THE WITCH HUNT

Trapped between guilt and honesty, how can one find redemption?

Two years ago, in 1911, Frances Hallowell, whom readers met in The Witch Haven (2021), experienced a harrowing night in Manhattan during which she and a boy she once thought she loved opened a rift into the afterlife. Despite her magic’s not working reliably since, Frances has found a place for herself teaching at the magical academy of Haxahaven. She and her dearest friends, Maxine and Lena, set off on a trip across the sea to Paris, where Maxine’s family resides. It’s also where Oliver, Frances’ childhood friend and blossoming sweetheart, is studying. The holiday is set to be a grand time for them all, but it seems the repercussions of that fateful night have sent ripples across the magical world, opening a door to the veil in the Paris catacombs. There are also ancient organizations of male magic users eager to take advantage of its potential power—no matter the cost. Frances knows that she must help put things right again. In this sweeping adventure across high-society Paris, Smith’s descriptions evoke the magic and beauty of the city. Frances is an earnest protagonist who desperately wants to do good despite what she feels are deep personal failings—offering all the more reason for readers to root for her. The cast is predominantly White; the previous volume established Lena as Onondaga. There is also some queer representation.

Sparkles with magic but remains decidedly human.