The Chronicler knows who he is and what he is. He belongs in the castle library, where he has been since he was old enough to learn how to read and to write. He is extremely intelligent, despite his physical deformity. But his intelligence might just get in the way of an impossible truth…
Lady Leta is expected to marry Alistair. All of her life she has done nothing but what those around her expect of her. Can she possibly be more than what everybody sees?
The Scrubber is an old man who wanders the castle night and day scrubbing away the dirt from the stones. He’s a nobody . But…can he possibly be more than meets the eye?
Mouse has wandered from a land far, far away in order to find Etanun. The only thing is…Mouse hasn’t the faintest clue who Etanun is. But Mouse has to find him. Or all will be lost…
Dragonwitch, in my opinion, is the best yet of Anne Elisabeth Stengl’s series. The first words captured and intrigued me. Since I first read Heartless, which is the first book in this series, I have fallen in love with this author’s writing. Her words are absolutely saturated in beauty. Her stories are close to magnificent. If you have read the books before Dragonwitch you can see how intricately entwined each book is with the other. Her characters are always well- developed with their strengths and weaknesses.
I think that out of all the characters the Chronicler was my favorite. He was weak, but through his weaknesses the strength of the Lumil Eliasul showed. Of course the Lumil Eliasul is an allegorical name for Jesus. There are so many intricacies in this book that I’m somewhat astounded thinking of how very intricate Dragonwitch is. I believe that adults will enjoy this series just as much as teens. The first book, Heartless, seems a little simplistic but—trust me—her books do get much more complicated.
Also, for those fans of Goldstone Wood, Eanrin and Imraldera show up in Dragonwitch as well. I know I was thrilled to see them. (Spoiler Alert) Eanrin still has yet to confess his feelings for Imraldera. It’s almost comical in this book because his advise to the Chronicler when he finds out that the Chronicler is in love with some is this: “One conversation! One simple, honest, true conversation, and all your questions would be answered, all your problems solved! Really, man, is that so difficult? Then you’d be free to fall into each other’s arms and live your Happily Ever After. Why make it so complicated?” I felt like saying, “For heaven’s sake, Eanrin! Go take your own advice and tell the girl you love!” This relationship has been going on since book 1! And it still hasn’t gotten anywhere.
The heart of Dragonwitch is, of course, the Dragonwitch. Her story is as heart-wrenching as it is beautiful. She let bitterness consume her and destroyed herself in the process.
One thing was unclear to me in this novel. (Spoiler alert) Whether or not the High Priestess and Stoneye were Mouse’s parents. Mouse did call the High Priestess mother once, but it still didn’t clear up everything. But, other than that, Dragonwitch was begun, carried through, and executed to perfection. I cannot wait for Anne Elisabeth Stengl’s next novel, Shadow Hand.
If you are going to read this novel I strongly suggest reading at least Starflower first, if not the whole series. Dragonwitch had depth because I had read all of her other books first. Here is the series in order in case anybody wants to read it:
1. Heartless
2. Veiled Rose
3. Moonblood
4. Starflower
5. Dragonwitch
6. Shadow Hand (which has not been released yet)
I give Dragonwitch five out of five stars.