[CAUTION: minor spoilers!]
I was elated upon my discovery of Wither, Passarella's first novel in what I believe will be a trilogy of horror/thriller novels centered around the ever-diabolical witch Elizabeth Wither. I had searched high and low for a quality story about witches, and here it was, embodied in this wonderful novel. You can imagine, then, the absolute euphoria that swept over me when I read Wither's Rain, the sequel to Wither, and found that it involved not one, but two of my mythical interests, beautifully adding a young werewolf to the mix.
Well, maybe not a werewolf per se. Nine year-old Abby MacNeil, changed irrevocably by her first encounter with Wither, has become a shape-shifter, taking on the form of a white wolf. Also changed by their earlier encounters with the evil witches of old Windale, Massachusetts are Karen Glazer and her daughter Hannah, who seems to be maturing in both body and mind at an exceptionally accelerated rate. And, of course, there's Wendy Ward, the teenage Wicca whose body had been chosen by Wither herself to inhabit after her three-hundred-year nap in a farm outside of the city. Wendy thought she'd rid herself of the evil witch, crushing her in the final chapters of Wither, but she was wrong. Now, Wither has taken refuge in the body of high school student Gina Thorne, and continues on with her chaotic behavior, and her prideful pursuit of Wendy, the woman who almost destroyed her. With the aid of a watchful old woman from the future, Wendy must destroy Wither once and for all, before its too late and no matter the cost.
Passarella is incredible in his ability to make his characters come alive on the page. I could literally feel the fear that swelled through Wendy as she raced to save her parents from Gina's wrath, and oxygen seemed a rare commodity to me as little Abby lie dying on the cold floor of Wendy's cabin. More than once I found myself whispering such phrases as No, don't go in there! Hit him, hit him! Look out! You'll be okay, it'll all be okay. Passarella has a rare knack for making his readers empathize with his characters, and an even rarer talent for scaring the hell out of us.
The characterization of Gina Thorne was purely magical. The indifference with which she regarded her victims, the whimsical way she expelled them and moved on, the sexy wiles with which she engaged her intended "Keepers" or simple play things. Never have I liked a villain so much, she has become my newest guilty pleasure.
My only qualm with this book was that it had to end, as do all good things, they say. From page one to the final confrontation, the chills never stopped coming. Passarella is making a name for himself in the horror writing industry. If it were up to me, that name would be bathed in light, the light reserved for only the best.