The Call to Witchery (2026) is by a brand new author, Lorraine Johnston. She brings this adult fantasy with such an interesting plot. Abigail is a 35-year-old professional and single woman who has not embraced a part of her family’s heritage—witchcraft. Decades after the death of her parents, Abigail finally decides to unlock the magic she has been rejecting for so long, which flips her life from “boring” to one now filled with adventure. With help from an interesting array of characters including her family members, talking animals and elves, Abigail steps into her call to witchery.
I found The Call to Witchery to be a good fantasy novel. It kept me intrigued where I did not want to put it down. What I find sets it apart from YA fantasy are the bits like the normalcy of witchcraft, adult conversations over wine and bruschetta, and a certain level of maturity that allows a character’s taking responsibility and accountability for their actions. The magical realism found in the worldbuilding from the characters to each adventurous subplot is awesome.
What is most interesting is Johnston’s development of the protagonist, Abigail, in relation to an important theme within the book. Abigail rejects her magic in continuing to refuse activating her amulet. She also does not trust her magic which causes others around her to not trust it as well. This is parallel to her not believing in herself and not having any self-confidence, which is something that many people experience. If one does not have confidence, others can tell and sense their weakness. Once Abigail does activate her amulet and decides to step into her magic, every event afterwards allows her to grow and to become stronger and brings her closer to her purpose and who she is meant to become. The other characters around Abigail support her in working towards being the best and true version of herself. This is the journey of building the confidence needed to believe in oneself enough to trust they are doing everything necessary to become who they are meant to be for their predestined purpose. Not only does Abigail transform into a confident, powerful witch, but she also gains a new eye color. Her development in this story makes this novel more than just a fantasy, but also a psychological coming of age.
The Call to Witchery is bound to have a sequel because the end left me curious about a few pieces of unfinished business. Also, Abigail’s transformation by the end has to be the beginning of more to come. I enjoyed reading this novel. I rate it a 4 out of 5.
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