The Witch's Boy

Okay, so, I LOVED The Girl Who Drank The Moon, so I had reasonably high hopes for this one.

I was so, so disappointed.

The pacing stumbles and lurches, with far too much detail spent on minutiae and not near enough attention given to essential plot and character moments before rushing on to other things. The world-building makes no sense. And, worst of all, there's no FUN in this 'verse. The sole character who enjoys anything is the Bandit King, who loves and lives for thievery. Magic is a burden or a torment. Parents are terrible or neglectful. No one plays. There's none of the natural joy and curiosity you expect from "Magic is real and YOU HAVE IT!" books like Harry Potter, The Dark Is Rising, or The Young Wizards series. There's no show more "Hey, this rocks!" moment just before the character accidentally blows something up. It's all misery, dire pursuit, pain, fear, bleeding, running for their lives, etc., etc., etc., all the time.

Instead, we get a book about a couple of traumatized, depressed, alienated kids befriending a wolf pup, saving the world, and burying the dead (in that order). Which could have been interesting (compelling! unusual in children's fantasy!) if the pacing had worked. But it didn't. show less

After finishing The Girl Who Drank Down the Moon I knew that I had to track down some more books by Kelly Barnhill, but it took an incredibly long time, since apparently our library does not have a good selection of her work… I did try Iron Violet, but wasn’t enamored with the story and quickly gave up, but this second journey into Barnhill’s magical worlds was much more successful. Our story centres around Ned, the “Wrong Son” of Sister Witch, who is cast as an outsider and must inevitably be called on to save the world through skills unbeknownst to the villagers (and his own family) who have spent his whole life shunning him. Barnhill may be relying on a tried and true fantasy trope here, but it’s difficult not to like show more bumbling but brave Ned, who pulls on our heartstrings as much as any of the underdogs who came before him. Even then, Ned isn’t enough to really drive the story, and for me the real magic came from the intricate backstory of the world’s magic and Ned’s unlikely friendship with Ainé, the daughter of the Bandit King. I mean, who isn’t immediately intrigued by this kind of character, who is a typically rebellious and brave girl, but who just wants to live a good life when the world has dealt her a reclusive existence in the forest and a father who doesn’t quite love her enough? Throw Ned and Ainé together as an unlikely duo (trio-ed off with an even more unlikely companion in the shape of a young wolf), add a magical forest and a group of living standing stones, and just a pinch of political intrigue and conflict, and we have a pretty excellent story all around! Unfortunately, Barnhill ends the tale with the disappearance of the magic from the world and leaves us wanting more as Ned and Ainé venture off to explore the world by sea, but even though we may be annoyed that we don’t get to see more of their adventures we know that the best is yet to come for this unlikely pair. show less

Kelly Barnhill came solidly onto my reading radar when this book was about to be released. The bits and blurbs I heard from other readers, eagerly anticipating it, and those annoying little banners that pop up on line, all succeeded. While waiting for my copy of the book to arrive, I sought out another book of hers, read it, and gave it a thumbs up. And I prepared to like The Witch's Boy. I was wrong about that, and gleeful to say so. I beyond "like"; I was enchanted by the story, the world created, the writing, and the characters.

Barnhill has created a world where magic is alive. It's not just a tool or skill that someone can learn to use, but a real entity. It talks, cajoles, cackles, promises, prods, whines, whimpers. It is a force show more to be reckoned with, and it has been killed off over the years by people who try to steal or harness it. Magic entered our world with other beings, who, at the time of the story, have become standing stones, and have been such for ages. The tiny bit of magic that remains, is stored in a pot of the basement of a witch, in a poor, outlying village of a small, isolated kingdom. And as the story unfolds, everything is about to be threatened.

As the story opens, the witch's twins, Tam and Ned, head out to do what young boys do so well: have adventures and make mischief. However, the raft they intended to ride the river to the sea sinks, and Tam dies. Ned barely survives, but the villagers become convinced that the wrong boy was saved; the clever one was the one who drowned. And across the world, a young girl is told by her dying mother, "the wrong boy will save your life and you will save his. And the wolf..." In a world where magic roams, it's inevitable these two will come together. And of course, they fight for, not with, magic, for nothing less than to save the world.

Tags: a-favorite-author, fantasy, ya-lit, will-look-for-more-by-this-author, didn-t-want-to-put-it-down, grandgirl-nonsparkly-fodder, great-cover, kids-of-most-ages, magic, magical, satisfying show less

DNF @ 27%
I refuse to make myself suffer further.

Ugh. Reading should not equate suffering.
Which I did. Since one of the twins died - and that isn't even a spoiler.

The thing is, it started well enough. The premise seemed intriguing.
And then it dragged... And dragged... And...
Then I flipped.

