The Witch Who Stormed the Palace

Faye #2

by Ryan Graudin

In this sequel to The Girl Who Kept the Castle, Faye must face down the trial of three other Wizards and defeat the Shadow Queen once and for all to become the first Witch of the West.

Defeating an evil sorceress was supposed to be the hard part. But now that Faye has succeeded in saving Celurdur from the Shadow Queen, she has an entirely different set of challenges to face. To become the first Witch of the West, she must win the favor of the country’s three wizards—North, South and East. Their trials await Faye in the capitol. If she fails to impress these men, she’ll lose her nomination, and magic will stay strangled by archaic laws. 

Alas, things are not off to a great start. Faye crashes into the capitol on the back of a dragon, feeds the wizards illegal enchanted pastries, and fails to leave a good impression. To make matters worse, there are signs that the Shadow Queen is on the move again.

The kingdom’s future depends on Faye proving herself a worthy witch, but time is quickly running out…

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Childrens, Witches, Magic, Cozy Fantasy

352 pages, Hardcover

First published September 23, 2025

About the author

Ryan Graudin was born in Charleston, South Carolina, with a severe case of wanderlust. When she’s not traveling, she’s busy writing and spending time with her husband and wolf dog. She is the author of Invictus, the Wolf By Wolf duology, The Walled City, and the All That Glows Series.

Reviews

[Becky B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Faye is making her way to the capitol where the other wizards will put her through a trial before they officially name her the Witch of the West. Only, despite everything she did to earn Wizard West’s approval, the others still have their doubts and want to enter some of their own apprentices in the trial too as options. The trial starts off normal, but goes off the rails when the Storm Witch launches an attack to free herself from her prison in the middle of it. Suddenly, Faye isn’t proving herself to 3 grumpy old wizards who are scared of women with magic, but she’s got the weight of the kingdom and its freedom on her shoulders as she must try to free them from the clutches of a bitter old witch with only a ghostly wizard, some loyal royal friends, and homespun magic users at her back.

This was an admirable follow up to the first book. It further looks at the history of the island kingdom and why the Balance must be kept. It also explores some of the unintended fallout of the solution the four original wizards came up with. I absolutely love Faye and how she resists selfishness, the lure of power, and the trappings of Faye to help others and look out for the best of all involved. And she doesn’t hold a grudge either, she is still nice to those who have done her wrong, misjudged her, or not given her a fair chance. She is a heroine worthy of emulating. I like that Puck is with her as an origami cat he can talk to her through even as he remains in Celurdur. I also like that the adventures allow Faye a chance to get to know her family’s past a bit better, especially the mother she never knew. Wizard West has fully embraced his ghostly status and is much more likable in this one, and provides some good comic relief. Illian is also there for comic relief and a good dose of pluck when Faye needs it and of course Max isn’t far behind. Lady Bertram also gets her time to shine in this one with her line of magical vacuum cleaners, savvy friends, and secret talents. I could see Graudin doing maybe 1 more book in this series. It is hinted that there is yet another threat to the island lingering out there, and they may need to rally against that in the future. I very much liked how this one ended up and the new status of the island at the end. It pricks the imagination and also stimulates thoughts about how peaceful accords could be brought about in real life.

Notes on content:
Language: None
Sexual content: None
Violence: There are some magical attacks. Flashbacks show evil magic users draining others of their power and life force for greedy ends. There’s a lot of ill intent in the presence but few are permanently hurt.
Ethnic diversity: It’s a fantasy land with totally different ethnicities.
LGBTQ+ content: None specified.
Other: Revenge, bitterness, and fear of loss of power motivate bad actors, but love and forgiveness and humility win the ady.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

In an unusual twist of fate I actually liked book two more than the first book. I rated the first book quite highly but it barely didn't make it to the five star rating but it did leave me hopeful that the next book would be just as good or better and it is. It has a lot more charm at least to me this time, and while Faye isn't the all powerful unquestionable being that the former wizard was she's still considered a witch of sorts and has a lot more autonomy compared to what she had in the first book. The first book also centered around her home (well her father's boss's home) and this time the world has broadened and we get to see some new places as well as some returning characters. Its a unique book and you can tell when an author is enjoying creating their worlds and the environments within and giving a lot of depth and detail, and you can tell that this is one such book. I would really like to see another story with Faye and the others in it although I've no clue as to what the story would be about and honestly I don't think I care I just want to see more of this world. I had a wonderful time with this book and I'm glad that it didn't fall prey to sequel syndrome.

[Skip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Faye succeeded in saving Celurdur from the Shadow Queen, with the help of the ghost of the deceased Wizard of the West. But, she now faces another major challenge: convincing the country’s other three wizards (North, South and East) that a witch should be allowed to succeed him. Her ideas to share magic with all are unorthodox, even controversial. She must face trials in the capital city, where she finds herself competing against other apprentices, instead of solo challenges. As the trials commence, there are signs of the Shadow Queen's growing influence, including earthquakes and other disturbances, suggesting the imprisoned sorceress is breaking free. Faye has to battle the Shadow Queen underneath the palace, as she leads a rescue effort, thereby proving herself to be brave and just. 3.5 stars, as I liked it better than the first book in this series.

[Erin Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

My girls (7 and 11) absolutely adore these characters and this story! They are already asking for a third book.

[Juniper Misicka · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Defeating an evil sorceress was supposed to be the hard part."
I think the wizards North South East should not have done one trial. It is unfair.

[Shauna Morrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hope there is another book in this series. I love Faye and her gumption. She doesn't give up and uses her brain to solve huge problem.

Lillie Ricciardi did a great job narrating this book.

[R · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an awesome sequel! I loved it and again couldn't put it down. I wish she would keep writing in this word, I've fallen in love with these characters!!