- Newly Added Magazine Issues
- Health & Fitness Magazines
- Fashion Magazines
- Popular Magazines
- News & Politics
- Celebrity
- Entertainment
- Cooking & Food
- Revistas
- Home & Garden Magazines
- Crafts
- Travel & Outdoor Magazines
- See all magazines collections
Dark forces are on the rise in this sweeping second book in The Black Witch Chronicles by critically acclaimed fantasy author Laurie Forest.
Elloren Gardner and her friends were only seeking to right a few wrongs when they rescued a Selkie and freed a military dragon. The last thing they expected was to be thrust into a realm-wide underground resistance against Gardnerian conquest.
While the Resistance fights the harsh rulings of the Mage Council, Gardnerian soldiers descend upon the University...led by none other than Lukas Grey, now commander of the nearby military base. Though Elloren tries to keep him at arm's length, Lukas is determined to tie himself to her, convinced that she's the heir to the power of the Black Witch, a legacy that will decide the future of Erthia. As his magic calls to her, Elloren finds it more and more difficult to believe she's truly powerless, as her uncle always claimed.
Critics are raving about Laurie Forest's incredible debut, The Black Witch:
"Forest uses a richly imagined magical world to offer an uncompromising condemnation of prejudice and injustice." —Booklist, starred review
"A noteworthy debut." —Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Briskly paced, tightly plotted." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Books in The Black Witch Chronicles:
The Black Witch
The Iron Flower
The Shadow Wand
The Demon Tide
The Dryad Storm
Wandfasted (ebook novella)*
Light Mage (ebook novella)*
* Also available in print in The Rebel Mages anthology
-
Creators
-
Series
-
Publisher
-
Release date
September 18, 2018 -
Formats
-
OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9781488205118
- File size: 552361 KB
- Duration: 19:10:45
-
-
Languages
- English
-
Levels
- ATOS Level: 6
- Lexile® Measure: 870
- Interest Level: 9-12(UG)
- Text Difficulty: 4-5
-
Reviews
-
AudioFile Magazine
The magical voice of Julia Whelan casts a spell over Forest's sequel--picking up where THE BLACK WITCH ended. Elloren is still at the university and sheltering Marina, the rescued selkie, with the help of various friends. But life's becoming more dangerous for all those who work for the underground Resistance. Smooth-voiced and perfectly paced, Whelan strikes all the right tones, easily distinguishing a formidable cast of characters through her skillful use of accents and pitch. Her characterizations advance the story while building suspense and stakes. There are many couples in this book, and Whelan masterfully creates romantic tension; for example, Elloren is torn between Lukas and Yvan, with no easy choice in sight. Whelan's narration will please avid fans and delight new listeners. J.C.G. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine -
Kirkus
August 1, 2018
Thoroughly committed to the anti-Gardnerian Resistance, aspiring apothecary Elloren Gardner also struggles with the question of committing to a man--and if so, which one?As Gardneria tightens its fist around nominally independent Verpacia, Elloren's cell weighs its options. Refuge in the Noi lands to the east beckons, but there is still work to be done in Verpax City--including mining Gardnerian Cmdr. Lukas Grey's obvious attraction to Elloren for information. She's attracted too, but that's nothing compared to what she feels for Kelt and fellow Resistance member Yvan. Much happens over the course of this sequel: horrific Gardnerian mob violence; a trip to impoverished Keltania; a delegation to the all-female Amaz; and more. Despite this, the narrative arc feels flat, as Elloren accomplished much of her character growth previously. Forest piles trope on trope, encouraging readers to make associations with real-world history (Gardneria evokes Nazi Germany), but the associations are not firm (the Gardneria/Keltania relationship can be read as a cognate to modern Israel and Palestine), causing readers to constantly reassess them. Readers who loved the first book will find Forest's consciousness of the dynamics of allyship further raised. Elloren rescued a Selkie named Marina from sexual slavery in the first book, The Black Witch (2017); here, after she facilitates a deal with the Amaz to free all similarly enslaved Selkies, Marina and the Amaz accomplish the deed with ruthless efficiency while Elloren waits. Once Marina is reunited with her skin, she is dangerously bad-ass. Those who hated the first book will find more to dislike: Repellently, the reason Selkies in sexual bondage do not fall pregnant--because love is not involved--is reminiscent of former U.S. Rep.Todd Akin's (R-Missouri) obtuse theory about rape rarely resulting in pregnancy: "If it's legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down."Though imperfect, the novel warns, "Power changes everything"; those intrigued by Elloren's desire to halt "the normal cycle of history" may wonder how this might change in Volume 3. (map) (Fantasy. 14-adult)COPYRIGHT(2018) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
-
Booklist
August 1, 2018
Grades 8-11 In a world where magic powers and race determine one's fate in life, Elloren Gardner has it rough: though she is part of the ruling Gardnerian class, granddaughter of the all-powerful and extremely controversial Black Witch Carnissa, she herself has almost no magic. Though she is sent to university to try to develop what little magic she may have, her scheming Aunt Vyvian's real plan is to handfast Elloren to Lukas Grey, a powerful Mage, for political alliance purposes. However, Elloren has instead fallen in with a group of outcasts: winged Icarals, despised Selkies, wayward dragons, shape-shifting Lupines, and more, and feels more alliance with these persecuted classes than with Gardnerian Mages. The romance elements heat up as Elloren must deal with her attraction to both hated Lukas Grey and mysterious Yvan Guriel Myriad. Complicated plot twists and a huge cast of characters will likely limit readership to series fans, but those fans will be delighted and begging for the next title?and the cliff-hanger ending promises us there will be one. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.) -
The Horn Book
January 1, 2019
Elloren has unofficially broken with her oppressive home country, joining a united undercover rebellion with her brothers and school friends. Every day, it's a race to evacuate all those she cares about while personally battling her attraction to two powerful men as well as her grandmother's destructive witch legacy. This sequel to The Black Witch is once again a timely portrayal of gender and racial oppressions.(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
-
Formats
- OverDrive Listen audiobook
Languages
- English
Levels
- ATOS Level:6
- Lexile® Measure:870
- Interest Level:9-12(UG)
- Text Difficulty:4-5
Loading
Why is availability limited?
×Availability can change throughout the month based on the library's budget. You can still place a hold on the title, and your hold will be automatically filled as soon as the title is available again.
The Kindle Book format for this title is not supported on:
×Read-along ebook
×The OverDrive Read format of this ebook has professional narration that plays while you read in your browser. Learn more here.