CANR

• Wandfasted - 2017 Harlequin Teen, New York, NY
• The Black Witch - 2017 Harlequin Teen, New York, NY

• FantasticFiction - https://www.fantasticfiction.com/f/laurie-forest/

  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. The Black Witch (May 2017, HarlequinTEEN) is her first novel, and Wandfasted (The Black Witch prequel, Summer 2017, HarlequinTEEN) is her first e-book novella.

  Series
  Black Witch Chronicles
  0.5. Wandfasted (2017)
  1. The Black Witch (2017)
  2. The Iron Flower (2018)

• Laurie Forest Website - http://laurieannforest.com/

  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. The Black Witch (May 2017, Harlequin TEEN) is her first novel, and Wandfasted (The Black Witch prequel, Summer 2017, Harlequin TEEN) is her first e-book novella.

• Geekscape - http://www.geekscape.net/interview-the-black-witchs-laurie-forest-on-her-thrilling-debut-novel

  Interview: ‘The Black Witch’s’ Laurie Forest On Her Thrilling Debut Novel
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  Tuesday 25th April 2017By AllieHanley
  There’s a new voice in Fantasy and her name is Laurie Forest. Her first book, “The Black Witch” is arriving on book shelves and online May 2 from HarlequinTEEN. Even though it’s being pitched as young adult, I found great pleasure in reading her work and could easily see older adults enjoying it as well.
  It’s a thick 600 page fantasy that reads more like 300 pages. You may find yourself having a hard time putting it down and consequently some late nights. Filled with a mix of traditional characters such as Elves, Witches, Shapeshifters, and Dragons as well as some new ones that make “The Black Witch” a solid entry into the fantasy genre.
  The story’s lead character is Elloren Gardner. She is believed to be the heir apparent to her grandmother Carnissa Gardner, the last prophesied Black Witch who drove back enemy forces to save her people during the Realm War. While Elloren looks exactly like her Grandmother she’s shown no evidence of power in a society that prizes magical ability above nearly all else. After being granted the opportunity to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming an apothecary, Elloren joins her brothers at the prestigious Verpax University. Her educational journey is more than the magic she studies, and the people she meets. It’s about discovering that life and what you were taught to believe is not always the whole story.

  PHOTO CREDIT: BELTRAMI STUDIOS
  Allie Hanley: I read an early, uncorrected proof of THE BLACK WITCH and I think I might have seen one error. Your book is 601 pages! Tell me a little about your process in writing.
  Laurie Forest: I wrote the first books in the series by writing pretty much every day for a year. Almost without fail. For at least an hour. It was an incredible experience to immerse myself in the story that intensively. One of my favorite writing quotes is “the muse can’t resist a working writer” and I think that’s so true.
  AH: Your main character, Elloren Gardner, discovers that the history she was raised with isn’t necessarily the truth. How did that plot point come about and does it reflect anything in today’s world for you?
  LF: That plot point came about because I feel it’s very relevant in today’s world. History books can be very subjective. And I think that history, when seen through the lens of a group that views outsiders as “evil” or “lesser,” can be a dangerous thing. We can find examples of this all throughout history and certainly in the world today. I think it’s a very good idea to study history from multiple points of view – and as Professor Kristian tells Elloren, the resulting confusion can be a positive thing. Because the confusion stemming from multiple points of view is better than a simplistic idea of history that demonizes others and can inadvertently promote injustice.
  AH: When Elloren gets to school she’s housed with some very unlikely characters, tell me about them?
  LF: Tricky question to answer without spoilers (so don’t read past here if you haven’t read the book!). Elloren is thrown in with Ariel and Wynter, two Icarals—winged people who are despised by pretty much everyone in the Western Realm for no sound reason really, save cultural/religious tradition. Both Ariel (a Gardnerian) and Wynter (an Alfsigr Elf) have been deeply impacted by their outcast status, but in very different ways. And Elloren (along with the reader, perhaps) initially sees them as demonic. As that’s what she’s been taught to see.
  AH: They say one of the keys to writing a great book is to pretend you are writing it to your biggest fan. Who were you imagining reading this book as you wrote it, and what did you want them to take away from reading it?
  LF: Honestly, I wrote the book mainly to entertain and challenge myself Toni Morrison famously said: “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” That’s kind of what was going on here. Past that, I’m writing my book for my close friend who has terminal cancer—to entertain her and I have to hurry up and finish the series so she can read it (she has charged me with the task of finishing a rough draft of the entire series this year, and I’m going to do it—because we’re running on borrowed time). She is one of the best people I have ever known and it is my greatest author honor to have been able to give her some reading excitement and pleasure.
  AH: You have a wide cast of characters. Is there one in particular that you really love and why?
  LF: Right now I’m kind of in love with Ariel Haven—because I feel like she has the heart of a true hero deep inside of her. She’s been broken down by the society she’s been born into, but they haven’t been able to break her completely. Can’t say more without spoilers!
  AH: When this is released I anticipate readers will devour it. Have you written part 2 and can you give a small preview of where Elloren is headed?
  LF: Book Two is written, as is half of Book Three (and the outline for the entire series). Elloren is headed towards a collision course with her hidden powers. And it will be a pretty dramatic reveal! And she’s a flawed character—so she’s got a steep learning curve ahead of her if she’s going to become strong and heroic in this world (and shed the last vestiges of her people’s destructive ideas). There’s also conflict on the romantic front for poor Elloren 😉 (I read somewhere once that authors should torture their protagonist – Elloren isn’t going to have an easy road, I will say that).
  AH: In support of your book, will you be doing a book tour and how can fans find out more?
  LF: I’ll be doing a book launch tour from May 2nd – May 18th and bringing news of THE BLACK WITCH all over the country! Very excited. My epic tour schedule can be found on my Facebook page as well as my website.

  ALLIEHANLEY

• GeekMom - https://geekdad.com/2017/05/author-laurie-forests-geeky-inspirations-behind-the-black-witch-chronicles/

  Author Laurie Forest’s Geeky Inspirations Behind the ‘Black Witch Chronicles’
  Posted on 11 May, 2017 by Melanie Meadors • 1 Comment

  Laurie Forest’s young adult fantasy novel, The Black Witch, was released amongst some controversy. The book takes a fearless and direct approach to the topics of prejudice and injustice, with a complicated and highly-flawed main character who enters a world that will open her eyes to integration and diversity. The book has received glowing praise from authors like Tamora Pierce and Robin Hobb, and starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Kirkus Reviews.

  A lot of readers weren’t prepared to see the world through the eyes Elloren and live in her ordinary world that is so focused on cultural purity and conservatism, however, and made their opinions known on social media. The themes of the book are certainly highly charged, especially in today’s political environment, and the journey of the heroine of this book from a place of extreme prejudice to a position of acceptance and activism, overcoming hate and racism, is something that could bring hope to readers as we live in a world with some sad parallels to that in The Black Witch. Please welcome Laurie Forest to this week’s Geek Speaks…Fiction! as she tells us what made her geek out while she was writing her debut novel. And be sure to check out her Pinterest page, where she has a lot of images of her inspirations as well!

  One thing that’s fun about writing epic fantasy is an author gets to throw every geeky thing they have immense love for into the mix. It’s hard to narrow down just a few geek-tastic elements thrown into The Black Witch, but I’ll try to narrow it down to the absolute geekiest.

  DRAGONS

  Oh, I love writing dragons. Especially dragons that have the potential to learn to shapeshift to human later in the series (minor spoiler 😊). And anyone who reads Wandfasted (e-book prequel to The Black Witch–out this July) will realize I had a blast writing an epic dragon army battle scene. Imagining what it would be like to have mammoth black dragons whooshing by overhead, so close that you can feel the hot wind being pushed down onto you from the force of their powerful wings, is quite thrilling.

  Image: Harlequin Teen
  SHAPESHIFTERS

  Ever since reading Prof. Lupin’s character in Harry Potter, I’ve been hooked on books with shapeshifters. I’m fascinated by the mix of human with another species, and have included Lupines in my book (wolf-shifters), Selkies (seal shifters), and wyverns (dragon shifters). Later books will have Kitsune (fox shifters) and possibly more species of shifters with affinities for sea creatures (I’m thinking whale shifters and shark shifters). I have a small fan-base pushing for turtle shifters, but I’m not completely convinced to go in that direction, lol.

  MAGICAL UNIVERSITY

  I’m a complete sucker for magical schools, two of my favorite being Hogwarts (Harry Potter) and the University from the brilliant Name of the Wind–and if you haven’t read this yet stop everything you are doing and go get it! The Black Witch takes place at Verpax University, where my main character, Elloren Gardner, goes to study to become an apothecary. I had so much fun modelling the University loosely on Oxford and getting inside it’s Spine-stone halls, especially the underground Metallurgie lab, the Astronomie tower and the Apothecarium (I’m entranced by the idea of magical greenhouses that look like old-fashioned, glass walled Victorian greenhouses).

  MAGIC

  I’ve got a different take on wands in The Black Witch, but they’re wielded in a traditional way – waving them around and reciting spells. In my world, though, magic runs along affinity lines for the Gardnerian Mages–air, earth, fire, water and light. Most Mages have weak magic or no magic. But some have different levels culminating with Level Five (a Mage of great power). Every mage has a different combination of weak/strong affinity lines (my MC Elloren has fire/earth as her most powerful lines). Working out a fantasy magical system is both exciting and infuriating (because there are so many details!). The other peoples in my world have variations of rune-based magery, the Urisk’s rune-magery based in the use of rune-marked gemstones. I’m still working out all the systems of rune based magic, the dark pyrr-demon magery perhaps the most interesting to work out (because monstrous magic is pretty fun to write).

  FANTASY MAPS

  Get the GeekDad Books!

  I was so excited when my publisher told me they were included my map! (attached is my original drawing for the map and the final map) I adore fantasy maps, my all-time favorites being the maps drawn for The Lord of the Rings. Leigh Bardugo’s maps (The Grisha Series) are also stunning. And Alison Croggon’s maps (The Pellinor Series) are exquisite. The map included in The Black Witch is the Western Realm (where we spend Book One). My favorite part about this map is the imposing Spine, two great vertical Spine-stone walls that bracket the entire of the snakelike country of Verpacia to the north (Northern Spine) and to the south (Southern Spine). Elloren gets to climb to the top of the Southern Spine in Book Two of The Black Witch Chronicles, and I thoroughly enjoyed writing the scene and picturing myself right there in the fantasy landscape. I’m currently working on the map for the Eastern Realm (where the bulk of Book Three takes place).

