The Black Witch (The Black Witch Chronicles #1)

I fell in love with the world building in this book…the beautiful setting, the depth and variety of characters, the complexity of the relationships, and how amazing it is to see the progression of Elloren’s growth–and that was an important part to me. Their violent history and racial divides set up a complicated backdrop to this coming-of-age story. It was hard not to empathize and draw comparisons to reality, but with Elloren’s resilience and steadfastness, you can’t help but feel hopeful and have faith in people.

I’m still thinking about these characters thirteen hours later, and all I want to do is grab a cup of tea and delve right back into the book. I rarely want to reread a story, but the richness of this one has me thinking I had to have missed something the first time through. Well, that’s the excuse I’ll be using to reread it anyway…not that I need one 😉

Book 2 cannot come fast enough!

I was especially interested in checking out this book after seeing it unfairly trashed on Goodreads, mostly by people who haven’t read it. Are there racist themes in this book? Yes. But people are acting like this book is a hate crime, and they’re completely missing the point. Fiction is supposed to make you uncomfortable at times, and your characters need room to grow.

The story revolves around a naive (but flawed) Elloren, whose harsh opinions of other races are the product of how she was raised. As the descendant of a famous witch, 17-year-old Elloren escapes marriage (or rather, the “wandfasting” ritual) and attends university instead, where she encounters many fantastical races. Obvious comparisons will be made to Harry Potter, but the world in “The Black Witch” felt totally unique to me. While it’s not quite as addictive as Harry Potter, I thought it was imaginative and thrilling. Harry Potter was not without its share of prejudice either. Had it been published on 2017, would readers be offended by “mudblood?” One of the complaints about this book was the use of the word “half-breed” to describe certain races. I’m a mixed race reader, but I saw no reason to be offended. It was just the harsh reality of Elloren’s world.

All in all, I thought it was an enjoyable magical adventure. While it’s not without its flaws, if you keep an open mind, the dialogue and world-building really pull you in. I look forward to reading the author’s next work.

After generations of subjugation and enslavement by the Urisk and Kelts, the Gardnerians , by the strength of their dark horse champion, the Black Witch herself, overthrew their masters and became the great power in the region. And in fifteen short years became the subjugaters and enslavers in their turn. Elloren’s parents died in that war; she’s grown up in an increasingly powerful and religiously orthodox Gardneria. Which is where our story begins. Their xenophobia, dogma, and intolerance is all Elloren has ever known…

Until she goes to a foreign university and encounters others: Kelts and Urisk to be sure, but also Lupines (werewolves) and Elves, even Icarals, the dreaded winged-people. And ideas. Ideas different from and threatening to the culture she grew up in. Ideas that gradually teach her to see the world for how it truly is.

The Black Witch is an astonishingly quick read for 601 pages because it’s so artfully well-written, a true page-turner! And the messages of overcoming bigotry, embracing diversity, and standing up to injustice however it presents itself, are vital ones for tweens, teens and adults of all persuasions. I wholeheartedly and unabashedly recommend The Black Witch for everybody!

I read a lot, usually a book a day , so when I say that I really enjoyed this book far above other’s its quite a compliment.
I started reading this book at 9 PM and it was after 3 AM before I could put the book down and go to bed. I am anxiously waiting for the next book in the series .

Everyone keeps talking about the prejudice and bigotry of this book, but this book is that and so much more. It’s a fantasy about a girl finding her own self instead of who everyone expected her to be. Now, the bigotry is there heavily, but it is portrayed in a way to show how easy ignorance is taught and spread. But it was delightfully realistic In the main characters behavior, it was how a person reacts to hate, they begin to hate back, till more and more hate spread ignorantly. This story showed that process but also having the strength to question that which has been drilled into her head since childhood. That maybe our parents or ancestors were wrong. Honestly it was a great story, I wasn’t hung up on all the prejudice as much as the story as a whole wonderful journey of a girli’s life with action, love, friendship, magic, shapes shifters, elves and even dragons. I really enjoyed it

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