Imagine waking up in a world gone insane, where you and your brother have become outlaws overnight for seemingly no reason at all.

This is life for Wisteria Allgood.

Along with her brother Whitford, Wisty is cornered in her living room one night by a small army. They accuse her of being a witch. Which is ridiculous. Wisty is by no means perfect. She often finds herself in detention for skipping class and talking back. That doesn't mean she's magical. As she sees her parents carted away, Wisty feels an intense desire to help them... which caused her to burst into flames. Huh. Maybe there's something to that witch thing after all.

After getting extinguished by the aforementioned small army, Whit and Wisty are taken to jail. Given very little food and water, they barely survive. Then one fateful night, Whit gets a visit from his girlfriend Celia who has been missing since before this mess began. She tells him that she's dead; she was murdered by the villainous "New Order"—the same cult-like group that imprisoned him. Now in a sort of afterlife called the "Shadowland," she offers to help the pair escape.

Whit and Wisty are then taken to an abandoned department store where they accidentally become the figureheads in a rebellion against the New Order. They still know very little about their powers or their past. The New Order's evil leader, The One Who Is The One, eventually confronts them with terrifying prophecies about their future. They finally resolve to find their parents and help their new friends fight against the injustice that has taken over their everyday life.

I'll admit, I was a little skeptical about reading a James Patterson novel for young adults. I was pleasantly surprised by just how much I enjoyed Witch & Wizard. It's an accidental thrill ride that the pair find themselves on. Both Whit and Wisty are compelling characters who are very easy to relate to in one way or another. This makes readers excited to find out just what magical craziness lies in wait around the next corner. With a sequel titled The Gift already out, I am excited to read about the Allgoods' next amazing adventure.