A review by esseastri
Half-Witch by John Schoffstall
5.0
This book isn't coming out until July, which is a tragedy because I just want to talk to everyone about it now.
Half-Witch gave me the same atmospheric shivers that the Bear and the Nightingale gave me; it's got that same fairy-tale quality that makes every word seem a little bit like it's shrouded in fog, like you are discovering the book as you are reading it. And it has that same weird blend of folk-lore and Christianity that makes for a wild and excellent contrast of ideas and themes and makes me want to just dig in and discuss this book.
It's the sort of book that makes me want to have a book club, before I remember that I never really liked book club.
I don't know if Schoffstall meant for his two main characters to read as super fucking gay, but as a queer woman, I'm staking my claim on Lizbet and Strix. Their development from wary dislike to absolute trust and devotion to one another is the core of this book, the backbone of the narrative. It's the most beautiful thing to watch unfold, and while the plot and the other characters are important and interesting, they all pale in comparison to the vital lesson of friendship these two girls learn. There's an intertwining that happens, a mutual creation as these two girls rebuild themselves for each other out of love that made my heart ache for them in the best of ways. Like I said: even if they weren't meant to be gay, they are now. You can't stop me.
The worldbuilding and magic in this book is equally heart-wrenching. Everything in this book aches, and everything has that same, slightly unsettling feeling I got from The Hazel Wood. Everything is slightly off in impossible-to-pinpoint ways and it made for a truly interesting read. I wanted to discover things while at the same time fearing whatever weird goblin creature was going to pop up on the next page. The more mundane threats and antagonists were just as unsettling, albeit in a more human way, and made the magic and devils seem not quite so out of place after all.
Lizbet's journey--both physical and emotional--was harsh and unforgiving, but she rose to every challenge with a realistic amount of fear that made it impossible for me to dislike her. She tried her best, even when she was scared--even when I was scared--and I think there is much to be learned from her strength. Just as there is much to be learned from Strix's harshness, her uncompromising attitude, her shrugging acceptance of the knowledge that life is a fight and fighting for what you love is what makes living worth it. Lizbet wasn't the only one who had a coming-of-age narrative in this book, and I loved Strix's journey just as much.
Half-Witch is a slightly creepy, unsettling, atmospheric, beautiful story about friendship and love and the journey it takes to get to those emotions, the trials humans face and the ways they change when faced with growing up and losing their ways. It's about Loss. It's about Finding. It's about Being Made New. And while I don't know if I really liked this book, I absolutely enjoyed it.
(Also the cover is gorgeous. That's important to note.)
Thanks to the publisher for the ARC!!
Half-Witch gave me the same atmospheric shivers that the Bear and the Nightingale gave me; it's got that same fairy-tale quality that makes every word seem a little bit like it's shrouded in fog, like you are discovering the book as you are reading it. And it has that same weird blend of folk-lore and Christianity that makes for a wild and excellent contrast of ideas and themes and makes me want to just dig in and discuss this book.
It's the sort of book that makes me want to have a book club, before I remember that I never really liked book club.
I don't know if Schoffstall meant for his two main characters to read as super fucking gay, but as a queer woman, I'm staking my claim on Lizbet and Strix. Their development from wary dislike to absolute trust and devotion to one another is the core of this book, the backbone of the narrative. It's the most beautiful thing to watch unfold, and while the plot and the other characters are important and interesting, they all pale in comparison to the vital lesson of friendship these two girls learn. There's an intertwining that happens, a mutual creation as these two girls rebuild themselves for each other out of love that made my heart ache for them in the best of ways. Like I said: even if they weren't meant to be gay, they are now. You can't stop me.
The worldbuilding and magic in this book is equally heart-wrenching. Everything in this book aches, and everything has that same, slightly unsettling feeling I got from The Hazel Wood. Everything is slightly off in impossible-to-pinpoint ways and it made for a truly interesting read. I wanted to discover things while at the same time fearing whatever weird goblin creature was going to pop up on the next page. The more mundane threats and antagonists were just as unsettling, albeit in a more human way, and made the magic and devils seem not quite so out of place after all.
Lizbet's journey--both physical and emotional--was harsh and unforgiving, but she rose to every challenge with a realistic amount of fear that made it impossible for me to dislike her. She tried her best, even when she was scared--even when I was scared--and I think there is much to be learned from her strength. Just as there is much to be learned from Strix's harshness, her uncompromising attitude, her shrugging acceptance of the knowledge that life is a fight and fighting for what you love is what makes living worth it. Lizbet wasn't the only one who had a coming-of-age narrative in this book, and I loved Strix's journey just as much.
Half-Witch is a slightly creepy, unsettling, atmospheric, beautiful story about friendship and love and the journey it takes to get to those emotions, the trials humans face and the ways they change when faced with growing up and losing their ways. It's about Loss. It's about Finding. It's about Being Made New. And while I don't know if I really liked this book, I absolutely enjoyed it.
(Also the cover is gorgeous. That's important to note.)
Thanks to the publisher for the ARC!!