The Gift (Witch & Wizard, #2)

by James Patterson

Leading the Resistance, Whit and Wisty face their most daunting challenge yet in the jaw-dropping sequel to Witch & Wizard.
When Whit and Wisty were imprisoned by the wicked forces of the totalitarian regime known as the New Order, they were barely able to escape with their lives. Now part of a hidden community of teens like themselves, Whit and Wisty have established themselves as leaders of the Resistance, willing to sacrifice anything to save kidnapped and imprisoned kids.
Now the villainous leader of the New Order is just a breath away from the ability to control the forces of nature and to manipulate his citizens on the most profound level imaginable: through their minds. There is only one more thing he needs to triumph in his evil quest: the Gifts of Whit and Wisty Allgood. And he will stop at nothing to seize them.
In this second installment of James Patterson's epic Witch & Wizard series, Whit and Wisty's heart-pounding adventures through the Overworld and Shadowland lead to a spectacular climax and conclusion.

• ISBN10: 0316038350
• ISBN13: 9780316038355
• Publish Date: 25 October 2011 (first published 4 November 2010)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Little, Brown & Company
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 400
• Language: English

Reviews

I might prefer The Gift over Witch & Wizard, but it's still not great. 

The biggest problem is that events and character development don't occur naturally, but are rather contrived out of nothing for the sake of plot. The main characters, Whit and Wisty, gain powers and abilities as and when needed, without any understandable or valid explanation, and soon they will probably be able to do anything under the sun. I usually don't mind The Chosen One trope, but I don't like when there's deus ex machina happenings. 

The characters are flat and static and the dialogue is unrealistic and cringy. Whit has a cardboard personality. Wisty is too trusting and gullible and I couldn't believe she would be that way after her experiences. Byron is the most interesting character in this series, but his potential is wasted. One good aspect: I started taking The One Who Is The One (also known as The One Who Needs A Better Title) a little more seriously, but he's still a stereotypical villain and I have no doubt that Whit and Wisty will be able to defeat him because he stays failing. 

This is also a series that doesn't need romance. There is a pairing that I like in theory, Byron and Wisty, but it's poorly executed because the one-sided love and its declarations come out of nowhere and even becomes that character's driving force. The other pairing, Whit and Janine, doesn't make sense. Whit is apparently madly in love with Celia so why in the world is he starting something with Janine. 

The Gift might not be a great book, but it's fast-paced and held my interest while I was reading. It wasn't a chore to read and that counts for something. 

[wyvernfriend]

Trying very hard to be clever but just doesn't work quite right, readable but somehow meh.

[Kim Deister]

The Gift is the second novel the young adult series, Witch & Wizard. The cliffhanger from the first novel led neatly into the second novel, the ongoing adventures of Whit and Wisty Allgood in their changing world. Freeland (the outlying areas populated by children who have managed to avoid being kidnapped, imprisoned, and brainwashed) is growing smaller as the New Order scouts delve farther and farther into the territory. The leader of the New Order, The One Who Is The One, is on obsessive quest to seize control of the Allgoods and their undeniable gifts. In this novel, the dystopian theme is further developed as we learn more about how the New Order operates. Magic isn't magic, but energy. Children that they want to brainwash and use for New Order purposes are not witches and wizards, although those they don't want are labeled as such. The characters of Whit and Wisty were further developed in this novel, more as individuals than in the first. Whit is almost obsessed with his need for his now-dead girlfriend, and Wisty has some romantic entanglements of her own. Patterson's writing style translates well to the young adult demographic with the dialogues between the characters. It was humorous and witty at key points with the story. Once again, the chapters were fairly short, shifting the point of view of each chapter between Whit and Wisty. That technique kept the story interesting, adding texture to it. I think The Gift may have been my favorite of the two so far. The next book in the series, Witch & Wizard: The Fire, will be out in December 2011.