Everglade: Rise of the Witch by Kitty Black, illustrated by Rebecca Crane

Title: Everglade: Rise of the Witch

Author: Kitty Black, illustrated by Rebecca Crane

Genre: Fantasy

Publisher: Affirm Press

Published: 27^th May 2025

Format: Paperback

Pages: 352

Price: $17.99

Synopsis: The first book in an exciting and funny fantasy trilogy in the tradition of Terry Pratchett and Diana Wynne Jones.

Everglade loves to hate witches. And as the daughter of the last witch, Wren Westerly is the most hated person in town. She can only imagine what would happen if the townspeople found out she can actually see magic … even if she has no idea how to use it.

But when magic leads Wren to an enchanted necklace and reveals her secret, it’s not just Everglade chasing her. It’s the Eater – a terrifying creature who is determined to drain all magic from the world, and who really, really wants that necklace.

Leaving Everglade with nothing but the necklace, two accidental travel companions, and directions from a goat, Wren finds herself in a new and infinitely more magical world. And she’s the only one who can save it from the Eater. That is, if she can figure out magic.

No pressure.

Welcome to the world of Everglade, where the truth about witches is tangled with lies and being yourself is the biggest risk of all.

~*~

Everglade is a world where magic has been banned, and where witches have been hunted down and destroyed. Where those who don’t toe the line like best friends, Wren and Blue, are constantly under suspicion. Wren hates Betrayal Day, where the town and the Mayor celebrate the destruction of the witches, including Wren’s mother, known as the last witch. Wren is trying hide to deny that she has magic, to obey Aunt Nancy, a councillor whose reputation has protected Wren for years. That is, until Wren finds a magical necklace called the Heart, and runs away to the Wall. She falls into a magical world called Meadow Court. Meadow Court is filled with magic-kin and non-magic-kin, animals who can talk and do magic and embrace witches. Who are hiding from the Eater, who is after Wren because she is also a witch. But so far, Wren can only see magic, and she know how to use it.

Meadow Court is where Wren is able to start coming into herself, and learning about magic with her new friends and allies. Yet, there’s always the threat of the Eater, and the talk of nobody wanting fire-witches around. Wren’s new world is everything that feels right for her, with talking animals, knightly orders, and acceptance of magic. Everglade: Rise of the Witch marks the start of a new Australian fantasy trilogy, filled with all the things we know and love about fantasy, but with a few tweaks that make it stand out and sing. There are things that feel familiar – the outcast seeking a pace to belong, talking animals, and the good and bad of magic, as well as a threat to witches. And there are things that stand out – the voices of the characters, how they find their magic, what each character does. Like May, a bear, who is a knight of Meadow Court, or the magical lessons that have animals, fairy creatures and humans in attendance, and Pippin, a squirrel with healthy sense of adventure, who tries to be sensible but really feels like a bit of a rebel at times.

When all these elements come together, the create an exciting fantasy story that readers aged nine and over will enjoy. The world of Everglade reflects beliefs from the past about witches, and emulates how the world tries to divide people into different groups, and how those in power have always worked to divide people and discriminate against people that don’t quite fit into the ‘norms’ of a society. It’s explicit from the start that the world Wren lives in hates witches and hates her – because of who her mother was, and because of what they fear she is going to become. It isn’t dark, but has moments of darkness within the moments of the light, and the adventure. It’s undertones of threats and organised discrimination are important talking points. Exploring these elements in fantasy for children or in any fiction for children is a good place to start, or to expand on what they might see in the real world. Fiction can be a safer space to explore these aspects of society and show that there are ways to talk about it, and to come together with likeminded people to help battle things like discrimination or keep people safe.

Fiction has always tackled difficult topics in a variety of ways depending on the genre and themes of the stories, and whilst many end in a happily ever after, happy for now or with a sense that things are going to change for the better, they can still work to remind us that these ideals may not always become a reality. The important thing about these stories is that they also remind us that working together is powerful and important. Working with the people who want the same outcomes, or have similar beliefs to us is what can lead to unity and spreading a message. Unifying makes a message stronger to help spread it around to those who need to hear it as well.

Books are a place we can escape to, and Everglade also provides an escape. A world we can go to where whilst things aren’t that perfect, it feels like there are characters we can trust. Like Wren, Blue and Wish. Like May and Pippin – who let’s face it, are totally my favourite characters in this book and its upcoming sequels. It’s a book I would have loved when I was younger, because it has everything I would have enjoyed reading about in it – and I still love these kinds of books. They are wonderful, and I have been finding that middle grade and young adult books lately are much more diverse, and have so many compelling stories. There is a joy in reading these as a young reader and as an adult, because they take me to so many places in the real world, throughout history and into other worlds. Everglade is a world with many secrets and many mysteries to uncover, that I’m sure will be resolved in the next books.

I’m very much looking forward to seeing what happens, and where the trilogy goes from here.