THE WITCH WHO STORMED THE PALACE

A 12-year-old enlists the collaborative power of love to fend off and contain a wicked enemy.

In the island kingdom of Solum, four wizards maintained the Balance, or magical equilibrium, as well as the bonds keeping the evil sorceress known as the Shadow Queen captive for 2,000 years. In this sequel to The Girl Who Kept the Castle (2024), many in the kingdom would like to see Faye Gardner, the groundskeeper’s daughter, confirmed as successor to the recently deceased Wizard West. Faye’s cleverness and courage serve her well when, during the Trials required for her confirmation, the Shadow Queen imprisons Wizard South. It falls to Faye to confront and thwart the evil. Graudin’s lively narrative sticks firmly with likable, clever Faye, a sympathetic hero who’s devoted to her friends and kind to others. Every aspect of Solum is infused with magic. The flora and fauna shift shapes and have other enchanted properties. The king’s palace and the wizards’ castles have personalities of their own. Pastries from a new bakery, Flour Power, include dragon-puffs that fly about. Faye’s creature companions are, delightfully, Cornelius the “compost dragon” and Puck, a powerful magical being in cat form. Faye herself sports a white tail and a set of cat ears in addition to her regular human ones. This magical largesse is delightful and engaging with just enough spice in the form of the monstrous Shadow Queen and her creepy, bloodthirsty tiara. Main characters read white.

Charming and page-turning fun.