Well of Witches

The Thickety #3

by J.A. White, Andrea Offermann (Illustrations)

The third novel in the dark and twisty fantasy series that has enchanted readers.

The third novel in the Thickety series, Well of Witches, is an epic quest on the edge of a magic crusade, into an enchanted kingdom with new kinds of magic, old enemies, and only one way out.

Kara and Taff know that only Grace Stone has the power to reverse her terrible Last Spell on their father and in order to save him, they have to rescue their foe from the Well of Witches first. Forgiving Grace should be the hardest part of their journey…but soon the children are confronted by creatures called the Faceless, mysteries as old as magic, and an ancient secret that threatens their very lives.

Back in the World, a war against magic is brewing that endangers everyone they care about. Can Kara and Taff find Grace, find their way out of the Well, and make it back to their father in time?

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Adventure, Audiobook, Witches, Magic, Horror

512 pages, Hardcover

First published February 23, 2016

About the author

J. A. White lives in New Jersey with his wife, three sons, and a hamster named Ophelia that doesn’t like him very much. When he’s not making up stories, he teaches a bunch of kids how to make up stories (along with math and science and other important stuff). He wishes dragons were real because it would be a much cooler way to get to work.

Reviews

[Fi's Journey · Rating 5 out of 5]

First thing I do have to say: this is one of the best series ever! I personally love it better than The Forbidden Library series and The School for Good and Evil series.

"Who can say for certain what is real and what is make-believe in this changing world?
Books grant magical powers. Storybook beasts hunt witches. Why shouldn't Sablethorn exist as well?"

It is soo much fun to read and I love everything about it - especially the relationship between Kara and Taff. I love the characters, the setting, the creatures, and the writing.
This is a dark middle-grade series that keeps you on the edge. It is filled with Dark and Good Magic, Bad and Good Witches, Love, and Friendship...

Kara is one of the best main characters I've read since probably reading the Harry Potter series. She sees the good things even in the darkest characters, which is a powerful tool. She cares a lot about her brother, she will do anything for him. But she cares also for others like her father, Safi, Lucas and all the creatures that roam in the Thickety and on the mainland.

Even though Kara is the main character, she would be not the same without Taff who is, on the other hand, the brainy one who gets them out of situations that she couldn't have done.

In this book, it's still dark and unsettling but not as creepy as the first two in the series. I definitely recommend these books from age 12 to up.

"A wexari makes magic, but it is not magic that makes a wexari."

"Gaining power will teach you about other people. Losing it will teach you about yourself."

[All quotes are by Minoth Dravania]

By the way, there are a few more quotes but I don't want the Review to be too boring!

[Carina Olsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sigh. This book is amazing. And I'm so thrilled about having re-read it, finally. It's already been over a year since I first read this book. Ack. I didn't know I had forgotten so many details. Hmph. And I'm so happy about having re-read it and now knowing all the things again. I have had so much fun re-reading the first three books in this amazing series. And I'm starting book four, the final one, next, which I'm just the most excited about. I might have peeked a little. And I might be all kinds of happy and nervous. Eee.

There is so much I love about this stunning book. And I'm not going to mention most of it, haha. It is just such a stunning one. And I loved reading everything about it. Sigh. Reading more about Kara's journey is the best thing. I love this girl so much. I love that her brother is with her always. They are both amazing. I love how they are meeting new people all the time. I liked getting to know most of them. And gosh. There are so many creatures in this book. Some awful ones. But everyone were really interesting to read about.

The writing in this third book is just as amazing as in the first two books. Sigh. It is such a fast read. And I never wanted it to end. Hmph. Well of Witches is full of adventure. There is so much happening in this book. And I was so excited about all of it. Reading about it for the second time was so much fun too. I'm not sure what else to mention. I'm not going to say much more. Just. This book is all kinds of stunning. And I love it oh so much. The plot is exciting and different and just all kinds of perfect. Loved reading it all.

There is a little bit more of Lucas in this book, finally. Eee. And oh gosh, I love this boy. I love how he and Kara still have such an amazing friendship, despite not having seen each other for many weeks. I love how it seems they are starting to have more feelings for each other too. It is just the cutest. Though the ending of this book worried me a bit, again. I still have hope, though. These two are just too cute and they need to be together, lol. But yeah. Lucas is such an interesting character and I adore him. He is the best.