  Of course, I could go on and on with things I love that have been thrown into The Black Witch: diamond-paned glass, Elves, epic landscapes (The Spine), lanterns, tea, horse-drawn carriages, underground passages, stained-glass windows, domed ceilings covered in murals, textiles, etc. For a walk through some of my visual inspirations, go to my Pinterest page.

  About The Black Witch:

  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.

• Seven Days - https://www.sevendaysvt.com/vermont/vermont-fantasy-novel-the-black-witch-sparks-internet-fury/Content?oid=5298299

  Vermont Fantasy Novel 'The Black Witch' Sparks Internet Fury
  By SADIE WILLIAMS

  Goodreads is a website that democratizes literature. Anyone anywhere can review a book, no degree or byline necessary. Currently, Montpelier author Laurie Forest's debut novel, The Black Witch, has a rating of 1.9 out of five stars on the site, averaged from 1,036 ratings and more than 400 reviews. Many of the reviewers openly acknowledge they haven't read the book — they assigned it a low rating, they write, as a matter of principle.

  What caused the controversy? Forest's young-adult novel, set in a fantasy world, addresses issues of discrimination in a fascist-trending, highly segregated society. A cast of varied ethnic and religious backgrounds populates the tome's 608 pages.

  The plot follows a teenager named Elloren, heir to a weighty political legacy, as she embarks on her first year at a desegregated university. For the first time, she is forced to confront her own bigotry and her society's revisionist history, while becoming politically engaged in a rapidly evolving world.

  After a May 2 launch at Phoenix Books Burlington, Forest's publisher, Harlequin Teen, will send her on a five-city tour. While the bookstore launches will likely be congenial affairs, The Black Witch has sparked heated debate in the online community. Most of the negative Goodreads reviews proclaim that the book is racist, ableist and homophobic. Many cite passages regarding the purity of one race or another, or quotes denigrating those of "mixed race."

  click to enlarge The Black Witch by Laurie Forest, Harlequin Teen, 608 pages. $19.99.
  The Black Witch by Laurie Forest, Harlequin Teen, 608 pages. $19.99.
  Kirkus Reviews, one of three trade reviewing giants that gave The Black Witch a starred review, addressed the controversy after a deluge of reader comments railed against its judgment. In a follow-up article titled "On Disagreement," editor Vicky Smith defended her publication's praise of Forest's novel. "The simple fact that a book contains repugnant ideas is not in itself, in my opinion, a reason to condemn it," she wrote. "How are we as a society to come to grips with our own repugnance if we do not confront it?"

  Some Goodreads reviewers have come to the defense of The Black Witch, as well, saying that the racist rhetoric is a narrative tool used to illustrate the evolution of the characters. As for Forest herself, in an interview, she describes the novel as pro-diversity and suggests she aimed for her characters to work through their differences — to explore their own uniqueness and become closer in the process.

  Forest has been committed to that vision since day one. The dentist started writing fiction eight years ago, when, in a flurry of ink, she penned the first two installments of The Black Witch series in response to two significant events. The first was the fight for same-sex marriage in Vermont. The second was her first reading of the Harry Potter series.

  Forest and her husband, Walter, have four adopted children. Many of their friends with adopted children have been same-sex couples, Forest writes in an author's note included with the advance copy of the book. During the fight for civil unions in Vermont in 2000, and for same-sex marriage in 2007, she found herself surprised at the ferocity with which people opposed marriage equality.

  "During one of the Statehouse hearings, a man got up and said, 'They should be happy we're just saying no to this — at least we're not doing what it says in the Bible, which is to kill them,'" Forest recalls.

  Around the time same-sex marriage was legalized, in 2009, Forest's children handed her the first book of J.K. Rowling's series. "I never read a lot of fiction up until the time my kids gave me Harry Potter," she says. "I read science books, sociology, policy."

  When she finally caved to her kids' persuasions, she found herself entranced by Rowling's fantastical world. "I was very surprised by them," Forest says of the series, which she read in quick succession. "I didn't expect them to be so complex — tackling different types of prejudice in the books, [like] the rise of Lord Voldemort [and] fascist power."

  After that, she couldn't get enough of fantasy. She read all of fantasy novelist Tamora Pierce's books, Philip Pullman's The Golden Compass and Cassandra Clare's The Mortal Instruments series.

  Forest produced the first two books of The Black Witch series within a year. What readers see on the page today is nothing like that first draft, she notes. She workshopped the book with a local chapter of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators and the Montpelier branch of the Burlington Writers Workshop, then extensively revised it with the help of her agent and editors.

  The evolution of the series won't stop anytime soon, she adds. And the conversation on Goodreads will play a role in how Forest's writing and the books evolve, she acknowledges, although she's cagey about specifics.

  "Generally," Forest says, "I think it's important not to take harmful tropes and inject them into fantasy. Fantasy is an opportunity to get past those things."

  An example of a harmful trope, Forest offers, is casting people with dark skin as villainous characters. In Disney films, for instance, characters such as Jafar and Scar are portrayed as darker in skin tone and intent. Thus, malice is bound to melanin.

  Forest avoids that specific trope in The Black Witch, where all the villains are white. While she was unable to share how specific elements of forthcoming books have been changed, Forest says the controversy "was a good conversation for me to learn from, to make sure I'm not lazy in my use of language."

  One thing is certain — The Black Witch isn't going away . The sequel will be out in May 2018, and Forest's contract requires her to produce two accompanying ebooks exploring supporting characters. She calls them "novellas," but the first, out in June, comes in at close to 300 pages.

  While this reporter didn't find the writing top-notch, and Elloren's bigotry is jarring, the first installment of The Black Witch marks a clear path to the author's intended destination: a fantastical world where people of any sexual orientation, presentation, religion or race have equal access to love and livelihood. Readers should be advised that the novel is indeed a story devoted to white awakening, as critics have charged. At the same time, it demonstrates effectively how even someone whose eyes have been opened to prejudice can continue to perform micro-aggressions on their chosen allies. For readers shy of committing to the $19.99 price tag, Forest suggests asking for a copy at your local library.

• Tuesday Writers - http://www.tuesdaywriters.com/?p=2278

  Interview with Laurie Forest, Author of The Black Witch!
  3 Comments January 30, 2017 Jonathan Rosen

  Hello Tuesdays!

  Today, I’m pleased to be joined by my fellow 2017 Debut Author, Laurie Forest, whose novel, The Black Witch, is scheduled to come out June of 2017 from HarlequinTEEN

  JR: Hi, Laurie and thanks for joining us today.

  LF: *tries to contain first interview excitement* Why, thank you. So nice to join you.

  JR: Before we begin, can you tell us a little bit about The Black Witch and the impetus behind writing it?

  LF: I shall give you my freshly-minted cover copy!

  A Great Winged One will soon arise and cast his fearsome shadow upon the land. And just as Night slays Day, and Day slays Night, so also shall another Black Witch rise to meet him, her powers vast beyond imagining.

  So foretells the greatest prophecy of the Gardnerian mages. Carnissa Gardner, the last prophesied Black Witch, drove back the enemy forces and saved her people during the Realm War. Now a new evil is on the horizon, and her granddaughter, Elloren, is believed to be Carnissa’s heir—but while she is the absolute image of her famous grandmother, Elloren is utterly devoid of power in a society that prizes magical ability above nearly all else.

  When she is granted the opportunity to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming an apothecary, Elloren is eager to join her brothers at the prestigious Verpax University and finally 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 races—including the fire-wielding, winged Icarals, the sworn enemies of her people—is an even more treacherous place for the granddaughter of the Black Witch.

  Prejudice in its various forms was very much in the news when I started this story. At the same time, my pre-teens started handing me YA Fantasy (a genre I had never read before) – and I absolutely LOVED it (and started devouring all the YA books). The news stories, combined with all these incredible books lit a spark for a story in me and I spent the next year writing the first two books of The Black Witch Chronicles (and some of the notes that are being used for the e-book novellas).

  JR: I read on your site, www.laurieannforest.com that you live in the backwoods of Vermont with a wood stove. It sounds incredible. And right away I’m figuring that setting helped play a nice role in a book titled The Black Witch?

  LF: Trees figure heavily in The Black Witch Chronicles (and moody forests) – it is a book about Dryads, after all.

  Can you tell us a little bit about your writing journey getting to this point? (How long it took, how you got your agent, publisher etc)

  Oh boy, it was a long journey. About nine years ago I wrote the first two books of The Black Witch Chronicles in a feverish rush of inspiration. That led to a local writers’ group. That led to my first agent. Then lots of rejections. Then my current agent, Carrie Hannigan, and lots of rewrites. Then a rewrite with a major publishing company who ultimately passed. Lots of rejections. THEN a call, early last year from my agent, to ask if I could rewrite the whole thing and resubmit (I had about one month to do this). And this time – picked up by Harlequin TEEN!!! (and I never want to be anywhere else since Lauren Smulski is the best editor in the history of the universe – and everyone at Harlequin TEEN is beyond wonderful). And, of course, there were a few more rewrites J

  JR: What’s your writing process like?

  LF: LOTS of it. I write every morning, part of Saturday and most of Sunday. I write REALLY rough versions that I then let my critique groups take hatchets to and revise, revise, revise. And then my Harlequin TEEN editor, Lauren Smulski, takes another hatchet to it (and she’s always right, I’m finding). My current goal is to do 35 pages in one day (like badass Sarah J. Maas who is my YA fantasy author idol!) – right now I’m more like 1-6, lol. The story direction comes to me at odd times – listening to angsty music in the car, listening to angsty music at the gym, walking around aimlessly, upon awakening in the early morning, walking around the dark, moody forest…

  JR: What’s your favorite book and who’s your favorite author?

  LF: I cannot do this. It is a godlike trifecta – Robin Hobb (ROYAL ASSASSIN), Tamora Pierce (WILD MAGIC), Patrick Rothfuss (THE NAME OF THE WIND)

  JR: What’s your favorite movie?

  LF: THE LORD OF THE RINGS (all of them – but especially the first one when we meet Aragorn who I have a mad crush on).

  ( Preaching to the choir, here)

  JR: Something people would be surprised to learn about you?

  LF: I’m a Godzilla fanatic.

  (Also preaching to the choir!)

  JR: Do you do a lot of research when you write?

  LF: I’ve had to do a bit – especially when I found out how woefully ignorant I was about horse travel and horses in general, lol (had to redraw a few maps for distance). Got help from a champion Morgan Horse breeder here in Vermont (who was very gracious when she stopped laughing at my blatant misuse of horses). Luckily, fantasy allows some great leeway.

  JR: Here at the Tuesdays, a big part of our success and the purpose of this site, has been being involved in a critique group. Are you involved in one and if so, how has it helped you?

