REVIEW: The Apprentice Witch

THE APPRENTICE WITCH

by James Nicol

Pages: 324

Publisher: Chicken House

Publication Date: July 7th 2016

Arianwyn has fluffed her witch’s evaluation test.

Awarded the dull bronze disc and continuing as an apprentice – to the glee of her arch-rival, mean girl Gimma – she’s sent to protect the remote, dreary town of Lull. 

But her new life is far from boring. Turns out Gimma is the pompous mayor’s favourite niece – and worse, she opens a magical rift in the nearby Great Wood. As Arianwyn struggles with her spells, a mysterious darkness begins to haunt her – and it’s soon clear there’s much more than her pride at stake …

The Apprentice Witch is all kinds of amazing and no, my mum didn't just tell me to say that. I mean she did, but I wholeheartedly agree! I'm not normally a massive fan of middle grade books as I find it harder to connect with the main character, however, with The Apprentice Witch it only took a couple of chapters for me find common ground with our girl Arianwyn Gribble. The story is fast paced, full the brim of magical twists and dark turns that will leave you begging for more from the little town of Lull. 

The Apprentice Witch is the story of a young witch who's life never quite goes to plan and this is never more true than on the day of her evaluation when the mysterious glyph that she has seen all her life makes an unwelcome appearance. Due to the events of that day Arianwyn (Wyn) is sent to the town of Lull to finish off her Apprenticeship and become the town witch. Although Lull has been without a witch for some time and within a few days Wyn is up to her ears in witchly tasks and intriguing townspeople. It's not all work for Wyn though as she meets new friends, finds a place she can call hers and acquires a rather charming Moon Hare called Bob. But with dark spirits making more frequent appearances, a mysterious glyph following Wyn like a bad smell and the town of Lull sitting on the edge of the Great Wood it is only a matter of time before this Apprentice finds herself in more trouble that she could have ever imagined. 

I loved this book so much! I mean how could I not? James creates a world that is the literary equivalent to glitter and I couldn't put this book down. Every scene and setting was so well executed to the point that I felt like I was in the town of Lull right along side Wyn and the story itself didn't lull for one second - yes pun COMPLETELY intended. 

This book bought me back to my younger years and the days of The Worst Witch and our dear Mildred Hubble. The story is completely different but a young witch that can't quite get it right no matter her intentions? Arianwyn Gribble is this generations Mildred and I LOVE IT!!!

Overall this book is one of those I can't stop talking about. Yes its middle grade but there is something about it that I think appeals to a wider audience - after all Harry Potter is a MG book, just saying. The Apprentice Witch is fast paced, laugh out loud funny and full of little pockets of magic that will have you smiling from ear to ear.  If you haven't read this book yet I hope you do and for all of you who have... A Witch Alone is out this week! And guys... it's so good! 

Dear Unpublished Me - James Nicol

This weeks Dear Unpublished Me post comes to you from my local celebirty James Nicol! James is the author of the best selling MG novel The Apprentice Witch and the muchly anticipated second novel A Witch Alone. 
James Nicol has loved books and stories his whole life. As a child he spent hours absorbed in novels, watching epic 1980s cartoons or adventuring in the wood at the bottom of the garden searching for dragons and witches. He has worked in bookshops and libraries and now spends all his spare time writing! He lives on the edge of the Cambridgeshire Fens in a house with too many books and too many musical instruments with his partner and a black and white cockapoo called Bonnie. 

Dear Unpublished Me . . .

First of all, this is not some sort of ‘ghost of Christmas past’ moment. I’m not about to recount hundreds of things you’ve done wrong with your life in hope of changing you – it’s all good!

So, I’m hoping this letter finds you through the mists of time (cue swirly mists and strange music) somewhere at the point where you have just started to write the first draft of The Apprentice Witch, which at that point was called The Apprentice Witches Handbook. (spoiler number one, the title of the book changes – as does quite a lot of the book itself – you’ll get over it!) But at this point the big question on your mind is simply, “Can I finish writing a whole novel?”

Well yes you can – so whatever you do don’t give up or based on my Doctor Who and Star Trek watching that could make things really sticky for me at this end of things!

It will be tricky fitting it all in with work and everything else and sometimes you will feel entirely lost but KEEP GOING, you will always find your way back. There are such exacting times ahead of you that you wouldn’t ever imagine, new places to visit, new adventures and experiences awaiting you and all for the story that is slowly forming in your mind. Oh, and just a quick tip – give up now trying to do that first draft straight onto the computer it’s like torture. Get a nice notebook and a mechanical pencil and go for it – it took me half a year of staring helplessly at the laptop screen to work that out!

You’ll soon meet a bunch of wonderful children’s and YA writers through the Golden Egg Academy many of whom will become some of your closest and dearest friends, you don’t have to go on this journey alone and they will be great support through the years ahead. You’ll also get to work with some of the very best editors in the country as a result and you don’t need to worry that you don’t know what you are doing or that people will laugh or think you are stupid or have no business writing a children’s book! No one else will doubt you so try not to doubt yourself so much either.

