We’re more than familiar with stories of witches and wizards. They’re a staple of the young adult fantasy genre, as ubiquitous as the use of magic itself. And as much as they’re utilized in the chronicles of high fantasy, magic wielders often find themselves in the contemporary fantasy genre as well. There’s something appealing about imagining the way magic would interact with our world, how it would shift our everyday lives and what would stay the same.
If witches and wizards did walk amongst us, we can surmise that they’d be scattered across the globe, from the bustling streets of Hong Kong to the quaint walkways of an Irish town. Countless young adult authors have imagined just that, creating captivating narratives of sorcery on a universal scale. Here are seven reads that capture the very magic that their protagonists wield.
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Legendborn
by Tracy Deonn (Margaret K. McElderry Books)
College classes are hard enough without having to fight demons. Sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews is just trying to get through her pre-college program at UNC Chapel Hill, and hopefully find some healing here at her late mother’s alma mater. Instead, she ends up witnessing a freak magical attack on campus — and despite the efforts of a mysterious classmate calling himself a “Merlin,” she remembers every second of the event. Now that Bree’s eyes are open to the magic around her, pieces of information start falling into place — information about the night of her mother’s death, and Bree’s own strange abilities that are slowly coming to life.
A NYT bestseller and the winner of the Coretta Scott King – John Steptoe for New Talent Author Award, Deonn’s novel stuns with its seamless blend of Arthurian legend and modern-day academic life in the United States. Described as City of Bones with Southern Black Girl Magic, Legendborn is the perfect summer read to devour before the sequel, Bloodmarked, comes out this November.
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Witches of Ash and Ruin
E. Latimer (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
Dayna Walsh is struggling: with her somatic OCD, her long-absent mother’s return and the ramifications of being outed in her small Irish town. The one thing that’s keeping her afloat is her upcoming initiation to finally become a full-fledged witch. That is, until the ceremony is put on hold when another coven comes to town, bringing rumors of dark arts and strange premonitions of death with them. Dayna immediately quarrels with Meiner, a member of the rival coven —yet the two keep being drawn to each other. And when the premonitions of death prove true, Dayna and Meiner must band together to protect their communities and unmask the killer before another life is lost.
Like the whirls of a Celtic knot, E. Latimer entwines tales of Irish legend with modern day to create a vivid picture of magic on the Emerald Isle. Witches of Ash and Ruin holds within its pages a world of enchantment and danger, where witches clash and old gods waver on the cusp of waking.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | Bookshop
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Anointed by Blood
by Edith Ryder
When Neave Ashcombe goes to get her fortune told, she’s not expecting to hear that she’s a witchling. But now with the discovery of a magical connection to her mother’s disappearance, Neave is on a mission to unlock her powers and track her down. The problem is that every witch needs a dydimogens, a man who acts as an energy source for magic. Neave thinks she’s found one in Lachlan, the boy who introduces her to the world of magic. Lachlan has motives of his own, however, and he’s willing to do whatever it takes to change his lot in life — regardless of the consequences.
Author Edith Ryder makes the streets of London come alive with magic; from a night market of magical goods to a nightclub filled with dancing fairies, the folkloric lurks just below the surface, easily spotted if you know where to look. Anointed by Blood will have you peering around corners to see if you can catch a glimmer of magic in our own world.
Read the full review for Anointed by Blood here.
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Akata Witch
by Nnedi Okorafor (Speak)
Sunny Nwazue’s life has always been defined by what she can’t do. She can’t stay in the sun, thanks to her albinism. She can’t play soccer during the daytime with other kids, even though she’s an incredible athlete. And straddling her Nigerian and American identities, she can’t seem to find a place to belong. All that changes, however, when Sunny discovers her magical abilities that have laid dormant until now. She’s soon thrown into the world of sorcery and enrolled in school, where she and her classmates learn to bend reality at will. But almost as soon as Sunny begins to understand her magic, she and her friends are pulled out and recruited for a dangerous mission — to track down a mysterious criminal with strange abilities of their own.
