Publisher Description

Debut young adult fantasy author Laurie Forest brings a vividly imagined new fantasy realm to life in The Black Witch Chronicles, in which a fiercely determined heroine must embrace a power she never knew she had in order to protect everyone she loves from the darkness sweeping across their world.A new Black Witch will rise...her powers vast beyond imagining. Elloren Gardner is the granddaughter and absolute spitting image of the late Black Witch, the most powerful mage her people, the Gardnerians, have ever known. Yet while everyone she meets expects her to live up to Carnissa Gardner's formidable legacy, Elloren is utterly devoid of power in a society that prizes magical ability above nearly 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.

Author Biography

Laurie Forest lives deep in the backwoods of Vermont, where she sits in front of a wood stove drinking strong tea and dreaming up tales full of dryads, dragons and wands. She is the author of The Black Witch Chronicles, including The Black Witch, The Iron Flower, The Shadow Wand, The Demon Tide and the prequel e-novellas Wandfasted and Light Mage, which are also available in print as The Rebel Mages anthology. Enter her realm online at

Review

"Forest uses a richly imagined magical world to offer an uncompromising condemnation of prejudice and injustice."
—Booklist, starred review

"Exquisite character work, an elaborate mythology, and a spectacularly rendered universe make this a noteworthy debut, which argues passionately against fascism and xenophobia."
—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Briskly paced, tightly plotted…set in a rich alternative universe with a complicated history that can help us better understand our own."
—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"We fell under the spell of this rich, diverse, Potter-worthy university world!"
—Justine magazine

Review Quote

"This briskly paced, tightly plotted novel enacts the transformative power of education, creating engaging characters set in a rich alternative universe with a complicated history that can help us better understand our own. A massive page-turner that leaves readers longing for more." -Kirkus Reviews, starred review

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