The Black Witch

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown Teen, 1st Floor 4-week checkout	Teen Fiction / Forest, Laurie	4-week checkout	Canceled Transit
Downtown Teen, 1st Floor 4-week checkout	Teen Fiction / Forest, Laurie	4-week checkout	On Hold Shelf
Malletts Teen Books 4-week checkout	Teen Book / Fiction / Fantasy / Forest, Laurie	4-week checkout	Due 05-11-2024

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.

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Not a traditional fantasy story submitted by yamiyo on July 20, 2020, 3:34pm "The Black Witch" has many traditional elements of fantasy- different magical beings and complex magical system, but the author really brings them together and emphasizes through the journey and growth of the protagonist, the importance of accepting others that are different than oneself as well as the harms in racism. This is the first novel in the series, so there is much more to the plot than what plays out- it really is focused on Elloren learning the harm in the beliefs that were taught to her, finding her community, world-building, and set up for the next novel. If you enjoy those aspects, you'll find a lot to enjoy.