"incantation" was a dark, compelling read set during the Spanish Inquisition. Through the eyes of a young Jewish woman, Estrella, the main protagonist, the reader witnesses a world full of evil and senseless brutality. Estrella's life as she knows it is stolen from her thanks to jealousy and vindictiveness. While Catalina showed her true ugliness, Estrella was a shining light.

This novel brought tears to my eyes on more than one occasion but it was this line in the final chapter that moved me the most: Some people say, Save yourself and you save your life. I say, Be yourself and save your soul.

A compelling read. ( )

I loved the poetic writing and the realism. ( )

a good historical fiction story that covers a topic often joked about (the spanish inquisition) but not often actually learned about. I liked that it focused on family and culture but I didnt like the romantic aspects much since I felt they werent properly fleshed out or necesary. Also, for some reason all the copy I read had all the dialogue in intalics instead of quotations which I found confusing. But thats probably just me being picky. :P ( )

I give this book 3.5 stars. It's a quick read about a Jewish girl and her family in the time of the Inquisition. I don't usually read books about religion but this one caught my attention and it ended up being a story about family, friendship and love but also about jealousy, hate and lack of knowledge that always leads to terrible consequences. It's a small story that tells how a young woman escapes from her home in search of a place that will accept her. This book reminded me of the Second World War and all the lives lost. Bottom line: we should never forget who we are and stay true to ourselves no matter what. ( )

I went into this book thinking that I was getting another of Hoffman's signature stories infused with magic and witchcraft (I mean, come on, the title is Incantation!), but instead I got some decidedly non-magical historical fiction! The story is set during the time of the Spanish Inquisition, following a young girl just coming of age, who discovers the truth that her family are secretly Jewish. Her story is pretty simple to follow, and heartrending when you think about the horrific acts of brutality that were carried out in the name of Christianity, but I felt like we were missing a bit of connection to the character. Estrella is disconnected from the truth about her faith, and she's honestly more concerned with the tension with her overly strict grandmother and with her best friend, so I didn't feel like the themes were that effectively laid out. The religious aspects of her family life seem pale in comparison to the small hints about her mother's Kabballah magic, and Estrella's driving force seems to be figuring out how to be in love with Andres (her best friend's fiancé and a Christian). With more time to flesh out the story, time period, and characters, I feel like this would be a fascinating story (on par with Hoffman's later historical Jewish novels like The World That We Knew), but in this shortened novella aimed largely at the teen market I feel like we're left hanging a bit. ( )