Escape to Witch City

E. Latimer — 2021

In a world ruled by fear of witches, some secrets are deadly. A thrilling new fantasy adventure set in historical London for fans of V.E. Schwab's City of Ghosts and Serafina and the Black Cloak. Emmaline Black has a secret. She can hear the rhythm of heartbeats. Not just her own, but others' too. It's a rhythm she's learned to control, and that can only mean one thing . . . Emma's a witch. In a world where a sentence of witchcraft comes with dire consequences and all children who have reached the age of thirteen are tested to ensure they have no witch blood, Emma must attempt to stamp out her power before her own test comes. But the more she researches, the more she begins to suspect that her radically anti-witch aunt and mother are hiding something -- the truth about their sister, her Aunt Lenore, who disappeared under mysterious circumstances years ago. The day of the test comes, and Emma's results not only pair her up with strange new friends, but set her on a course to challenge everything she's ever been taught about magic, and reveal long-buried family secrets. It seems witches may not have been so easy to banish after all. Secret cities, untapped powers, missing family members -- Emma is about to discover a whole new world.

Reviews

Jana Jenkinns @bookishwiccan

May 26, 2022

This is an adventure with new friends and an outcast family member. There are family secrets and a dark past. There is royalty and there is power. There are spooky vibes, adventures, and magic.. The themes toward the end get very dark, but still age appropriate as it is a 9-12 aimed age group. I loved the world-building and thoroughly enjoyed the story. Definitely recommend.

Alexis @alexisdanielle

Nov 16, 2021

3/5 Stars ** I received this as an E-ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review, Thank you!** You're in for a ride of Magic, friendship, and adventure with this book. I really liked how these characters came together in a time of need and really had to work together to survive and get to witch city. I thought the magic was really intersteing and would love to learn more. I will admit I was a little disappointed with this book because I wanted more. I feel like this book was very surface level. I wanted more detail about the world and it's magic. I wanted to learn more about witch city and all the politics happeneing. I would've also loved to see more family dynamics happening. Like I said I just really wanted more. Everything felt super rushed and I felt like I didn't have time to enjoy the world we were in. Overall I would say this is a great book for kids who are wanting to get into fantasy as it doesn't really need any explanation. It's a good starter book.