The Apprentice Witch by James Nicol on July 25th 2017
Genres: Fantasy
Format: eARC
Source: Netgalley
Purchase @ AMAZON or BN
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A special middle grade debut of magic and courage in a world of witches, written with the charm and enchantment of Circus Mirandus and The Apothecary.
Arianwyn has flunked her witch's assessment: She's doomed. Declared an apprentice and sent to the town of Lull in disgrace, she may never become a real witch-- much to the glee of her arch-rival, Gimma.
But remote Lull is not as boring as it seems. Strange things are sighted in the woods, a dangerous infestation of hex creeps throughout the town, and a mysterious magical visitor arrives with his eye on her.
With every spirit banished, creature helped, and spell cast, Arianwyn starts to get the hang of being a witch--even if she's only an apprentice. But the worst still lies ahead. For a sinister darkness has begun to haunt her spells, and there may be much more at stake than just her pride . . . for Arianwyn and the entire land.
Angie’s Thoughts:
The Apprentice Witch captivated me from the very first page until the last. The characters, plot, and descriptive surroundings are a readers dream come true. You can simply close your eyes and visualize yourself in Kingsport, Lull, or the Great Wood and even having a feyling as a friend or a sprite as a pet.
It’s no secret that I love reading books that are different and this was different. I’ve read plenty of books about witches, feys, demons, sprites and other magical creatures but none like this.
I love the meaning of friendship. Finding your inner self and strength when you think you can’t get any lower. Overcoming challenges that others and yourself don’t believe you can do. But above all, accepting who you are flaws and everything.
This is my first book by James Nicol and I’m so happy that I was picked to review it. The Apprentice Witch hints that there might be a sequel and I would be completely ecstatic if there were. To read more about Arianwyn, Salle, Miss Delafield, and even Gimma would be wonderful. I’m already missing them and I just finished less than an hour ago.
The Verdict:
About James Nicol
I always knew I wanted to write the kind of fantasy novel I had escaped into as a child, somewhere that felt safe and filled with characters that did brave things and had lots of fun at the same time. But I wanted the magic in my book to be part of the world, not a secret, and I wanted to see what happened after a witch was trained and was sent out into the world to work. When I was thinking about all this, one day I got a really clear image of a scene for the book – I wrote it all down as quickly as I could and then thought, now what happens next …
James Nicol has loved books and stories his whole life. As a child he spent hours absorbed in novels, watching epic 1980s cartoons or adventuring in the wood at the bottom of the garden searching for dragons and witches. He has worked in bookshops and libraries and now spends all his spare time writing! He lives on the edge of the Cambridgeshire Fens in a house with too many books and too many musical instruments with his partner and a black and white cockapoo called Bonnie.
