Scan barcode
mlottermoser's review against another edition
3.0
Wyn returns to Lull after her apprenticeship to help solve the mystery of the hex in the wood. She uncovers new secrets and has to navigate tricky social relationships.
Cute, fun magic system/creatures, and strong female characters. This one was a little harder for me to focus on for some reason.
Cute, fun magic system/creatures, and strong female characters. This one was a little harder for me to focus on for some reason.
thedizzyreader's review against another edition
3.0
Arianwyn returns to Lull, but this time on a secret mission with Colin and Ms. Newam in tow. Despite this promising premise, not much seems to happen. We still don't learn much more about the War, or the feylings, or what is causing all the dark spirit creatures to multiply. Weird characterization again too, like the hinted romance between Ms. Newam and the Mayor, and Colin coming over angry and hung up on rules one chapter, then completely fine later despite never discussing it.
the_fabric_of_words's review against another edition
5.0
This was a delightful sequel to the first book, The Apprentice Witch, and very much a middle grade offering.
Although the cover art on both are quite scary, the boggins and skalks and ghasts and grippets coming out of the Great Wood never really do anyone any harm, and the young witch, Arianwyn, never really gets hurt, although she has a few close calls.
In this second book, she discovers that just because she passed her witch exams and is now a working witch, she still has a lot to learn about her place in the village of Lull. She must deal with the creatures coming out of the Great Wood, not all of them bad, and a growing plague of hex, which threatens her frenemy, Gimma. The High Elder tasks her with a secret mission: finding a book of "Silent Glyphs." But the book is not what it seems, and a gnawing doubt causes her to withhold the truth about the book, setting up the third book nicely.
Visit my blog for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/
Although the cover art on both are quite scary, the boggins and skalks and ghasts and grippets coming out of the Great Wood never really do anyone any harm, and the young witch, Arianwyn, never really gets hurt, although she has a few close calls.
In this second book, she discovers that just because she passed her witch exams and is now a working witch, she still has a lot to learn about her place in the village of Lull. She must deal with the creatures coming out of the Great Wood, not all of them bad, and a growing plague of hex, which threatens her frenemy, Gimma. The High Elder tasks her with a secret mission: finding a book of "Silent Glyphs." But the book is not what it seems, and a gnawing doubt causes her to withhold the truth about the book, setting up the third book nicely.
Visit my blog for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/
dahlia13's review against another edition
4.0
A Witch Alone, the follow-up to the Apprentice Witch, starts out with Arianwyn Gribble on holiday in Kingsport. Soon, however, she's summoned by the High Elder and sent back to Lull on a secret mission with the curmudgeonly administrator Ms. Newam and her friend, Colin. I was looking for something not-too-dark to read before bed and this book series was just what I was looking for. A light, cozy, quaint story about a hard-working witch in a small village. Arianwyn faces challenges with the Hex in the woods and dark creatures appearing more and more frequently, plus she has rocky patches with her pals Salle and Colin that tests their friendships. I had a couple issues with the story. At times, while I was glad to know that nothing too depressing was going to happen in the plot, the narrative felt slightly too sugary for my taste. I know it's for children and is meant to be a sweet tale, but a little more edge to the character interactions would have been welcome. I also wish, as I did after the first one, that Arianwyn would have less tolerance for Gimma's rude and cruel behavior. Arianwyn is always willing to give Gimma another chance because of her generosity of spirit and often gets walked over as a result. My favorite part was when Arianwyn had to confront the stag in the woods that was riddled with hex and essentially mercy-kill it. It was also interesting that the moral question of it put a wedge between her and Colin. Overall a very enjoyable read. And I would read a whole book about Ms. Delafield zooming around in her car in her driving gloves and enjoying cocktails while also being great at her witchcraft work, just saying.
mr_cinder's review against another edition
4.0
Rating: 7 out of 10
This was a wonderful, cozy and charming story! I enjoyed every single second of it and it managed to warm my heart. I thought it was much better than the first installment (something really rare!) but it still kept all the elements that made the previous book so fun to read.
Something I love about Arianwyn is that even if she can be silly at times or say the wrong things, you can tell she's got a geniunely good heart. She has an adorable sort of innocence that makes her character special and absolutely perfect to be the protagonist of this story in particular.
She wasn't the only character I loved, of course! I'm quite fond on Salle and I adored that her friendship with Arianwyn was strengthened in this book! This sequel also made me appreciate Colin a lot more than before, as he's definitely grown on me after this!
However, between all of the characters that appeared in this book, there was one who truly stood out: Gimma. During the first book she was, for most of the plot, the sterotypical blonde mean girl, but the end of that book showed that she was a lot more than that. And this sequel demonstrated it! She's, in my opinion, the character with the most depth and one I'm highly interesting on finding more about!
The relationship between her and Arianwyn was one of this book's greatest strengths. They started out as rivals who decidedly hated each other to death, but as the story progressed they developed a classmate-like bond and later on even something resembling of a friendship!
Because these books are pretty calm on nature, I found the attempt of an overarching plot a bit underwhelming. The stakes, which were between the lowest I've seen in the genre, were often exaggerated in order to create a tension that really wasn't there.
The plot itself was ok. There were some twists, but they were quite forgettable. Nothing remarkably original nor too cliche that it would be worth mentioning. I remember some tense scenes (exciting even!) but this is not the book for someone who's coming for a wild ride of adrenaline.
What this installment (and this series in general) does surprisingly well, though, is the atmosphere. Lull feels as home to the reader just as much as it does to Arianwyn. Even if underdeveloped, the background characters all feel like neighbors anyone could have, and you grow to care about them, even if only a little bit.
