Witchlings

“‘Valley Pepperhorn, Seven Salazar, Thorn Laroux, your impossible task…’ The three Witchlings leaned forward as one. If Seven had been sitting in a chair, she would’ve fallen out of it by now. ‘Is to fell a Nightbeast!’”

The slow, deliberate pace of the Gran’s dialogue adds to the scene’s suspense. She stretches out the tense moment by stating the girls’ full names and by using an ellipsis, and the mention of how Seven “would’ve fallen out” of her chair underscores that the protagonist is figuratively on the edge of her seat as she waits to learn her fate. The proclamation of the Witchlings’ Impossible Task is the novel’s inciting incident, and facing this dire situation together turns three unlikely individuals into close friends.

“Seven didn’t want to admit Valley was right. She also didn’t recognize this calm, nicer version of her bully. She didn’t get to suddenly get a fresh start after everything she’d done to Seven. Not without a serious, and Seven was talking mega, apology. ‘The Gran didn’t put you in charge,’ Seven said.

‘She didn’t put you in charge either!’ Valley countered.”

The narrator’s diction provides insight into Seven and Valley’s characterization as well as the conflict between the girls. Seven’s observation that Valley is a “calm, nicer version” of herself offers a sign that she’s not the heartless bully Seven thinks she is. However, Seven’s insistence that Valley doesn’t deserve a “fresh start” before she receives a “mega” apology illustrates that her resentment toward the other girl remains strong. Seven’s reluctance “to admit Valley was right” reflects the intelligent yet stubborn protagonist’s habit of wanting things done her way. Seven and Valley’s squabbling over who should be “put in charge” makes it difficult for the Witchlings to build cooperation and trust.

“Seven kept an itemized list of all the torment and perceived slights from Valley, and the top three were as follows: 1. Rat in backpack (particularly heinous since Seven has a phobia) 2. Replacing shampoo with mayonnaise during PE, smelled worse than boiled cabbage for three days 3. Almost certainly the source of the rumor that Seven liked to kiss Edgar Allan Toad, leading to the infamous ‘toad kisser’ incident/nickname.”

Seven’s complaint that one of Valley’s pranks left her smelling “worse than a boiled cabbage” uses hyperbole to add humor to Seven’s “itemized list of all the torment and perceived slights from Valley.” Later in the novel, Valley shares her side of the story regarding these incidents, and this dramatically changes the protagonist’s perception of her.

“The three Witchlings crowded together to look at the Cursed Toads. They were boys about their age, and they looked sullen and scared. Seven touched the picture carefully, her heart lurching. Just then, the door swung open, startling the three Witchlings.”

The description of Seven’s “heart lurching” illustrates the protagonist’s empathy for the Spares who faced similar straits to her coven. In a plot twist, the Cursed Toads are the novel’s antagonists, and they actively work to exacerbate their fellow Spares’ disenfranchisement. Mr. Pepperhorn’s “startling” arrival in the final sentence is similar to a jump scare in a horror story, which reinforces his characterization as an odious and frightening person.

“I remember the Nightbeast was huge, with really sharp teeth, and it had a white stripe down one ear. […] I remember I was screaming and trying to pull Petal back into the house, but he wouldn’t listen. My brother pushed me out of the way, and I fell behind a rosebush; then he ran in the opposite direction. The Nightbeast tried to lunge at me and stopped, then ran after my brother and took him into the woods like he was just a little puppy.”

Thorn’s imagery of the Nightbeast’s “huge” size and “sharp teeth” conjures a frightening portrait. The simile comparing Petal to “a little puppy” as he’s held in the monster’s jaws emphasizes his helplessness. Thorn’s repetition of the phrase “I remember” echoes her inability to escape the traumatic memories of her brother’s death. The revelation of her tragic backstory helps to explain why she’s so timid and fearful at the start of the novel.

“‘There is no law that says you cannot switch employers. Just remember that—’ Pixel’s whole body jerked back violently. Mrs. Dimblewit held one hand up and sneered. ‘You either obey or I force you to obey.’”

The subplot with Pixel and the cruel Mrs. Dimblewit paints a grim picture of Spares’ circumstances in the Twelve Towns. This adds another layer of suspense to the story. Even if the Witchlings complete their Impossible Task, they will likely still be treated as second-class citizens. Thus, the protagonist and her allies aren’t fighting just to save themselves from becoming toads but also to stop the exclusion and disenfranchisement of Spares.

“There was blood coating the tips of Valley’s hair and a gash on her hand. She had come flying from the top of a yellow train car, the waning sun lighting her up like a stained-glass window. The sight of the blood had made Seven’s stomach turn, her fear becoming desperate worry. For Valley.”

