So Mote It Be: In So Mote It Be, the girls first meet one another and first learn what Wicca is. Although Kate is the most unsure of all as to if they should study Wicca at all, they all end up finding a little more about it – and getting interested in it. But, of course, no good series could start without a good problem. And what’s that problem? Kate’s love spell backfired and now all the guys at her school like her (for more on this plot, see the Plot: section of this article). Not only that, but she tries a second spell that goes wrong and can’t seem to fix it all. Isobel Bird made a great choice is making the first lesson learned that of what kind of magick Wiccans shouldn’t cast and what happens if they go wrong. The "backfire" problems may be a little extreme, but they get the point across very clearly and in a way that lets even younger teens understand. This book really sets the foundation for the rest of the series and the foundation is good, indeed. The first book also explains some of the basics of Wicca and is great for those who are just getting interested in Wicca because it shows them what Wicca really is and can help them decide if it’s what they’re looking for or not.

Merry Meet: In Merry Meet, the girls decide to try out the Dedication ritual. I really loved reading about this because, although I never dedicated myself, I think if I did, I would have wanted it to be as Bird describes. This book is much like the first, showing more basics of Wicca. This is also the book where Kate, Cooper, and Annie attend an Ostara ritual and they all first meet two new (and, later, important) people: Sasha and Tyler. This book also is where the trio finds out about Wicca classes they look into taking that are taught at a local store, Crone’s Circle. But I think that the most important part of this book is it shows more obviously the "crack" in Kate’s life because of all of this: she’s struggling to make her old life and friends (the popular ones) mix with her new friends and life (that of Annie, Cooper, and, of course, Wicca) without revealing to her old friends that she’s into this kind of thing. This theme is very important; I know that many people out there faced or will face this same struggle and it will prove comforting to them to see that other people have gone through it, too. It also is interesting to see what all happens to Kate because of this and see how she overcomes obstacles to find what’s right.

Second Sight: Second Sight is the first C.O.T. book that includes very "weird" topics that some may say are "fake": seeing spirits. One of the girls finds out she has a "Second Sight" and is seeing visions of a girl who was killed and wants justice. This said girl keeps having stronger and stronger feelings (taste, smells, etc.) of being abducted and knows she’s feeling them because it happened to a girl in their town. But how can see help the girl if her only reason for knowing these things is that she’s seeing ghosts? Together, the trio tries to work through this and find the truth. In this book, they also experience another Sabbat: Beltaine. They attend a great ritual on the beachside, complete with a May Pole, dancing, jumping over fire, and fun! Second Sight is a truly interesting read and one you’ll remember forever.

What the Cards Said: In What the Cards Said, the obvious theme brought up is Tarot cards. Annie discovers her own talent: reading Tarot cards. She’s amazing at them and she loves the attention it starts to get her – especially that from the "in" crowd. Soon after people find out what she can do, the popular girls start taking interest in her, although she doesn’t seem to realize they only are because they want to use her. Instead, she gets offended at the idea that that’s all they want and even starts to not trust her real friends. Will she realize soon enough that Tarot cards have to be used wisely? What the Cards Said hold another good lesson – that looking into the future can be dangerous and what you see may not always be true. It shows the results of misusing divination and how Annie could have avoided this mess if she’d realized her friends weren’t trying to sabotage her. I think that this happening, though, actually brings the girls closer together and helps Annie realize she doesn’t need to be "cool" to be happy.

In the Dreaming: Ah, In the Dreaming. Of all of the series’ books, this one close-to tops my list. Not only does it take on a new style of writing – alternating between the girl’s adventures after they are separated with each chapter – but it cleanly mixes reality with fantasy – or so it wants you to think. What happens in this book will make you wonder …does such magick exist? Could this happen to me? In "In the Dreaming", the girls celebrate Midsummer, a night known for its crazy magickal happenings. At first, they all go to a ritual in a forest together, all of them wearing costumes because they were told to wear one. But soon after arriving and being warned that strange and mysterious things will happen that night, they get separated. Each of them ends up having great and moving adventures that reveal something to them about themselves. They all learn something very important, but I won’t give it away here. In the Dreaming is truly a page-turner; I didn’t put it down until I finished! Bird weaves the fantastic stories together in such a way that makes you think, really think, about many things in your own life. For this one, I’ll let you read it for yourself and experience with the girls the wonderful happenings that occur on Midsummer’s Eve. And if that’s not enough to get you to read this one, let me add in this: at the end of this one, one of the girls decides she’s not so sure if Wicca is for her anymore…and leaves.

Ring of Light: With one of the girls having abandoned the group, what is the remaining duo to do? At first, this separation hurts them all; the girl that left the group is feeling alone and afraid, and her friends miss her, but can’t convince her to return. Just when you think they they’ll never see each other again, though, something worse happens: one of the girls learns that someone in her family may be dying. Devastated by the news, they all start to wonder: can they really help the hurt person if they’re split up? Can they manage to repair their broken bonds in time to try to stop this from happening?

