One sentence summary: The granddaughter of a powerful witch, despite having no magical abilities, must navigate the treacherous halls of a paranormal university in order to pursue her dreams.

Best part(s): There is something so compelling about unique elements in fantasy novels - regardless of whether they utilise tropes or plot devices that we've seen before. Unique elements can refresh concepts like 'magical schools/universities' and 'prophecies', bringing a new perspective to the table. Despite having read many a YA novel about magic-less descendants of beings of immense power, I was intrigued by The Black Witch's blurb and what it seemed to offer. What were Icarals? Who were the Gardnerian people? From the blurb alone, I wanted to know more.

The Black Witch is to be commended for drawing you in from the very first page. And nope, that's not a figure of speech - the first page set the stage for some really interesting plot points and mysteries that slowly unfurled as you continued. I liked that the book didn't need a 'settling in' period, and that I was able to commit to it from the get-go. It was well paced from the start and came with a cast of characters who were equally entertaining and flawed, as characters should be.

A small little sidetrack: I wanted to briefly address a point that has come up in the reviewing of this book for many of my fellow bloggers and reviewers.

Despite hearing about the 'controversy' surrounding themes such as racism and prejudice in The Black Witch, I didn't find anything. Not a hint. Instead, I found careful handling of the issues by an author who wasn't afraid to give a voice to the problems that plague us as a society in real life.

People seem to believe that when an author includes racist characters (or generally terrible human beings) in their books, that they are condoning or, worse, promoting the actions of these characters. There are rare cases where this is true, and horrible for all involved. However, nothing could be further from the truth in The Black Witch - it is setting a stage to make a point. To quote the book itself: "People see what they expect to see (...) through a filter of their own hatred and prejudice." It is sending a message that there is a problem with racism and prejudice and it is not ok.

In my opinion, The Black Witch provides some much-needed commentary on prejudice, its origins, and the impact it has on society. And whether you agree with my opinion, or not, one piece of advice stands true: decide for yourself. Alot of my fellow bloggers and reviewers have stressed this point, as have I, over the years and it's especially important when it comes to books that are 'controversial'. Before making a snap judgement about a book, read it. Make up your own mind before joining in the conversation. Don't just take people's opinions as law.

As the reviewer Bentley @ Bookbastion.net wrote in his review: "You owe it to your followers to acknowledge when the content/theme/or plot of a book was too offensive for you personally, to fully evaluate the literary aspects of the book with any degree of objectivity." Therefore I wanted to let you guys know that though some parts of the book were harrowing and emotional, I personally was able to get through them and thought they added to the overall message that these issues are problematic and should not be condoned.

Aaaand (now that my mothering moment is over lol!) back to the plot!

The plot itself was really nicely pieced together and, as I mentioned earlier, well paced. There was a good balance of information and plot movement, and very few 'information dumps' for the reader which is always nice in fantasy.

Elloren's character growth was another treat in The Black Witch and I truly hope that she (and the other characters) continue to evolve in The Iron Flower and any future books in The Black Witch Chronicles. I'm looking forward to the next leg of Elloren's journey and more of Laurie Forest's brilliant storytelling!


Least favourite part(s): I loved this book but (if I want to be fussy!) there were times when some things came a little to easily to our heroine or the other characters in this book - whether it was 'sensing' how another person felt or what they were thinking, or coming to convenient conclusions that furthered their character development or the plot.

These instances didn't take away from the book per se, but they did lessen the believability or realism of some of the more pivotal moments. However, overall, the book was a truly enjoyable read.

I really enjoyed this novel. It did feel a bit clunky at times, but overall I felt really hyped while reading it. There is a lot of room for improvement that I can definitely see happing in later books.

The Black Witch is Laurie Forest’s debut novel and is an exciting new fantasy tale that launches a promising series and offers readers the opportunity to fall in love with a new world of danger, magic and unexpected alliances.

Elloren Gardener is the granddaughter of the last Black Witch, Carnissa Gardener who destroyed her people’s enemies and brought victory to the Gardnerian race during the Realm War. Every Gardnerian knows Carnissa’s name and as the splitting image of her late grandmother, Elloren lives in her infamous shadow. Raised alongside her brothers in isolation by her eccentric uncle, Elloren is nothing like Carnissa, for she has no magic at all. When a visit by her estranged aunt sees Elloren given the opportunity to pursue her dream of studying apothecary, Elloren travels to a renowned University to study alongside her brothers. Living amongst other races for the first time in her life, everything Elloren thought she knew about herself and her people slowly begins to unravel and with evil looming, will Elloren have the strength to do what’s right even at her own cost?

After a slow and turbulent beginning, I surprised myself by absolutely falling in love with The Black Witch. A large novel with 600 plus pages, the first 200 pages of The Black Witch were a real struggle for me as I couldn’t seem to connect or care much for the characters and story. From about that 200 page mark however the remainder of the novel absolutely flew by for me; and I thoroughly enjoyed what I read. Laurie Forest held me entranced by her world and especially many of the minor characters the heroine Elloren had the pleasure of meeting and interacting throughout the story.

The world within The Black Witch is very intricate with a lot of difference branches that bring it to life. The Gardnerian society make up a large part of what we see within The Black Witch but Laurie Forest also introduces her own version of shifters, fae, Amazon warriors, demon-like creatures, and selkies among others. Admittedly it is a lot to take in at times and it took me a while to become comfortable with such a vast array of races and characters, but eventually I came to love all the different groups and what they brought to the story.