  LF: Oh my goodness, am I. First off, for years I’ve been part of my SCBWI Burlington, VT (soon to be international/virtual) YA fantasy critique group (we share a chapter a week and critique – they are invaluable! Shout out to favorite authors & incredible editors Cam Sate and Kimberly Hunt!). I’ve got a more local Montpelier, VT critique group with two amazing authors (once a month) and various other readers/authors I meet with and get feedback from. And then there’s the Burlington Writers’ Workshop groups I try to pop in on.

  when an editor becomes an author

  JR: What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve received and is there any advice you can give to writers looking to break in?

  LF: Write. And read. As much as possible. Join a writing group (more than one if you can). And network – it’s fun!

  JR: What are you working on next?

  LF: I’m working on the second e-book novella for The Black Witch Chronicles – about a side character in The Black Witch named Sage Gaffney (we meet her very early on in The Black Witch). It’s a dark story, but I’m having fun working out Sage’s unique type of Light Magery.

  JR: Is there anything that else you want to share with our readers or perhaps tell them how they can follow you on social media?

  LF: Enter my realm at…

  WEBSITE:

  laurieannforest.com

  PINTEREST:

  https://www.pinterest.com/forestlaurieann/

  FACEBOOK:

  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009503414837

  TUMBLR:

  http://laurieannforest.tumblr.com/

  GOODREADS:

  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25740412-the-black-witch

  JR: Before we go, I always like to ask, who’s your favorite member of The Tuesdays, but just so you know, before you answer, rumor has it, that Faran stages baby-fighting rings in his basement.

  LF: Faran, hands down. Forever and always Faran.

  JR: Sighing. I guess nobody cares about baby-fighting any longer. Anyway, thanks again to Laurie Forest, and best of luck with The Black Witch!

Forest, Laurie. The Black Witch, Book 1
Amy Cummins
40.2 (June 2017): p78.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 E L Kurdyla Publishing LLC
http://www.voya.com
2Q * 3P * S * NA

Forest, Laurie. The Black Witch, Book 1. Harlequin Teen, 2017. 608p. $19.99. 978-0373-21231-6.

In The Black Witch, Elloren Gardner attends university to train in Apothecary Sciences and, ultimately, becomes part of a resistance. Elloren refuses to be wandfasted despite her elite aunt's insistence. The uncle who raised her wants Elloren to wait until after her two years of university to be betrothed. He knows Elloren possesses the magic of her famous grandmother, but he keeps it secret because he does not want her to fight in an unjust war. Classmate Fallon Bane bullies Elloren because Fallon wants to be with Lukas Grey, an elite mage who prefers Elloren. Elloren falls in love with another man, and romances across ethnic divisions function to slowly chip away at Elloren's acceptance of the religious and social hierarchies of her culture.

Aspects of The Black Witch will bother fantasy readers. The beings and rules of this world need more description (presumably to be developed in a sequel). There is a reliance on stock elements--a "chosen one" goes to a magic school and becomes a hero. Important characters drift out of Elloren's attention, like her sick uncle. She responds negatively when her brother, Trystan, reveals his attraction to men. She parrots the ideologies of her society until, after enough exposure to a diverse university population, Elloren moves beyond her biases and starts to check her privilege--halfway through the long novel. Characters from nondominant groups suffer seriously while the first-person narrative perspective requires the reader to empathize with Elloren in her awakening. What begins as a romantic fantasy about a racist woman in a sexist society morphs into an activist's coming-of-age story. While The Black Witch is entertaining, it is also troubling, seemingly trying to show the injustice of racism while (unintentionally?) reinforcing it.--Amy Cummins.

Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Cummins, Amy. "Forest, Laurie. The Black Witch, Book 1." Voice of Youth Advocates, June 2017, p. 78. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA497860382&it=r&asid=4cad5b317f4d2e5e2843bee4f4b1f178. Accessed 4 Sept. 2017.

Gale Document Number: GALE|A497860382

The Black Witch
264.12 (Mar. 20, 2017): p74.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
* The Black Witch

Laurie Forest. Harlequin Teen, $19.99 (608p)

ISBN 978-0-373-21231-6

In this intoxicating tale of rebellion and star-crossed romance, 17-year-old Elloren Gardner enrolls at Verpax University to study healing. Elloren's grandmother Carnissa was a powerful Mage known as the Black Witch, who led Gardneria to victory in the Realm War. Some think Elloren will fulfill a legendary prophecy and follow in Carnissa's footsteps, but though Elloren resembles the Black Witch, she possesses no magic. Still, Elloren is hated by those on campus whose people Carnissa helped subjugate. Out of loneliness, Elloren befriends Verpax's other outcasts, many of whom belong to races she's been taught to fear or disdain. She begins to question everything she knows about Gardneria's history and culture, and realizes that there's good reason for the growing opposition to her country's new government. Exquisite character work, an elaborate mythology, and a spectacularly rendered universe make this a noteworthy debut, which argues passionately against fascism and xenophobia. Though the worldbuilding is initially dense, the pace and stakes increase exponentially, and the thrilling conclusion will leave readers eager for the next book in this series. Ages 14-up. Agent: Carrie Hannigan, Hannigan Salky Getzler. (May)

Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"The Black Witch." Publishers Weekly, 20 Mar. 2017, p. 74. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA487601841&it=r&asid=82f9c85436c4c25ae0c3d60b33a5994c. Accessed 4 Sept. 2017.

Gale Document Number: GALE|A487601841

Forest, Laurie: THE BLACK WITCH
(Mar. 1, 2017):
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Forest, Laurie THE BLACK WITCH Harlequin Teen (Children's Fiction) $19.99 5, 2 ISBN: 978-0-373-21231-6

Transported from her sheltered village life to join the diverse, magical student body at Verpax University, Elloren Gardner's comfortable sense of history is challenged by living and learning alongside Elves, shape-shifting Lupines, and even feared, demonic Icarals.In Gardneria, mages rule the land, brought to power by Elloren's illustrious forebears, including Elloren's magically powerful grandmother, The Black Witch, Carnissa Gardner, who drove back enemy forces in the Realm War; however, a Gardnerian Seer predicts a new Black Witch will rise to battle a Great Winged One. Yet although she's the spitting image of Carnissa, with the black hair, glimmering skin, and green eyes characteristic of pure-blooded Gardnerians, Elloren appears devoid of magical powers in a society that prizes them. Pressured by her politically powerful aunt Vyvian to be wandfasted to attractive Level Five Mage Lukas Grey, Elloren draws the ire of his jealous, would-be suitor Fallon Bane--another Level Five Mage rumored to be the next Black Witch. At Verpax, Elloren must room with two Icarels and work alongside rainbow-hued Urisks and Kelts whose "blood is polluted" with other races'. But as Elloren slowly befriends her strange set of schoolmates (Lupine twins Diana and Jarod, Icaral roommate Ariel, and attractive and mysterious Kelt Yvan) she's challenged to confront her own prejudices. At book's end, Yvan, Elloren, and the mysterious white wand she possesses brim with potential power. In Elloren's tale, this briskly paced, tightly plotted novel enacts the transformative power of education, creating engaging characters set in a rich alternative universe with a complicated history that can help us better understand our own. A massive page-turner that leaves readers longing for more. (Fantasy. 14-adult)

Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Forest, Laurie: THE BLACK WITCH." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Mar. 2017. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA482911723&it=r&asid=bb985362590feaec00e224e774462135. Accessed 4 Sept. 2017.

Gale Document Number: GALE|A482911723

Forest, Laurie. The Black Witch
Della Farrell
63.5 (May 2017): p103.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 Library Journals, LLC. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
FOREST, Laurie. The Black Witch. 608p. Harlequin Teen. May 2017. Tr $19.99. ISBN 9780373212316.

Gr 8 Up--It is one thing to be the granddaughter of Carnissa Gardner, the legendary Black Witch, but it's another to be the spitting image of her. Elloren Gardner discovers this from the moment she is uprooted from her uncle's secluded house and enrolled at Verpax University, which is rumored to be "racially integrated," to Elloren's great shock (Elloren shares her aunt's opinion that the integration is "misguided"). While outwardly resembling a bildungsroman, albeit a fantasy one, this novel features a protagonist who remains naive for far too long and, unfortunately, is painfully slow to confront the racist attitudes that she has inherited and that are essential to Gardnerian dominance. By the book's end, readers will wonder if she has learned anything at all. Teens will have to get through hundreds of pages of stereotypical characterizations of marginalized groups (non-Gardnerians are hateful and ultraviolent, their blood is "polluted," they mate like animals, the non-Gardnerian women are trying to steal Gardnerian men, etc.) before Elloren begins to recognize that maybe Gardnerians are the bad guys in her realm. Although unlearning prejudices is a timely theme in YA, Forest handles this issue clumsily. In a particularly rough, tone-deaf scene, mean girl Fallon berates Effrey, a purple-skinned enslaved Urisk girl. Elloren eventually comes to the rescue, and Sparrow, another enslaved girl, approves of her actions with a smile--just one of the many white savior-like moments throughout. The world-building also leaves a lot to be desired: the Gardnerian creation story is an almost verbatim retelling of Genesis, and there are sporadic, vague mentions of martial arts and elemental spirits in this otherwise "Harry Potter" meets Tolkien universe. VERDICT Poor writing and character development contribute to an overall uneven handling of race and racism in a fantasy setting. --Della Farrell, School Library Journal

Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Farrell, Della. "Forest, Laurie. The Black Witch." School Library Journal, May 2017, p. 103. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA491032163&it=r&asid=f0b09088bf8dd41d24dae91c1b6d01cd. Accessed 4 Sept. 2017.

Gale Document Number: GALE|A491032163

Cummins, Amy. "Forest, Laurie. The Black Witch, Book 1." Voice of Youth Advocates, June 2017, p. 78. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA497860382&asid=4cad5b317f4d2e5e2843bee4f4b1f178. Accessed 4 Sept. 2017. "The Black Witch." Publishers Weekly, 20 Mar. 2017, p. 74. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA487601841&asid=82f9c85436c4c25ae0c3d60b33a5994c. Accessed 4 Sept. 2017. "Forest, Laurie: THE BLACK WITCH." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Mar. 2017. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA482911723&asid=bb985362590feaec00e224e774462135. Accessed 4 Sept. 2017. Farrell, Della. "Forest, Laurie. The Black Witch." School Library Journal, May 2017, p. 103. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA491032163&asid=f0b09088bf8dd41d24dae91c1b6d01cd. Accessed 4 Sept. 2017.

• Bookstore Babe
  http://b00kstorebabe.blogspot.my/2017/03/review-black-witch-by-laurie-forest.html
  Word count: 9305

  Thursday, March 16, 2017
  Review: The Black Witch by Laurie Forest
  Normally, I start these reviews with a photo of the book and a star rating. Today, I am not going to do that. The Black Witch is the most dangerous, offensive, book I've ever read. It's racist, ableist, homophobic, and is written with no marginalized people in mind.