Readers of Akata Witch will be swept away to the world of enchantment right alongside Sunny. A fascinating magical society and a cast of compelling character await, promising a tale of bravery, friendship and self-discovery.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | Bookshop
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Old Magic
by Marianne Curley (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)
Even before she saw him do magic, Kate Warren knew that Jarrod Thornton was fascinating. Of course, once she sees his strange ability to create a thunderstorm inside their classroom, she’s more than fascinated — she’s astonished. But when Kate tries to approach Jarrod and ask how he was able to perform magic, she stumbles into an unexpected problem; Jarrod doesn’t believe he has magical powers at all. He calls her accusations “hocus pocus” — until, when his powers grow to dangerous levels, Jarrod has to admit what he believed to be impossible. Now with Kate’s help, he must learn to master his abilities before they become uncontrollable and endanger everyone around him.
Set in a typical Australian high school, the novel juxtaposes the everyday with the extraordinary. The result is a story that is both relatable and wonderfully imaginative, as Kate and Jarrod unearth a series of magical secrets long hidden from unsuspecting eyes of normal society.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | Bookshop
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The Virus of Beauty
by C. B. Lyall (Hazel Publishing Company)
Wilf Gilvary is happy playing soccer and hanging out with friends — he’s not interested in being a wizard, thanks. After the mysterious death of his father and a concurrent magical disaster, Wilf wants nothing to do with the supernatural at all. But he’s soon dragged from his regular life in Hong Kong into the Magical Realm, where he’s expected to continue his father’s legacy. Reginald Gilvary was trying to find a cure for the Pulch Virus, which drains witches of their magic and leaves them beautiful, empty shells of themselves. Now Wilf has to learn how to be a wizard and save all of magical society — and when the virus begins to prey on someone he loves, things get personal.
Readers will find it all too easy to root for Wilf, who is understandably conflicted about the path he’s been shoved onto. Even amongst the fascinating world of magic, he’s homesick for his friends in Hong Kong and wishes he had the guidance of his father. But as the stakes grow higher, Wilf is determined to help this strange new world that he’s become a part of.
Read our full review of The Virus of Beauty here, and check out our chat with C. B. Lyall about the sequel, The Veil of Corruption.
Amazon | IndieBound | Bookshop
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Raven
by S G Turner
Lilly Taylor thinks she never should have complained about her life being boring. When her parents vanish without a trace, Lilly is plucked from her familiar life in England and shipped off to British Columbia, Canada. Totally out of her element, Lilly has to adjust to life on the fly — but despite her worst fears, she soon finds that she fits surprisingly well with her new family. That is, until they reveal to Raven that she’s not who she always thought she was — in fact, she’s not even human.
Awakened to her latent magical abilities, Raven must now rediscover her own identity along with adjusting to her new life. The first in The Raven Witch Saga, this novel is an imaginative foray into what witchcraft would look like in the modern day, wielded by your average high school student. Welcome to a world full of spells, familiars and strong themes of family — a family that Raven will do anything to keep safe.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | Bookshop
Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
College classes are hard enough without having to fight demons. Sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews is just trying to get through her pre-college program at UNC Chapel Hill, and hopefully find some healing here at her late mother’s alma mater. Instead, she ends up witnessing a freak magical attack on campus — and despite the efforts of a mysterious classmate calling himself a “Merlin,” she remembers every second of the event. Now that Bree’s eyes are open to the magic around her, pieces of information start falling into place — information about the night of her mother’s death, and Bree’s own strange abilities that are slowly coming to life. A NYT bestseller and the winner of the Coretta Scott King – John Steptoe for New Talent Author Award, Deonn’s novel stuns with its seamless blend of Arthurian legend and modern-day academic life in the United States. Described as City of Bones with Southern Black Girl Magic, Legendborn is the perfect summer read to devour before the sequel, Bloodmarked, comes out this November.
Witches of Ash and Ruin by E. Latimer
Dayna Walsh is struggling: with her somatic OCD, her long-absent mother’s return and the ramifications of being outed in her small Irish town. The one thing that’s keeping her afloat is her upcoming initiation to finally become a full-fledged witch. That is, until the ceremony is put on hold when another coven comes to town, bringing rumors of dark arts and strange premonitions of death with them. Dayna immediately quarrels with Meiner, a member of the rival coven —yet the two keep being drawn to each other. And when the premonitions of death prove true, Dayna and Meiner must band together to protect their communities and unmask the killer before another life is lost. Like the whirls of a Celtic knot, E. Latimer entwines tales of Irish legend with modern day to create a vivid picture of magic on the Emerald Isle. Witches of Ash and Ruin holds within its pages a world of enchantment and danger, where witches clash and old gods waver on the cusp of waking.