I was just THIS close to spitting fire and acid.
If this were a physical printed book I would have flung it away to smash against walls, stabbed it with some sharp and pointy things, and ripped its spine in frustration. Possibly while screaming my head off in a blind rage and/or roaring with frustration.
(I love my kindle too much for all that nonsense, thank you; I've just about bled to get it - so: no)

You know things are bad when you spend first show more quarter a book wishing for the protagonist to grow a spine and make a goddamn effort, darn it! I just couldn't be bothered to wait out till... what? the middle? If reviewers are to be believed that's where things actually start happening and action picks up. I don't really see the point in everything being so drawn out.

I flipped to the end and didn't notice any improvements to Ned's character - still timid, still hesitant, still scared. The spineless boy did not seem to have acquired even the flimsiest of backbones. Which - what's the point of the story? WHY???

I did not care much for Aine either. She is unrealistically stoic. And I'm not impressed with how practical she is shown to be - she uses her work as an excuse to avoid thinking - and I mean at all, nevermind thinking deeply on issues of any kind. I'm not a fan.

Since I did not make far into the story I can't judge the whole thing. But I I honestly do not understand how all the people in the country could believe that the world ends beyond the forest and mountains. It's surreal! There's bound to be some explorers among the drab crowd. You can't go on living in the middle of a mystery without asking a question or twelve. You just CAN'T!

The one thing that stood out to me was magic. Such an opinionated sly twisted thing! It was far from nice, but what a personality! And don't go talking about "magic is not like that" nonsense. There are all sorts out there.

If you wonder why two stars after reading all the above?
-BTW, congrats! you are quite tenacious!-
Well, there's a lot of people who enjoyed it, and I could kind of see the parts of it that are not terrible-terrible. And it DID start in an interesting way. It just never took off. Not for me.

FINAL VERDICT : SEEK ADDITIONAL OPINIONS
(In all honesty - I cannot recommend this book. There are too many finer adventures out there.) show less

In a small village, twin boys build a raft to sail to the sea: one drowns, and one is saved by their father. Their mother, Sister Witch, sews Tam's soul to Ned's.

In the woods, nine ancient stones are similarly trapped between life and death.

Also in the woods, practical Aine lives with her bandit father, who wears a small magic pendant around his neck, hoards treasure, and plans war.

On the other side of the forest, a young, selfish king learns of a province - and magic - that he believes should belong to him, and lets a bandit lead him toward war.

These stories, especially those of Ned and Aine, intertwine. Magic is tamed and released, war is averted, a king is toppled, a queen sets up a government, and children grow up.

Quotes

People show more would think what they liked, and would likely think wrong. This was nothing new. (6)

Terrible things led to more terrible things, sure as snow. (79)

Foolishness and fear. By fearing death they had trapped themselves in a place worse than death. It is a terrible thing when a fool with power fools with power. (119)

My mother says that selfishness is the root of tyranny. (162)

"The question...is not how wrong we were, but rather it is this: How will we respond?" (237)

Even the wicked can do one good, brave thing. (259) show less

This beautiful fairy tale of a book will keep me thinking for a long time. It is not only magical, it is lyrical, humorous, mystical, and really an allegory that teaches noble ideals without you even being aware of it. The author uses this kind of storytelling to teach things like the power of words, the power of forgiveness, the power of family, the power of the individual, and many more. I think this would make a great read-aloud because of all the discussions that could arise. But I also think it would make a fantastic movie! I could picture that last battle scene on the big screen so clearly (possibly because of all of my Lord of the Rings marathons), from the Stones clear down to the feathered soldier. Peter Jackson - take show more note!

Probably my favorite thing about this book was the well-drawn characters. My heart broke for Ned and Àine (pronounced Anya), they both had so much to overcome. The secondary characters were equally endearing. I found it intriguing that there were several characters that were never named - Sister Witch (how I loved her and ached for her!), the Bandit King, the feathered soldier, the red-haired bandit (actually I think he was eventually named, but mostly just called the red-haired bandit). What an interesting storytelling technique. I also adored the characterization of King Ott. He was evil, pathetic, and hysterical all wrapped up in one young person. And then there were the other elements of the story that became actual characters. The magic, the forest, the Stones, the wolf - they were all incredibly life-like and I loved them all. I've never read a book by Kelly Barnhill before, but I will have to keep my eye on her in the future. Don't go into this book thinking it is a quick read. This is one to go slowly with while savoring the whole essence. I don't think everyone will feel the same way about it, but I hope my students will give it a chance. show less

A fabulous book. Beautifully written, like The Mostly True Story of Jack, but I liked this one even better. Barnhill created a complete new magical world filled with wonderful, and very intense, characters.