100 books like Witchlings

Cemetery Boys was the first time I truly felt represented in a fantasy novel, and once I started, I couldn’t put it down. 

The navigation of family dynamics in the story is brilliant - we follow Yadriel, a gay Latinx trans teen whose family is made up of brujas (women) and brujos (men). The struggle to find his place in that system, and the way that his family members seem accepting in one moment, then dismissive in another is unbearably relatable for many queer kids growing up in Latinx households.

In an effort to prove his worth to his family (and himself) Yadriel accidentally summons the ghost of a very cute dead boy, and together they go on a journey full of both danger and self-discovery.

This dark fantasy, about a powerful teenage witch who must travel to the eerie land of Los Lagos to rescue her family, is fast-paced and profoundly moving.

The magic, which is inspired by Mexican Brujería, is a beautiful tribute to a rich cultural history. There is a queer love triangle for any romance lover, but it doesn’t overshadow the exciting adventure and self-discovery at the heart of the story. 

Lyrical prose. Nonbinary Latinx teens. A magical world underneath a lake. Neurodivergent rep. What doesn’t this book have? 

I was captivated from start to finish, watching Bastian and Lore navigate their ADHD, dyslexia, sexuality, and identity, and all while the magic world underneath their lake threatens to come up and drown their surface. Can these two teens - who haven’t seen or spoken to one another in years - learn to trust one another and work together to stop it, before it destroys everything?

I really don’t have the words for how captivating this book is, but the colors, descriptions, and magic are so vibrant they pull you right into the heart of the world and the story, and threaten not to let you go.

Set in a Mesoamerican-inspired world, The Lost Dreamer is seeped in Latin culture and tradition.

Everything about this novel reaches deep into my soul and makes me feel more connected to my land and my ancestors. The magic system feels more organic and earth-bound, closer to shamanism than depictions of magic in more modern fantasy novels and I loved it.

The novel follows two courageous and strong Latin women with gifts - a Dream Walker and a Seer. Individually we see them learn to fight for themselves, and for the land and lives they love. The queerness in this novel is intrinsic to the world and story, characters able to be themselves without question or oppression. (At least, not oppression due to their sexuality - which I appreciated!)

This book explains what goes on within a traditional British Old Craft coven and what is required of its members.  It is important that folk understand what is expected of them when joining an Old Craft coven and what the fundamental differences are between the various Traditions to avoid misunderstandings.  The authors are themselves veterans of Coven of the Scales having run their own hived-off group for over twenty years.

This book is like Marmite, you either love it or hate it but it represents a small but important time-capsule of traditional British Old Craft history that we have been lucky enough to preserve for the next generation of witches. This collection of true anecdotes mirrors the goings-on within an Old Craft coven and reveals the humour and sense of the ridiculous that is part and parcel of many traditional covens that I’ve come across.

What happens when a person gets what they think they truly want? For only fifty cents, a mysterious stranger offers to give the people of Coven Tree exactly what they wish for, but unexpected (and humorous) problems arise when those wishes come true.

When I was a student teacher, The Wish Giver was on my state’s reading list. I read it and was intrigued! A little creepy, a whole lot mysterious, I’ve remembered this book for years.

Evan John Jones – who was once a part of Robert Cochrane’s own coven – is still one of the most controversial figures in contemporary witchcraft nearly 40 years after his death in 1966. It was an interesting time and as Evan wrote, you knew something was there, but it was a case of trying to find it and hold on to it! When this book came out in 1990 and as Evan was one of the first ‘real’ witches I had been privileged to meet, it was interesting to read many of these traditional teachings for the first time.

This is a good, overall history of witchcraft spanning from ancient civilisations to the birth and practises of the present-day Wicca.

It is well-written, highly informative, and contains a great number of interesting historical illustrations.

It is also a beneficial read for those who wish to understand how people in different eras viewed the world around them and how these beliefs and fears transformed into actions that moulded the society in English villages like Dunster which I based my book on.

I have now read this book twice, from cover to cover, and just flicking through it again for the purpose of writing this recommendation makes me want to read it again. A definite keeper!

I have so much admiration for witch Paige Winterbourne, who has had a teenage ward named Savannah thrust upon her, when Paige herself is barely out of teenagerhood. Paige's coven disowns her, even as evil forces are trying to woo Savannah, and get Paige out of the way by framing her for murder. I have zero patience for their lack of support. It's no wonder Paige is forced to accept the help of the terribly persistent young lawyer who ought to be her archenemy. He's a sorcerer, and sorcerers never have the best interests of witches in mind. Especially the heir of one of the most powerful cabals. I would help Paige communicate with a teenager. Moreover, I would take Savannah out for lunch so Paige can... communicate with her lawyer.