The Shadow Wand

The Black Witch Chronicles, Book 3

By: Laurie Forest

Narrated by: Julia Whelan

Her World-Altering Secret Can’t Be Hidden Much Longer

Elloren Gardner hides the most powerful secret in all Erthia - she is the Black Witch of Prophecy, and destined to triumph…or be used as the ultimate weapon of destruction.

Separated from everyone she loves, isolated and hunted, Elloren must turn to the last person she can trust - her fastmate, Commander Lukas Grey. With the Mage forces of Gardneria poised to conquer all of Erthia, Elloren has no choice but to ally with Lukas and combine their power to keep herself out of the hands of Gardnerian leader Marcus Vogel…the holder of the all-consuming Shadow Wand.

With just weeks to train to become a warrior, and no control over her magic, Elloren finds unexpected allies among those under orders to kill her. It’s time to step up. To fight back. And to forge onward through the most devastating loss yet.

Critics are raving about Laurie Forest’s incredible debut, The Black Witch:

“Forest uses a richly imagined magical world to offer an uncompromising condemnation of prejudice and injustice.” (Booklist, starred review)

“Exquisite character work, an elaborate mythology, and a spectacularly rendered universe make this a noteworthy debut, which argues passionately against fascism and xenophobia.” (Publishers Weekly, starred review)

“This briskly paced, tightly plotted novel enacts the transformative power of education, creating engaging characters set in a rich alternative universe with a complicated history that can help us better understand our own.” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review)

Books in The Black Witch Chronicles:

The Black Witch
The Iron Flower
The Shadow Wand
The Demon Tide
Wandfasted (ebook novella)*
Light Mage (ebook novella)*

* Also available in print in The Rebel Mages anthology

©2020 Laurie Forest (P)2020 HarperAudio

Devastatingly wonderful and emotional

I didn’t know the BWC was a YA series when I picked up the black which and instantly fell in love with it. It’s been decades since I was considered a YA ;)
Such beautiful writing and characters, which over the span of the 3 books have grown and learned, loved, hated, feared and faced death, destruction, hopelessness and still come out the other side stronger.
As an avid reader/listener (I love both forms) I’m certainly not a stranger to the genre, which can be a light reading when I want to change pace from more adult, heavy and complex books, but the BWC so far has blown me away and I cannot recommend it enough!
******spoiler alert - no names though******





I’m crying as I write this, heartbroken over the latest death and confused over the sudden revelation that a previously thought dead character is in fact alive.
I’ve felt all the blows dealt by Vogel. His unspeakable evil and the evils of his followers. The mass hysteria that gathers otherwise decent people into a regime that is so corrupt, wrong and evil, just because they are led to, and allow themselves to believe that they are better, purer and morally superior to those they’ve oppressed. As a historian I can easily draw parallels to our history and see some of our most shameful actions in the pages (audio) of these books.
I’m completely in love with all the main characters - protagonists - of the story, and characters like Lukas, who starts out as a complicated mix of good and distant and sometimes cruel, has become one of my absolute favorites and I found myself rooting for him despite everything.

omg

so I followed the story well it flowed well with previous books but near the end I got upset and enraged at some events. thought about quitting but descided to push through since I only had a few hours left in the book and OMG THE TURN OF THE EVENTS LEFT ME FLOORED AND GIDDY WITH EXCITEMENT I DIDNT SEE A DARN THING

Holy Ancient One

I have no words to describe how absolutely beautiful this book is! So much joy, heartbreak and a million questions! I cannot wait until the next book and until that time comes I shall keep listening to all the others over and over again!

Awesome series! Can't wait for the next book.

The series is one of the best I have read in quite a while. Keeps you riveted till the end. This one leaves you with a major cliffhanger. Can't wait for the next one!

Love it!

The only comment I can say is that Eleanor is annoy at times about Luke. I like both men in her life but poor Luke has the short end of the stick. Over all great read!

So ridiculously good

Im totally enthralled in this series. Exquisitely written and exceptional story telling. Can't wait for the next book... that ending slayed me!

Epic

I didn't think this series could get any better....then I listened to this book! Just wow!

Amazing

I really love the series, but now I have to wait till December 2021 for the final book! NO can leave me hanging like this! I know I seen it coming, but not fair! Lol guess I'll be listening to the whole series again in December after the next book.

Each one is better than the last!

I love this series. As blasphemous as this sounds, I didn’t love another series by another author about school-age wand-wielding wizards. So I was skeptical at first.

The first book in this series really hooked me. Some descriptions were boringly repetitive. I’ve never heard someone say “bolstered” so many times. But still, I wanted to hear how it ended. So I read on.

This one is my favorite so far! I love how every character is described in such detail. The landscapes, and how Elloren feels. I really hope this series is made into a movie! And the reader - great at all the voices.

Love This Series

I look for reasons to drive just to listen. Excellent series, I recommend to all my friends.