  Before I get into this review wholeheartedly, I want to address the supporters of this book. Yes, I read the whole thing. Yes, I understand that it's supposed to be a redemption story in which deeply seated prejudices are uprooted and the main character learns. But here's the thing. She doesn't learn. Even with 100, 50, 30, pages left, Elloren Gardner was still saying and doing racist things. Additionally, it takes 350+ pages before that redemption arc even starts, and those pages before it are filled with some of the most vile hatred and vitriol I've ever seen from a protagonist.

  This book was ultimately written for white people. It was written for the type of white person who considers themselves to be not-racist and thinks that they deserve recognition and praise for treating PoC like they are actually human. It holds no regard to the feelings of marginalized people, which is evident in the way that the book portrays racism, homophobia, and ableism.

  Elloren Gardner is the worst protagonist I've ever read. She's supposed to be a gentle apothecary who loves the violin, but she's petty, mean, selfish, entitled, homophobic, and racist. She was raised by her Uncle in a small village so that she could be protected from the world, but her uncle, who is supposed to be seen as a kind man, did nothing to teach Elloren anything about the racism of her people. Yet later in the book, he is cited as the reason for Elloren's subversion. Her narrative voice is incredibly childish, yet she's supposed to be seventeen. She acts more like a 11 year old child than an almost-grown adult.

  The book gets right into the "plot" when Elloren's Aunt Vyvian comes to visit. She's a mage on the High Council and she is pushing for Elloren to "wandfast" to someone. Wandfasting is essentially a magical arranged marriage in which you are literally magically bound to someone. Women are wandfasted as early as thirteen years old, but Elloren, at seventeen, remains unbound. Immediately, the world that she lives in is set up to be sexist. Women typically aren't as powerful as men, according to Elloren, therefore men rule over women. Her uncle refuses to force her to marry, and tells Vyvian that he's sending her to university instead to become an apothecary.

  Vyvian refuses to pay her tithe while she remains un-wandfasted, and so Elloren will be forced to work in the kitchens to pay for her tuition. Vyvian and Elloren plan to head to the university in the morning, but before she does, Elloren is visited by a mysterious white bird. These birds appear throughout the book and are known as Watchers. Elloren follows the bird into the woods where she meets Sage Gaffney, a missing girl from her village who broke her wandfasting to mate with a Kelt. Sage gives her a legendary White Wand and tells her that she's supposed to have it. I'm gonna tell you something...we never find out why she has this wand. She uses it once, maybe twice throughout the book, and never herself. Sage warns her against the Council and tells her that they want to kill her baby, as she has given birth to an Icaral.

  The world-building in this book is so spotty, it's hard to really describe what Icarals are. People of any race can be an Icaral, and anyone can give birth to one. Yet they are also seen as true Evil, demons created to attack The First Ones. Later, we find out that Icarals are just people with wyvern/dragon blood, which is why they have wings. It really doesn't make sense how a child of a Gardnerian and a Kelt would have wyvern blood in it to become an Icaral. The High Council is convinced that Sage's baby is a prophesied Icaral who will become The Great Winged One.

  Elloren and Vyvian travel to Vyvian's home, and she learns about all the eligible men that Vyvian wants Elloren to fast to. She's particularly intrigued by a man named Lukas Grey, who we later meet. Vyvian sets up a date for Elloren to go shopping with some girls at her university, and we meet Elloren's rival for the first time. Fallon Bane is the epitome of catty mean girl. She's like a Malfoy plus Regina George. She hates Elloren for literally no other reason than Lukas seems to like her, and makes it her mission to make Elloren's life miserable at university. She's also a powerful Level Five mage (whatever that means) and is rumored to be the next Black Witch. The other girls she meets are truly so inconsequential that they aren't worth mentioning. One girl is even really nice to Elloren but she doesn't really appear much once she gets to school. This entire book is riddled with girl-hate.

  We meet Lukas Grey at a ball in Vyvian's home. He swoops in while she's playing a faltering violin piece and accompanies her on the piano. He's gorgeous, charming, and interested in Elloren. He sends word to her that he's interested in wandfasting to her but Elloren refuses because she simply doesn't know him, and she made a promise to her Uncle to wait until she graduated University. Her aunt is shocked and appalled, and tells Elloren that if she doesn't fast to Lukas, he's going to fast to Fallon, who seems to claim him despite his disinterest in her. Even though Elloren isn't really interested, she can't stand the thought of Fallon with him. Lukas Grey is another horrible character. Sure, he's gorgeous, but he's also incredibly cruel and possessive. Elloren asks him for a magic demonstration, and he uses his magic to literally force Elloren to press closer to him so he can kiss her. He also threatens an entire kitchen staff, kills a familiar, and sexually assaults the main character, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

  Once we get to university, the next 400 pages are just filled with racist thing after racist thing. Elloren meets many different people of many different races, and she is racist against every single one of them. And that's actually hard to do, since there are about a billion races in this book, and every single person is identified first by their race, then by their appearance.

  Here's just a few:

  Urisk. Always servants, they are literally colored people. Their skin ranges from pink to lavender to green.
  Vu Trin. Powerful Asian coded sorceresses
  Amazakaran (or Amaz). An all-woman warrior race (sound familiar?)
  Elves, which can be split into MANY different sub-races. There's even a Snake Elf character covered in scales
  Lupines, who are (shocker) shape-shifting wolves
  Icarals, who are many different races, yet discriminated against by all of them
  Kelts, who are a "barbarian race"
  Gardnerians, or white supremacist mages. They are described MANY times as having dark hair and green eyes and skin that "shimmers slightly in the dark." A few Wiccans have pointed out to me that there is an actual Gardnerian race of witches with a history of racism as well.
  Elloren's appearance and heritage makes her a target to all of the people of other races, which reinforces her prejudices throughout the book. That, paired with friends who are "good people" who also buy into the racism allows Elloren to go unchecked and unchallenged throughout nearly the entire book.

  Now that I've set the stage, lets get into the nitty gritty. It's time for quotes. Because this is a 600 page book in which every few pages has some kind of racism or misogyny or ableism, I'm not going to put every single thing that I come across. I'm mostly going to stick to the racist bits, because every single word that comes out of one characters mouth is catty girl hate.

  Part One

  pg. 20. "I have never heard of a Gardnerian girl, especially one of Elloren's standing, from such a distinguished family, laboring in a kitchen. That's work for Urisk, for Kelts, not for such a girl as Elloren."
  pg. 23. "Icaral Demons! Attending University? How could that even be possible? Keltic peasants and Elfhollen half-breeds are one thing, but Icarals!"

  "'It's not surprising, really,' my aunt comments, her voice disgusted. 'the Verpacian Council is full of half-breeds. As is most of the University's hierarchy. They mandate an absurd level of integration, and, quite frankly, it's dangerous.'"

  Pausing to say that at one point she thinks she sees two dark figures on horseback. Those two dark figures are never mentioned again

  pg. 48. "'If it was up to him, I suspect we'd all be slaves again, or half-breeds.'"

  pg. 52-54. Elloren sees the Selkie for the first time. She's locked in a cage and is being sold as a pleasure slave. Her aunt explains that she's actually a seal with a human skin and she's just a wild animal, so there's nothing to worry about.

  pg. 60. "The thought of Icaral demons is so jarring in the midst of the comforting warmth, the sweet kittens, the luxury cushioning me all around."

  pg. 71-74. "'Lupines don't ever marry, did you know that? They simply grab whomever they like and mate with them in the woods.'
  'Like animals,' Echo chimes in, with great indignation."

  Ok pausing again to say that they already established that marriage is called wandfasting so why is this word being used?

  "'Their blood is polluted with all kinds of filth—Fae blood, Urisk....even Icaral.'"

  "'Look out for Urisk women,' Fallon warns as a side note. 'They may look all innocent, but they love going after our men.'"

  "The fact is, Urisk women don't have any men of their own to go after. The Gardnerian government killed all their males during the Realm war."

  The rest of Part One is just more catty rivalry between Fallon & Elloren, the introduction of Lukas, etc.

  pg. 139. "Most Gardnerians are as distrustful of mixed-breeds as the Alfsigr Evles are. It's understandable—we were almost wiped out several times. Of course we want to keep our race pure and intact."

  Part Two

  She's heading to the university, and she gets stopped by a Vu Trin sorceress. Her people are "mysterious" and she has deep brown skin. It's very heavily Asian coded language. She even carries metal stars strapped on her chest.

  pg. 153. "Commander Vin is before me. She stares me down, her eyes narrowed to hostile slits."

  Vin then asks her if she's been trained in martial arts and other weapons training.

  pg. 160 Fallon trips Elloren and is helped up by a young man. She finds out he's a Lupine and is afraid of him, yet curious about his people.

  pg. 163. "The Kelts are not a pure race like us. They're more accepting of intermarriage, and because of this, they're hopelessly mixed."

  Yes, you just read that with your own two eyes. This is one of the times my jaw dropped in horror and I had to walk away from this book.

  pg. 164. "This Yvan Guriel doesn't even know me, I lament, glaring resentfully at him out of the corner of my eye. He has no reason to be so hateful."

  She has so much cognitive dissonance. She just called his race hopelessly mixed, but doesn't understand why he would have negative feelings toward her.

  pg 179-180. "'They're all the same, Bleddyn agrees. Bunch of black Roaches.' I flinch at the racial insult. It's a horrible name that mocks the black of our sacred garb."

  I'm gonna stop and unpack that one a little bit. Bleddyn and Iris are Kelts that work in the kitchen. The first time they meet Elloren, they trip her and beat her. This only serves to further her prejudices against the Kelts. Additionally, this so-called racial slur is something akin to calling a white person "mayonnaise." Here's a great real-life response to this. And yes, I know and understand that this is supposed to be a fantasy world, but since Elloren is supposed to be coded as white, it's important to mention.

  The very next scene acts to further her prejudices as well. She heads to her lodging, where she finds out she's supposed to be lodging with a Gardnerian and an Elf. When she gets there, she finds out that they are Icarals, and they lock her in the closet and threaten to kill her. She goes to her aunt and begs her for a new room, and she agrees on the condition that she wandfasts to Lukas. Elloren refuses, so she's stuck in the Tower, but she does decide to enlist Lukas' help against the mean old Kelts and Icarals.

  pg. 206. "'Verpacia is bound by international treaty to surrender only male Icarals to Gardneria. Becaouse of the Prophecy.'
  'And she's not male.'
  Lukas nods resignedly. 'Imprisonment of female Icarals is still voluntary, and at the discretion of the Icaral's family. For now. There are some on the Mage Council who hold romantic ideas about Icaral rehabilitation, but they're slowly being voted out."

