The Apprentice Witch by James Nichol

Information

Goodreads: The Apprentice Witch
Series: None
Source: Library
Published: July 2017

Summary

After failing her witch assessment, Arianwyn is assigned as an apprentice witch to the village of Lull, on the boundary of a great magical forest.  She’ll have to practice hard to get ready for the retest.  Fortunately, Lull is full of demons to be banished and a creeping hex that sickens the inhabitants.  On second thought, Lull might be a little more than an apprentice witch can handle.

Review

The Apprentice Witch is a fairly standard middle-grade fantasy.  A young witch fails the test she needs to graduate–all while it is pretty obvious she is the most powerful witch at her school–and then is sent away to prove her worthiness.  She finds herself assigned to a small village that, on first glance, seems boring.  On second glance, it is full of mysteries.  Mysteries so big, only the most powerful of witches could confront them.  Unfortunately, her beautiful and snotty nemesis is there to make everything more difficult.

Because The Apprentice Witch is such a standard middle-grade fantasy, I have no strong feelings about it.  It is a fun and pleasant read.  The characters are likable.  The setting is appropriately quaint.  The mystery is appropriately mysterious.  The story advances in the expected manner, with the expected twists and turns.  Anyone who has read a few middle-grade books will know precisely how everything turns out.

The ending of The Apprentice Witch leaves room for a sequel.  However, though I enjoyed the story, I do not feel particularly attached either to the world or to the characters.  I can see many children eagerly following the continued adventures of Arianwyn, but I can also see myself choosing a different book instead.