Monday, July 24, 2023

The Tale of the Young Witch By Author Joseph Minart

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Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Source: I own a copy

 

I used to say that I didn’t read a lot of fantasy books. When  I got ready to pack up my classroom I realized that most of the books I had read and purchased for my classroom were actually fantasy books.

The author has created a very unique world. In this world magic has been stopped to protect the world by the Jewel of Celestria. But, it seems that the Jewel hasn’t stopped it all. Amelia Twigg discovers one day that she has some magic ability. She doesn’t understand why or how. Her mother walked out on her and her father when she was a young child. Her father, a blacksmith, has raised her.

One day Amelia and her best friend Jack find themselves watching their village under attack. Amelia finds her father dead. She grabs the sword he had made her and prepares to leave. Suddenly she finds things being destroyed by a man who can throw magical fire from his very hands. He has come for Amelia.  Jack and Amelia are rescued by another man who has the ability to freeze the first wizard in place. This gives them enough time to escape.  The man who rescues her explains that she is a witch and there are other powerful witches looking for her. They believe she is the key to finding the Jewel of Celestria. He explains that the jewel keeps all magic a bay.  There was a time when everyone could use magic and it had horrible consequences. Three powerful witches create a jewel to solve this problem. Amelia and Jack find themselves on the run. Amelia has been told she must learn to use her magic if she is to survive and avoid those who would do her harm. 

The world building mixes steampunk and magic in a very unique way. We have people who live in the most primitive way contrasted with those who live in a city that is the most modern of all.  The book is full of twists and turns. I found that even the most evil were not prepared for what they learned. Betrayal lurks around every corner.  The book ends in a satisfying manner and yet it is set up that I believe a sequel could happen. 

The author has created an index to help the reader with unfamiliar words, and the world that he created.  I can’t wait to recommend this to my students. It is a very long book, but it well worth the time to read it. I look forward to reading more by this
author in the future.

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