Dark Spell (Kelpies) - Softcover

'This is a modern-day Harry Potter set near a Scottish school in St Andrews... I cannot recommend this book highly enough.' -- Daily Record Book Club 'All told, a solid 4 stars.' -- 2 the Point Book Reviews blog 'A coming of age story with a paranormal/witchy twist.' -- Tome Tender Blog 'The characterisation is excellent, and I particularly like the way Callie is shown struggling to get to terms with her powers which read almost as hormonal energy...This is elegant writing... a pacey, thoughtful, scary, exhilarating read and highly recommended.' -- The School Librarian (SLA) 'The story is well engineered, and works not only on the superficial level, but on more than one level... I am not surprised that it has won awards. I found myself enchanted by Dark Spell. I enjoyed not only the characters, but also the sense of place the author delivers of the mix of old and new in contemporary Scotland. Gill Arbuthnott conjures a stunning mix of teen angst and magic mixed with just enough danger to scoot you to the edge of your seat. Big thumbs up on this one!' -- Novelspot

Shortlisted for the Scottish Children's Book Awards 2015 15-year-old Callie Hall has just found out she's a witch, and things keep going wrong. Sometimes her mind seems to make things happen, things she can't control. She can set fire to things without a match, and when she's angry people can get hurt. Her friend Josh understands she's a bit weird, but it's only on a dark and dangerous visit to the tunnels under the ruins of St Andrews' Castle that he realises just how strange she really is. Something comes back with Callie -- in Callie -- something she can't escape. Can Callie control her power long enough to send back the darkness, before it takes over her life? And will Josh ever understand her secret? A brilliant, engrossing teen fantasy from the author of Winterbringers and The Keeper's Daughter.