A young girl is thrown into the unpredictable and often dangerous realities of her world as she becomes a witch on the run in this fast-paced fantasy.
Life in Lowtown is rough and precarious. With an overbearing czar, the infectious Rot plaguing the people, and the Cossacks murdering witches on the streets, twelve-year-old Lavender is beginning to question how everyone can bear to ignore all the injustice. But with her best friend El and her mother Sonia by her side, Lavender isn’t too worried about it. That is, until destiny ignites other plans for her.
Lavender Molotova and her best friend Elor aren’t unused to cruelty. As transgender children in an unforgiving community, they are frequently misgendered, called names, and ridiculed, especially by fellow classmate Arkady. When Arkady’s persistent bullying activates El’s defensiveness for Lavender, all three kids are sent to detention for their disruption.
As the kids scrub filthy dishes in the school cafeteria, Arkady suspiciously changes his tune with Lavender, instead acting uncomfortably and eerily flirtatious toward her, instead of transphobic. El is more than happy to handle the situation with a swift punch. After Arkady awakens from his semi-unconsciousness, he makes a break for it, fuming with anger.
When school lets out, El and Lavender quickly come face to face with the consequences of standing up to Arkady. He has returned with his gang, ready to fight. And when Arkady attempts to sexually assault Lavender, he awakens a dormant magic within her. Purple flames erupt out of Lavender, badly burning Arkady and scaring away his gang.
“Then suddenly, time seemed to slow down. She felt a presence in her body. Something both empowering and calming. Something she had never experienced before. This wasn’t fear; fear had disappeared. She felt clear and powerful.”
Lavender’s newly changed lilac eyes reveal her truth—she is a witch. Thankful as she is to have been saved by her magic, Lavender knows that this is extremely dangerous. And that danger comes to a head when her own mother encourages her and El to flee the witch hunters and seek out the Red Raven.
Witch Hunt followsLavender and El as they embark on a treacherous journey to find some semblance of safety. The friends must navigate their naivety, a power hungry gang, and the complex new world they’ve uncovered in the subterranean community that they believed to be a myth.
Through it all the friends are drawn to action as they follow their hearts. Along the way they rescue and befriend another transgender witch of nobility, Josephine, they try to evade kidnapping and enslavement, and discover that there is more to their world than the cruelty they’ve been raised amongst.
Witch Hunt brings together a darling found family in its trio of brave friends. With Lavender’s empathy, El’s protective nature, and Josephine’s posh level-headedness, the friends balance each other out while providing a safe place for each other to land in an unpredictable and often unkind world. The connection between these characters is endearing, especially in their shared experience of being trans. Not to mention they have an adorable witch spider companion with a heart on her back.
While the characters are exposed to and endure a lot of violence and cruelty, there is still an air of youth to them and to the story. Witch Hunt is a balancing act of heart and wit where the heavier inhumanities of the world are confronted head-on. Witch Hunt will appeal to more mature teenagers who are comfortable reading about bigotry and violence. There are also minor references and allusions to pedophilia.
Witch Hunt grazes the surface of its wider world, aiming its focus at the children amidst it all. As the story nears the end, more is revealed about the politics, and while intriguing and particularly relevant to modern times, it sparks an interest to know more than is given. Many compelling plot threads weave through the book, and while many are successfully answered, some feel as though they need more time. A sequel could remedy this curiosity of the world and further delve into the structures and cultures within it.
Witch Hunt: Birth by Flame is a fast-moving, all encompassing fantastical tale of good versus evil. With its daring young protagonists, it brings to light themes of doing what’s right, friendship, and being bold and brave in the face of injustice.
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