  After this scene, Lukas goes with her to the kitchens to stand up for her. I'm not going to type out this whole scene, because it's quite long, but here's a summary. This is pages 210-212. Lukas asks Iris about her family's farm.

  He says "It would be a shame if our military decided to requisition your parents' farmland. It would also be a shame if something went amiss during military training exercises, and your parents' home was fired upon...by accident, of course."

  He then asks Bleddyn about her ailing mother on the Fae Islands (which are a labor camp, btw).

  "'It would be bad for her it if were found that she had been distributing Resistance propaganda amongst the other laborers,' Lukas says smoothly. 'That could be grounds for getting her transported to the Pyrran Isles. It's difficult to survive there if a person is of a healthy constitution. Your mother might not fare well in a place like that."

  And finally, he addresses Fernyllia, the Urisk head of the kitchens. He asks about her granddaughter, who is not allowed in the kitchens. On cue, the little girl walks in.

  "'A child her age, with hands as small and nimble as hers, would be a very useful laborer on the Fae Islands.'"

  Throughout the entire exchange, our great heroine Elloren is standing in silent shock. She is upset at the way Lukas is talking, but she not once, but twice, justifies it to herself.

  "But they hit you, I remind myself. They beat you and threatened you. And Fernyllia did nothing to stop them."

  "But what's the alternative? To let them bully me? To let them kick me and slap me and threaten me with further violence? No, it's better to make idle threats, if they now fear me.
  I may be devoid of magic, but I'm Carnissa Gardner's granddaughter, Vyvian Damon's neice and favored by Lukas Grey."

  This scene is absolutely horrifying. Not only does Elloren feel fully justified in the way that Lukas threatened an entire scene of workers, when she later apologizes (at the VERY end of the book), Fernyllia completely forgives her, even though she threatened to send her granddaughter to a labor camp. Forgiveness by PoC coded fantasy races is spread throughout this entire book, but I really don't buy it. Elloren doesn't change enough to deserver their forgiveness.

  On page 216, we finally meet Ariel, the Icaral who threatened Elloren in the closet. I tabbed this page because her description is just so over-the-top, I was genuinely baffled as to why it was included. This sounds like something Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way would wear, and unfortunately, her descriptions never really improve. Ariel is mean, hateful, spiteful, and unbalanced. Her character is where the majority of the ableism comes through.

  After this scene is probably one of the most embarrassing lines of the entire book. Elloren storms over to their table and says, "The denizens of hell do not get to eat cake!"
  I cringed. Also, there is no hell inn this world-building, and I'm not sure why she'd say this. There are quite a few anachronisms, but hell comes up quite a few times in the book so maybe I'm just wrong here. There is never talk of heaven and hell, just Cursed and Blessed Ones.

  pg. 220. "'Elloren, you have to choose what side you're on," he says, shaking his head. Dominate, or be dominated. Those are your choices.'"

  After Lukas says this, she asks to see his magic. He uses his magic to BIND her FORCEFULLY to him so that he can kiss her. Gross.

  She goes back to the tower to confront the Icaral roommates. She threatens Ariel and forces her to give up her bed.

  pg. 224. "I strip the bed of Ariel's sheets, disgusted by the idea of sleeping on anything that's touched an Icaral's skin, and toss them forcefully in her direction."

  pg. 231. Elloren is eating lunch with her brothers, Trystan and Rafe, and her friend Gareth, who if you remember has silver-tipped hair and is not pure blooded.

  "'Aren't you going to eat with us?' I ask.
  She peers over at Gareth uncomfortable, her hands clutching a leather-bound text. 'I...can't. I have to go.'
  Her faint smile evaporates as she casts and unfriendly look at Gareth before leaving."

  pg. 232. "I watch as Damion [Fallon's brother] grabs the arm of a passing Urisk serving girl and jerks her backward. She lets out a startled cry of surprise and nearly drops the large basket of muffins she's carrying. Damion smiles unkindly and leers at her as Fallon and Sylus pick out some muffins, the two of them chatting and ignoring the girl completely."

  This is a cafeteria scene and there manages to be 2-3 different racist things all in one short scene. Fallon trips Wynter, the other Icaral girl that Elloren lives with. Her brother Rafe goes to help her. An Elf yells at him for touching her and tells him to leave her alone.

  Miffed that he was berated when he was trying to help her, Elloren says "I guess that's what you get when you try to help Icarals"
  Everything in this scene leads up to this conclusion by Elloren, "'It's best to stay away from non-Gardnerians.'"
  pg. 244. One of her professors is an Elf. She's expecting the white-haired prissy kind, and is appalled when she finds out he's a Smaragdalfar. A Snake Elf.

  "Snake Elves are mine Elves. Deep-earth Elves. Dangerous, criminal elves. A depraved hoard locked in their underground cities by the Alfsigr and controlled with mine demons and pit dragons.
  And I've never seen one. Ever.
  How did this one get out? How did a Snake Elf come to stand in front of a lecture hall? In professorial robes?"

  And yes, it says hoard, not horde. The Elf, named Fyon Hawkkyn, allows anyone uncomfortable with his class to leave. Half of the class walks out. I think this guy is supposed to be a Snape insert or something, because he sees Elloren and calls her out for being a "celebrity."

  He tells her "There will be no preferential treatment here, Mage Elloren Gardner." but ON THE VERY NEXT PAGE, he says "Beginning next class, I'll group you according to Guild apprenticeship and tailor your Metallurgie study accordingly....Mage Gardner, you'll work directly with me."

  Her next class is History, with a Gardnerian professor.

  pg. 248. "I'm braced for more hatred when I enter the sunlit lecture hall built just of the Gardnerian Athenaeum—braced for ice magic and eviscerating stares and yet another well that Fallon has preemptively poisoned.
  Instead I'm immediately enveloped by goodwill—solitary scholars and convivial groupings slowly realizing who I am, blinking, murmuring and then blessedly smiling warmly at me.
  It's all Gardnerians here, no hateful Kelts. And no Gardnerian military apprentices."

  The first time she feels comfortable in this school is when she's surrounded by people of her own race. That is incredibly telling. Her professor is Priest Mage Simitri.

  pg. 255-256. The male Lupine is in her next class. Her friend Aislinn is upset. "'I can't take a class with a Lupine male, Elloren. Father'd never allow it. He'll make me leave University.'"
  She then talks about her love of books and libraries (I think we're supposed to identify with her bookish friend or something) and talks about an Elven technique for book painting. She stops abruptly and says,

  "'Don't tell anyone you heard me talking like this.'"
  'Why?' I question, confused.
  She stares at me as if it should be obvious. 'Because Elves are heathens, of course. It sounds as if I'm...glorifying their culture.'"

  pg. 257. "'They're [Lupines] wild, Elloren. Like animals. And the males are immoral and dangerous. I don't know what to do."

  pg. 265. "Tierney Calix is, by far, the ugliest Gardnerian girl I've ever laid eyes on. Reed-thin, her face is sharp, her nose unevenly bent, her back twisted to the side, trapping her into and odd, unforgiving posture. Like a spider protecting her webby lair, she seems to shrink down at the sight of me, drawing around her experiment protectively as she glares up at me through resentful eyes.
  I set my bookbag [another anachronism] down and force out a perfunctory hello as I adjust to her unpleasant appearance."

  Elloren is so catty, judgemental, racist, and mean that she literally has to adjust to an ugly person. Later, we find out that Tierney is actually an Elf in disguise as a Gardnerian so she can escape persecution, which is why she's ugly. Apparently, every other Gardnerian is naturally beautiful.

  pg. 278-279 TW: ASSAULT
  Lukas & Elloren are kissing and they feel this odd shock of magic.

  "Lukas holds on to me, his eyes full of surprise. 'I don't know,' he says, his voice deep and ragged. 'I've never felt anything like that before.' His expression shifts from shock to hunger. He lunges at me, claiming my mouth, and pushes his body hard against mine.

  I try to move away from him, to push away from the black fire, but he tightens his hold on me. I wrench my mouth from his.

  'Lukas,' I force out. 'Stop. I want to go.'
  He pulls back, just barely, and gives me a look so feral that it fills me with serious alarm.
  My eyes dart nervously toward the exit.
  Abruptly, Lukas steps away, eyes predatory."

  Again. Lukas proves to be a horrible person. You'd think that after this, Elloren would be done with him, tell Fallon she can have his entitled ass, and move on, but nope. That doesn't happen.

  pg. 282. Wynter's brothers, two Elves (Named Rhys and Cael), are waiting for her at her tower. They ask Elloren to have some compassion for Wynter, as she is mistreated by her own people. Elloren refuses, because when Ariel was taunting her that first night, Wynter did nothing to help.

  "Cael stiffens and anger flashes in his eyes 'I should have known better than to expect compassion from a Gardnerian.'
  My blood boils at his words. 'You should have known better to expect that I would roll over and play dead when abused by Icarals.'"

  This defensiveness, this absolute belief that nothing Elloren ever does could possibly be wrong, this never changes. Once she starts learning not to be racist (remember y'all, we're 280 pages into this book and her redemption arc hasn't even started) she still gets personally offended when anyone questions her motives.

  On the next page, we find out that Ariel has adopted a chicken. This is important for later.

  pg. 287 TW: SELF HARM, ABLEISM
  "Every night Ariel hovers protectively about her chicken. If I even get near the animal, she screams something unintelligible about cages and setting me on fire. She's completely unhinged, and I catch her doing mad, confusing things, like listlessly taking a knife to herself, slowly pushing the blade into her flesh until blood comes, adding to the rows of long scars up and down her arms. If she catches me looking, she hisses and screws her face up into a frightening scowl before throwing the knife on the floor and turning herself over to face the wall, her rancid wings lying on the bed like rotting, wilted leaves."
  The idea that self-harm makes you dangerous is so incredibly damaging, harmful, and ableist.
  I don't understand why this was even included. Ariel is already established as a "scary Icaral," why bother making her "crazy" as well?

  pg. 291-292. "He nods in grave understanding and squeezes my arm. 'Stay strong, Elloren. The Golden Age is coming. The Black Witch will rise, and she will smite them all. The Icarals, the Kelts, the shapeshifters—all the infidel races."

  pg. 293. "I'm momentarily overwhelmed by how handsome he [Yvan] is. I remind myself that he's a Kelt, likely no different than the boy who seduced Sage into breaking her wandfasting."

  She completely fetishizes Yvan, who can't stand her (for good reason). His personality exists solely in his eyes, which flash angrily, look conflicted, etc...