Overall, A Witch Alone is what it claims to be, no more and no less. A young witch solves problems in a little town, some dark events may occur but the tone remains light most of the time. It's a great break from the much more common ambitious stories that usually dominate the fantasy genre. There is no romance (a pleasant surprise for me!) and no world-in-danger, which makes it perfect for someone who wants to try something different from epic fantasy or just wants something sweet to read!
I would be lying if I said that I'm "dying" to read the next (and last!) book of the series, but I know for sure that it'll be entertaining to no end!
This was a wonderful, cozy and charming story! I enjoyed every single second of it and it managed to warm my heart. I thought it was much better than the first installment (something really rare!) but it still kept all the elements that made the previous book so fun to read.
Something I love about Arianwyn is that even if she can be silly at times or say the wrong things, you can tell she's got a geniunely good heart. She has an adorable sort of innocence that makes her character special and absolutely perfect to be the protagonist of this story in particular.
She wasn't the only character I loved, of course! I'm quite fond on Salle and I adored that her friendship with Arianwyn was strengthened in this book! This sequel also made me appreciate Colin a lot more than before, as he's definitely grown on me after this!
However, between all of the characters that appeared in this book, there was one who truly stood out: Gimma. During the first book she was, for most of the plot, the sterotypical blonde mean girl, but the end of that book showed that she was a lot more than that. And this sequel demonstrated it! She's, in my opinion, the character with the most depth and one I'm highly interesting on finding more about!
The relationship between her and Arianwyn was one of this book's greatest strengths. They started out as rivals who decidedly hated each other to death, but as the story progressed they developed a classmate-like bond and later on even something resembling of a friendship!
Because these books are pretty calm on nature, I found the attempt of an overarching plot a bit underwhelming. The stakes, which were between the lowest I've seen in the genre, were often exaggerated in order to create a tension that really wasn't there.
The plot itself was ok. There were some twists, but they were quite forgettable. Nothing remarkably original nor too cliche that it would be worth mentioning. I remember some tense scenes (exciting even!) but this is not the book for someone who's coming for a wild ride of adrenaline.
What this installment (and this series in general) does surprisingly well, though, is the atmosphere. Lull feels as home to the reader just as much as it does to Arianwyn. Even if underdeveloped, the background characters all feel like neighbors anyone could have, and you grow to care about them, even if only a little bit.
Overall, A Witch Alone is what it claims to be, no more and no less. A young witch solves problems in a little town, some dark events may occur but the tone remains light most of the time. It's a great break from the much more common ambitious stories that usually dominate the fantasy genre. There is no romance (a pleasant surprise for me!) and no world-in-danger, which makes it perfect for someone who wants to try something different from epic fantasy or just wants something sweet to read!
I would be lying if I said that I'm "dying" to read the next (and last!) book of the series, but I know for sure that it'll be entertaining to no end!
shawn1again's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
karcitis's review against another edition
3.0
Disappointed by this book compared to the first. Felt like it was more rushed and less effort was put into the character interactions and development. A lot of the character drama seemed to follow the same formula as the last book, which made it feel less convincing. The ending seemed like the author wanted to make it suspenseful and cliff hanger-y, but also end on a high note, sadly it just felt kind of mixed and unclear to me. Bit of a let down but still fun overall.
the_librarian_witch's review against another edition
5.0
This was such a lovely (and very much looked forward to) return to the charming little town of Lull.
I've been missing Arianwyn, Salle, Bob, and all the others (Apart from Gimma. I definitely didn't miss Gimma) for well over a year now and I was DYING to go on another adventure with them!
And I was not disappointed.
It's still the same, magical, enchanting world that I remember and fell in love with.
The characters are all still fantastic and feel like old friends. The adventures were just as enjoyable and fun! The magic was still as mysterious and interesting.
I will say, however, that this installment of the series does feel like more of a set-up for the next book rather than a complete story in its own right.
While not necessarily a bad thing, this does mean that we don't yet get to see the conclusion of some story arcs and will have to wait until the third book to find out what is actually happening with a lot of the plot lines that were started in this one.
Don't let this put you off though!
The story definitely keeps you hooked throughout the book and this whole series has charm and adventure in the bucket-loads!
Its the perfect book to snuggle up with under a blanket with a cosy cup of tea, no matter what age you are.
The whole of the world that James Nicol has created here just makes my heart so warm and full!
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go distract myself from the fact that I now most likely have to wait another whole year for the next book!
*sigh*
I've been missing Arianwyn, Salle, Bob, and all the others (Apart from Gimma. I definitely didn't miss Gimma) for well over a year now and I was DYING to go on another adventure with them!
And I was not disappointed.
It's still the same, magical, enchanting world that I remember and fell in love with.
The characters are all still fantastic and feel like old friends. The adventures were just as enjoyable and fun! The magic was still as mysterious and interesting.
I will say, however, that this installment of the series does feel like more of a set-up for the next book rather than a complete story in its own right.
While not necessarily a bad thing, this does mean that we don't yet get to see the conclusion of some story arcs and will have to wait until the third book to find out what is actually happening with a lot of the plot lines that were started in this one.
Don't let this put you off though!
The story definitely keeps you hooked throughout the book and this whole series has charm and adventure in the bucket-loads!
Its the perfect book to snuggle up with under a blanket with a cosy cup of tea, no matter what age you are.
The whole of the world that James Nicol has created here just makes my heart so warm and full!
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go distract myself from the fact that I now most likely have to wait another whole year for the next book!
*sigh*
bees_circus's review against another edition
4.0
Pre-ordered this sequel & was not disappointed. Arianwyn is such an adorable character, her adventures have left me desperate for the next instalment.