The Witch's Boy

Algonquin Young Readers

The Witch's Boy
Kelly Barnhill
2014

The Summary
"When Ned and his identical twin brother tumble from their raft into a raging, bewitched river, only Ned survives.  Villagers are convinced the wrong boy lived.  Sure enough, Ned grows up weak and slow, and stays as much as possible within the safe boundaries of his family's cottage and yard.  But when a Bandit King comes to steal the magic that Ned's mother, a witch, is meant to protect, it's Ned who safeguards the magic and summons the strength to protect his family and community.

"In the meantime, in another kingdom across the forest that borders Ned's village lives Aine, the resourceful and pragmatic daughter of the Bandit King.  She is haunted by her mother's last words to her:  'The wrong boy will save your life and you will save his.'  But when Aine and Ned's paths cross, can they trust each other long enough to make their way through the treacherous woods and stop the war about to boil over?

"With a deft hand, acclaimed author Kelly Barnhill takes classic fairy tale elements--speaking stones, a friendly wolf, and a spoiled young king--and weaves them into a richly detailed narrative that explores good and evil, love and hate, magic, and the power of friendship."

The Good
I'm not really sure what to say about The Witch's Boy.  It's not quite like anything I've ever read.  Grim and rather macabre, it's a story that doesn't pull punches and makes you squirm for the terrible things you witness.  I think it was a little more mature than I was expecting from a book I found in the juvenile section.

The magic involved in these stories was especially complex.  I mean, my understanding of it was that it's a powerful, dangerous beast, not just some energy that can be manipulated or changed.  It's as contradictory as human nature--and perhaps it is the culmination of several sentient being?  I'm still not sure I understand it, but I found it intriguing.

While I was reading, I also grew to enjoy the characters.  Aine was flat out amazing:  tough, smart, take-charge and take-no-nonsense, she was an amazing heroine, even if she was a difficult character to like (at first, anyway).  Likewise, I loved the Ned's mother, the Witch.  I honestly can't remember her name, she's just the Witch to me--and I wouldn't have it any other way.  She was probably one of the more interesting characters for her curious connection to the magic and, moreover, her almost supernatural connection to the rest of the world.

And, of course, my heart went out to little Ned.  I loved that kid for some reason.  He's not the hero you'd expect; in fact, he's not heroic at all.  He's a timid kid who gets thrown into a dangerous situation and he's stuck trying to figure a way out--to save his mother, to save his village and to keep the magic at bay.  His journey is, in it's own way, heartwarming.

The Bad
I had an odd feeling the whole time I was reading The Witch's Boy.  I can't put my finger on it, but I just had this weird jumbling of feelings in my chest while I was reading Barnhill's novel.  I mean, I wanted to finish reading Ned's story and see where his journey led--I was committed, so I was going to find out--but I had strange ominous sort of feeling while reading it.

Like I  said, it's hard to describe.  It was a tumultuous amalgamation of many things, which made this reading experience unusual, even if it wasn't always pleasant.

The Ugly
Magic isn't always a good thing.  In this case, working magic means you always have to pay a price--and, sometimes, that price is steep.