Parents' Guide to

The Black Witch: The Black Witch Chronicles, Book 1

By Carrie R. Wheadon, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Overlong but engaging fantasy tackles prejudice.

Book Laurie Forest Fantasy 2017
The Black Witch: The Black Witch Chronicles, Book 1 Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

See all
age 13+

Based on 1 parent review

amt7577
amt7577 Adult
December 16, 2018
age 13+
This is an absolutely riveting book that both adults and teens can enjoy. The plot structure is excellent. The characters grow and become well fleshed out throughout the book. The writer tackles pretty tough topics racism, bullying, sexism, religious intolerance, love, and friendship. The message of acceptance of others is beautifully woven into the story as the main characters learn to overcome all of their previous prejudices and work together to fight the evil forces that threaten them all. The story gives the reader a sense of what Nazi Germany with the rise of the evil mage Vogel who who wants to torture and kill people of other races. It essentially gives a historical lesson within a fantasy setting, and as we all know if we don't learn from the past, we are doomed to repeat it. There are some swear words but no more than might be found in a pg 13 movie. I would recommend this book for 13 and up so that they can have a fuller understanding of the plot and of the issues that are tackled.

This title has:

Educational value
Great messages
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

In THE BLACK WITCH, Elloren and her older brothers have lived with their uncle most of her life in an isolated, sleepy Gardnerian village. So she's thrilled when her uncle agrees to send her to university to become an apothecary. Before the start of school, though, her meddling Aunt Vyvian -- from the very conservative, very influential side of the family -- whisks Elloren away to the capital for an extreme makeover and a crash course in high-society etiquette. Elloren, who's the spitting image of her famously powerful mage grandmother, turns heads immediately, and Aunt Vyvian tries to use that to her advantage. She's determined to get Elloren wandfasted (engaged) to the handsome level-five mage Lukas Gray before university begins. She doesn't care that Elloren promised her uncle that she would wait to wandfast until after university. But even after Lukas saves Elloren from an assassination attempt on the way to university (by Icaral assassins scared that she will turn out just like her grandmother), Elloren still refuses to defy her uncle. So Vyvian decides to make Elloren's life as miserable as possible for her. For starters, she refuses to pay Elloren's tithe, so Elloren has to work in the kitchens with Urisk laborers who despise her for looking like her grandmother, the cause of their oppression. But that's not the worst of it: Elloren's stuck in a dorm with the only two Icarals on campus. These bird-like creatures with black wings are said to curse you with their stare, and on Elloren's first night she's locked in the closet with one of her new roomies scratching on the door, threatening to kill her.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (4 ):

This overlong but engaging tale highlighting racial tension and prejudice between the Gardnerians -- the ruling magical "chosen people" -- and other oppressed races resonates with our times. Civically engaged teen readers looking for parallels to today's social movements and the world's ongoing strife will find much food for thought here. Those who'd rather focus on the characters will enjoy Elloren and feel for her struggle to stay true to herself, find romance, and find her place in the world. Her naiveté and fear of other races at the beginning of The Black Witch is understandable given her environment, and her growth as a character into someone who senses her own power to change things, with or without a wand in her hand, is admirable.

This series is off to a fine start but could have used one last purge of 100 pages or so. There are too many scenes in the kitchen, too many furtive glances between Elloren and Yvan -- we get it, he's mysterious and hot -- and there's too much time setting up Elloren's first few horrible days at the university. With Cassandra Clare's fantasies sometimes clocking in at 700-plus pages, most editors probably don't bat an eye when YA books overdo. But new writers and their editors would do well to take their time to make a story truly great.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about history in The Black Witch. What does Elloren think about her grandmother's role in history at the beginning of the book? How does her perspective change? How does her behavior toward those of different races change?

  • When you read about history, are you as inquisitive as Elloren? If you don't have a teacher who encourages you to look deeper into history the way Elloren does, where do you think you can find out more about different views?

  • Will you keep reading this series? What do you think is next for Elloren and her friends?

Book Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended book lists

Related Topics

Want suggestions based on your streaming services? Get personalized recommendations

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate