Let’s all drown in The Demon Tide, with all the dragon divorce and tree grudges that entails. Together.

★★★★★

(4.5 stars)

The Black Witch Chronicles is my special little beast. Despite being (with this book) a bestselling series, I never see anyone talk about them, or acknowledge them- good or bad. Yes, there was the ridiculous fit when book one came out, but the series has been developing now for five other books without much vocal discussion.

That’s where I come in, evidently: my most viewed reviews on this blog have always been of The Black Witch books, and I’m on some twisted mission to draw every single of the too many characters in this epic YA fantasy quintet. It’s my burden, one I deeply enjoy. Actually. Can you imagine that? Me, noted hardass, loving something? But I do.

For all its weird lore additions and cheesiness and too-much-romance and dragon marriage, I greatly enjoy The Black Witch Chronicles. It’s earnest and imaginative and all about love. It doesn’t rely on ‘Fantasy! Real country’ like so many others, living entirely in a very magical, weird world. It focuses on culture, religion, and social divides, with a message clear about the need for empathy across all of that. It’s about love in a time of a fascist reign that doesn’t care about infighting, only hate, and how we need to stay together and fight that. Yes, it’s ‘that book about fantasy racism’, but it’s really ‘that book about fantasy hate, and fantasy love and fantasy war’. And Dragon bereavement.

Especially now, four books in, this series has come into its own, able to tell a compelling story with nuance and care that at times before it faltered against. It’s a really fun book that never left me bored, despite being a veritable brick at 700 pages hardcover. It was a joy, and I loved it, I really did.

Okay, who wants to now get spoiled on every aspect? Ready?