The Black Witch Chronicles
The Shadow Wand Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Format Reviewed: Hardback
Series: The Black Witch Chronicles
Author: Laurie Forest
Author’s Goodreads
Introduction
Elloren Gardner lives in a world that prizes those who can use magic, and she has no magic ability whatsoever. To make matters worse, she is the granddaughter of the famed Carnissa Gardner, the Black Witch with immense power who saved the Garderian people in a war. She goes to school that admits all manner of students, including those she was raised to have prejudices against. As the year goes on, she learns that what she, and all Garderians, have been taught is incredibly biased in favour of the belief that Garderians are the "pure" race. As the truth of their world's history is revealed to her and political tensions rise, she has to see past the discrimination she was raised with and stand with the downtrodden.
Story
This is a story of overcoming prejudices that one is raised with. The reader knows that it's racism and it is bad, but we get to see the MC and those around her unravel their previous preconceptions. We can see from the beginning of the book that she is a good person in other ways, and she slowly comes around, even when her circumstances are difficult. If you stopped reading 1/4 of the way through, you miss out on her growth and how she learns the truth. This isn't the first book ever written to have this plot.
World Building/Characters
I greatly enjoyed being in this book's world. There are many different kinds of people from mythology with histories and religions of their own. The politics were a bit difficult for more to keep up with, but in the end, it isn't too complicated. There are a variety of lands that we hear about, but we don't see. I'm hoping that in the next installments we get to see some of the places that were mentioned. Magic is a key component in this book, yet we don't get to see much of it happening until the later bits of the book. Magic is facilitated with wands which I'm not the biggest fan of (maybe because it reminds me of Harry Potter).
All of the characters in this book are so detailed. We are told about where they come from, some of their cultures, and then we glean their personalities from their actions/dialogue. There are a lot of flawed characters, which I appreciate. There is the standard "bully", who isn't going to learn anything at least in this book, but there are other characters who are also flawed and they grow. It is so heartbreaking when you learn that characters want something, but it cannot be accomplished because of a cultural/religious restraint.
Writing
The only negative thing I can say about this is some of the writing. Everyone says Elloren Gardner's name in just about every third sentence. No one talks like this. The main character is also crying every five-ish minutes so the act of crying loses its impact.
Final Verdict
I greatly enjoyed reading this book. This is a flawed fantasy world full of racism and dogma. We have young characters who get to know one another and who band together to make a difference before everything gets much, much worse. I'd run out and buy the next books that are already published, but pandemic. Now I have to wait.
(extra gif below, if you dare.)
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