Anointed by Blood by Edith Ryder
When Neave Ashcombe goes to get her fortune told, she’s not expecting to hear that she’s a witchling. But now with the discovery of a magical connection to her mother’s disappearance, Neave is on a mission to unlock her powers and track her down. The problem is that every witch needs a dydimogens, a man who acts as an energy source for magic. Neave thinks she’s found one in Lachlan, the boy who introduces her to the world of magic. Lachlan has motives of his own, however, and he’s willing to do whatever it takes to change his lot in life — regardless of the consequences. Author Edith Ryder makes the streets of London come alive with magic; from a night market of magical goods to a nightclub filled with dancing fairies, the folkloric lurks just below the surface, easily spotted if you know where to look. Anointed by Blood will have you peering around corners to see if you can catch a glimmer of magic in our own world. Read the full review for Anointed by Blood here.
Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor
Sunny Nwazue’s life has always been defined by what she can’t do. She can’t stay in the sun, thanks to her albinism. She can’t play soccer during the daytime with other kids, even though she’s an incredible athlete. And straddling her Nigerian and American identities, she can’t seem to find a place to belong. All that changes, however, when Sunny discovers her magical abilities that have laid dormant until now. She’s soon thrown into the world of sorcery and enrolled in school, where she and her classmates learn to bend reality at will. But almost as soon as Sunny begins to understand her magic, she and her friends are pulled out and recruited for a dangerous mission — to track down a mysterious criminal with strange abilities of their own. Readers of Akata Witch will be swept away to the world of enchantment right alongside Sunny. A fascinating magical society and a cast of compelling character await, promising a tale of bravery, friendship and self-discovery.
Old Magic by Marianne Curley
Even before she saw him do magic, Kate Warren knew that Jarrod Thornton was fascinating. Of course, once she sees his strange ability to create a thunderstorm inside their classroom, she’s more than fascinated — she’s astonished. But when Kate tries to approach Jarrod and ask how he was able to perform magic, she stumbles into an unexpected problem; Jarrod doesn’t believe he has magical powers at all. He calls her accusations “hocus pocus” — until, when his powers grow to dangerous levels, Jarrod has to admit what he believed to be impossible. Now with Kate’s help, he must learn to master his abilities before they become uncontrollable and endanger everyone around him. Set in a typical Australian high school, the novel juxtaposes the everyday with the extraordinary. The result is a story that is both relatable and wonderfully imaginative, as Kate and Jarrod unearth a series of magical secrets long hidden from unsuspecting eyes of normal society.
The Virus of Beauty by C. B. Lyall
Wilf Gilvary is happy playing soccer and hanging out with friends — he’s not interested in being a wizard, thanks. After the mysterious death of his father and a concurrent magical disaster, Wilf wants nothing to do with the supernatural at all. But he’s soon dragged from his regular life in Hong Kong into the Magical Realm, where he’s expected to continue his father’s legacy. Reginald Gilvary was trying to find a cure for the Pulch Virus, which drains witches of their magic and leaves them beautiful, empty shells of themselves. Now Wilf has to learn how to be a wizard and save all of magical society — and when the virus begins to prey on someone he loves, things get personal. Readers will find it all too easy to root for Wilf, who is understandably conflicted about the path he’s been shoved onto. Even amongst the fascinating world of magic, he’s homesick for his friends in Hong Kong and wishes he had the guidance of his father. But as the stakes grow higher, Wilf is determined to help this strange new world that he’s become a part of. Read our full review of The Virus of Beauty here, and check out our chat with C. B. Lyall about the sequel, The Veil of Corruption.
Raven by S G Turner
Lilly Taylor thinks she never should have complained about her life being boring. When her parents vanish without a trace, Lilly is plucked from her familiar life in England and shipped off to British Columbia, Canada. Totally out of her element, Lilly has to adjust to life on the fly — but despite her worst fears, she soon finds that she fits surprisingly well with her new family. That is, until they reveal to Raven that she’s not who she always thought she was — in fact, she’s not even human. Awakened to her latent magical abilities, Raven must now rediscover her own identity along with adjusting to her new life. The first in The Raven Witch Saga, this novel is an imaginative foray into what witchcraft would look like in the modern day, wielded by your average high school student. Welcome to a world full of spells, familiars and strong themes of family — a family that Raven will do anything to keep safe.