I'm just so thrilled with this third book. It's so exciting and heartbreaking and so so surprising too. I loved re-reading every moment of it. Reading about Kara and Taff is just the best. I love the close bond they have. They are the best siblings. I love Kara the most, as she's so fierce and brave and just all kinds of amazing. But Taff is all of that too. He is younger. Yet he is so smart. He gets hurt a bit more than Kara does, but he is still so brave and so sweet even so. I adore reading about this young boy. He's awesome.

Just so you know, you are really going to regret not reading these books if you still haven't started them. Yes, they are middle grade. But that does not mean you should not read and love them. Hmph. Because everyone would love these books. I'm sure of it. The writing is beyond amazing. The characters are more amazing than just about anyone. The story is creepy and heartbreaking and fun and also just all kinds of awesome. These books are for everyone. And you need to read them right away. I mean it. Read now.

---

I first read this book on August 6th 2015. See my first review here: http://carinabooks.blogspot.no/2015/0...

I read this book for the second time from October 4th to October 5th 2016. See my new post here: http://carinabooks.blogspot.no/2016/1...

[Skip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kara and Taff have escaped the Thickety, and are sailing to the mainland, hoping to free their father from a spell in which he has become Timoth Clen, the dreaded witch hunter. Kara is worried that she will not be able to succeed in this quest, especially given her guilt over freeing Rygoth and allowing her to build an army and for stealing (Taff's BFF) Safi's grimoire. After a harrowing escape from a sea monster, aided by Safi, the three find themselves reunited with Lucas on the mainland. To defeat Rygoth and her followers, Kara seeks to locate and enter the Well of Witches to seek the help of a former, treacherous village dweller. I liked White's imagination about the Well and Kara's ultimate test (by an important historical figure), leading to a daring escape and showdown, using her unique ability to bond with animals.

[Alice, as in Wonderland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goddamnit, it did it again. When I finished the first book, about an hour or so after I had previously planned to go to bed after what I thought would be a quick and put-downable read, I was so upset with the cliffhanger I didn't expect (not being quick enough to put together WHY a book would have a subtitle) that I was incoherent for about a minute. And in much the same way, I was pretty convinced that this would be the last book in the series - what with the current era of trilogies - and then MY GOD WHAT WAS I THINKING. WHY I DON'T EVER DO MY RESEARCH. /KICKS TABLE

I love this series. I love the writing, from stark to lyrical to plain. I love the characters, complicated and growing. I love the morality: a spectrum of grey with Kara at the center, always believing in the good of others even when she struggles to see it in herself. I love the horror in it - how it's not so much a horror of horrifying things, but horrors of good people compelled to do bad, of bad people under the guise of good, of the horrors of obsession. I mean there's some other straight up horrifying stuff, absolutely, but the scary parts of these books are much more than those. It's watching Safi with the grimmoire. It's realizing the suffusion of the Fold into the World. It's how Abby can't forgive herself. It's so... so MORE.

I don't want to say I didn't like this book as much as the second one. I said that last time too, and it's occurring to me now that it's not that I don't like it as much, but I like this in a different way. I loved the village in the first one, which definitely takes the front seat of what I found terrifying about the book, perhaps even more so than Kara's obsession with the grimmoire. I loved Mary and the theme of un-life in the second one, therefore its focuses on regret, redemption, and how death can be twisted. And in this book, I love Kara's journey, and how it spins the world around her. The universe of the Thickety picks away at all of Kara's assumptions about how life is, taking the longest with her assumptions about herself.

Who can blame her? The indoctrination of the Fold has lived with her through her entire life, and it tarnishes her thoughts and plans on every page. I will admit - it was difficult not to predict that Kara would get her powers back at some point, but I was anxious about it. Would I feel cheated? Would it feel like a deus ex machina? The answers? No, and maybe. The whole situation with the Sundering did feel somewhat convenient - however, the journey Kara takes to get there, and the revelation afterwards - I didn't feel cheated at all. I felt like Kara deserved it. I wanted her to achieve it and it was with a wonderful message and theme. If I was the focus age of this book, I definitely think I would have appreciated it in my older years, looking back.

Occasionally, I feel cynical about children's books. I like light reading as much as the next person, but for me to really like something, there has to be something deeper. The Thickety series is a Mariana Trench of emotional, psychological, and moral depth that deserves to be thought about in that highest of regards.

