I won this ARC at Teen B-Fest. I've never read an ARC before, so I wasn't sure what to expect. 
 I can say that I was pleasantly surprised. I am not sure if this is a middle grade or YA, as it seems to blur the line between the two from the almost immature yet hardened mannerisms of the main characters to the disturbing images that are described with dark detail. 
 "The babies were born as the clocks struck twelve. As they finally slid from their mothers' bellies, wet and sticky, their tiny faces scrunched up with the effort of being born, their fists clenched and eyes shut tight, a dark cloud crossed the full moon, and out in the forest the sky turned black. A bat fell from the air midflight. A silver salmon floated dead to the surface of the river. Snails withered in their shells, moths turned to dust on the night breeze, and an out ate its young. 
 The spell had been cast." 
 The Hawkweed Prophecy prologue sets the scene with an intriguing hook that caught my attention, but the entire story had me captivated. 
 Poppy Hooper doesn't fit in with other kids. Not just because of her home life, which is in shambles, but because she always knew she was different, no matter how much she tried to hide it. Other kids feared and ostracized her, her own father was detached and almost uncaring, and you didn't even want to start the conversation about her mother. Her only companions were the many cats that seemed to follow her, no matter where in the country her Dad moved them. 
 Ember Hawkweed is a shining light within her coven, standing out in ways a witch shouldn't stand out. She has golden hair, bright eyes and a warm smile, not to a mention a love for nice, pretty things. What she lacks in powers she makes up for with an tender, innocent heart. 
 When their paths cross, even though they are from two completely different lives, they become best friends, leaning on each other knowing that they don't fit in with others. But, as the secrets they both have come to light, so does the darker meaning behind it all, and that their meeting was not chance, but prophecy. An ancient prophecy that can not come to pass without love, loss, betrayal, and dark forces that have come to wreak havoc and leave a trail of bloodshed in its wake... 
 A good quarter or more through this book I was mildly interested, but the further I got into it, the more it sucked me in. Poppy and Ember are two very different girls that can find common ground. Each development within the story either brought about or solved a mystery, creating a never ending look of questions and answers to leave you turning the pages to trail after them. 
 I gave this book a 4/5 stars because I really enjoyed the story and the characters, but what kept me from giving it 5 stars was the style of writing. It was very different, almost simple, but not bad in a way to overshadow the whole book. I enjoyed it so much that it is very possible I will purchase the final puplished version and will await the next book.