I found this while browsing Barnes and Nobles, and that is the great thing about a physical book store. You get to browse and discover new things, and no background algorithm decides what you see or what you would like. I wasn't looking for books about witches, or short stories, or this delightful mix of comedy and tragedy. Online, I probably would never have seen it.
Incidentally, I wrote a blog post about this. You can read it at this link if you want. Anyway, about this book review.
This is about Elaina the Ashen Witch and her travels across the world. She has no quest, goal or any other purpose while traveling, she is simply traveling because she likes to travel. What she doesn't like is getting involved in someone else's story; she'd rather add a few pages to it and then continue on her way. This makes the book something like a travel narrative.
Most chapters start with Elaina entering a new country and taking part in a certain event going on there. Sometimes she gets involved in resolving a spot of trouble, but other times she skips town without doing anything. She is what you would call "Heroic Neutral".
She is a nice girl, generally polite and does not make mischief. She will likely help a local if it doesn't cause her too much trouble or require her to stand in town for longer than three days. Don't ask her to do anything dangerous, but then she might brave the danger if she decides to do so. She is a primarily a sight-seer.
One of the interesting things about this book is that it spans the gauntlet of genres. Some of the stories are comedies, like the country divided in the Bread Faction and the Rice Faction. That whole thing was funny, from the apathy of the locals to the bickering of the rulers. Then there are some which are tragedies, really somber and sad, such as time Elaina met the boy who tried bottling happiness to lift the spirits of his bestfriend/crush. That ending is a critical hit to the heart, and just ambiguous enough to make it worse (Nothing Is Scarier style). Then there are those which focus more on Elaina herself; her history and her connections to people, such as her witch mentor and her own student. Those are are the full package of emotions and story linking together to support the broader narrative.
All of this shows the author's skill, but the illustrator isn't to be left out. Occasionally, there will be illustrations of a scene. Of these is Elaina with her mentor. Another one shows her original departure from home after becoming a witch. These are great for underscoring key moments.
Trickster Eric Novels gives "Wandering Witch - The Journey of Elaina 1" a A+
Click here for my next book review: SAO spinoff - Girls' Ops volume 4
Click here for my previous book review: The Hero is Overpowered But Overly Cautious volume 1
Brian Wilkerson is a independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).
His fantasy series, Journey to Chaos, is currently available on Amazon as an ebook or paperback.
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