Old Magic by Marianne Curley

Old Magic

by Marianne Curley

When Kate first sees Jarrod she senses that he is special and that like her, he has magical powers. But she also knows he is completely unaware of his gift and will be difficult to persuade. Kate's grandmother realises that Jarrod and his family have an ancient curse placed upon them which they must tackle before Jarrod's life, along with the lives of his parents and little brother, can become happy, peaceful and free of the troubles that have plagued them. He must learn to use his gift, and when he does, Kate and Jarrod find themselves in a time hundreds of years old, and very very far from home pitched in the greatest battle of their lives. A fabulous book with the perfect combination of pace, intrigue, suspense, utterly entrancing characters, and romance.

Reviewed by Baroness Book Trove on

5 of 5 stars

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Old Magic by Marianne Curley is an intriguing mix of a young adult fantasy with a hint of time travel.

Can Kate get Jarrod to believe in himself after all?


Kate Warren


Kate Warren is our first point of view person. She has had a tough life from the moment Kate was born to meeting Jarrod. Kate is an interesting character who was born with the ability to have magic. She loves this about herself and doesn't care what everyone else thinks in their small mountain town. Yes, at times, the bullying sucks, but Kate has had sixteen years of dealing with it. Kate wants to help Jarrod as she knows that he has a lot of potential with his magic if he just believes, which is harder to get him to do.

What I like about Kate is that even though she has a lot of things going against her, she still believes in the good in people. Another thing that I like about her is that Kate doesn't give up for anything to get someone to believe in themselves. Let it be because they are gifted with magic or to be more confident in themselves. 

Jarrod Thornton


Jarrod Thornton is our next point of view person and Kate's love interest. He is new to the small mountain town and, on his first day, encounters a bully. Jarrod's life isn't all that great with all the bad things that have somehow happened to him and his family so far. He doesn't know what to think since he just wants an everyday life where he isn't clumsy or anything like that. Granted, that is hard to come by as bad things just follow them all the time. Jarrod is a good guy who was dealt a bad hand from the moment he was born.

What I like about him is that despite his need for wanting to fit in, Jarrod tries his hardest to be around Kate. Another thing that I like about Jarrod is how protective he is of his little brother. The last thing that I like about Jarrod is that he might believe what Kate has been telling him all along.

Five Stars


I loved reading this book when I first got it back in high school. 2020 is Old Magic's 20th birthday year, so I felt I needed to re-read it. This book is fantastic, and I loved every minute of it. Ms. Curley got me to think about things that are a bit different, like in this book. Kate and Jarrod are two fascinating characters that have a lot going on for them. Another thing that I like about this book is that it takes a different approach to the seventh son thing as well. 

I am giving Old Magic by Marianne Curley a five-star rating and recommending it to anyone that loves to read young adult fantasy with some time travel in it. 



Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Old Magic by Marianne Curley. 

Until the next time,



Happy Reading!

This review was originally posted on Baroness' Book Trove

Last modified on

Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 30 April, 2020: Finished reading
  • 30 April, 2020: Reviewed