To cut back on the gushing for a bit, however, I feel like I have to level some criticism. The book, as far as I can tell, is fairly lacking in diversity. The way that Taff takes offense to being called a girl (and could only be a girl if he is an ugly girl because boys and girls look different! hahaha!) and mentions of girls thinking girl thoughts and boys thinking boy thoughts stands out in particular. Most people might not care - cisnormativity is still sort of a general thing in books. And it definitely is a general criticism, nothing that most other children's books don't have outside of books specifically geared towards a minority group. That doesn't make it better, but it's worth pointing out that I have the same criticism of like the last five books I've read.

Overall? I understand why people might be turned off the book - horror isn't for everyone, but this series is a complicated coagulation of ideas and thoughts that also force you to think, and that's important to me in a children's book.

[Abby Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

!!!!!!

What a wild ride!!! I am not normally a series reader, but there is a reason that I keep reading these books: they are fantastic! The stories are great for fantasy adventure fans, especially kids who like their fantasy a little bit scary. Though they are long in terms of page count, the pages absolutely fly by, in part because of the smaller trim size and in part because of all the twists and turns of the plot.

This third book had just the right amount of backstory that reminded me of what happened in the second book without bogging down the action for those who haven't had to wait a year to find out what happened next (although I would not say that this volume can stand alone; you'll want to read the first and second books first). This installment wraps up this book's story while leaving tons of room to be excited about what's going to happen next.

I have been booktalking the first Thickety book to 5th & 6th graders this month, so it's made me even more excited to read this one and it definitely lived up to its promise!!

[Maya]

There is a fourth right?

[A · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series just keeps getting better and better-
Loved it, literally the best series I’ve read so far!

5/5

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

This didn't suck me in as much as the first two in the series did but it was still a whole lot of fun! It felt like the dark, creepy aspects were more muted in here as the children make their travels, as opposed to the other two where the horror aspect felt ever-present. It was definitely still there in Well of Witches, but more in portions of the story rather than the entire thing. Seeing Kara grow as a character is very satisfying, and the Well of Witches itself was suitably ominous.

I went in assuming this was the final book in the series since so often everything is a trilogy and was getting really concerned about how things would possibly be wrapped up in a satisfying way at all. Well, either the author is going to give us a big set-up for the next book and never deliver...or I'm going with the more obvious option and looking forward to more.

[Tammie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read- January 2022
- Whilst I haven't loved any of the books within this series I still have such a good time reading them all and I'm excited to see how the series wraps up in the next book. (Note, I originally gave this 3 stars but after putting it through CAWPILE it came out as a 4 star read which feels right upon reflection)

[Jerby Verderosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, mildly annoyed because I got halfway through a review and something happened and I lost it.

But never fear! Though no one reads these reviews, I will remain true to my convictions and make sure that I complete one for this novel.

So once again:

I knew that I was doing the right thing when I said that I wouldn’t give up on this series.

This book was excellent. Like wonderfully, spectacularly, brilliantly excellent. It captures much of the spookiness and all of the imagination of the first novel — and it also pushes on some concepts that I would like to see explored in this series (namely: is magic good or evil?). There are a lot of reasons why I greatly enjoyed this novel, but I will try to limit my review to two of the largest reasons.

First: the setting.

One of the main reasons why I personally struggled with the second novel is because so much of it took place in the woods. I have already explained how I believe the Thickety could have been made to create an engaging setting in an aforementioned review; I will not repeat it here. I will, however, say that one reason for my difficulties was simply that there were much less people for the main characters to interact with.

A village or a town or a city offer ample opportunities to meet new people or new situations, which creates chances for conflict and tension as well as worldbuilding.

In this novel, Kara + co. finally leave their little island and face the rest of this series’s ‘world.’ The new towns that the characters meet allow for us to learn a lot of new histories, customs, and beliefs — as well as expose our characters to some reasonably spooky dilemmas (such as phantom children known as ‘unghosts’). This worldbuilding helps me envision this story and its culture(s) more clearly, as well as allows for moments of character development. For example, we see how Kara and Taff interact with a large, industrial city — vastly different from their own home.

The mythical ‘Well of Witches’ also provides a creative and fascinating setting. It was not the nightmarish realm that I was expecting — in the best of ways. Instead of fire and brimstone, I received an eerie paper world that spoke a lot to how the grimoires work in this series. It was creepy in a refreshing, thoughtful way, and in particular I loved the bizarre ‘Faceless’ monsters.

Second reason: the characters.

The second novel frustrated me because I could not connect with the new characters introduced. Unfortunately, to me, they felt flat. This novel separates Kara and Taff from those characters for much of the novel, which allows us to focus more closely on the main characters’ growth, desires and internal conflicts instead. A very good choice, in my opinion, as I prefer these characters who (I feel) have more depth.

