In November of 2017, indie author Nicole Woolaston released her first urban paranormal book, The Witch of Fulton Lane. If you’re not familiar with this book, there are several reasons to read it. One: the main character is a young black woman, and a self-proclaimed witch. Two: it deals with the issue of domestic violence. Three: there’s also a series of murders that need to be solved. Four: there are paranormal and occult elements that really make the story work.

Dylan Maycriss, the title character, lives on Fulton Lane in upstate New York, in a house left to her by her mother. She’s a solitary witch, who earns money by doing tarot card readings for clients. Dylan is content to keep to herself and frustrate her nosey neighbors until Stephen and Josie Roman move into a house on the street. Josie is determined to befriend Dylan, who at first, wants no parts of a friendship. When Dylan realizes Josie may need her help, she slowly opens up to her.

The lives of these two women are about to intersect in ways they never could have imagined… 

Those murders I mentioned earlier? Well, they have an important role to play. Dylan’s Aunt Cassandra is a psychic, and she’s helping the police department work on the case. The murderer is discovered, and it hits pretty close to home for both Cassandra and Dylan. In the end, the women stick together, and grow closer (I’m trying very hard not to spoil this for anyone who hasn’t read it yet!)

Woolaston released the sequel in August of 2020, and I have to say I was really looking forward to it. Dylan and her small coven (yes, she has a coven now) make a frightening discovery about a coven of special Wiccans, and their connection to Dylan herself in The Age of the Daughter. Once again, Dylan finds herself getting involved in something she’d rather not be part of, but has not choice but to participate. This coven of Wiccans believe in an event known as the “Age of the Daughter”, a time when women shall overpower men. Their leader is trying to manipulate one of their youngest members and use her powers to make this event take place, and it’s up to Dylan and company to stop her.

Occasionally, a sequel falls flat of its predecessor. Thankfully, that’s not the case with The Age of the Daughter. It lives up to the first book in every way. We learn more about Dylan’s abilities, and make a discovery about Josie, too. And Aradia, the new character who gets introduced, is definitely someone you’ll want to keep your eye on. I liked the way Woolaston continued to work witchcraft into the story, and she even created a space for the MeToo Movement. You can always tell when an author has done some homework, and Woolaston’s reference to Raven Grimassi’s Italian Witchcraft made me want to read the book for myself. The paranormal and occult elements don’t feel out of place here, and they certainly don’t steal the show. This still reads like a story about a group of women who share a special connection, so even if you’re not into the paranormal or occult stories, you can still enjoy it. The ending leaves plenty of room for a third book, which I hope we’ll see very soon.

The Age of the Daughter is available through Woolaston Entertainment, Amazon and B&N.

–Ebunnygirl