Book Review: ‘A Witch Alone’ by James Nicol

A Witch Alone is the second book in James Nicol’s teen/young adult fantasy series featuring young witch Arianwyn.

Starting shortly after the events of The Apprentice Witch, Arianwyn and Salle are holidaying in Kingsport when the royal procession is attacked by spirit creatures. With dark spirits and areas of hex multiplying across the kingdom, Arianwyn is sent back to Lull – tasked with finding the Book of Quiet Glyphs from the feyling city. However Arianwyn must also find time to carry out her never-ending list of duties as Lull’s witch and save Gimma from the lingering effects of the hex.

Nicol makes sure to bring back all of his characters from The Apprentice Witch. Whether their role is big or small every character has a part to play in A Witch Alone. This means that every reader will get to see their favourite character again – no matter who that favourite might be.

The title: A Witch Alone, refers to the next part of a young witch’s journey. Now that their apprenticeship is complete, the fully qualified witch must work alone in their new community. In Arianwyn’s case this refers to the town of Lull. Yet the title is also a reference to Arianwyn’s emotional state as she frequently becomes isolated and lonely. In the story Arianwyn loses her friendship with Salle and Colin due to the choices she has to make as a witch and through the pressure of trying to complete her exhaustive list of tasks in order to keep everyone else safe and happy. Even though the novel ends on a positive note with many of the problems resolved, it was still sad to see Arianwyn struggle. I see this as a credit to Nicol’s writing and character creation – to make a character that readers have grown to care so much about.

While this series can be enjoyed by people of all ages it is primarily aimed at teens and young adults. As a result it contains an educational message for readers. While friendship is an important part of this book series, A Witch Alone goes further by showing that sometimes in life things don’t go the way we expect even when our intentions are good. Friends can fall out with each other and the result can be lonely. It can also be frustrating in circumstances when we tell the truth but struggle to make our voices heard. As the novel shows, the important thing is being willing to forgive each other and work together to resolve problems. We have to trust in ourselves and in those we care about for goodness to succeed.

A Witch Alone is as magical as the first book, with new creatures and new spells to enjoy. Nicol manages to expand his fantasy world whilst also being true to the first book and keeping those elements readers loved in The Apprentice Witch. A solid sequel that fans of the series will enjoy.

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