You are going to LOVE the editing process far more than you can ever imagine, it is a much more creative part of writing a book than how you are imagining it to be, so stop worrying about that. Editors aren’t scary and you will work with some really fantastic people over the coming years who will all care about your story and character as much as you do.

OK – major spoiler alert now. Your story will find a home with an amazing publisher, one you have long admired since your days as a children’s bookseller. This will be in a rather unexpected way (I don’t want to spoil the surprise though!) You’ll be well supported by friends old and new through all of this and find a wonderful agent, someone you meet through Golden Egg and who you think highly of and trust implicitly.

There are a thousand and more wonderful experiences waiting ahead, seeing your book rolling off the conveyor belt at the printers, holding the finished book in your hands for the first time and getting to give a copy to Nana on her 95^th Birthday.

Seeing the response to the book from bloggers and reviewers will be great but it will be the experience of readers that will be the best experience, children presenting well-thumbed copies of your book over to be signed and talking to you about Arianwyn and Salle and Colin will be the very best part of the whole thing.

Of all the advice I can offer, I would simply say this, enjoy every part of it, the hard work will pay off and the people you will meet along the way will be fantastic, there will be lots of support for you and the book, there may even be a few (major) prize nominations and perhaps even a little review in the New York Times. . . but maybe I’ve said too much now.

Well off you go, that book (and the 2^nd and 3^rd in the series – whoops – more spoiler!) wont write themselves!

Love from

future you

J 

THE APPRENTICE WITCH

by James Nicol

Publisher: Chicken House

Publication Date: 7th July 2016

ISBN13: 9781910655153

Summary

Arianwyn has fluffed her witch’s evaluation test.

Awarded the dull bronze disc and continuing as an apprentice – to the glee of her arch-rival, mean girl Gimma – she’s sent to protect the remote, dreary town of Lull. 

But her new life is far from boring. Turns out Gimma is the pompous mayor’s favourite niece – and worse, she opens a magical rift in the nearby Great Wood. As Arianwyn struggles with her spells, a mysterious darkness begins to haunt her – and it’s soon clear there’s much more than her pride at stake …

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BOOK DEPOSITORY

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: James Nicol

The Apprentice Witch

by James Nicol

Publisher: Chicken House 

Publication Date: July 7th 2016

Summary

Arianwyn has fluffed her witch’s evaluation test.

Awarded the dull bronze disc and continuing as an apprentice – to the glee of her arch-rival, mean girl Gimma – she’s sent to protect the remote, dreary town of Lull. 

But her new life is far from boring. Turns out Gimma is the pompous mayor’s favourite niece – and worse, she opens a magical rift in the nearby Great Wood. As Arianwyn struggles with her spells, a mysterious darkness begins to haunt her – and it’s soon clear there’s much more than her pride at stake …

Q&A 

with James Nicol

1.     What was the inspiration behind The Apprentice Witch?

It was a combination of wanting to write a story that had magic at it’s heart but was also set in a world where the magic was real and everyday and not a secret.

The main character popped into my head one day she was casting a spell in a garden at night. I wrote it all down in a furious hurry and then took it from there!

2.     How did it feel to see The Apprentice Witch develop from your initial idea into a physical book?

SO amazing! But there were so many milestones between that initial idea and seeing the book whizzing around the printers warehouse that it’s all been pretty exciting one way or another. Seeing so many other people invested in something that I really just made up is a little bit weird in the most wonderfully bonkers way!

3.     Where did your love of writing come from?

From my love of stories and my love of reading. I think all writers are really just over excited readers who get a bit carried away. I’ve always had a vivid imagination and its very handy to have that when you are trying to write a book. Books have a great power to transport us, give us knowledge and to inspire us and I have always been fascinated by that.

4.     Who was your favourite and least favourite character to write and why?

Oh, I loved writing ALL the characters, each one for different reasons. They were all needed to create the story and all play their part. Some of the more minor characters  like Mr Thorn who drives the bus and Aunt Grace and Uncle Mat where trickier as they are not in the book as much as others so you don’t have so much chance to develop them on the page. Actually some of the more unpleasant characters were perhaps more fun to write than they should have been.

5.     What was your biggest challenge writing your first book?

Knowing what I was doing as I really didn’t know how to go about it! I wrote out of sequence, had about 36 different word documents on my laptop and wrote myself into several corners and out again (thankfully!)  Thankfully I was accepted to work with The Golden Egg Academy for Children’s Writers and they helped me a great deal from sorting out the structure of the book to helping to find my authors ‘voice’ I would not have gotten this far without them, and it certainly wouldn’t have been so much fun!

6.     Are you working on anything at the moment?

Yes! I’m pleased to say that Arianwyn and her chums will be off on another adventure next year sometime in book 2, so I’m writing that currently and thinking about a 3^rd adventure for them for 2018!

7.     Lastly describe your book in five words… Go!

YIKES!!! Magic, friendship, courage, enchantment, adventure!