I would say this is a very average middle grade for me. I didn't completely love it however, I did enjoy myself while reading it. The magic was interesting and I did like learning more about it. I really like the fact that it was diverse. Unfortunately for me, these characters fell a little flat. This may very well be just me and I can admit that because I am an adult reading a middle-grade book. That being said I would still recommend this book for the intended age group. I could see kids absolutely loving this book.

What a warm hug of a book! This is the kind of middle grade fantasy I love- imaginative world building, solid characters with age appropriate motivations, lots of emphasis on relationships with family and friends, and a quick, action packed plot. Author Alex Aster has crafted a wonderful middle-grade novel that provides plenty of suspense and thrills. This is another great addition to middle grade folklore/fantasy. It is realistic in its telling.

Humorously sweet and heartbreakingly tender, Alex Aster's middle grade sprung to life with legends and stories of a people we hear far too little about. Just like the rest of the fantastic books Rick Riordan Presents publishes, this book made my heart sing. It gives readers of all ages the important opportunity to hear from marginalized voices. I'm crossing my fingers for a sequel, because I adored every moment I spent in this world.

So! If you've enjoyed Percy Jackson, or any of the many excellent mkdmc/w books that have populated the teen landscape for the last while, you should Absolutely give Tor, Engle, and Melda's story a read! It's got a small amount of spoops, some scientific thinking, Tons of adventure, & heart to spare.

Curse of the Night Witch reminds us that sometimes what we are running from is what we need. We can't see the value of something until it is threatened or taken away. For Tor Luna that "something" is his culture. He looks at his uneventful lifeline on his palm as a burden of boredom instead of reliable information. He looks at the emblem on his skin that determines his job and wishes it was anything else. Tor starts a journey with two friends to get away from his destiny only to realize all he is doing is running towards it. Our identity is made from our culture and our family who came before us whether we acknowledge it or not. Each of these three characters are so different every child will be able to see a little bit of themselves in at least one of them. Their adventure leads to many different environments that show Tor the variety of cultures. Children ages 12 and up will enjoy this spooky story told through unparalleled imagery.

At first, this seems like every other fantasy adventure. It has all of the standard elements - an unlikely group is thrust into a journey, a quest that pits them against a series of incredible odds and unimaginable dangers. In it's details, it is has many similarities to Harry Potter, Tor standing in for Harry, Engle for Ron, and Melda for Hermione. They are traveling towards a confrontation with a legendary, mysterious villain. With that framework, it had the possibility of becoming incredibly derivative. It's the final confrontation that makes this one truly stand out. The reveal of the nature of the Night Witch and her role in the structure of Emblem Island not only sets this book apart, it sets up the ongoing plot of the series and lends a sociological complexity that most middle grade fantasy lacks. And the whole plot asks the reader not only to question our own role in society but also the role of legend and story. Well worth a read.

Alex Aster's debut is sure to capture the hearts of its audience! It has characters one can't help but root for, a fast-paced plot that hooks the reader from the beginning, Latinx mythology, and a magical—albeit sometimes dark—adventure. It tackles themes of friendship, sacrifice, and not letting fate define you. I enjoyed this debut tremendously, and I know my 12-year-old son is going to devour it once we receive the published copy.

This was a very interesting fantasy, with a unique system of magic (although I don't think that word is used at all in the book). The characters grew on me throughout the story, though Engle was a bit flat. It ended on a total cliffhanger, so if you purchase this book for your library, be ready for readers to ask for the sequel. I liked this story, and I would be interested to read the sequel. If you have fantasy readers who are looking for something a bit different, this might be a good fit. I thought at the beginning that it might really skew towards younger readers (maybe 3rd grade) because of the writing style, but it seemed to become a bit more complex as the book progressed, and I think some of the darker elements will make it appealing to upper elementary and maybe early middle school.

Thank you to NetGalley, SOURCEBOOKS Jabberwocky, and Alex Aster for the opportunity to read Curse of the Night Witch in exchange for an honest review.

Curse of the Night Witch is the first book in the Emblem Island series. The story takes place on Emblem Island (of course). All people are born with an emblem, a mark on their wrist or arm that denotes a certain skill, such as strength or leadership.

Tor is the son of his village leader, and his emblem reflects this. He doesn't want to take up the leadership position. He wants to be able to breath underwater. Being in water is his whole life, yet he must hide his passion. Once a year, the villagers, after they reach age twelve, get to make a wish during their annual Eve ceremony. Tor wants a new emblem. When his wish angers the wish-god, he is cursed with a short life, his emblem replaced with the terrible omen of a dark eye. Anyone who touches the curse gains the curse themselves. The only way to rid themselves of this curse is to hope the Night Witch will have mercy and remove the curse, or kill her.

