Review: The Black Witch by Laurie Forest

Synopsis:

A new Black Witch will rise…her powers vast beyond imagining.

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.

My Review:

5/5 ⭐️

The world building of this book was very good. While the first few chapters were a bit boring in my opinion I loved the rest of the book and read it in under 3 hours! Which is insane. I loved Elloren, she had a beautiful development from the first few chapters to who we see at the end of the book. I did love her growth and felt that she really grew into being a more socially conscious character. I know that when the book was first being released there was some controversy, which I can understand… However, Elloren does grow to view things differently. I’ll delve more into that in the spoiler section. Overall, I loved the politics at play throughout this story and found them to really add to the story instead of taking away. Sometimes me and politics mixed with religion do NOT mix… But with this story it did work!

Me at Elloren as she grows throughout the book

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SPOILERS:

As stated before, Elloren goes through a major character shift from the beginning to the end. In the beginning she does show some repulsion to the other races she mixes with throughout the story. But! BUT!!!!! Elloren shifts her view as she learns more about the true history of her people and how they have treated the other races over a few decades (centuries? a long while). She even comes to terms with the fact that her grandmother, The Black Witch, wasn’t a great person!! I loved how we see her joining the resistance in the end to help fight against the new policies and religious doctrines being put into place. Very cool!

About the Author:

Laurie Forest lives deep in the backwoods of Vermont where she sits in front of a wood stove drinking strong tea and dreaming up tales full of dryads, dragons and wands. She is the author of THE BLACK WITCH (LA BRUJA NEGRA/DIE SCHWARZE ZAUBERIN), WANDFASTED, LIGHT MAGE, THE IRON FLOWER & THE REBEL MAGES (which is the book form of Wandfasted & Light Mage together in one volume). She is busily working on THE SHADOW WAND (Book 3.0 of The Black Witch Chronicles).