The imagery of the “blood coating the tips of Valley’s hair” and the “gash on her hand” increase the fight scene’s suspense. The use of italics in Seven’s “desperate worry. For Valley” marks an important shift in the protagonist’s relationship with the girl. She once considered Valley her worst enemy, but she is beginning to feel concerned about her. The italics on Valley’s name emphasize the protagonist’s surprise at this development. The simile that likens Valley to “a stained-glass window” indicates that something is awe-inspiring and even beautiful about the embattled girl at this moment, further emphasizing Seven’s changing perspective toward the young monster hunter.

“‘The cucos are gone, which means we can’t follow them to the den,’ Seven said. ‘Now what?’ […] She buried her head in her hands.

‘We’re toast,’ said Valley, sounding defeated. Thorn’s stomach rumbled loudly.”

The author uses humor to break up the tension after the Witchlings lose their best hope of finding the Nightbeast before it reaches full strength. The comedic timing of Thorn’s rumbling stomach juxtaposes the girls’ dire situation. The scene’s humor depends on the double meaning of ‘toast’ as a food and a slang expression that someone is in trouble.

“‘It—it—it tried to eat me.’ The Town Uncle was crying as the Gran put him down. She was scowling.

‘It didn’t even scratch you,’ she pointed out. […]

‘Wait,’ said Thorn as the Gran’s hand turned the crystal knob on her door. ‘Where is the Uncle’s hat?’”

The Town Uncle emerges from the Cursed Forest suspiciously unscathed in this scene, which foreshadows that he purposely left his hat in the woods so that the cucos could track Beefy. These clues hint that he is the novel’s antagonist.

“Valley and Thorn are dealing with some pretty heavy burdens of their own. I did not want to add another. You’ve shown yourself to be capable of making hard decisions, Seven. The impossible task is not for the faint of heart, and it was invoked because of your bravery. I have a strong inkling you can handle this.”

The scene in which the Gran gives Seven the ave foreshadows the novel’s climax, in which Seven activates the emergency beacon to save her friends even though she thinks it may cost her life. The Gran’s allusions to the “heavy burdens” on Valley and Thorn refer to Thorn’s grief for her brother and Mr. Pepperhorn’s abuse of Valley. Ravenskill’s leader serves as a mentor figure to the protagonist. One way in which she encourages Seven is by reminding her of her strengths, such as her “bravery” and her ability to make “hard decisions.”

“‘I hope Valley is okay,’ Seven said, then her hand flew to her mouth.

Thorn smiled and nodded. ‘Might as well stop pretending you aren’t friends already.’

‘Whoa, whoa! I wouldn’t take it that far.’ Seven held her hands up. ‘We’re not friends. Not even close.’”

In an important development for the theme of The Power of Cooperation and Trust, Seven voices her concern for Valley aloud for the first time. This offers evidence that the girls are becoming friends despite Seven’s insistence that they are “[n]ot even close.” Thorn’s position within the group is also changing. She feels more secure in her friendships, as indicated by her having the confidence to tell Seven that she doesn’t need to pretend that she and Valley aren’t close.

“‘What’s it going to take for you to start trusting me, Seven? How many times do I have to prove myself?’ Valley was screaming now.

Angry tears streamed down Seven’s face. ‘I don’t know. Can you erase everything you did to me? Make all the hurt I felt go away magically? If you have a spell for that, go for it! You want me to suddenly start trusting you after you played mean tricks on me for years?’”

Seven and Valley fire many questions at one another, and the repeated use of interrogative sentence structure highlights their need for answers and resolution. Seven’s “[a]ngry tears” show that this fight pains her. However, confronting the years of history between the two Witchlings is a step they must take to unlock The Power of Cooperation and Trust.

“I’m being selfish? Me? You mean your former best friend who is a Spare and might die because she has to fight a murderous Nightbeast and you haven’t even checked on me, once, because…let me check my notes…you were going to banquets?!”

Seven’s repetition of the word “me” emphasizes her shock and indignation at Poppy’s accusation that she is “selfish.” The juxtaposition of Poppy’s lavish “banquets” with Seven’s predicament of having “to fight a murderous Nightbeast” reiterates that the protagonist is effectively living a different life now that she’s a Spare.

“I just wanted to be your friend but kept messing up and it made me angry. I shouldn’t have done any of those things though or yelled at you yesterday and called you a know-it-all. It wasn’t nice and I’m sorry about that too.”

After years of being hidden away, Valley’s emotions burst forth with uncharacteristic candor and vulnerability. The absence of commas in Valley’s dialogue indicates her breathless earnestness and her desire for Seven to understand and forgive her. This apology changes the protagonist’s perception of Valley and helps the two Witchlings make key progress in the theme of cooperation and trust.

“The long-contested tradition of Spares has come under fire with the introduction of Amendment S, a bill that would expand Spare rights. The bill was introduced by the Boggs Ferry Town Gran herself with the help of the bill’s original creator, Knox Kosmos, the Ravenskill Town Gran. It will be voted on the fourth day of fall and is expected to reach other Twelve Towns next month.”