The protagonist in The Black Witch Elloren begins the novel as a somewhat naïve individual, especially where the true nature and the true way of her people are concerned. At her heart she’s actually quite kind and soft so as The Black Witch progresses, Elloren begins to learn the truth about the world around her and has her eyes opened to the suffering and treatment of others. Watching Elloren take chances and do the right thing is really uplifting and honestly endears her to me.

I adored all the minor characters Laurie Forest introduces in this novel. Admittedly there are a lot of them and though you might be forgiven for thinking there is too many, each and every one seems to bring something new to the story. From Elloren’s brothers Rafe and Trystan, to Lupine’s Jarod and Diana, brooding and mysterious Yvan, fellow Gardnerian and sweetheart Ashlenn, Icarels Wynter and Ariel, Gypsie boy Andras and even Wynter’s Fae brothers….I loved them all, especially when they were interacting and working together; they all made such a fabulous team.

The Black Witch is also full of blossoming romances, both forbidden and endearing. As the novel progresses, Forest begins to pair off many of the characters. Not that I’m complaining as I really am a romantic at heart. Personally I really enjoyed seeing some of the relationships develop. I won’t give away any spoilers, but Diana’s comfortability in her own skin and self-assurance made me smile as did her unwavering determination to be with who she wanted. I also think there are the potential for more pairings—I don’t know why but I think Ariel and Andras would be an intriguing pairing with plenty of possibility. She’s crazy, but I think he could handle her nature better than anyone else.

There was honestly so much about The Black Witch that I ended up loving and I genuinely did not want to put the book down whilst reading. I’m still thinking about the story now, long after I’ve turned the final page. I will definitely be looking to read the next novel as soon as it is released! Can’t wait to see what Laurie Forest does next this this thrilling series with so much potential!

This one is a wee bit tricky for me to review to be honest. On the one hand, I know there has been a lot of debate and controversy surrounding this novel, a lot of which was fueled by people who have not read the book, which is a bit of a pet peeve of mine. I read a lot of people's discussions, and I can see where they are coming from, and I don't want to get involved in those discussions, but for me I can clearly see that it was obviously not the author's intention.

I wanted to read this book myself and make my own opinions about it. I can see where people are coming from, but in my opinion I put it down to poor writing. I don't think the author expressed her views in a clear, cohesive way. I found a lot of the book quite messy and confusing, and a few times reading it I had to reread sections because I just had no clue what some of the sentences meant! I do think the book had a lot of promise, the story is cool, and the world-building was really well done (and if I were to continue with the series this would most likely be the only reason I would - it's super awesome), but at the same time it didn't bring anything reaalllllyyyy new to the table. I read a lot, A LOT of YA, particularly YA fantasy, and I am finding more and more that it is hard to read something that it totally and completely refreshing. Of course I understand that can be hard, and I do usually find something I love about a book, but unfortunately for this one that wasn't really the case.

I think this book had SO MUCH potential, and I really wanted to like it, but in the end I just found it a wee bit...forgettable.

The Black Witch is a novel I think many people should attempt to read, especially in today's society where there is so much prejudice in the world. In my opinion, The Black Witch shows the ways in which people are brought up with specific prejudices and ideals and how, as we grow and learn and see more of the world, our ideals and beliefs change, and we realise how wrong they are. This is something that has occurred to myself on multiple occasions since adolescence: I mean, if we as people do not change, we do not learn and we do not progress.

Elloren, the protagonist, is a Garderian who has been brought up to believe in the superiority of her race/species. Throughout the novel, she believes some pretty negative, bigoted things about other creatures of Erthia - who also believe some negative things about Gardnerians too - but as she interacts with people at this magical boarding school she is sent to, she changes - and that is incredibly important and also something I think a lot of readers ignore.

What I think was really well done is how the author showed that in order to make a real and lasting change in society, people of all different races/species must come together and want to make a difference - it's something our own society direly needs.

I think it's important to point out that while there is a lot of racism, sexism and xenophobia portrayed in the novel, it is always portrayed as wrong and is challenged by the protagonist. I understand a lot of readers don't see this, but I think it is important that we read books that show circumstances like this. I mean, is it really that different from 1984 or The Handmaid's Tale? Not really, it's just YA. And maybe that's one reason why many people are attacking the novel: because they believe young adults should be protected from such content. While there is a little part of me that agrees, there is a larger part that wants to scream out "THIS IS WHAT LITERATURE DOES: IT MAKES YOU QUESTION." You should have seen half the stuff I read when I was a young adult: American Psycho, The Bell Jar, Stephen King novels ... WAY worse than the content in The Black Witch.

So why did this book only get a three star rating from me?

Well, at times it was a little boring and did drag on. I mean, it's a 600 page novel and there were many scenes that could have been cut from the novel. The book put me into a bit of a reading slump, which is why it took me so long to finish and then review it. I also felt that there were a few characters - Fallon, to name one - that were not fully fleshed out. He just felt like a standard bad guy to me, with no real motives or beliefs. Although I will say, for a debut writer, Forest does very well.

All in all, I would say The Black Witch is a pretty average novel, with few moments of intrigue. The characters were interesting, although a few forgettable, but the central message the novel tries to promote is one of positivity: we can all change.