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Gutterwitch
Not yet published
Expected 1 Jan 27Gutterwitch follows Joan, a scullery maid and sworn-servant to a high-born mistress who wishes upon a fallen star to be the greatest witch in the land. Blessed with the wild magic of a star, years later Joan is summoned to a prestigious witching academy, where, alongside fellow outcast Prince Caspar of Fairie, she quickly finds herself at the centre of a dark plot and a new war among witches.
Hardcover
Expected publication January 1, 2027
About the author
Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson
6 books462 followersEsmie Jikiemi-Pearson is a Sunday Times Bestselling author of fantasy fiction, and the inaugural winner of the Future World's Prize in 2020. Her forthcoming novel, Gutterwitch, sold to Penguin Random House after an intense eight way auction. In the UK, the book sold to Bloomsbury after a nine way auction. Esmie's first novel was nominated for Best British and Irish Book at the Tik Tok Book Awards.
Raised between London and Sydney, Esmie is an author of Nigerian, Jamaican, and British-Australian heritage. Her work primarily focuses on people who live at the intersection of identities, whether in our world, or others. She holds a BA in English Literature and Classical Studies from the University of Exeter.
Raised between London and Sydney, Esmie is an author of Nigerian, Jamaican, and British-Australian heritage. Her work primarily focuses on people who live at the intersection of identities, whether in our world, or others. She holds a BA in English Literature and Classical Studies from the University of Exeter.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
Want to Read
April 14, 2025I’m hopping on this NOW
Want to Read
December 1, 2025GIVE IT TO ME NOWWW
Want to Read
August 22, 2025A maid who wishes upon a fallen star and becomes the greatest witch in the land? This is going to be MAGICAL, it's going to give Wicked x Disney core, I can't wait for this one. Wake me up when it's 2027.
Read
July 3, 2026A Deadly Education 🫱🏾🫲🏽 Legendborn 🫱🏾🫲🏽 Darkest Part of the Forest
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Okay, the premise ATE. It feels like a fairytale where the protagonist wishes upon a star (like, quite literally), except apparently the universe doesn’t believe in free gifts and everything comes with a price. Because OF COURSE it does.
And it reminds me a lot of Wicked. It gave me that same dark fairytale feeling that made Wicked so memorable to me, and weirdly enough, reading this felt nostalgic and comforting even when things got properly eerie.
The world-building was honestly captivating. It was dark, whimsical, and a little unsettling, exactly how I like my fantasy settings. The writing made it pretty easy to dive into the story, although sometimes the plot did drag in places. Still, it didn’t ruin the overall experience.
I also really loved that the heart of the story is Joan’s self-discovery. Learning what her powers are, understanding them, and figuring out how to control them becomes this much deeper journey of understanding herself. It felt surprisingly reflective, and I was HERE for it.
But Joan has been through A LOT, and sometimes I felt like her trauma was introduced with all this emotional weight only to be wrapped up a little too quickly. I wanted more time to actually see her healing process, or even better, give me a messier character development arc.
And the main twist… I’m sorry, but I CLOCKED IT. The supposed mastermind was suspicious as hell from the beginning, so when the reveal finally happened, I was basically sitting there like, “Mmhm. Yup. Thank you for confirming my suspicions.” It took away some of the fun of trying to figure out who was behind everything.
Overall, this was a dark and beautifully written fairytale with a captivating world and a moving self-discovery journey. A little draggy and predictable, but still a very enjoyable read!
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Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC!
And it reminds me a lot of Wicked. It gave me that same dark fairytale feeling that made Wicked so memorable to me, and weirdly enough, reading this felt nostalgic and comforting even when things got properly eerie.
The world-building was honestly captivating. It was dark, whimsical, and a little unsettling, exactly how I like my fantasy settings. The writing made it pretty easy to dive into the story, although sometimes the plot did drag in places. Still, it didn’t ruin the overall experience.
