WITCHLORE

Grief and identity are at the heart of this queer fantasy set in an alternate England.

Orlando “Lando” Southerns, a nonbinary white student at Demdike College, a school of witchcraft in the Northern Quarter of Manchester, is blamed by their witch classmates for the death of their girlfriend, Elizabeth Toppings, even though it was ruled accidental. Lando is a shape-shifter, their body changing between various female and male forms, but they have no control over this power. When Bastian Chevret—a Black third-year transfer student with Haitian, Jamaican, and Cornish roots—proposes to Lando that they do a resurrection spell together, Lando accepts. It’s an incredibly dangerous spell and requires hard-to-obtain ingredients, but Lando feels they have little to live for, and they’re willing to take any risk to get popular, blond, bicurious Elizabeth back. But when they begin experiencing visions of an unknown shifter’s past and developing feelings for Bastian, they start to question their plans. This character-driven fantasy thoughtfully explores Lando’s gender identity and the prejudice they face. The romance element is cozy and matches the book’s overall themes of being authentic and recognizing the value of life. While the plot takes a little time to really get going and some of the worldbuilding and side characters feel underexplored, the surprising and hopeful ending adds extra layers of meaning and is emotionally fulfilling.

A comforting fantasy that grapples with realistic hardships.