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  • The Black Witch

  • The Black Witch Chronicles, Book 1
  • By: Laurie Forest
  • Narrated by: Julia Whelan
  • Length: 18 hrs and 11 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (166 ratings)
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The Black Witch cover art

The Black Witch

By: Laurie Forest
Narrated by: Julia Whelan
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Summary

A Great Winged One will soon arise and cast his fearsome shadow upon the land. And just as Night slays Day, and Day slays Night, so also shall another Black Witch rise to meet him, her powers vast beyond imagining. 

So foretells the greatest prophecy of the Gardnerian mages. Carnissa Gardner, the last prophesied Black Witch, drove back the enemy forces and saved her people during the Realm War. Now a new evil is on the horizon, and her granddaughter, Elloren, is believed to be Carnissa's heir—but while she is the absolute image of her famous grandmother, Elloren is utterly devoid of power in a society that prizes magical ability above nearly all else. 

When she is granted the opportunity to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming an apothecary, Elloren is eager to join her brothers at the prestigious Verpax University and finally embrace a destiny of her own, free from the shadow of her grandmother's legacy. But she soon realizes that the University, which admits all manner of people—including the fire-wielding, winged Icarals, the sworn enemies of all Gardnerians—is an even more treacherous place for the granddaughter of the Black Witch.

©2017 Laurie Forest (P)2017 Harlequin Enterprises, Limited.

Critic reviews

"This ambitious story is impressively narrated by the talented Julia Whelan, who creatively details its world of intricate magical practices and diverse inhabitants.... Whelan ably creates and sustains a wide cast of characters with intriguing and faithfully distinguished voices. Most importantly, she cultivates listeners' connection with flawed but ultimately good-hearted Elloren, whose first-person story portrays her fumbling attempts at understanding a wider world." (AudioFile)

What listeners say about The Black Witch

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More than your average YA

I'm older than the age demographic this genre is typically aimed at but still got a lot of enjoyment out of this book and The Iron Flower.

The world politics and events are believable and pulled from recent history, main characters are likable and well rounded and for once there's a love triangle that isn't superficial (revealed more in TIF). There's a bit of that "will they won't they" tension and the holding back of true feelings but that's to be expected with YA.

I'm picky when it comes to storytelling but so far I haven't had any major complaints with character actions or motivation. The story moves at a nice pace and the plot has a good amount of moving parts to keep things interesting.

Narrator performance was wonderful. Character voices are mostly distinct and consistent. Some of the male voices sound similar but it wasn't an immersion breaker for me.

Overall a great listen and I can't wait for the release of book 3.

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5 people found this helpful

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Wonderful

I am bereft!! The book is finished... already..... and I have so many questions!
Where is the next one?
More, Ms Forest! MORE!!!

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Great audio book

Totally addictive book. Great story, wonderful characters and very well read. I think this is classed as being for young adults. Well I'm over 70 and I loved it and have bought the sequel.

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3 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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No idea what all the contraversary is about

It's a good story, at times grating and I understand the division can be upsetting but the point of the story is that. Bringing unlikely allies together to fight the injustice of racism and class.
The narration is ok.

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2 people found this helpful

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Loved it

I need the 2nd one now can't wait for its release so so good, amazing

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2 people found this helpful

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Loved it!

I'm 63 years old and it didn't make me feel my age, it's timeless fantasy! Well written and performed!

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1 person found this helpful

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So long since I heard a good fantasy book

It's well written. It's well narred. The story is interesting, the characters are not too much in this or that. All is well balanced.

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1 person found this helpful

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Amazing

Loved listening to this book the narration is captivating and definitely adds a new dimension to this story. The book itself takes the reader on a wonderful journey into a supernatural world. Definitely worth listening to.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Couldn't stop listening!

Absolutely loved this book, written and narrated so well. There is so much to the story, I love how the author gradually builds relationships, you can't help but fall in love with the characters and their backgrounds!

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Must read/listen

I loved this book. The characters, the story, the writing - everything! I’ve been a bit over saturated by the lusty YA fantasy books that are everywhere at the moment and this was such a welcome reprieve from that. There is still a bit of romance but it wasn’t the sole focus of the story which I loved. The characters are interesting and well written and the narrator did an excellent job bringing them to life and making the story overall a wonderful listen.

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