REVIEW of "Emma and the Silk Thieves (Tales of Widowswood, #2)" by Matthew S. Cox

****(4) out of 5 stars!

SYNOPSIS:

Once again safe at home, Emma clings to the comfort of family and tries to put the fright of the Banderwigh behind her—but deeds, even good ones, often have consequences.

With a new reality of spirits and magic open to her, Emma feels a strong connection to Widowswood. She means to make good on her promise to the Spider Queen, bringing a monthly supply of silk in trade so humans cease their trespass upon the forest.

A guild of thieves infiltrates the quiet town, lured by the incredible value of spidersilk flowing so freely from the forest. At first, they don’t believe the source is a ten-year-old girl, but once they learn, they’ll do anything to control her.

Stuck between protecting her family or protecting her forest, Emma draws courage from her grandmother’s stories and makes a choice—that could cost her life.

~

REVIEW:

Once again I have stumbled upon a second book in a series that I enjoyed even more than the first!  There were many reasons for this.  To start, volume two was so much less dark than its predecessor!  The enemy this time is a guild of thieves, rather than a creature of myth like the Banderwigh.  Even though the challenges Emma faces are potentially just as dangerous, since they are less ethereal and more substantial, this seemed to, somehow, make them easier to fight and somewhat less scary. 

Though still only 10 years old, Emma has grown a lot emotionally and intellectually by the start of this volume, and does so even more throughout the limited period of the story.  Her Mama and Nan start to teach her a lot of additional information about the spiritual world around them, and the ways in which she can tap into its power.  She does so fairly extensively throughout the exploits here, most especially through her interactions with animals, including the wolves and the spiders.  Emma’s perceptiveness is also becoming quite finely tuned, as she seems to sense when something is wrong, who can be trusted or not, and the like.  Even though many of her powers are still relatively limited and others not yet explored at all, she is truly working to come into her own as a Druid priestess. 

Things in the family are changing as well, with Emma’s father talking about building a room and separate beds for the kids.  Up until this point, they are still sharing a family bed.  (All except for Nan who has her own room.)  Still, the relative protection that one would anticipate from such sleeping arrangements doesn’t exactly appear anyway.  Emma has a rather scary middle-of-the-night visitor that no one seems to be aware of (except for her mother, after the fact) and from whom no one tries to protect her, not that she ends up needing it, but still.

There are a lot of additional characters introduced or expanded upon in this story, making me wonder if some of them will play significant roles in future volumes.  I am definitely looking forward to reading more in the series to find out.  And to see Emma come more into her own power and discover what is her destiny.  She and her Nan wish for some peace and quiet as this tome draws to a close, but somehow I doubt there is much of that in store for them!  

I received a free eBook copy of this title from Curiosity Quills Press 

and have willingly provided an honest review.  

View my review of  "Emma and the Banderwigh (Tales of Widowswood, #1)" HERE on the So Few Books blog!