The Thickety: A Path Begins

By: J. A. White

Narrated by: Susan Duerden

A spellbinding tale about a girl, the Thickety, and the power of magic. Fans of Neil Gaiman will love this thrilling world.

A dark, forbidden forest. Vicious beasts. Deadly plants. An evil spellbook. Secrets. Mysteries. Witches, both good and bad . . . Welcome to the world of the Thickety.

Full of action, set in an intriguing and dangerous world, The Thickety: A Path Begins is a truly stunning book.

A Path Begins is the thrilling start of a middle grade fantasy series about a girl, a mysterious forest, and a book of untold magical powers. Kara and her brother, Taff, are shunned by their village because their mother was a witch. The villagers believe nothing is more evil than magic, except for what lurks in the nearby Thickety.

But when Kara enters the forbidden forest, she discovers a strange book, a grimoire that might have belonged to her mother. The events she then sets in motion are both awe-inspiring and terrifying.

And that is just the beginning of the story—there are three more adventures in the Thickety to explore after this first book in the series.

• Publishers Weekly Best Book
• IndieBound Indie Next List
• Publishers Weekly Flying Start
• Amazon's Big Spring Books
• Washington Post Summer Book Club

Amazing!!!!!!

This is the best book ever book 2,3,4. Here I come!!!! I can't wait yayyayay

Absolutely amazing!

Susan Duerden probably has the most diverse vocal range for a story full of varying ages and gender characters. The only negative comment I would leave is that her narrative ability is marred by a sing-song lull. Otherwise, she did a magnificent job of telling a magical tale.

Its great

The story is great it has a lot of lessons in it but the reader is not that great the voices are very high pitched and get very annoying,

Really Good at age 9 or 49

I’m 49 and I loved this series. The writing style is quality, and the tone and mood is distinct. I personally found the protagonist sometimes annoying but it didn’t ruin the books for me at all. Taking in the Thickety series was like taking a trip thru a mysterious fantasyland, with some surprisingly high-stake storylines and wince-worthy betrayals that I’d expect more from adult fiction. Maybe this is similar to Harry Potter in that way? The protagonist goes thru some serious s and fights some very powerful evil over the series.

Inventive story but a little cliched and long

What did you love best about The Thickety?

The thickety itself being the most interesting element - I wish there had been more about it in the story. I also liked the idea of the grimoire being like a living thing

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

More editing, faster pace, less tortuous events for the main character to endure.

Which character – as performed by Susan Duerden – was your favorite?

I wasn't aware that she did all the voices - if she did - she does a great male voice. I liked the voice of Sordyr

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Spoiler alert - when her brother was healed

Any additional comments?

The themes of being the daughter of a witch and being an outcast are well worn - I feel like I've heard this story many times before. Certain elements were fresh and new - like the mechanical bird that watches Kara, the spells appearing in the Grimoire - after you have perfected them, etc. But overall, a great listen and would make a great movie - if paced better.