked this book. It had a nice pacing to it. I will say, I prefer the first just a tad more. There were instances that I thought something occurrences seemed a bit too convenient. But that's not to say I didn't still enjoy the story. Because I still had a lot of fun reading it. You got to see the old gang, more interaction with new and old characters. Also there was a bit more exploring into each character. And while there were times I felt Rosie was falling back into old habits, it felt organic. She's a young girl, going through this ordeal that gives her little choice but to face it and along the way, the odds continue to be against her.

Overall, the story kept me turning the pages.

My Rating: 4 Stars! 🌟🌟🌟🌟

This is an enjoyable Middle-Grade read, but I didn't realize until I was reading it that it was the second in the series so I didn't follow as well as if I had read the first book before reading this one. I would recommend making sure you have read and checked out the first book before checking this one out to help make it more fun to read and easier to follow.
It's a great MG fantasy novel about a 12-year-old witch hunter trying to figure out how to be a witch hunter and find her way in this world of witches and magic along with her friend. They have adventures and this would be a good book for tweens, my 11-year-old will likely love it once she gets a chance to read it. Rosie is a feisty one that's great to read and follow along with her as she goes on her adventures, learning, growing, and figuring things out. She and her best friend have to go figure out how to find and get rid of all of the 13 original witches and the ending leaves you wanting more and wondering what will happen next.
If you love Middle-Grade, fantasy, witches, magic or the like then make sure to check this one out. Thanks so much to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing/Aladdin for letting me read and review this fun MG fantasy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This one starts where the first one in the series left off. I would recommend reading this as a series, since the characters and situations build on the last book.

Rosie and her friend, Germ, are now in the year 1855, stuck in the belly of a whale as they make their way California and the Time Witch. Rosie is still on the search for her brother and is ready to do whatever it takes to get him back. When the whale drops them off in an unexpected location, they luckily meet another witch hunter, who can help them out. But the Time Witch isn't easily dealt with, especially since Rosie is still on her list. When Rosie discovers that she needs to steal witches' hearts and destroy them to get her brother back, a race across time and space begins.

I enjoyed the first book quite a bit and was looking forward to see where Rosie's adventures led her next. She still has quite the adventure ahead of her, but handles it with tons of determination. While the time in the whale (even with its amazing comforts!) does draw out and caused me to skip over more than a couple of paragraphs, the tale does pick up again when they finally get to the shore. After this, the tale picks up its pace and tension mounts, while all sorts of problems come their way.

To say that Rose is determined is a bit of an understatement, but her family is as stake. So, it's no problem to root for her every step of the way. The other characters add the right atmosphere at the right time, making sure that...at least, after the whale...the story stays anything but boring. This one ends, leaving the reader waiting to see the next book to find out what happens next. And it will be interesting to see where all of this will end up.

This book, and the entire "Thirteen Witches" series, struck me as an excellent middle ground, with a feisty and self-aware heroine, a well-imagined magical world, an engaging cast of supporting characters, and a surprising amount of rueful and ironic humor. These books are so much more than just wand-waving adventures and reward the reader with a tremendous and knowing understanding of tween girls. The magical peril and adventure are just a bonus. What made this series stand out to me among all the other magical middle-grade adventures is this second book where a time-traveling whale is introduced. Also, we get a 3rd main character to aid in the battle against the witches and the creative way they attempt to trap the witches to end them. Thirteen witches series will be a delight for any middle-grade reader.

A fun fantasy middle school book. Rosie Oak's is a twelve year old witch hunter. Along with her best friend Germ she is out to rid the world of Thirteen Witches and along the way find her missing twin brother. The story is imaginative and clever. Who wouldn't want to travel through time in the belly of whales complete with lazy boy recliners and comfort food. They meet up with another witch hunter Aria to aid in their quest. This is the second book in the series and will probably be enjoyed more read in order. The series isn't complete as it ends just as a door opens to a new adventure. For 4th grade readers and up. Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for the temporary eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Getting Better and Better

I've been a fan of Anderson's ever since I found the "May Bird" trilogy, and my admiration for her was cemented by "My Diary From the Edge of the World", which marked a daring, creative step forward in terms of Anderson's willingness to take risks with her heroines, their imagined worlds, and their hero journeys.

This book, and the entire "Thirteen Witches" series, struck me as a nice middle ground, with a feisty and self-aware heroine, a well imagined magical world, an engaging cast of supporting characters, and a surprising amount of rueful and ironic humor. These books are so much more than just wand-waving adventures, and reward the reader with a generous and knowing understanding of tween girls. The magical peril and adventure is just a bonus.

(Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

This is the second book in a middle grade fantasy series. The author is well known. Rosie is trying to find her way in her new world of witches.