We also meet up with some old faces from the first novel, which I appreciated. Unlike the secondary cast in Whispering Trees, the secondary characters from the first novel were given enough context and personality to feel engaging for me. I particularly enjoyed the reappearance of the antagonist Grace, who always provides excellent conflict and keeps you guessing. Kara’s friend Lucas (predictably now a love interest) also returns — I did not necessarily need the romance, personally, but I enjoyed how he voiced some dramatic and opposing opinions at one point in the novel. I did not agree with him in the slightest, but his reflections created tension and forced the main character to think deeper to justify her ideals.

My only reason for rating this four stars instead of five is because of the character Safi. I have already discussed her in a previous review, so I will be brief. I find her a little empty as a character — sure, she makes some meaningful and interesting choices here, but her foundation as a character is so shaky that I cannot get close to her. Her supposed personality (shy, scared girl) in her introduction just doesn’t match up with her current actions. Characters can change, yes, but I did not notice any natural progression throughout the last novel and this one. This flatness frustrates me too much to like her.

Otherwise, while I love Taff, he still talks and behaves a little too maturely to be a seven-year-old — even a genius one. I think the author would have been better off making him ten; that wouldn’t require quite as much suspension of disbelief. Safi also at times behaves in ways that make her seem older than she is. These are minor gripes, however.

Overall, spooky, imaginative, and exciting! I can’t wait to read the next (and final) novel!

[Jordan (Forever Lost in Literature) · Rating 5 out of 5]

*4.5
Another fantastic installment! I love this series so much.

[Cristi-Lael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is strong throughout! I can't wait to read the last one.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not nearly as good as the first 2

[Zaki Rohan · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.3 ⭐️

Can’t wait to read the next book.

[Kyla · Rating 3 out of 5]

WARNING: This review contains spoilers.

This book, "The Thickety: Well of Witches", by J.A. White is the third book in "The Thickety" series. I believe that J.A White could've done a much better job with this book because up until the second half of the book, it was pretty boring and somewhat uneventful, despite all of the traveling that they did.
I also wish that he had done more with Lucas to make him more involved in the story. In my opinion, he should have had more romance between Kara and Lucas.
I especially didn't like that it took most of the book to get Kara's powers back and before she got them back, she mostly just felt useless and not in control; however, if the story had swapped back and forth between Kara and Safi's point of view, it would have made it more interesting in the first half of the story.
I also think that the villain of the story, Rygoth, was too powerful and it makes me feel like they'll only defeat her by outsmarting her, which will probably be near impossible to do. I wish they had defeated her in this book, so J.A. White could make a new villain for the next book.
I feel like the second book was a lot better than this book, and out of all three books, this one was the least interesting. I was very disappointed after reading this book. I feel like J.A. White was running out of ideas and I think this book was different from the others, because it revolved so much around the character building, not the action.
Something I actually did like, was the fact that they eventually freed their father from the spell, and they now aren't as hostile toward Grace. Those are just some of the good qualities of this book.
Now, with all that said, keep in mind that this is only my opinion and that other people probably loved this book. In fact, I know someone who loved this book and didn't see anything wrong with it. I would still read it, even though it wasn't excellent. It was still good and worth reading.

[Fatima]

Really interesting. I loved it. A really cool book. Can't wait until I read the last one!

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third book in The Thickety series by J.A. White. Our oldest really enjoyed the books in this series and is eager to read the fourth book, while I'm just trying to catch up with her.

The story was very dramatic and has some surprising twists. It ends much the same as the last book, with no resolution. As frustrating as that is, it certainly leads readers on to the final book in the series, The Last Spell.

I really enjoyed listening to Moira Quirk narrate the audiobook - she really captures the various voices and personalities of the different characters and I was entranced by the story, unable to stop listening until the end.

interesting quotes (page numbers from hardcover edition with ISBN13 9780062257321):

"Kara nodded, and then watched with surprise as her mind leaked a thought she didn't even know she had into the ground. There is good in everyone. It slipped into the sludge and flowed away." (p. 230)

"Nothing quells the dark temptations of power better than empathy." (p. 315)

"She could see her many faults reflected in nearly all the objects littering the floor. I'm lacking in so many ways, she thought." (p. 327)

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was going to be the end of the series, but no. it's one of those series where every book is a huge quest/impossible task and then they complete it but guess what, there's another huge quest/impossible task for the next book.

the theme is seeming to me now to be that magic (or, say, technology) can be used for good or evil and it depends on the wielder to resist temptation, have empathy for others, and keep to a moral path. there's also a lot of forgiveness. there are a lot of complexities. a religion against magic, but then magic does seem to be pretty bad, but then the adherents of the religion are pretty murderous. kara's love interest takes stock of what he sees in the world and ends up aligned with the religious sect, though still loyal to her. both he and the villain believe the religious sect is important - him to save the world, the villain to anger witches into loyalty to her. I appreciate the depth; it's not just black and white - it's like politics.

