The Black Witch

The Black Witch Chronicles, Book 1

By: Laurie Forest

Narrated by: Julia Whelan

The New York Times bestselling series!

“Maximum suspense, unusual magic—a whole new, thrilling approach to fantasy!”
—Tamora Pierce, #1 New York Times bestselling author

Powerful magic. A deadly legacy. A world at the edge of war. Prepare to be spellbound by fantasy series, The Black Witch Chronicles.

Elloren Gardner is the spitting image of her grandmother, who drove back the enemy forces in the last Realm War. But while her people believe she will follow in her grandmother's footsteps and become the next Black Witch of prophecy, Elloren is devoid of power in a society that prizes magical ability above all else.

When she is granted the opportunity to pursue her dream of becoming an apothecary, Elloren joins her brothers at Verpax University. But she soon realizes that the university may be the most treacherous place of all for the granddaughter of the Black Witch.

As evil looms and the pressure to live up to her heritage builds, Elloren's best hope of survival may be among a secret band of rebels…if only she can find the courage to trust those she’s been taught to fear.

Critics are raving about Laurie Forest’s incredible debut, The Black Witch:

“Forest uses a richly imagined magical world to offer an uncompromising condemnation of prejudice and injustice.”
—Booklist, starred review

“A noteworthy debut.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Briskly paced, tightly plotted.”
—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

Books in The Black Witch Chronicles:
The Black Witch
The Iron Flower
The Shadow Wand
The Demon Tide
The Dryad Storm
Wandfasted (ebook novella)*
Light Mage (ebook novella)*

* Also available in print in The Rebel Mages anthology

A fanciful, yet uneasy, familiarity

Great narration!

IMO, it's fantasy meets reality. Other worldly creatures face racism, bigotry, misogyny etc. The characters feel real (flawed) but with convincing personal evolution.
It IS somewhat predictable, the way life and history are.
It's not ground breaking and doesn't have to be. It's still a fun listen, and it's fiction so enjoy.

should be required reading for every American

Absolutely amazing. The characters were compelling, the world-building was flawless, the story is crucial to America's current political climate. To top it all of, the narration brought everything to life perfectly. I didn't want it to end.

3.5 Stars. Book has a lot to offer.

Any additional comments?

3.5 stars, although I enjoyed it as if it were a 4-star (probably because I came into this book fresh off of a DNF).

In a nutshell, I enjoyed this book, despite some flaws, and I will be continuing the series.

This book has a lot to offer: Supernatural creatures, magic, interesting settings, interesting complex background, a self-discovery/world-discovery story, romantic tensions, racial tensions, and much more.

There were a lot of characters, but they’re introduced in a way that’s not confusing or overwhelming. The dynamics between them all shift and develop in ways that were really great and interesting to see. I can say that by the end of the book, there wasn’t a single main or second-tier character that I didn’t enjoy. Every character has a purpose, has a special distinction (no characters blur together or could get mixed up), and has complex relationships of their own which were really great to see.

Towards the beginning of the book, Elloren’s naivety was beginning to grate on me. She was making choices with her actions and feelings that, to me, were incredibly wrong. I waited for her to see the light and even worried that it wouldn’t happen—afraid that I had another Adelina Amouteru on my hands (see The Young Elites by Marie Lu). Instead, the author slowly turned it around and really showed the process of someone realizing racism and privilege. The book is really a story of Elloren becoming awake and taking a good look around her; I really enjoyed that and don’t think I’ve read a story quite like Elloren’s journey before.I really enjoyed getting to see, not only Elloren’s journey of discovery, but I loved getting to meet all of the other characters and seeing those relationships grow. I know I’ve already mentioned this somewhat, but it really is a main focus of the book.

Which brings me to the flaws...
This book is the definition of a slow burn, a simmering pot of water. There’s conflict, but nothing that felt too major or life-changing. It got close towards the very end, but that event still felt like a stepping stone. This book is mainly a build-up. A build-up of characters, relationships, political tensions, etc. This is usual for a second book in a series, but I’ve never felt this way about a first book before. The book felt like it had no driving force, no big catalyst, no big world-changing event. Everything was slow, incremental.
Since I found myself enjoying the characters, relationships, etc. so much, this didn’t bother me as much as it otherwise would have. But it still needs to be said. The book was lacking speed and major action.

Also, the initial world-building game needed to be upped. I have no idea what the lay of the land looks like. I got lost in all of the races and their histories. I was mostly un-oriented throughout the book, which was unpleasant. As I said, I was able to overlook these flaws and still enjoy the book. I’ll be continuing the series and look forward to seeing where Elloren’s journey takes her.

Wonderful Book

Some say this was a slow read; however, I love a read that creates a whole world and gives you vivid detail that is like you are watching a 4K movie. This is definitely a book worth buying and I can’t wait for the next book to come out!

This book took me by complete surprise!

I’ve never felt the need to compose a book review before, but I enjoyed The Black Witch far more than I thought I would. The world that Laurie Forest has created is convincing and original, the characters multifaceted and believable, and the story line perfectly plotted and full of surprises. Big 5 stars here. As usual, Julia Whelan gives a superb performance. 👌🏼