I also really loved that the heart of the story is Joan’s self-discovery. Learning what her powers are, understanding them, and figuring out how to control them becomes this much deeper journey of understanding herself. It felt surprisingly reflective, and I was HERE for it.
But Joan has been through A LOT, and sometimes I felt like her trauma was introduced with all this emotional weight only to be wrapped up a little too quickly. I wanted more time to actually see her healing process, or even better, give me a messier character development arc.
And the main twist… I’m sorry, but I CLOCKED IT. The supposed mastermind was suspicious as hell from the beginning, so when the reveal finally happened, I was basically sitting there like, “Mmhm. Yup. Thank you for confirming my suspicions.” It took away some of the fun of trying to figure out who was behind everything.
Overall, this was a dark and beautifully written fairytale with a captivating world and a moving self-discovery journey. A little draggy and predictable, but still a very enjoyable read!
════════════════════════
Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC!
August 29, 2026
3.76 stars
⭐️ ARC review ⭐️
What a great Wicked reimagining. Gutterwitch brought its own magic system, academic setting and characters with the familiar feel of Wicked.
I liked Joan’s character a lot and really enjoyed the initial dual love interest potential. At first I was really leaning towards Silas, but I’ve always been a sucked for a bad boy and a forbidden romance.
Some very interesting character arcs and a gripping plot. Definitely need to see where this story goes in book 2.
⭐️ ARC review ⭐️
What a great Wicked reimagining. Gutterwitch brought its own magic system, academic setting and characters with the familiar feel of Wicked.
I liked Joan’s character a lot and really enjoyed the initial dual love interest potential. At first I was really leaning towards Silas, but I’ve always been a sucked for a bad boy and a forbidden romance.
Some very interesting character arcs and a gripping plot. Definitely need to see where this story goes in book 2.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Classic YA is BACK and better than ever!!!!! This extraordinary series opener is the perfect blend of familiarity and originality; WICKED meets SHADOW & BONE meets the pure joy and genius that is Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson. Every single page crackles with magic and I have absolutely no doubt that GUTTERWITCH deserves to be the next YA phenomenon.
Want to Read
December 5, 2025Making sure PRH knows I want to be on the mailing list for this masterpiece right now 🥰 📝
Like seriously? Right now!
*WINK WINK* “call me” 😘
Like seriously? Right now!
*WINK WINK* “call me” 😘
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
y’all are not ready for how good this book is.
calling it now, but it’s gonna be the next big thing.
joan is THAT GIRL.
calling it now, but it’s gonna be the next big thing.
joan is THAT GIRL.
Review of advance copy
Quickly becoming one of my top ten authors!
Want to Read
June 7, 2026give it to me nooooowwww!!!! <3
July 30, 2026
Loved this! Though now have to wait for part 2 of a series that hasn’t been published yet… sigh
Review of advance copy received from Author
I had the pleasure of getting to read this early and haven’t stopped thinking about it since. From the very first page, I was totally immersed in Joan’s story: a scullery maid who wishes upon a fallen star, and faces the spectacular, wild and terrifying consequences.
The writing is absolutely mesmeric, the plot is addictive, twisty and perfectly paced, and the characters within it are complex and so full of heart. It is a delicious work of fantasy but also an exploration of what it means to come-of-age, to fall in love, to be a friend and to understand your own power.
GUTTERWITCH is the kind of book you lose yourself and your surroundings to. That sweeps you up into its dark and brilliant universe and doesn’t let you go. It was a genuine pleasure to read and Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson is a force to be reckoned with. I can’t wait to see the new life it takes on, out in the world.
The writing is absolutely mesmeric, the plot is addictive, twisty and perfectly paced, and the characters within it are complex and so full of heart. It is a delicious work of fantasy but also an exploration of what it means to come-of-age, to fall in love, to be a friend and to understand your own power.
GUTTERWITCH is the kind of book you lose yourself and your surroundings to. That sweeps you up into its dark and brilliant universe and doesn’t let you go. It was a genuine pleasure to read and Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson is a force to be reckoned with. I can’t wait to see the new life it takes on, out in the world.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews