Henry H. Neff’s series The Tapestry begins with The Hound of Rowan. The novel is set at Rowan Academy, a secluded boarding school in New England which is a safe haven for magic of all kinds. You have your mystics (Harry Potter-esque magic), Agents (very athletic spies for the school who spend most of their time defending the school or going on confidential missions around the world), and Engineers (who create magic devices and innovative technology). And let’s not forget the Sanctuary, which is filled with almost extinct magical creatures long lost to the memories of man, or the ogre and hag who work in the kitchens.

But life at Rowan Academy or within its world of magic is not everything that it seems. Students are going missing,
and there are rumors that Astaroth, the leader of demons or something like that, is rising to power and breaking out of his prison. And somehow, the job of solving all of these mysteries falls into the hands of Max McDaniels and his sickly roommate, David Menlo.

This series is honestly pretty similar to Harry Potter, at least for the first book. Starting in The Second Siege, the second book of the series, it’s very different from Harry Potter. Nevertheless, the first book is very similar, especially in ways which I can’t blog about in fear of giving away important spoilers. But still, it’s a really good book.

I’d probably give The Hound of Rowan 4/5 stars. I liked the plot and the idea, but have to take off points for poor character development of David Menlo and for the many similarities to Harry Potter. It’s a very good read, if a little dark at times, and I would recommend it to anyone who loved Harry Potter, or likes the idea of a magical school hidden away somewhere in New England.