THICK WITCH TRAVELS

Vacationing teenage witches get sidetracked by a seeming unscrupulous magic-wielder in Ives’ YA fantasy sequel to Fat Witch Summer (2023).

Spending a gap year at an academy certainly isn’t every high school graduate’s choice, but young witch Thrash Blumfeld-Wright believes that adventure awaits her and her coven, which includes Cresca King, Em Atlandotir, and Saki Anderson. All are pursuing magic-focused apprenticeships at Wainwood Academy. This entails traveling to Gaule, a country on an entirely different continent than the Thirteen States, where they live. However, the weeklong, pre-apprenticeship vacation they’ve planned gets cut short when a fox shows up in their hotel room. The creature is the familiar of Lord Fernicus Wainwood, whom Thrash anticipates will be her mentor; Fernicus apparently needs their help on a mysterious magic-related issue, but the fox is under a spell that prevents it from providing details. When the teens meet Fernicus, though, they wonder if they can trust him; Cresca is especially wary, and he’s seemingly involved in a shady activity that could have wide-ranging effects throughout the country. Thrash, who wields a Kinetic magic so powerful that familiars pursue her for potential bonding (she hasn’t chosen one yet), joins her friends in rectifying a wrong. The coven in Ives’ sophomore installment comprises four riveting personalities and backstories: Em, for one, is a “mer-girl” with exiled royal parents and scales on her legs. They each face convincing problems: Two of them are redefining themselves, and it’s likely that the graduates’ future prospects will lead them on different paths. This series’ worldbuilding is impeccably detailed; the girls intriguingly travel through a portal to Gaule, where they must acclimate to another land’s culture and customs, such as buses not accepting payment via their smartphone-esque orbs. The larger plotline isn’t quite as enthralling, as the coven too quickly identifies a villain and dreams up a solution. Still, Thrash is refreshingly selfless, without a hidden agenda of her own. The story culminates in a superb cliffhanger, perfectly setting up a planned third installment.

Charming, believable young heroes put their friendships and magical abilities to the test in a well-developed setting.