Now Melda, Engle, and Tor must follow the mythological clues from a collection of short stories called The Book of Cuentos. As they get closer and closer to the shadowed land of the Night Witch, a place lacking of feeling and color, they continue to encounter creatures and beings from the collected stories. One of the neat aspects about the structure of this book is between every chapter, one of the little short stories is inserted. They are very short and told in a fable sort of way with no dialogue. It's just a description of events leading to the creation or myth of one of the various creatures. Still, an interesting structural choice.

While the beginning was rather interesting, the middle slogged on just a tad as the trio continues to encounter various myths from The Book of Cuentos. As a story, I liked the idea of the emblems that each person is born with. It somewhat reminds me of My Hero Academia where a large portion of the population is born with quirks, or Blank, where everyone is born with some kind of mark that ultimately pairs them with their life partner. It's a fun idea in the development of Emblem Island's world building.

The characters are certainly Middle-grade. They are twelve and go through struggles with personal choice and will power that a middle-grade age person might go through, despite those challenges being presented in a fantasy lens. I think this is a very fun book for the age group to read. 

I also appreciated the fact that the entire book was contained within itself, except for the end. It could have been a stand-alone, but the climax and very end offer further adventures for these characters, adventures that seem potentially more intriguing than their first. Holistically, this book is enjoyable and quick, an easy recommendation.

I received an electronic ARC from Sourcebooks Jabberwocky through NetGalley.
Tor Luna doesn't want to be a leader. He especially doesn't want to study to be one, and he doesn't want to follow his mom as the next chief. So, on their annual celebration night, he wishes for a different emblem. Unfortunately, his wish is granted but not in the way he hoped. He is cursed and through him two friends are cursed. As is expected at this point, they set off on a quest to find the Night Witch and end the curse.
I like the way Aster blended a story within a story. As the three venture across the island, they follow a path laid out in the myths and stories of their home. In order to reach the Night Witch, they must encounter and defeat the various characters in the myths. In a final twist, the Night Witch isn't who she's portrayed to be and Tor is given a very different answer to his wish than he wants. Interesting cliff hanger ending.
Plenty of action and character development to hold middle grade readers. Those who enjoy myths of various cultures will appreciate the ones presented in this story too.
Looking forward to the next book in the series.

The story did take time for me to get into but once I did, I was eager to find out what would happen. The main character is Tor along with his friends Melda and Engle who go on a quest to find the Night Witch. I think my students will enjoy this mysterious world where everyone is born with an emblem. It was fun reading the short monster stories from the Book of Cuentos which gave us clues as to who they would encounter next. I appreciated the themes of friendship, not appreciating what you have and seeing people in a different light. The ending was a total surprise to me and I really enjoyed it. At first I was wondering how these kids would be able to do what many adults in the story couldn’t do. But the author did an awesome job of bringing it all together and making it believable and not hokey. I’m hoping that this author has a sequel up her sleeve because I would love to find out what happens next!

Be careful what you wish for....

On the island of Emblem, if you are lucky enough to be born with an Emblem, then you know your fate, and with that fate comes a special ability. But Tor Luna would do anything to change his fate, and rid himself of his markings indicating that he is destined for leadership. A hard enough thing to live up to as-is, but even more so when your mother is the village chief. But Tor has a plan to change everything.

Every Eve, marking the end of a year, everyone over the age of 12 makes a Wish--which may or may not be granted by the Wish God. And, for years, Tor knew exactly what he would wish for: for a different Emblem. When he wakes up on the first day of the new year, he is horrified. He received a different marking, alright, but not at all what he asked for. Instead, he got a mark indicating that he is cursed.

Now, along with his quirky best friend Engle and his frenemy Melda, Tor is off on an adventure across Emblem to seek out the Night Witch to rid himself of the curse. But there is something even more sinister that lies beneath the surface, and Tor's Wish is just the beginning.

Set in an amazing Latin American inspired land where gemstones can be eaten, color means life, and stories have power, "Curse of the Night Witch" is a fantastic tale about what it means to choose your own fate. I'm eager to return to Emblem, to learn more about the lore of the island as well as what new adventures await Tor, Engle and Melda.

2.5 stars

Something about this debut fell flat to me. It sounded like such an interesting premise, but it just ended up being a book that you read to the end to complete a review, without any emotions being stirred up.

The stories interspersed between the pages are lovely, but they also tend to be the character who turns up in the next chapter. It made the chapters rather predictable as I knew what the threat was going to be when they turned up midway through. And then the issue was resolved by the end of the chapter.

Both of these issues undercut tension. The story felt very episodic and in the middle and the threats didn't feel real. For example - they endanger a village by destroying the laterns in a snowball fight, smash a magic fire ball, reignite the torches, then sneak away before anyone can realise they caused the problem. There were no consequences to their actions, and the "danger" was resolved a few paragraphs later.

This leads into the lack of stakes, as things are resolved so easily. It was hard to believe they ever were in danger - certainly not from the curse that was just there until it suddenly had a side effect near the end.