Blue Moon: Annie is the main focus in Blue Moon this time. A Blue Moon is the "extra" full moon in one month or every year (there are 13 full moons, but 12 months) and is thought to be extra special, more powerful. But when Annie mentions this to her friends, they are too busy to do a ritual with her. Angry that they "don’t care," she decides to do one by herself; she plans an aspecting ritual, one that is supposed to channel the God or Goddess of choice in the person. Although Annie thinks this is a great idea at first, soon the Goddess she channels takes over a little too much, causing Annie to drift away from her friends once more. Can they find out what Annie did in time to bring her back? Like the other books, there is a great lesson in this one: be careful what magick you cast if you’re doing it alone. If Annie had told her friends and other people she trusted that she was doing this, they may have been able to give her the heads up earlier that she was becoming something kind mean and kind of bad. It also teaches, of course, about what aspecting is, as well as teaching why a Blue Moon is so special.

The Five Paths: The reason The Five Paths is one of my favorites in the C.O.T. series is because it brings up an important issue: discrimination. In this book, Cooper decides to wear a silver pentacle necklace she got to school and pretty much everywhere she goes. This seems to "prove the rumors" about her to her people, making her a new prime target in the school – and out. When she’s suddenly called to the school office, she’s confused about why. That is, until the principle says that people are complaining about her necklace because they think it means evil things. The entire book is filled with events related to this, like her going to the school board over it to try to get them to let her wear it and even the trio getting attacked by "thugs" that think they girls are evil and crazy. It also brings up something I think it is important for all Wiccans to know: if you’re being truly discriminated against, the law will be on your side, even if you are Wiccan.

Through the Veil: There isn’t much to say about this one without giving too much away: First of all, the girls celebrate their first Samhain (Halloween) as Wiccans. They learn about the Sabbat, especially about how it is said to be the time when the veil between the worlds is thinnest. Although Cooper and Kate have their own stories in this, the main tale is about Annie. Why? Because she’s missing her dead parents more and more and now that it’s Samhain, they are closer than she thinks...

Making the Saint: Making the Saint is, in my opinion, a very important book in this series. In the class the girls are taking, they are asked to pull a slip of paper out of a bag to receive the name of another Pagan religion. They are then asked to research the religion they have gotten to show them that there are other paths a person can take and that Wicca is not right for everyone. Kate gets Santeria and this is where the problems begin. Kate starts getting very interested in Santeria and ends up breaking away from her friends a little bit. Not only are they not as into Santeria, but Annie and Kate have been having problems (I won’t give away why, though ;)). Because of this, Kate starts forgetting the Wiccan Rede and ends up hurting a friend. Can her friends bring her back to them before she hurts more? Please note that this book was not intended to bash Santeria or any other religion. It just again is reinforcing the fact that you should not hurt people, especially your friends.

The House of Winter: Like In the Dreaming, The House of Winter has a more "magickal" theme to it. Once again, the girls are faced with the paranormal: ghosts. When the Winter Solstice (Yule) arrives, they go to a "Yule retreat" with their class and other covens, along with Sasha. They’ll stay for a while in a large hotel-esque house with everyone else and take classes based on the elements. Things are going great with the three girls and Sasha all taking different classes, but when a huge blizzard strikes, the ghost problems that had started before come to a head. In the midst of all the commotion, one girl will come close to death. Can they figure out how to save those in trouble in time? This one is really great, although maybe a bit too "fiction-y" sounding. Still, it’s exciting and has a strange mystery I’m sure you’ll love.

Written in the Stars: With the New Year arriving soon, the class that Kate, Cooper and Annie are taking brings about a new study: that of astrology, or the study of stars. It is said that astrology can tell the future. But what if what the girls find out isn’t so great? This one, again, focuses on Annie and her past – and her future. Annie is most affected by what the stars say because of her scientific way of thinking. She doesn’t like feeling that everything is predestined to happen in her life. I love that they talk about astrology in this and what Annie finds out is…well, you’ll have to read to find out.

And It Harm None: It’s hard to explain this book without giving away all that happens, so I’ll try my best. In And It Harm None, the trio finds out about Sasha’s past, something that hasn’t been revealed up until now. But the reason they find more is because it’s starting to catch up to Sasha. Not only that, but they meet another girl in trouble. Can the girls stop a killer before it’s too late? This one is pretty good, although I can’t remember it 100%. A lot happens, and although it’s a bit predictable, I liked reading about what happened. Learning about Sasha’s past also was a plus for this book.

The Challenge Box: Oh, I’m so tempted to give it all away for this book – but I won’t. This book is very important; it is the last step the girls have to take to be accepted to be Initiated into a coven. Before they can have that happen, though, they are to be tested. Each person in the class they take has to pick a challenge from what is called the Challenge Box. These challenges are unique and it is said a person always picks the one for them. Everyone is told, though, that they are not allowed to tell anyone else their challenge. Although that’s a challenge in and of itself, the girls manage to not mention their challenges to each other. But without the help of their friends, will all the girls complete their challenge and get the okay to be Initiated? This one is, in a way, like In the Dreaming because the girls are mostly alone and have to find things out on their own. The challenges they get are not told to the reader right away, but don’t look ahead to see what they get! ;)

Initiation: Although Initiation isn’t as exciting-action-y as some of the other books, I think it’s a good end to the series. The girls start to wonder where to go from where they are and the one girl that wasn’t accepted is starting to feel alone and angry. The accepted girls, though, have their own problem: what coven to join? After being together this whole time, can they manage to separate into different covens? Find out in the final chapter of Circle of Three. I’ll admit, after I finished this book, I wanted to cry. I wish Isobel Bird would have written more series because after finishing this book, I wanted there to be more!