Growing Up & Facts of Life
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The Witch, the Sword, and the Cursed Knights
Perfect for fans of The School for Good and Evil and A Tale of Magic…, this Barnes & Noble Children's Book Award finalist and Amazon Best Book of the Month is a charming fantasy debut that puts a new spin on the legend of Camelot -- now in paperback!
Twelve-year-old Ellie can't help that she's a witch, the most hated member of society. Determined to prove her worth and eschew her heritage, Ellie applies to the Fairy Godmother Academy-her golden ticket to societal acceptance. But Ellie's dreams are squashed when she receives the dreaded draft letter to serve as a knight of King Arthur's legendary Round Table. She can get out of the draft-but only if she saves a lost cause.
Enter Caedmon, a boy from Wisconsin struggling with the death of his best friend. He first dismisses the draft as ridiculous; magic can't possibly exist. But when Merlin's ancient magic foretells his family's death if he doesn't follow through, he travels to the knights' castle, where he learns of a wicked curse leeching the knights of their power.
To break the curse, Ellie and Caedmon must pass a series of deathly trials and reforge the lost, shattered sword of Excalibur. And unless Ellie accepts her witch magic and Caedmon rises to become the knight he's meant to be, they will both fail-and the world will fall to the same darkness that brought King Arthur and Camelot to ruin.
Twelve-year-old Ellie can't help that she's a witch, the most hated member of society. Determined to prove her worth and eschew her heritage, Ellie applies to the Fairy Godmother Academy-her golden ticket to societal acceptance. But Ellie's dreams are squashed when she receives the dreaded draft letter to serve as a knight of King Arthur's legendary Round Table. She can get out of the draft-but only if she saves a lost cause.
Enter Caedmon, a boy from Wisconsin struggling with the death of his best friend. He first dismisses the draft as ridiculous; magic can't possibly exist. But when Merlin's ancient magic foretells his family's death if he doesn't follow through, he travels to the knights' castle, where he learns of a wicked curse leeching the knights of their power.
To break the curse, Ellie and Caedmon must pass a series of deathly trials and reforge the lost, shattered sword of Excalibur. And unless Ellie accepts her witch magic and Caedmon rises to become the knight he's meant to be, they will both fail-and the world will fall to the same darkness that brought King Arthur and Camelot to ruin.
Editorial Reviews
Praise for The Witch, The Sword, and the Cursed Knights:
A Barnes & Noble Children's & YA Book Award Finalist
An Amazon Best Book of the Month
*"A fantasy in the highest tradition. Ellie and Caedmon are perfectly drawn as insecure but determined protagonists, and the story's themes of courage, friendship, hope, and self-acceptance freshly resonate. An engaging and intelligent fantasy: up there with the best of them."―Kirkus, starred review
"From page one, Rogers' debut delivers. …it's the vibrant bond between the two leads that gives the story its abounding heart. Middle-grade fantasy at its most epic."―Booklist, starred review
"Rogers's creativity in constructing the multiple-realm setting is outstanding, including minute details that keep its audience riveted. A kinetic and novel fairy tale with themes of friendship and perseverance that will engage fans of Kelly Barnhill's The Girl Who Drank the Moon."
―School Library Journal, starred review
"The Witch, the Sword, and the Cursed Knights is a joy to read – a delightful, heartfelt adventure with characters you'll root for. It has all the intrigue of the original source material, but it's also packed full of imagination. Perfect for any child who's ever wished for magic!"―Carli Sorosiak, author of I, Cosmo
"This is a delightful book that cleverly combines reimagined elements of Arthurian legend and fairytales in a fresh adventure full of magic lessons, dangerous quests, lost lands, and true friends – with a sugar-dusting of humor sprinkled throughout. I enjoyed every page!"―Jennifer Adam, author of The Last W...