Everything felt so easy. They were just able to leave home without any of the three kids raising a fuss - they agree without seeing an adult in charge, even though at least one is a stickler for the rules (and has very important reasons for staying home). But no, they up and leave and somehow criss-cross and entire island on foot in a matter of days.

All in all, and interesting premise that lacks some spark to make it engaging.

A fast-paced middle grade novel with interesting world-building including fantastical locations across the island, a trait-based magic system, and a rich mythological canon. The adventuring trio did have something of a Harry-Ron-Hermione format (the main one, the funny one, the smart girl), but they're engaging characters, and there's a well-defined cast of side characters. The stakes certainly seem high and the ending leaves you wanting to find out what happens next.

I love middle grade and mythology, put those together and you get this fun adventure! This was such a fast paced story and was a lot of fun to read. I thought the world was fascinating, and the characters were very likable! Great read!

If you have heard the cautionary proverb, be careful what you wish for, then one would be wise to have given this advice to Tor Luna on Emblem Island. Every child is born with an emblem that determines their future, Tor Luna has received the Leadership emblem and he is facing a staid normal future. All the people of the Island can make a wish on New Year’s Eve and sometimes the wish Gods will grant a wish. Tor Luna is planning a wish that will change his future but he didn’t foresee the consequences of his wish. Read this and find out what was Tor’s wish.

Such a wonderful fast paced book with a lot of great mythology that I adore reading about!
If you're looking for your next great read I would highly recommend picking this one up! The details and world were incredible!

I LOVED this story! Great characters, plot and imagery! I couldn’t put it down. It held my attention the WHOLE time. What a great debut!

This was a really amazing middle grade adventure story!I would definitely recommend to anyone with younger kids looking for something diverse and adventurous. The main trio go on a journey to find the witch that has curse them, and the story is interspersed with tales from an old storybook that informs the trials they encounter along the way. This is a really fun and amazing story of friendship and magic and adventure.

Every time I close my eyes, I see the glowing jungle in this book. Color, monsters, and heart, all wrapped up into one glorious package.

I ADORED the world of this book. Inspired by Latin American/Colombian mythology, readers are swept along on Tor's quest to undo a curse, across an island filled with untold wonder. We have puppeteer queens, frosty villages with magical snow, florescent forests, oceans full of mega creatures, and shadowy realms where nightmares dwell. Yes, all in one book. Interspersed with these scenes are beautiful extracts from stories-within-the-story, told with the lyricism of an ageless folktale. I loved seeing how these stories - and their monsters - connected the dots of Tor's quest.

Really, the only reason why I couldn't give a full 5 stars were the characters. As much as I loved the trio (Tor, Engle, Melda) they seemed kinda like shadows of the whole Harry/Ron/Hermione dynamic. Engle especially felt like a caricature ("hungry" probably isn't the best personality), to the point where I grew tired of him. However, I did enjoy seeing Tor grow into his own as the novel progressed - and who doesn't like a badass smart girl? - so I'm hoping Engle gets similar growth as the series progresses.

Overall, though, it's a big recommend from me! I think MG readers will absolutely eat this adventure up, and even adult readers should find something to love with the vivid world of Emblem Isle! I especially recommend it to classrooms/teachers who might be discussing the role of stories in everyday life. There's some amazing commentary on perception/choice in here. 4/5.

This was quite the adventure! Tor, Engle, and Melda set out on an epic journey across the Isle of Emblem to undo a curse that Tor has accidentally brought upon the three of them. In their travels, they happen upon all kinds of new places and creatures and learn quite a bit about themselves. This is a wild coming of age story about learning to b happy with ourselves and the with the cards life has dealt us.

The story ends on a cliffhanger setting up a whole new journey/adventure for our threesome in the next book. I look forward to reading it and seeing where the Isle of Emblem and fate takes them next.

Very interesting magic system, solid introduction to a series, likeable characters only a little whiny so it was perfect, and a lot of adventure!!

I love middle grade fantasy books because the characters are raw and genuine, they have just started to need independence and are ready for whatever life throws at them, even if it's a quest to go to the opposite side of the world to defeat a witch who cursed them.

Tor, Melda, and Engle each has flaws, weaknesses, and strength, bringing something that will see them victors. It won't be easy, they are 12 years old, first time away from home, facing all kinds of bad things! But they are lucky to stumble upon good people along their way and they will go back home different when the quest is over.

This is a book about finding what you're good at, fighting what the world wants you to do with your life, not settling if you're not okay with it. Maybe it'll have horrible consequences, maybe not, but if you don't take a risk, how can you change a situation that's not good for you?

Love love love how the author used latin america's myths to create the folklore this book is based on and the magic the people are born into and use in their everyday life. Being latin American myself (Ecuador here!), I love seeing these myths I didn't know about until now represented one way or the other!

A great first book, a great start. Now I'm really curious to know what other adventures the trio will get to live in the future!