The wicked witch of the west is a character from the famous story "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" by L. Frank Baum. She is portrayed as a villainous and cunning witch who seeks to obtain the magical silver slippers worn by Dorothy. One of the striking characteristics of the wicked witch of the west is her shimmering appearance. When she first appears in the story, she is described as wearing a long, flowing black robe that seems to be made of some kind of shiny material, which gives her a shimmery and eerie presence. This shimmering effect adds to her mysterious and sinister demeanor.
Magic Marks the Spot is fun, light and a delight to read. It’s a linear narrative but peppered throughout (at the end of each chapter) with clippings from newspapers, excerpts from guides (like the “Young Lady’s Guide to Augustan Society” or “Treasure Hunting for Beginners”) as well as the incredibly awesome letters between Hilary and Clare – all of those adding important backstory without cumbersome in-story info-dumping.
Magic Marks the Spot is set in an alternate world where the world s greatest treasure is magic ore which can be transformed and adapted to be used by the ones lucky enough to possess it. Caroline Carlson s hilarious tween novel The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates 1 Magic Marks the Spot is perfect for fans of Lemony Snicket s Series of Unfortunate Events and Trenton Lee Stewart s Mysterious Benedict Society.
This shimmering effect adds to her mysterious and sinister demeanor. The author uses this visual description to enhance the notion that the witch is not to be trusted and is a formidable antagonist for the protagonist, Dorothy. Throughout the story, the wicked witch of the west uses her powers and dark magic to try to stop Dorothy from reaching her goal and returning home.
Mark of the Fool: I love it.
TLDR: I am such a sucker for good magic academy books, and this is one of the greats. So much depth, so much character development, and done so gracefully.
Tags: in-progress, magic school
Links: OG Review · Amazon · Goodreads · Royal Road
As of writing this review, I have read the KU release and up to chapter 200, which is about half-way through the available chapters.
So here's the premise: Alex Roth is one of five chosen Heroes that need to defeat a reoccurring villain: The Ravener. Alex, however, is the Fool. His Mark, instead of making him a combat savant, powerful spellcaster, etc, makes him really great at learning things that are outside of combat and spellcasting… but will actively interfere with his abilities if they are not.
Instead of playing the Fool, Alex, his sister, and romantic interest Theresa leave the country, to study in the great wizard academy in Generasi.
The Mark is a great premise, simple to understand and something no doubt all of us would wish for in our own personal lives. After all, I don't have much use for combat these days, but man would the Mark help me in my professional career. Hell, just having something that would help me remember a paper I read ten minutes ago would be magical enough for me. Anyway, the mark helps Alex too, and he pulls ahead in his academic subjects, while inventively trying to solve the whole "no combat" side of his Mark by—sometimes literally—dancing around combative behaviour. Of course, no real details, because spoilers, but I really appreciated how innovative the approach to fights is.
Once we get to the academy, the stakes for the book lower, and if you don't like books with classes, coursework, and all that comes with it, you will not have a good time. As it turns out though, I bloody love that stuff, and so I devoured the first book, saw the second book was not available on KU, grumbled to myself, and jumped onto Royal Road. The characters are distinct, people have their own motivations outside the MC, characters grow as people, grow in power, and some (like Alex's sister, Selina) also grow in height.
I read over some prior reviews to see what others though, and most of the RR complaints are about pacing. So let's be clear here: I'm 200 chapters in (about 3 hefty novels worth), and yes, we still haven't returned to the overarching fight against the Ravener. I, personally, do not care, but if you are one who doesn't mind school arcs but doesn't want to be consumed by them… fair warning.
If you liked Arcane Ascension, you'll love this. Similarly, if you enjoyed Mage Errant, The Scholomance Series, Forge of Destiny, The Enchanter, Art of the Adept or other school/academy/sect focused books, give this one a try.
Pirates! Magic! Treasure! A gargoyle? Caroline Carlson’s hilarious tween novel The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates #1: Magic Marks the Spot is perfect for fans of Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events and Trenton Lee Stewart’s Mysterious Benedict Society. Hilary Westfield has always dreamed of being a pirate. She can tread water for thirty-seven minutes. She can tie a knot faster than a fleet of sailors, and she already owns a rather pointy sword. There’s only one problem: The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates refuses to let any girl join their ranks of scourges and scallywags. But Hilary is not the kind of girl to take no for answer. To escape a life of petticoats and politeness at her stuffy finishing school, Hilary sets out in search of her own seaworthy adventure, where she gets swept up in a madcap quest involving a map without an X, a magical treasure that likely doesn’t exist, a talking gargoyle, a crew of misfit scallywags, and the most treacherous—and unexpected—villain on the High Seas. Written with uproarious wit and an inviting storyteller tone, the first book in Caroline Carlson’s quirky seafaring series is a piratical tale like no other..
She creates various obstacles and sends her flying monkeys to chase after Dorothy and her companions. The shimmering wicked witch of the west is a memorable and iconic character who embodies evil and darkness in the story. Her shimmering appearance serves as a visual cue to the reader that she is a formidable force to be reckoned with and adds to her overall wickedness..
Reviews for "The Shimmering Wicked Witch of the West: Unraveling the Legend"
- John - 1 star - I was really disappointed with "Shimmering wicked witch of the west". The storyline was confusing and the characters lacked depth. I had high expectations for this book, but it just fell flat for me. I couldn't connect with any of the characters and I found myself feeling bored and uninterested throughout most of the book. Overall, it was a letdown.
- Sarah - 2 stars - "Shimmering wicked witch of the west" was an average read for me. I didn't find the plot very engaging and the pacing was slow. The characters were underdeveloped and their actions and motivations often felt inconsistent. There were moments where the writing showed potential, but they were overshadowed by the overall lackluster execution. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone looking for an exciting and well-crafted story.
- Mark - 1 star - I couldn't get through "Shimmering wicked witch of the west". The writing style was hard to follow, with excessive use of flowery language that distracted from the plot. The characters were flat and uninteresting, and the dialogue felt forced. I was hoping for a captivating fantasy novel, but this book failed to deliver. I would not recommend it to anyone looking for a compelling read.