  "A surge of hateful jealousy courses over me, seeing them like this."

  I still can't figure out if we're intended to sympathize with her. She's jealous of ANY other girl getting attention.

  Speaking of petty, mean, spiteful things...
  The next scene she arrives back to her tower to find that Ariel's pet chicken has destroyed a portrait of her family. She retaliates by taking her pet and putting it outside in the cold, where it will most likely be taken back to the poultry yard or eaten by predators.

  She tells herself that Ariel deserves it. When she arrives back to the tower, Ariel has burned to Elloren's quilt from home, her most prized possession.

  Even after she saw how Lukas "helped" her with the kitchen staff, even after he assaulted her, she goes to him and demands that he help her get rid of Ariel. She knows the consequences. She's trying to get her expelled, which will force Ariel back into an asylum. They decide that the only way to get her kicked out is if she is so angry that she attacks Elloren.

  On page 299-301, she comes back to the tower to find that Lukas had killed Ariel's chicken, driven stakes through its breast, and staked it to the door. She finds out that the chicken was a "kindred" or familiar, and that Ariel could speak to it with her mind. She's broken, sobbing on the floor at the loss of her companion. When she sees Elloren, she attacks her. Her eyes start flashing different colors and it seems like she's going to "turn." Turning is never expanded on, but we're not supposed to like it.

  Wynter grabs Ariel and drags off her, and we find out that she's an Empath and can see things when she touches people. Elloren runs away with the help of Wynter.

  And here it is, on page 302, the first time Elloren ever truly empathizes with another race. She thinks of the way that Ariel cared for her chicken, and thinks, "Is she really completely evil?"

  So after having her kindred killed, when confronted by Professor "ethnic cleansing" Simitri, she lies, and says she simply tripped.

  pg. 304. "Something irretrievable has broken between us. It was too much, what he did. I don't think I can ever forgive him."

  These are pretty words that don't actually translate into what happens. She convinces herself that this is the truth however, and therefore feels absolved. She steals another chicken to replace the one Lukas killed, and apologizes, not to Ariel, but to Wynter. She forgives her, even though she has no right or authority to do so. Again, Elloren receives no consequences for her actions from any of the people she's wronged.

  Something I really hate about the writing in this book is how the scenes are set up. Elloren is talking to Aislinn, who asks her how it's going with the Icarals. Elloren tells her that Ariel showed up in her Mathematics class the other day, and she launches into the story. The story changes tenses constantly and it's so frustrating as a reader.

  We're introduced to yet another character, her Mathematics teacher, a Gardnerian named Klinmann.

  pg. 309. "I'm always uncomfortably aware of the glint of cruel bitterness ever present in his cool green eyes when he looks at anyone of another race."

  She has this cognitive dissonance from her own racism and prejudice that's just simply astounding.

  Then this exchange happens:

  Now that Elloren has taken the first step into being not-awful, the cruelty by other Gardnerians increases. This adds distance from Elloren's own racist actions in comparison to the other people of her race.

  pg. 312-313. While in class with the Lupines, Jarod and Diana, Aislinn finds out that Jarod likes poetry via notes passed in class.

  "Aislinn turns to me, her silver Erthia sphere necklace catching the light, her expression riddled with conflict, as if faced with a world suddenly turned clear in its head. 'There's been a mistake. There has to be some mistake.' Her eyes flicker to where Jarod stands with his sister. She looks back to me and shakes her head, but her gaze is full of certainty. 'Elloren, it's impossible to be evil and uncivilized and love the poetry of Fleming. I'm sure of this."

  She no longer sees him as an evil uncivilized animal...because he likes poetry.

  pg. 316. Tierney notices that Elloren has an odd affinity for wood. When she touches something wooden, she can view the source tree it came from. Apparently plants will also "curl lovingly toward her finger" sometimes, a fact that is mentioned only once, and never given any practical use.

  Elloren has also noticed that Tierney has an affinity for water.

  "I've been forced to come face-to-face with the truth of it—like Gareth, there's no doubt that Tierney and I have tainted blood. Fae blood. For a long moment, Tierney and I stare at each other in silence."

  Can we not have a narrative in which the white racist narrator finds out her blood isn't as pure as she thought? Here is a twitter thread that breaks this down better than I could.

  pg. 319. Elloren finds herself in Fallon's room with Tierney. Diana, the Lupine, is sleeping naked on her bed.

  "'I can't do this anymore!' Echo cries with a morally outraged wave of her hand toward the naked Dina. 'She's disgusting. Look at her! We can't be expected...we're Gardnerians! Not filthy, heathen whores!'"

  Elloren is hiding behind the door while Fallon sits there talking shit about other girls in front of Tierney, Echo, and Paige (the two girls who were so inconsequential I didn't mention their names)

  Fallon makes fun of Tierney, talks shit about Elloren not realizing she's there, and decided to teach Diana a "lesson." Diana swiftly wakes up, attacks Fallon, and threatens her. Diana is basically a werewolf form of Wonder Woman. She speaks in this odd, formal way, she doesn't care about what Gardnerians think of her. Where she falls short is how she, too, believes that she's the superior race.

  I don't understand why every single person in this book has to be racist somehow. After this scene, Tierney tries to confess being a water Fae to Elloren but she cuts her off and tells her not to say anything.

  She then gets a letter from Lukas asking her to the Yule dance (a dance that doesn't even happen by the end of this 600 page book).

  pg. 327. "The sheer arrogance of him.
  How could he possibly think, after what happened with Ariel, that we could still go to this dance together? And yet...it's flattering that we could be so at odds, and still he's trying to pursue me."

  I understand that this is the first boy that's ever really given her any attention, but that's ridiculous. She still plans on going with him to a Yule dance, despite all that.

  Diana is ranting about Fallon in the next scene and she calls all Gardnerians "pathetic and worthless and weak" and amends, "I don't mean Elloren and Aislinn. You two aren't the least bit pathetic and worthless. You're both somewhat pleasant. Unlike the vast majority of your race."

  Now that Diana has accepted Elloren, she becomes a prominent character in her acceptance of other races. Elloren runs into Diana completely naked after a run in the woods, and they argue about the propriety of it. Her brother joins their conversation, and he convinces Diana to put clothes on. They go and have a long conversation about their different customs, and the three talk about rumors they've heard about the other races. Diana very quickly turns some of the Gardnerian customs (like wandfasting at age 13) on their head and she rights some of the rumors about her people. In the end, Diana invites Elloren to visit her pack. We also find out that Aislinn and Jarod have gotten very close.

  We're on chapter 25, page 346.

  "We're supposed to be Gardnerians, the Blessed Ones, the First Children, blameless and pure. And all of the other races are supposed to be the Evil Ones, the Cursed Ones. But more and more it seems as if life has the disturbing habit of refusing to align itself into such neat columns."

  but on the next page, she's upset because Rafe and Diana have been spending time together in the woods. She's ranting to her brother, Trystan about it.

  "'Rafe can't become interested in a Lupine. He'll bring the wrath of two powerful races straight onto his head. And hers, too.'

  And later

  "'Well, she can be infuriating. And arrogant.' And brave. And kind. But she's placing our brother in potentially serious danger. 'And she runs around naked half the time!' I insist. 'And now she's trying to steal our brother from us.'
  There are things I'm growing to truly like about Diana, admire even, but I push them roughly to the back of my mind. I know I'm being wrongheaded, and I'm ashamed of my words even as I say them, but this is a road that could lead to disaster."

  She does this consistently. She says horrible things, but since she feels "bad" about them, she feels absolved.

  pg. 350-351 TW HOMOPHOBIA

  "You can't be this way. You just can't. You have to change."
  On the next page, she muses

  "'I seem to be collecting them these days, you know.'
  'Evil ones?'
  'Icarals, Lupines—" A hidden Water Fae. "—and now you.'"

  pg. 358. TW COLONIALISM

  This, quite literally, the argument for the oppression of many groups of Native/Indigenous people. This is incredibly damaging and harmful. I think by now we've established that the Gardnerians are racist. Why are we still adding horrible things to the world? We get it. This isn't even the last of it. Elloren has barely scraped the surface of her people's oppression and bigotry.

  We keep adding to the pain of the oppressed people, and it's all there simply to further the plot and redemption arc of one teenage girl. It's not sincere, it's completely unnecessary, and it's hurtful. We are only 358 pages into a 600 page book and it's managed to hurt so many people.

  Priest Simitri goes on to say "Urisk children are not like Gardnerian children. They are not First Children. They need structure and hard work to reign their baser instincts. They lack the intelligence, the sensibility...the soul of our people."

  In the next scene we meet Professor Kristian. He was the professor that defended Ariel when Elloren stole her spice cake. She bluntly asks him for the truth of her clothing's origin, and he has a blunt and honest conversation with her about the ways her people have oppressed others. After she finds out her clothing was made by slaves, she stops wearing her fine silks.

  She goes back to him the next day to ask him for the "true" history of Gardneria. We then have this exchange, where Elloren finds out her race isn't actually pureblood, but is a race that descended from Kelts and Fae Dryads.

  pg. 365-373. "He tilts his head. 'Haven't you ever wondered where you get that slight shimmer to your skin?
  'It's the mark of the First Children,' I tell him. 'Set down on us by the Ancient One in blessing.'
  He lets out a short, unsurprised laugh. 'A lofty notion, indeed. And complete fiction. It's more likely your people are descended from the union of Kelts settled at the Northern Forest Border and Fae Dryads.'
  I gape at him, stunned. 'What? The Tree Fae?' That's ridiculous. We're a pure-blood race."

  Earlier in this review, I linked to a thread that talks about why this is problematic. He then goes on to tell her that the founder of Gardneria, her grandfather (six generations ago) was a "half-breed born into Keltic society, one of the despised Kelt-Dryad Mages."

  Her grandfather, Styvius was incredibly powerful and overtook the Kelts, then committed mass murder on all the Kelts in the village and surrounding villages. Her grandfather became a religious zealot and claimed that they were Chosen Ones and began the years and years of oppression and genocide.

  She hears this and thinks "This has to be a biased account."
  She's not listening. She's not learning.

  She asks about the Icarals and he tells her they have wyvern blood. We get to Elloren's grandmother, the famous Black Witch, and he tells her that she colonialized Keltania, became a religious zealot, and tried to wipe out all other races.

  This professor is really the only person to be blunt with her. She takes home a stack of history books written by non-Gardnerians so she can read non-Gardnerian biased accounts. She occasionally does do something right, but it's always overshadowed by the casual microaggressions that never cease.