Amendment S represents an effort to combat the exclusion and disenfranchisement of Spares in the Twelve Towns. Ortega weaves together the fight to “expand Spare rights” and the Witchlings’ Impossible Task because the novel’s antagonists are using the cucos that serve the Nightbeast to attack the towns on the nights their councils vote on the amendment. Discovering Amendment S helps the Witchlings understand and thwart the villains’ plot.

“Inside the bags were beautiful red outfits, the color of their Witchling pendants, but…somehow Thorn had made the color Seven always thought to be ugly and muddy…absolutely stunning. Seven reached out to touch her outfit, and her eyes welled with tears.”

Using symbolism and diction, Ortega reveals how bonding with her fellow Witchlings changes Seven’s perspective on being a Spare. At first, she thinks the deep red that represents Spares is “ugly.” However, Thorn recognizes that there is something “absolutely stunning” in her coven’s connection to one another, and the beautiful garments she designs demonstrate that they can take pride in their identity as Spares despite their stigmatization and mistreatment in society.

“Seven’s head spun. She was about to shake her head no again, to tell her coven she could do it, when she remembered the Gran’s words. Let them help you. ‘Okay,’ Seven said. ‘You’re right. Let’s push it out!’”

Third-person limited narration grants access to the protagonist’s inner monologue, allowing them to watch as Seven chooses to embrace the power of cooperation. Her memory of the Gran’s words, “Let them help you” inspires her decision, which reinforces the Gran’s function as a mentor to the protagonist.

“Pollepel Island has more than enough room to house all of Ravenskill’s Spares, or those of the entire Twelve Towns if they so choose. The beautiful land will be a wonderful home for the young and old Spares alike, and while they’re there, we have devised a fruitful work schedule to keep them entertained! Why, everything from our cauldrons to our potion bottles can be manufactured there.”

Mr. Dimblewit’s insidious proposal to strip spares of all rights is filled with ironically positive language. He describes the island prison as a “beautiful land” and “a wonderful home,” and he whitewashes his call to use Spares as forced labor with the phrase “a fruitful work schedule.” Dimblewit’s speech is deliberately misleading, which adds to the novel’s overall examination of the corruption and duplicity that lead to Systems of Exclusion and Disenfranchisement.

“‘Seven, it is up to the three of you now.’

‘We’re only Witchlings. Spare Witchlings,’ Seven said.

The Gran struggled against the security until she was able to get closer to Seven and whispered, ‘Do you think they would be this scared if you were only anything? You are capable of so much more than you know. Stick together, remember!’”

Seven’s repetition of the word “Witchlings” speaks to the powerlessness she feels during the Gran’s arrest, but the Gran’s reminder that Seven’s coven isn’t “only anything” helps the protagonist reclaim her agency. The Gran’s advice that the Witchlings should “[s]tick together” underlines the power of cooperation, and her belief that “it is up to the three of [them] now” advances the theme of Self-Discovery in the Face of Adversity.

“Now that everything is out in the open, I thought I would be embarrassed or something, and I guess part of me is, but I feel better too because at least I don’t have to be sad in private and hide things.”

In an important development for Valley’s character, she receives the help she needs and no longer has “to be sad in private and hide things” because Seven had the courage to tell her mother what Mr. Pepperhorn did to Valley. Ortega demonstrates that being a good friend means telling a trusted adult when someone is experiencing abuse.

“The Gran had no right to name us Spares. We were deserving of more; Spares are beneath us. But we vowed on the night we took the Town Uncles’ places that we would get our revenge on Knox, on all of Ravenskill. We vowed that we would rule the Twelve Towns.”

Birch’s repetition of the words “we vowed” underlines the Cursed Toads’ hunger for vengeance. The revelation that the Toads are the novel’s antagonists is a twist for both the plot and the theme of exclusion and disenfranchisement. Rather than using their power to dismantle the systems of oppression that put them in a dire position, they exhibit internalized discrimination by claiming that “Spares are beneath” them and by actively working to make other Spares’ lives worse.

“She wanted to become someone important, but if she couldn’t do that, if there was no hope for Seven living the life she’d always hoped to live, she would make sure her two best friends in the world got that chance. She would give up her life for theirs.”

Seven’s view of Thorn and Valley as “her two best friends in the world” and her heroic willingness to “give up her life for theirs” makes her love for her coven and her growth over the course of the novel apparent. In the end, Seven suffers no adverse effects from using the ave, which foreshadows that she will be Ravenskill’s next Uncle.

“The Nightbeast howled helplessly, but it was imprisoned, surrounded by a sphere of spiky vines that Thorn had weaved together. Thorn collapsed to the ground, tears falling down her face as Valley and Seven held on tight to her, crying as well. They had defeated the Nightbeast.”

The Witchlings’ tearful embrace underlines how close they’ve grown since they first received their Impossible Task. The magical “sphere of spiky vines” connects to the theme of self-discovery; Thorn’s name is a prophecy that reveals how she defeats the Nightbeast. It’s especially significant that Thorn is the one to stop the monster because it killed her brother, and so this moment gives her character arc closure.