A review by koistyfishy
The Black Witch by Laurie Forest

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

This is hauntingly beautiful…

I recently watched an interview with two authors and they touched on the topic about the main differences between writing for YA and writing for Adults and one aspect stuck with me that I absolutely loved. It stuck because to me it’s the quintessential line between the two and ultimately is the essence of this book and what makes this book so strong and striking to read.

The main aspect in YA is it’s about firsts: first kisses, first relationships and first experience. It’s also about taking those first major steps at finding who you are as a person as you live through these experiences. 

There is a simple quote from this book that stands out to me in its simplicity as it reinforces this aspect of firsts and really emphasised how characters can change as they learn the about world for themselves… 
“I’m sorry” I murder. “I’m sorry I was so ignorant…and wrong when I first came here”

I am not going to lie and say this was an easy book as there are moments in this book that are difficult to read. There were times I gasped out loud at outrage and had to put the book down for a moment to let the moments sink in. There were also times when I was incredibly angry at what I was reading… but I appreciate that the author did not shy away from describing atrocities or behaviour… so many authors ignore or don’t touch on it enough and knowing what we have in our own tainted history of the Holocaust and Apartheid and what horrendous acts occurred when racial and religious purity is concerned…real people are terrifying and not shying away from that in a book should be commended not punished.

What I didn’t like about this book is that it took very long to get to the end and the major action was the last few pages… it was very slice of lifey in aspects and I wasn’t sure where the plot was going until about 3/4 quarters into the book.

Overall very good book and happy to have picked it up… stepping right into book 2. 
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