  Part Three
  We're finally nearing the end.

  pg. 386. "Six heathen Mages are aligned with High Mage Worthin and his increasingly profane ideas—static borders that allow infidel races and shapeshifters to hold on to Mage land, a relaxation on the ban on intermarriage, trade with the perverse Amazakaran, support of the race-polluted University. And perhaps the most heinous of all—the allowing of Icaral demons to even exist!"

  pg. 402. Elloren argues with Jarod about his own people's ways. She heard a secondhand account of a girl she just met a few months ago and takes it to be truth over the words of someone from that culture.
  She leaves feeling confused about everything she's been told.

  pg. 415. Elloren warns Jarod away from having feelings for Aislinn. "It's one thing to wish Jarod was Gardnerian in the abstract. But he isn't. He's the son of his people's alpha, and aislinn's from one of the most conservative families on Gardneria. Our people hate each other."

  pg. 417. "I wonder what's wrong with me. How can I be so drawn to a Kelt?"

  pg. 418. "Let it go Elloren, I tell myself. You're a Gardnerian. He's a Kelt. These thoughts need to stop."

  I guess her racism education hasn't really expanded past abstract concepts like "Maybe literally every other race isn't evil."

  pg. 420. "Aislinn's smile instantly becomes as strained as mine as we glance down at the traditional Garnderian harvest cookies. They're in the shape of Icaral wings. Before eating them, it's to first break the wings in two, symbolic of the breaking down of the wings of the Evil Ones by the Gardnerian First Children."

  Even their COOKIES are racist. I mentioned this a lot while I was live-tweeting this book, but the only races that Elloren has really accepted are ones where someone has been nice to her. She still harbors resentment toward the Kelts and the Urisk, but she's accepted Icarals and Lupines.

  The basis for treating another person like a human shouldn't be whether they are nice to you. Unlearning prejudices does take time, but it's like she has to be held by the hand through every single prejudice and it's quite exhausting to read.

  pg. 421-422 We have a very heavy-handed lesson where Aislinn's older sisters tell their young children that Lupines are evil and bad and I guess it's supposed to show us how kids are indoctrinated to hate other races in Gardneria.

  At the same time, we're supposed to believe that her Uncle Edwin wasn't quite as bad, and yet she still holds all those same prejudices. Elloren wants to step in and say something but she doesn't want to deal with the backlash of saying positive things about a Lupine.

  pg. 432 Jarod kisses Aislinn. She's distraught because she liked it. She thinks it makes her an abomination. Jarod shows up and tells Elloren he's in love with Aislinn. It's all very dramatic.

  So now we have a POC-coded character in love with a White-coded character with conservative parents. How original.

  pg. 438-440. A lot of this book is told in interrupted anecdotes, so Elloren will be talking to one character one minute and telling a story the next. It makes the book really bogged down and confusing.

  Elloren tells Aislinn that Diana moved in with her. There's a funny bit where Diana threatens to eat Ariel's chicken.

  Elloren pointedly tells Aislinn that she doesn't approve of her brother spending time with Diana because she's a Lupine.

  Abruptly, she sees Yvan go into the woods and decides to follow him.

  pg. 443. "I harshly remind myself that I'm not a Kelt. And I can't be having these thoughts about a Kelt. He shouldn't be so focused on me, either. It's a stretch for Yvan and us to even be friends, and it would be impossible for us to be anything more."

  pg. 446. TW HOMOPHOBIA
  She's talking to Yvan.

  "'I'm not really what you think I am, and neither are my brothers, for that matter.'
  'An unfriendly grin plays at the corner of Yvan's mouth. 'Yes, your [gay] brother Trystan does present a bit of a dilemma for your illustrious family, doesn't he?'"

  THIS. GUY. IS. SUPPOSED. TO. BE. A. GOOD. GUY.

  Yvan shows Elloren a camp of dragons. He wants to free one that's "unbroken"

  pg. 451. TW ASSAULT
  This is the scene that upset me so much, I had to walk away because I started sobbing. I'm not going to type this one up, but I'll post photos of the pages. I can't read it again.

  ABUSING AND ASSAULTING SOMEONE JUST SO THE MAIN CHARACTER CAN """""RESCUE"""" HER IS NOT GOOD FUCKING CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT.
  I'm shaking so hard and I didn't even re-read this fucking scene.

  Next.

  After Elloren saves the Selkie, they go back to the tower to give her medical help, and we have the one exchange in this book that I didn't fully loathe, in which Diana tries to kill the groundskeeper and the rest of the crew has to calmly explain why that would have consequences.

  pg. 460. "'According to them, this mad did nothing unlawful. Repugnant maybe, but not unlawful. You two, on the other hand, have broken multiple laws. Do you really want to throw murder on top of that?'"

  Quickly, I want to mention that it's never really made clear to us whether the Selkie is an animal or a human, but seeing as many of the creatures in this story are shapeshifters with human and animal skins, it's safe to assume she's human. She has a human body, but she speaks no human languages. Wynter, who is an empath, can read her thoughts though.

  So there's this entire species of literal slaves within this book, and Elloren's aunt wants the Selkies to be executed on sight because she thinks it's unseemly that Gardnerian men buy them as sex slaves.

  pg. 464 Elloren overhears Rafe and Diana talking. They've fallen in love. Now BOTH Lupines are in love with Gardnerians.

  "My brother, the Gardnerian, and a shapeshifter. All my suspicions about them completely on the mark."

  Why, if she's so enlightened, does she still refer to everyone by their race?

  pg. 473. Elloren lusts over Yvan. He acts like he can read her mind. She's suspicious. His eyes continue to be the entirety of his personality.

  pg. 486-491 The group has a pointless and long theological debate about which race is superior/right and religious tolerance. They name the Selkie Marina and decide to look for her skin so she can return to the water.

  pg. 492. Elloren decides to start wearing the Gardnerian silks made by slave labor to blend in. She even wears the white armbands that other Gardnerians have started wearing in support of Marcus Vogel's appointment to the Verpacian council. There's some major Nazi imagery here, like this book needed anything worse.

  pg. 494. "'Ah, Mage Gardner,' he [Simitri] observes with obvious relief. He's been dismayed for weeks by my dark brown, barely acceptable woolen garb, his vocal support for Vogel mirrored by his own ribbon. 'You now stand in courage,' he tells me. 'Even though you have been forced to labor with Kelts and Urisk, and to live with Icaral demons, you have the courage to stand apart. To let your dress proudly declare both your faith and your support of our beloved Priest Vogel. I applaud you.'"

  Yvan is upset that she's started wearing the silks and even the armband. Elloren is offended that people infer her beliefs based on her clothing.

  Wow, that must be really hard to be judged by simply your appearance...

  This is another thing about Elloren that bugs me. She is constantly affronted when her motives or goodness is challenged.

  pg. 497-498. Lukas sends her a gorgeous violin, a priceless one.

  "An incredulous laugh bursts from me, and a warm spark of affection for Lukas Grey is quickly followed by some remorse. I've been wrapped up in thoughts of Keltic Yvan while Lukas has been pursuing me from afar, and now this."

  I guess all it takes is a priceless violin for a girl to forgive someone like Lukas Grey. Lukas, who threatened the families of an entire kitchen, assaulted Elloren, killed an Icaral's kindred, and has shown no subversion from the bigotry his race possesses. Her only conflicting feelings are from keeping a gift from someone she doesn't plan on wandfasting to.

  pg. 500. We find out Vogel's plans for when/if he becomes a council member.

  Selkies should be shot on sight
  Execution for anyone who defaces the Gardnerian flag
  Execution for anyone who maligns The Book of Ancients
  A motion to declare war on Lupines unless they give up some land
  Execution for all male Icarals in the sanitorium
  Execution for anyone aiding Snake Elves
  Expand iron-testing for Guild admittance to root out anyone with Fae blood
  pg. 501. A council member has died and Vogel has been sworn in as High Mage. That was fast.
  Gardnerians are celebrating and everyone else is walking around in fear. The Snake Elf professor has gone into hiding.

  pg. 508. Vogel puts out an order of an impending draft for war

  pg.510. TW HOMOPHOBIA

  "Panic rears its head. 'They don't have to find out.'
  He shakes his head side to side, hard against my shoulder. 'Of course they'll find out. When I don't want to wandfast—'
  'You'll have to wandfast.' I firmly cut him off, brooking no argument.
  Trystan goes very still. He's quiet for a moment, breathing against my shoulder. He raises his red-rimmed eyes to me.
  'How?'
  The question hangs in the air like a tunnel with no escape.
  'You just will! You’ll hide it. You’ll hide what you are.’
  His calm deepens. He looks at me with unflappable incredulity. ‘Could you fast to a woman?’
  ‘What?’ I spit out, thrown. ‘Of course not!’

  There are only 100 pages left in this book.

  pg. 512. All Icarals are required to return to their country of origin. Ariel will be imprisoned and Wynter might be executed by the Elves.

  pg. 517.

  Even after all of this, she still defends her grandmother. She only cares about the impact of her family when it directly affects the guy she likes.

  This is the part of the book where there is some actual plot so I'm just skimming.
  We're in the home stretch.

  The crew decides to help Yvan steal his dragon so that the Selkie and anyone else can fly to some island that's supposed to be accepting of all types.
  We finally pull out the White Wand that we haven't seen for hundreds of pages. It's super powerful, of course.
  Aislinn steals a military grimoire to see if there's any spell that will destroy Elvin steel, which is what the cages are made of.
  We find out that the military dragons are shapeshifters that once had a human form.
  We have a scene where a Urisk girl from the kitchens asks Elloren if she's still "mean"
  The girl falls out of a tree and breaks her leg. Yvan heals her leg, which he shouldn't be able to do. Elloren is suspicious that he's more than he seems.
  Elloren genuinely apologizes to Fernyllia for being ignorant. She is forgiven.
  Elloren has this problem where she can't mind her own goddamn business. Once she realizes something is up with Yvan, she makes it her mission to find out what. She tells him that he can trust her, but in the very next chapter, she's discussing what she saw with Aislinn. They decide he must be Fae and do some research on different types of Fae with healing powers. Aislinn casually muses "maybe he's a half-breed." They realize that he's probably a Lasair Fire Fae. The description is ridiculous.

  "Powerful fire magic, gifted healers, fiercely independent, nomadic, bright green eyes, extremely dangerous, physically attractive"

  pg. 552-554. Diana walks into the bathroom while Elloren is naked. She's angry and yells at Diana to leave her alone. Diana tells Elloren that her family has reservations about her visiting them. Elloren gets personally affronted and is unnecessarily mean and cruel to Diana. I hate this girl so much.

  "'It's not possible to be close friends with Diana,' I tell Aislinn stiffly. 'She's just so...different. She'll never understand what it's like for us.'"

  Tierney confesses being a Water Fae.

