Title: The Witchery
Author: S. Isabelle
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Published On: July 26, 2022
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Source: physical
Pages: 384
Synopsis:
A bewitching debut by S. Isabelle, perfect for fans of Maggie Stiefvater, Zoraida Córdova, and Leigh Bardugo!
THE HAUNTING SEASON IS HERE AND THE WOLVES ARE AWAKE.
Haelsford, Florida is a Hellmouth. Or at least, that’s what Logan, a baby witch struggling to control her powers, thinks as she arrives to the witchtown to begin the new school year at Mesmortes Coven Academy. She is immediately taken under the wing of the infamous Red Three. Iris is a deathwitch who wants nothing more than to break the town’s curse; Jailah is one of the most powerful witches at the academy but her thirst for power may lead her down a dark path; and Thalia, the talented greenwitch, is on the run from her religious family and a past that still haunts her.
Fear and prejudice still fuel the uneasy truce between humans and witches who are forced to work together when the Haunting Season begins and Wolves rise from the swamp to feed. With this approaching, two Hammersmitt boys prepare to make their first sacrifices to the witches in exchange for protection. But as they become involved with the Mesmortes witches’ plan to end the Wolves’ reign of terror once and for all, old dangers lie in wait.
The cost to break the curse may be greater than any witch or human could ever know.
Content Warnings from author’s website
The witches in this book perform magic by sacrificing blood by way of a thumb pin-prick with a needle. This action is described numerous times throughout the novel, and characters cut themselves in other ways before performing spells.
In addition to depictions of self-harm, other content warnings include: blood, violence, gore, death of a parent, and body horror.
My thoughts
(Spoiler free)
In The Witchery by S. Isabelle—a young adult fantasy debut about a unique squad of witches at a magical school in Florida—we follow four young witches and their mundane friends as they work together to protect their fellow classmates and townsfolk from the annual Haunting Season and attempt to uncover the cure to the curse. Isabelle has created an impressive world with the coolest of rules and the coolest cast of characters.
I was first introduced to this book when it showed up as an ARC (advanced readers copy) in my spring book subscription box from The Strand Bookstore. I loved the cover, and the synopsis that made the book sound like a perfect blend of The Raven Cycle series and Harry Potter—but diverse! I was even more excited when iReadYA sent me a finished copy along with a set of character cards, which helped me get to know the large cast of characters quickly while I read. (Since I ended up with two copies, I’ll be passing on the ARC in a giveaway, which you can enter below—US entries only!)
“Logan Wyatt had never known real fear until she moved to this fiendish little witchtown.”
S. Isabelle, The Witchery
Immediately, the reader is introduced to Logan, a “baby witch”, new to the school and her powers. She’s been taken in by The Red Three: Iris, a deathwitch; Thalia, a greenwitch; and Jailah, a leader in the Junior Witchery Council. The reader joins the group on Halloween night with a kind of unofficial initiation of Logan into their circle. As the book progresses, we get each girls’ back story and how they all came together. Isabelle did an impressive job of weaving the present and past together, keeping the story fresh and exciting.
The large cast of characters does make the story a bit hard to follow in the beginning, so I recommend taking notes (or have the character cards with pictures and descriptions on the back close by!) until you learn everyone. It helped me to follow along more quickly and enhanced my reading experience even more. This is not a book to read when you can’t devote your full attention. Each detail is important and rewarding, and the book deserves complete immersion.
There’s a little bit of everything here for any fantasy fan: a well-established world, a mystery to be solved, magical cursed wolves, and even some romance. I especially loved the diversity of The Witchery. The representation within the large cast only enhanced the story and made it richer and more charming. Now that the world is established, my fingers are crossed that there will be a book two. If you’re a seasonal reader, The Witchery is perfect for the fall. It’s definitely one I would love to reread someday, as well. And please, someone develop an adaptation!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to iReadYA for providing me with a copy.
Rating:
Barnes and Noble | Indiebound | Bookshop | Amazon
About the Author
A Song For A Book
Anytime I read a book about witches, my mind goes to Florence + The Machine as accompaniment music. It just so happens she has a new album with a perfect song to highlight with The Witchery, “Daffodil”.
…You practice resurrection every night
Raising the dead under the moonlight
And in the gloaming, I start to cry
You’re a perfect pearl hung in the sky
There is no bad, there is no good
I drank all the blood that I could
Made myself mythical, tried to be real
Saw the future in the face of a
Daffodil…
Unboxing
Giveaway!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
The Rules:
✶ Giveaway runs two weeks from August 1, 2022 through the end of the day on August 15, 2022. It will end at midnight (Central Time).
✶ Giveaway is only open to US readers.
✶ Winner will be emailed, but if the prize hasn’t been claimed within 48 hours, I’ll choose another winner.
✶ Prize will be shipped within 48 hours of finalizing winners.
✶ I’m not responsible for any damaged, lost, or stolen prizes through shipping.
Have you read The Witchery? Will you be adding it to your TBR? Let me know in the comments!
Happy Wandering!
My favorite YA fantasy is The Curse so Dark and Lonely series, followed closely by Julie Kagawa’s Talon series.
I have read the first book in The Curse So Dark and Lonely, but it didn’t wow me so I didn’t continue. I think it might have just been bad timing. I haven’t read her Talon series, but I did read The Iron Fey series!
I love the premise of this book. Terrific review!
It was so cool! Thank you!
Wonderful review, Dedra. So glad you enjoyed this one. I am not big on witches and paranormal, but this is tempting.
I hear ya! There is definitely lots of witchery. 😉
Great review! This one is on my TBR for sure.
Yay!! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I would love to hear what you think about it.
I’ll post my thoughts when I read it! Might be a while, though. The TBR has a mind of its own. 😉
I hear that!