Spellcaster

Spellcaster by Claudia Gray, 2013 HarperTeen

Nadia Caldani is a witch, but shhh... don't tell anyone.
     When her mother abandoned Nadia, her little brother Cole, and their dad, Dad decided it would be better to make a new start in the small town of Captive's Sound, Rhode Island. But what he can't see is the barrier that causes them to crash their car as the Caldani family comes into town for the first time.
     Nadia can feel the magic throughout town, draining the small town of its life force. Especially the young man who somehow knew to rescue them from the storm and wreck on their arrival. Mateo's family is known for their Cabot Curse, which led one member from each generation of his family to see the future and go insane from the visions. Nadia has haunted Mateo's dreams, mostly dying, and when he meets her his first instinct is to avoid her. But his next instinct draws him closer.
     When a sinkhole sucks her car into the ground, Nadia unwittingly reveals her Craft to Verlaine. But unlike most people, Verlaine isn't put aside by the assurances that magic couldn't possibly exist, and when the two try to see the town's future Verlaine is excited by the prospect of becoming Nadia's Steadfast -- her partner and close friend in magic, lending power to her spells. When Mateo enters and the magic turns to him the young women are shocked: men cannot hold power, they cannot be told of magic, and they definitely cannot become a Steadfast!
     The three find something wrong in their dying town and band together to try and solve the problem. Along the way they discover that magic has touched everyone in town, but why and where did the magic come from? Nadia uncovers an ancient evil bent on unraveling the powers that are a part of Captive's Sound. When that evil turns out to be Mateo's oldest friend, life is completely turned upside down.
     Mateo and Nadia's relationship seems to heat up, their friendship with Verlaine becomes stronger (though why the rest of their classmates either ignore or are cruel to her continues to elude them), and Nadia's powers seem to be progressing enough to defeat their enemy. Through the new friendships in this new town Nadia regains confidence in her Craft and her family's new start seems to be just the ticket.
    Betrayal and abandonment feature significantly in Spellcaster. In turn, companionship and mutual respect (leading to love) become the antidote for the evils assaulting Captive's Sound. Nadia begins as an outcast by choice, but when she is drawn into society she becomes a support for the failing structures. There is a definite sense of what is right and wrong, sometimes it is charmingly naive, however Nadia and her friends discover what they are willing to lose and what they are willing to die for. The tale works well for middle school through high schoolers and lovers of Gray's other books.