The Black Witch is a brand new YA fiction series authored by Laurie Forest. I picked up The Black Witch by chance at my local library, I really just wanted something to read. It turned out so good that I put book 2, The Iron Flower, on hold and read it immediately. Each book was nearly 600 pages, but the pages flew by in a breeze. It took me 3 days to finish each book! These books are gripping, intense, dark, with an immersive, fantastical world. Here are the synopsis's for each book:
The Black Witch:
Elloren Gardner is the granddaughter of
the last prophesied Black Witch, Carnissa Gardner, who drove back the enemy
forces and saved the Gardnerian people during the Realm War. But while she is
the absolute spitting image of her famous grandmother, Elloren is utterly devoid
of power in a society that prizes magical ability above all else. When she is
granted the opportunity to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming an apothecary,
Elloren joins her brothers at the prestigious Verpax University to embrace a
destiny of her own, free from the shadow of her grandmother’s legacy.
But she soon realizes that the
university, which admits all manner of people—including the fire-wielding,
winged Icarals, the sworn enemies of all Gardnerians—is a treacherous place for
the granddaughter of the Black Witch. As evil looms on the horizon and the
pressure to live up to her heritage builds, everything Elloren thought she knew
will be challenged and torn away. Her best hope of survival may be among the
most unlikely band of misfits…if only she can find the courage to trust those
she’s been taught to hate and fear.
The Iron Flower:
Elloren Gardner and her friends were
only seeking to right a few wrongs, but their actions have propelled them
straight into the ranks of the realm-wide Resistance against Gardnerian
encroachment. As the Resistance struggles against the harsh rulings of High
Priest Marcus Vogel and the Mage Council, Elloren begins to realize that none
of the people she cares about will be safe if Gardneria seizes control of the
Western Realm. With tensions heating up in Verpacia, more and more
Gardnerian soldiers continue to descend upon the university…led by none other
than Lukas Grey, now commander of the newly rebuilt Fourth Division base.
Though Elloren tries to keep him at
arm’s length, Lukas is determined to wandfast to her, convinced that she has
inherited her grandmother’s magic—the prophesied power of the Black Witch. As
his very nearness seems to awaken a darkness inside her, Elloren finds it more
and more difficult to believe that she’s truly powerless, as her uncle always
claimed. Caught between her growing feelings for the rebellious Yvan Guriel and
the seductive power offered by Lukas Grey, Elloren must find a way to stay true
to what she knows is right and protect everyone she loves…even if that means
protecting them from herself.
Review: This series
follows the story of Elloren, a magic less witch, who is being forced to live
up to her Grandmother's prophecy. This book centers around a race war that is
ongoing between many magical races. The Witches and Wizards (Gardenarians) are
against the Elves, Wolves, Sorceresses, Amazonians, Icarals (Dragon Creatures),
Faeries, Selkies (Sea Creatures), and many more.
This book has an intricate political
plot. It deals with many issues such as hierarchies, class systems, and the
dilemma of being pure blood vs. mixed blood. Many characters in the books
are mixed and don't have definitive powers or looks. The Witches and Wizards
pride themselves on being the most pure race, but the reality differs vastly
from their beliefs. They are the superior race thanks to Elloren's Grandmother
and The Realm War. After Marcus Vogel is elected as the new ruler, the racial
tensions only get worse. With his position on council the Gardenarians are in
total control.
Elloren attends a mixed magical school
and learns to overcome her biases. She befriends many people from different
magical races and together the small rag tag team forms a resistance against the
totalitarian Gardenarian regime. This book is dark and brutal. It does not
shy away from topics of war, genocide, and hate crimes. The Gardenarians begin
to burn down other races's houses, brutally kill or mutilate other creatures,
and even cause harm to Elloren's friends. There were so many parts in this book
where I had to hold my breath. Just when it seems like there is a solution on
the horizon, a major plot twist will obliterate my expectations.
Each magical race and their
rules/religions are talked about deeply in this book. The world building is
fantastic. It truly begins to make sense why these races don't see eye to eye,
as each believes their version of religion is the correct one. The way that
Elloren and all her friends come together is very satisfying. In the beginning
they hated each other due to their differences. But they slowly began to
overcome their biases to come together as The Resistance. This series
definitely has the Harry Potter vs Voldemort vibe to it. It does cater to the
The Chosen One archetype. In this book its Elloren vs Vogel. Despite the
similarities to Harry Potter, this book has vastly differing settings, rules,
and magical systems. This book has the heart-skipping danger that adventure
fanatics would love, with rebellious schemes, lots of rescuing, and intense
battles to overthrow tyranny.
The Black Witch and The Iron Flower flow
together seamlessly, as the Iron Flower picks up right where The Black Witch
left off. This series is full of Pros. There is drama, action, mystery, gore,
and an iconic squad of friends. There are cons as well. The main cons that I
noticed is that the author spends a good chunk of the book building up to the
climax. The climax is usually near the last few chapters, which for a 600 page
book is kind of a long wait. Alot of times, I feel as if though a lot can be
condensed in her story telling. But, it doesn't bother me as much since the
world building and immersive story telling makes up for it. For people, who
really like to dwell in a book, a delayed climax might not be a bad thing. One
thing is for sure though, whenever I finish a book in this series it makes me
want more.
Favorite Characters: I have two
ultimate favorite characters in this series. My favorite female character is
Diana Ulrich. She is basically a werewolf princess with a very strong
headed personality. She is impeccably strong, fearless, and quite literally
does not hesitate to rip anyone's head off. She is impulsive, savage, and a
fiercely loyal friend due to her pack mentality. I absolutely adore her. Her
confidence and wild essence is refreshing.
My favorite male character is Yvan
Guriel. He is a Fire Fairy in disguise. He works in the University Kitchens
like Elloren to pay off his tuition fees. He is cold towards her at first but
soon comes around. His character has major development in the second book. In
The Iron Flower his real identity is revealed, and let me just say...wow!!! His
secret identity shifted the whole plot. He is not just a fire fairy but
something more. Something that parallels Elloren. I am not going to spoil it,
but that moment when his true self was revealed was mindblowing. As a character
he is rebellious, humble, and hardworking. He was a part of the Resistance way
before Elloren. Elloren and Yvan eventually do become friends, and very
satisfyingly so.
In retrospect, I would highly recommend
this book series. It is deep, well written, and phenomenal. Each character is
multi-faceted, the solutions are not always clear, and the problems in this
book are certainly challenging as well as reflections of our world today. This
is the best series I have read this year. It is the perfect suspenseful, heart
stopping, fantasy read that you need to try today! Give this series a chance,
it is well worth reading 600 pages per book.
Thank You For
Reading!
-ISBAH xoxo
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