Waiting On Wednesday (11): Witches and Magic

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill of Breaking The Spine in which an upcoming, eagerly anticipated release is highlighted on the blog.

This week, I am waiting on books with Witches and Magic:

Title: The Near Witch
Author: Victoria Schwab
Publisher: Hyperion
Date: August 2, 2011

The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children. 
If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company. 
And there are no strangers in the town of Near.

These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life.

But when an actual stranger—a boy who seems to fade like smoke—appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true.

The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion. Still, he insists on helping Lexi search for them. Something tells her she can trust him.

As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi’s need to know—about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy.

Title: Witchlanders
Author: Lena Coakley
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Date: August 30, 2011

High in their mountain covens, red witches pray to the Goddess, protecting the Witchlands by throwing the bones and foretelling the future.

It’s all a fake.

At least, that’s what Ryder thinks. He doubts the witches really deserve their tithes—one quarter of all the crops his village can produce. And even if they can predict the future, what danger is there to foretell, now that his people’s old enemy, the Baen, has been defeated?

But when a terrifying new magic threatens both his village and the coven, Ryder must confront the beautiful and silent witch who holds all the secrets. Everything he’s ever believed about witches, the Baen, magic and about himself will change, when he discovers that the prophecies he’s always scorned—

Are about him.

Title: Witch Song
Author: Amber Argyle
Publisher: Rhemalda
Date: September 1, 2011

The world is changing. Once, Witch Song controlled everything from the winds to the shifting of the seasons-but not anymore. All the Witches are gone, taken captive by a traitor. All but Brusenna. As the echo of their songs fades, the traitor grows stronger. Now she is coming for Brusenna. Her guardian has sworn to protect her, but even he can't stop the Dark Witch. Somehow, Brusenna has to succeed where every other Witch has failed. Find the traitor. Fight her. Defeat her. Because if Brusenna doesn't, there won't be anything left to save.

Title: Beautiful Chaos
Author: Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Publisher: Little, Brown
Date: October 18, 2011

Ethan Wate thought he was getting used to the strange, impossible events happening in Gatlin, his small Southern town. But now that Ethan and Lena have returned home, strange and impossible have taken on new meanings. Swarms of locusts, record-breaking heat, and devastating storms ravage Gatlin as Ethan and Lena struggle to understand the impact of Lena's Claiming. Even Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals is affected - and their abilities begin to dangerously misfire. As time passes, one question becomes clear: What - or who - will need to be sacrificed to save Gatlin?

For Ethan, the chaos is a frightening but welcome distraction. He's being haunted in his dreams again, but this time it isn't by Lena - and whatever is haunting him is following him out of his dreams and into his everyday life. Even worse, Ethan is gradually losing pieces of himself - forgetting names, phone numbers, even memories. He doesn't know why, and most days he's too afraid to ask.

Sometimes there isn't just one answer or one choice. Sometimes there's no going back. And this time there won't be a happy ending.


It's no secret that I love books that have witches and magic. I love the fantastical spells, the damning prophecies, and the ancient curses. And I love seeing authors find new ways to reinvent the lore and the magic in their books. The Near Witch is one that has been getting a lot of buzz lately, mainly due to the great writing and storytelling abilities of Victoria Schwab. I've read Witchlanders (My review) already and loved it for its original high fantasy world and refreshing Bromance. Out of all these, Witch Song is the one I know least about but I love the blurb so I hope to learn more about it soon. And Beautiful Chaos is, of course, the third book in the fantastic series, The Caster Chronicles. I've only read Beautiful Creatures (My review) so far but I absolutely fell in love with Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl's writing as well as Ethan Wate, the protagonist.

How about you? Are you waiting on any of these books with Witches and Magic? Are there any upcoming books featuring Witches and Magic that aren't included here that you feel I should know about?