  Elloren goes to Professor Kristian and asks what happened to the Fae after the realm war. She is suspicious that they were killed.
  pg. 558. "He eyes the white band around my arm then shoots me a hard look.
  'Really? I say, responding to his unspoken question. 'Do you honestly think I support Vogel?'"

  Another example of her being personally affronted when anyone questions her motives, despite her literally wearing the armband in support of him.

  pg. 559. TW HOLOCAUST IMAGERY

  "They shackled the incoming Fae in Asteroth copper, the metal strong enough to sap them of their strength and power. Then they herded them into huge, stone island fortresses and locked them inside.
  And then they rained iron shavings down on their heads."

  I want to point out that on page 70-SOMETHING we find out that during the Realm war all the Urisk males were killed, so I'm not sure why this is such a big revelation. It's horrifying, but not really any news.

  The rest of the page is a detailed account of a toddler in this fortress, but I won't type that up.

  They figure out how to destroy the Elvin steel
  Fallon confronts her outside her tower and threatens to search her Tower (in which she's hiding the Selkie)
  Assassins impale Fallon from afar (nice) because they think she's the next Black Witch
  They go to free the dragon. We finally find out that Elloren's power is to enhance other people's power. Her enhancement breaks not only the Elvin steel on the one dragon that they want to free, but all the dragons. They all attack.
  Lukas gifts her a necklace. She wears it so that she can stay on Lukas' good side but she feels a flush when she thinks of him because she still has the hots for him.
  Elloren goes to Kristian to see if he can help her get her friends out of the country. Turns out he's part of the Resistance!

  And the book is finally over.

• Writings of Jon Del Arroz
  http://delarroz.com/?p=956
  Word count: 2183

  Book Review: The Black Witch by Laurie Forest
  Posted on May 9, 2017
  The review you’ve all been waiting for! Note: there are some spoilers in here as I had to really get into what I liked or didn’t like in the book, but I tried to keep the ending in tact as much as I could for those who are interested in actual reading.

  I discovered The Black Witch a couple of months ago, when a book reviewer slammed the book with 8,500+ words of screeching, flailing and literally can’t even-ing. Like fake news, this person provided a FAKE REVIEW. It began with: The Black Witch is the most dangerous, offensive, book I’ve ever read. It’s racist, ableist, homophobic, and is written with no marginalized people in mind.

  Wow. I wish I could get such a review for my next book. Imagine what my sales would be then? I’d ask her for one but I find myself already blocked by this person.

  Anyhow, the fake review is extremely long, and really doesn’t speak to the substance of the book at all, but takes lines without context to make some of the most bizarre, inaccurate points one could ever have imagined about this extremely innocuous YA fantasy novel. Because of this, hundreds of alt-left internet trolls took to Goodreads and left drive-by hate reviews to try to torch the book and author without ever having read it. If the original review hadn’t gotten me interested, the sheer bullying evil that the reviewer’s followers acted with made me certain to support this author. I might add, that kind of bullying is something that the author speaks against heavily in the book. Irony points for people too stupid to read.

  Without further ado, a real review of The Black Witch:

  The Black Witch follows a girl in a rural village. There’s a prophecy that they believe she’ll rise up and fight the evil one – standard fantasy fare. The evil ones are considered some abomination race that sprouts wings and the like, and they seem to be able to come from any birth whether it’s our Gardnerian humans or elves. It’s not exactly clear where they originate from but there’s some background that there were fae in the world that intermixed with everyone, and a lot of people have fae blood which is magical, but the fae themselves were mostly exterminated in a war a long time back or gone into hiding. It ramps up as one of Elloren (the main character)’s friends has one of these abomination children, which shows she was unfaithful to the mage she’s been wandfasted (their form of marriage which isn’t shown on screen but I believe involves some magical tie) to. The friend goes on the run to save her baby. Elloren is whisked away by her very powerful mage aunt. Her friend left with her some powerful wand that’s supposed to be a relic from myth. Only problem is, Elloren can’t actually do magic. Some power stirs within her, but there’s a mystery that’s left her magicless.

  Elloren is set to live with her aunt for a few days before she goes to university – which is sorta Harry Potter-style wizard school but also deals with apothecary and other fantasy trope items in this book. At this section we meet the powerful bad boy love interest, Lukas Grey, and the rival Fallon Bane as this develops more into a paranormal romance than regular fantasy for a good chunk of pages. It returns to its fantasy plot when Elloren is attacked by members of the evil race who know she’s going to be the reincarnated Black Witch, as her grandmother decimated them years ago. Elloren escapes with the help of Lukas and they head to wizard school.

  This was about the first 100-150 pages – and honestly, I found it extremely exciting. The pacing was relentless, the writing crisp, nothing really to complain about at all here. We get glimpses that the Gardnerians hate other fantasy races, especially from the aunt, and we get the feeling that Elloren the main character is uncomfortable with this, but trusts her authorities on it anyway as she has no life experience. The reader definitely wishes she wouldn’t, because that’s where the sympathies are played by the author, but any sane reader would be good with being immersed in a very well developed world with a fun plot, high danger, and interesting romance. What’s interesting is how every character seems to treat Elloren terribly except for Lukas, which continues for awhile throughout the book. She’s almost psychologically abused from every angle, and it both creates sympathy for the character and shows her resolve and value. Reallly an A+ on the characterization and world and even the plot at this point.

  Once it gets to university, however, the story bogs down and loses focus. There are a lot of pages where meanders to meeting different fantasy races, showing why Elloren and Gardnerians hate them, and why they hate Gardnerians and Elloren, as well as dropping far too much backstory history. This continues for the next three hundred or so pages of the book. We’re in very mundane situations in school, with extraordinary creatures like elves, wolf-shifters, etc. just doing ordinary things, but also sneering at our main character and making her life miserable and abusing her like everyone else does in the book. Elloren naturally reacts that she hates these people, and blames it on their race, where it can get a little preachy at points that this reaction is bad and one shouldn’t do that. Of course, with these people actively trying to physically and psychologically injure her at every turn, can’t say I blame her in the least. There’s a large cast of characters introduced, many of whom are interchangeable for this message beyond descriptions of their races and histories. I don’t really have much of a problem with the preachiness there other than a suspension of disbelief problem of the sudden switch in Elloren where she realizes she just hates her own race and loves all these others to force the message. She reads some books that show her people basically caused all these races to hate them, and that they’re just terrible. It’s a bit over the top of a presentation and reaction.

  I’ll reiterate that I agree with the message: don’t dehumanize individuals around you just because of who they are. That’s quite a sensible message, but it again comes back to the length and how that message is presented with the “I’m really fighting for the wrong side” trope. It both convolutes the great lengths the author went to present the message, and derails the cool, exciting fantasy story in the beginning of the book. During this time we lose all focus on anything in the opening. Lukas Grey goes away, Fallon Bane the evil witch rival gets a lot of mentions but gets less and less on screen time as it goes on too. We find most of the plot and characters abandoned for new ones. I read somewhere that this book was written out-of-order scene wise, and it could have used some tighter outlining to keep the plot on point. I think if this section was 100 pages instead of 300 pages, it would have been a much stronger novel. My suggestion would have been: the evil winged creatures would have come and attacked her in the night but her roommate winged creatures defended her—just to keep that early developed plot thread going. If that happened or something similar in the middle there to break it up, it would have felt more cohesive. The reader could have still received the don’t dehumanize individuals message but also maintained the original plot and not had it feel like the book’s entire purpose is an allegory for white guilt. Instead what we find is the Gardnerians are just bad at every turn. Even though all the fantasy races are also awful to her, in many cases moreso than her own people, Elloren just accepts that awfulness and over pages, while hating her own people. The fantasy races we learn are really just that way because they’re so oppressed. Lukas is ignored during this and she develops a relationship with a boy who has a mysterious mixed-race background Yvan instead, which also disappointed me, as co-opting Lukas would have made for a better plot as well.

  Then it gets back to what I loved about the beginning. The kids decide they’re going to take on the Gardnerian military and escape and get all the fantasy creatures to safety. Action picks up, pace picks back up, the last 150 pages of the book stutter at points back into the message fiction, but when it hits full stride it really hits full stride and is masterfully done. It doesn’t fulfill much of the promises at the beginning of the book – thus is the way of series these days sadly, as they serialize plots across books rather than chapters, but it’s got its own plot that I found worth reading and a lot of fun that I won’t spoil.

  The result is we have about half a great book, half a meandering message fiction book. The message was pretty subtle at the beginning and it went full tilt as the book went on to a point where it became too much in a reader’s face without advancing plot. An example of the more annoying aspects is there is a mage running for their office who was LITERALLY HITLER talking about eradicating species and making everyone where arm bands in support. It was a bit much. There’s also a section where one of the other races starts lecturing Elloren “why do you think your religion is right we have our own creation myths too!” or something of the like, and Elloren just nods and agrees, pushing the multiculturalism is great angle, which I strongly disagree with the premise of, and it doesn’t make much sense given the characters that it was just accepted.

  That’s not to say that the message/allegory were all bad either. What I did like about those points that none of it directly lined up with current events or current cultures, so it wasn’t finger wagging at a group either. I give this props as a lot of authors of this particular multiculturalist viewpoint tend to show their real prejudices in picking on American/Christian culture, which this author avoids. The Gardnerians act like extreme islamists in the way they force girls into marriage at a hyper young age (which was a cool point of the culture from a worldbuilding perspective – especially with the magic involved), but not all the way so as it has a lot of Christian religious elements as well, no direct allegory there. The Hitler dude in power was definitely is its own unique thing with the way their mage-council was structured, not an “American culture is bad” message. Dehumanizing people is bad. Real racism is bad. That’s all stuff that we can agree on and appreciate that the author is trying to say.

  Her writing was also excellent on the prose level. This was in a first person present form for most of the book, which usually annoys me to the point where I won’t read past a page, but the author pulled this off fine to where I didn’t even notice it. It just kept the pace at awesome speed, and that’s a testament to her ability to write. It switched perspectives and forms at points and that didn’t ever throw me out, which is a difficult task. Descriptions are great, the world really had a lot of thought as I mentioned, many of the characters were unique and interesting. I do keep in mind that this is a debut novel and she’ll probably only get better from this point forward. It’s an interesting start to a series, got a great climax, good times, sets up the next book nicely.

  Overall, because of the lengthiness and how I felt it could have been trimmed down, I call this a 7/10. Very close to being the next great fantasy, and with her talent I honestly expect that her next book will be. I do have one point for her as I saw some alarming interviews that I’m guessing were a reaction to the bullying: please ignore sensitivity readers. Don’t let people censor your thoughts or your ideas. This is your world, your story, keep it that way. Watering it down will only prevent greatness.

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