The Hedgewitch of Foxhall by Anna Bright

genre: young adult fantasy

Ffion's choice to do magic her own way has left her a wandering witch in the forests of Wales.  But when the magic in her kindgom starts failing and the old creatures disappear, she has to try and do SOMETHING.  She isn't the only one worried about the magic - two prices are trying to secure their own country's borders, knowing that the loss of magic has to be dealt with.  The throne will have to belong to someone - if they still have a country to rule and the magic to do it.

This is the kind of fantasy/romance that sucks me right in.  The unfamiliar names and places took a while to keep straight but I did feel absolutely drenched in a fantastical Wales of long ago.  Ffion is a really interesting character and I loved how she looked at the world and her place in it, I loved how her magic was so tied to the natural environment.  The only reason this gets four stars instead of five is that the love triangle felt strangely complicated and yet not quite believable at the same time.  Don't get me wrong, it kept me up reading in the dark with my booklight to finish, it just didn't quite flow for me.  A solid and really fun four star read for people who love magic and quirky main characters and historical fantasy.  Glad I tried it.