Brief Synopsis
“Witchlings” is Claribel A. Ortega’s second novel, which sees the young Seven Salazar as she desires to join the most powerful coven in her town. When the ceremony goes awry and she is not only cast as a Spare, but also tasked with finding and defeating a Nightbeast, she’ll have to work together with two other witches to accomplish this Impossible Task…or risk getting turned into a toad forever.
Content Warnings: Violence (PG), Discrimination, Bullying
What Do I Think?
I don’t remember the last time I got hyped for a book. Ages ago. Yet for months now, I have been excited for this book to release. In fact, I think the last time I was actually hyped for a book like this might have been the last Harry Potter novel.
Which, actually…let’s talk about “Witchlings” and Harry Potter for a moment.
I don’t think it comes as a surprise that the Harry Potter series has become somewhat tarnished as of late – a combination of lackluster movies and an author who really cannot help making bad choices has retroactively soured many fans’ former love for those stories, myself included. Whether intended or not, “Witchlings” feels very much like a story written in response to Harry Potter, an attempt to write a middle-grade magic story that rights many of the wrongs those books contained and provide a magical safe haven for those of diverse backgrounds.
For starters, there is a four-coven system present in “Witchlings,” much in the same way that Harry Potter had four distinct Houses. The magic system mostly operates when witches use specific words or phrases, and the names of characters and places are delightfully eccentric (I mean, the main character is named Seven Salazar…can’t get more eccentric than that!).
From there, the stories diverge. While Harry Potter was very content to keeping the four-House system and very horribly discriminate against anyone sorted into a specific House, “Witchlings” turns that on its head by showcasing the discrimination that occurs as a result of this system, in particular with how it treats the witches outside of it, the Spares. Seven, along with witches Thorn and Valley, are sorted into this coven, and we get to see firsthand how awful Spares are treated in this society; unlike Harry Potter, where house elves were treated as a similar slave-class and we were overtly shown how they like being slaves, “Witchlings” shows how horribly Spares are treated. To avoid spoilers, I will only say that the overarching conflict of the novel actually originates from this terrible mistreatment, and though it doesn’t immediately seek to overturn this injustice, it certainly opens up the opportunity.
Overall, “Witchlings” seeks to be the story Harry Potter is not: one where all people, regardless of culture or identity, can find a home. The book was most certainly successful in this regard – many individuals of many identities appear throughout the story.
Oh right, I suppose I should answer the question: is this book good.
Yes. Emphatically, frog yes.
“Witchlings” is a fast-paced, tightly-written novel that interweaves a story about discrimination and cruelty with a tale of friendship and magic. If you are looking for a fun read that can capture your imagination, this is the book for you.
Jacob Ryckman 