“Witch in the Wall,” by Quinn Hogshead is a highly recommended, must-read fantasy novel for 2026 due to its impeccable and original world-building, a complex but highly fascinating magic system, the hilarious but also frightening bickering between immortals, and a brutal sibling rivalry unlike any other.
Gavriel Hall lives in Everwatch, a place well-known due to the wicked witch that has been imprisoned beneath it longer than the faerie lords can remember. Her crimes are so great that no one dares speak her name.
Gavriel is the bastard son of the king who rules Everwatch, a king who is now dead. While his siblings fight for their place on the throne, Gavriel spends his days recording the names of those sacrificed as part of the soul tithe and pining after his best friend Aziz, a mysterious outcast with the twin swords of a forgotten hero.
When the rivalry between his siblings turns Everwatch into a battlefield, Gavriel thinks his hopes for a new life elsewhere are impossible. That is, until the witch below offers him enough dark magic to fix everything. But it comes with a price. With magic running through his veins and possibilities at his fingertips, Gavriel must decide what he’s willing to pay for a new future and if he’s really the coward everyone believes him to be.
This is such an incredible story that immediately draws the reader in from the first page when the children of the dead king are revealed. An insight is given into the siblings and their dynamics, offering a purview of who they are before the rivalry for the throne turns them into bloodthirsty hounds lacking morals and empathy. Furthermore, it emphasizes Gavriel’s role as an observer, someone who refuses to involve himself in conflict and politics for the sake of his own desire to flee his home at any cost. Gavriel’s inability to fling himself into action and preference to watch events unfold at a safe distance doesn’t make him a particularly likable character. In fact, often his inaction is aggravating and hard to read. Yet, as the story progresses, he becomes much more likable as he finds a backbone and learns to be the kind of person someone can admire.
The magic system is intriguing for its complexities and originality. Sometimes it becomes hard to follow, especially in high-action scenes where little explanation is given (likely because it would slow down the pacing). One aspect of Gavriel stepping into an advanced magic system that’s enjoyable is how much he needs to learn and how, when it comes to battle, his lack of knowledge and experience becomes a detriment. It’s nice to read a story where the main character has to work at becoming a master of their craft (or gift) because it feels more relatable and realistic.
“Witch in the Wall” by Quinn Hogshead is a fantastic novel that fantasy readers will absolutely love. It’s expected to be published on January 13th, 2026. Make sure to not only add it to your TBR’s but pick it up and give it a read ASAP! Thank you to NetGalley and Atmosphere Press for providing me with an e-arc of this novel and for the opportunity to share my honest opinion in this review.