A Barnes & Noble Children's & YA Book Award Finalist
An Amazon Best Book of the Month
*"A fantasy in the highest tradition. Ellie and Caedmon are perfectly drawn as insecure but determined protagonists, and the story's themes of courage, friendship, hope, and self-acceptance freshly resonate. An engaging and intelligent fantasy: up there with the best of them."―Kirkus, starred review
"From page one, Rogers' debut delivers. …it's the vibrant bond between the two leads that gives the story its abounding heart. Middle-grade fantasy at its most epic."―Booklist, starred review
"Rogers's creativity in constructing the multiple-realm setting is outstanding, including minute details that keep its audience riveted. A kinetic and novel fairy tale with themes of friendship and perseverance that will engage fans of Kelly Barnhill's The Girl Who Drank the Moon."
―School Library Journal, starred review
"The Witch, the Sword, and the Cursed Knights is a joy to read – a delightful, heartfelt adventure with characters you'll root for. It has all the intrigue of the original source material, but it's also packed full of imagination. Perfect for any child who's ever wished for magic!"―Carli Sorosiak, author of I, Cosmo
"This is a delightful book that cleverly combines reimagined elements of Arthurian legend and fairytales in a fresh adventure full of magic lessons, dangerous quests, lost lands, and true friends – with a sugar-dusting of humor sprinkled throughout. I enjoyed every page!"―Jennifer Adam, author of The Last W...
Readers Top Reviews
E. CelataStacy Stoke
For such a thick book, it really didn't give much depth to its plot or characters. Rogers aimed for the stars with this, and from the blurb, my brain said Wicked x Arthurian Legend, so I was sold, but upon reading, it was cliche after cliche, and many had done significantly better. That being said Alexandria Rogers undoubtedly has potential. She tried doing too much with this one, but I think that she'll have a long career if she keeps at it. Disclaimer: I received an ARC from the publisher.
Paige G.George Jreij
Disclaimer: I received this e-arc and arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own. Book: The Witch, The Sword, and The Cursed Knights Author: Alexandria Rogers Book Series: Standalone Rating: 3/5 Recommended For…: middle grade readers, fantasy, retelling, King Arthur retelling, magical boarding school Publication Date: February 8, 2022 Genre: MG Fantasy Retelling Recommended Age: 11+ (gore, death, grief Explanation of CWs: There is some mention of gore here and there throughout the book. There is talk about death and characters dealing with grief. Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers Pages: 422 Synopsis: Twelve-year-old Ellie can’t help that she’s a witch, the most hated member of society. Determined to prove her worth and eschew her heritage, Ellie applies to the Fairy Godmother Academy—her golden ticket to societal acceptance. But Ellie’s dreams are squashed when she receives the dreaded draft letter to serve as a knight of King Arthur’s legendary Round Table. She can get out of the draft—but only if she saves a lost cause. Enter Caedmon, a boy from Wisconsin struggling with the death of his best friend. He first dismisses the draft as ridiculous; magic can’t possibly exist. But when Merlin’s ancient magic foretells his family’s death if he doesn’t follow through, he travels to the knights’ castle, where he learns of a wicked curse leeching the knights of their power. To break the curse, Ellie and Caedmon must pass a series of deathly trials and reforge the lost, shattered sword of Excalibur. And unless Ellie accepts her witch magic and Caedmon rises to become the knight he’s meant to be, they will both fail—and the world will fall to the same darkness that brought King Arthur and Camelot to ruin. Review: For the most part I thought the book was ok. I thought the book read a lot like The School for Good and Evil and was a decent fairytale book. I loved the magical boarding school feel to it and have added it to my HP Recovery List on my blog. The book also did so well with the King Arthur themes. The world building was good and overall it’s a great story that I could see a lot of middle graders loving. However, I had a lot of issues with the book. I found it really hard to get into and the book was very chaotic at times. There was a lot going on with the plot points and it was just hard to keep everything straight sometimes. The characters are, in my opinion, not well developed and a bit weak. There’s really nothing I can think about either of the main characters to distinguish one from another except for maybe one or two things. The book is interesting, but it wasn’t enough to keep me intrigued. Verdict: It’s good, just not for me but maybe for you!
Valerie Spratt
Great book and would recommend. Can’t wait for the sequel. Reminded me of a mix of Harry Potter and the Iron trial (Magisterium)series.
Nancy C.
Congratulations to the author of The Witch, the Sword and the Cursed Knights who wove a wonderful spell of magic of her own in this fantasy! Filled with imagination, humor, intrigue - they’re all there and more!