I feel like after three books in short succession, I've had enough thickety for a while. which is just as well, because the next book doesn't exist yet. if I had more willpower, I wouldn't start any series until they are all published and available. then again, if I had more willpower, I'd be reading the books I already own and not endless library books.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to get an ARC of this book. Not as strong as the first two in the series, but still a very solid, compelling addition to the series. I eagerly await more!

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This continues to be a stellar series. The writing keeps me on the edge of my seat, and Kara and Taff are wonderful, fully developed characters. Magic full of twists and suspense. Great stuff.

[Lana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This whole series is just a lovely deep dive into a whole new universe where youth are thoughtful, responsible, brave and loving.

[The Book Witch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once again we explore another part of this world. The group goes on a journey, but they are not the only ones on the journey.

But this book was mainly the journey. I like journey books, but typically I would like something else to be going. But here they are just traveling, and sure there are obstacles, but this is very much about the destination and not the journey itself. And I was not into it for that reason alone.

We did see consequences on the world from previous events, and the main group wants to avoid what is coming. And this is the plan and they are focused on it because time is of the essence. That being said, I like what was done with the destination. That part of the world was very interesting and it felt like we had a bit what drew me to these books in the first place.

And the plot, what there was of one, was quite well done. But it doesn't truly kick in until the end. And one other thing I noticed, other than the world, the story, and the plot, not much is developing. And with some of the big things happening at the end, it feels like there should have been more character development along the way for our main character than what we got. Because one of the big things I almost found unbelievable because I haven't seen the legwork being done there. It even listed out the events relevant, but you also need to develop the character alongside it because otherwise it just doesn't mean anything.

This was not a filler book, but I will say it is my least favourite of the series so far.

[Kerry]

My daughter and I selected this book without realizing it was a part of a series (the third, in fact), and not the first in the series at that. However, we were engaged by the charming witch who somehow lost her grimoire and thus her powers. This strong young woman cares for her young brother (who plays with magical toys and has a keen interest in the inner workings of magic) and a young witch who she teachers to keep her from falling to temptation of the magic, all while being pursued by a powerful older witch. Along the way, these three meet up with another of her friends, and they help others they meet along the way. There’s also some tricky bits with their old legends, creepy “not-ghosts” and creatures, and such..

There were some creepy bits, but my girl weathered them without nightmares or too much upset. (I admired the invisible children especially.) The book held our interest, despite the confusions of assumed knowledge, and we may well check out the others in the series.

[AliceAnn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series is losing some steam. It's not nearly as compelling or dark as the first book. The world building and the illustrations are still wonderful, but the characters aren't as memorable and there was a lot of time spent travelling. It took quite awhile to get to the Well of Witches, which I would have liked to have seen more of. Still an enjoyable read, and I do want to find out what happens in the final book of the series.

I did get a kick out of a new character who was introduced in this story, whose name is Bethany. It brought back many wonderful memories of name conversations with a former colleague of mine. Right, Bethanne?!

[Norma Esquivel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very nice book full of values and topics one can reflect on.
In this 3th book Kara realizes that's she is more than enough and that her flaw is self-doubt since she has all the potential but she often forgets one thing- believing in herself. This part of the book got me hard as I can reflect on a personal level because sometimes we judge and tend to be very hard on ourselves which only leads you to think that you will never succeed or that you are not enough despite of your many achievements in life.
Finally, I am looking forward getting my hands on the 4th and last book of this series and find out what's the outcome of all our friends' adventures!

[Sarah Clapp-Work · Rating 3 out of 5]

We get books from the library, sometimes at random, just to have material in the house in case the girls' well of fresh material runs dry. In this case, it was my book well that ran dry. "Well of Witches" is the third book in a series. Having not read the first 2 I didn't feel like I missed much as the author does a good job of reminding you of what happened. As with all journeys the goal is to get to the end. The places that you travel through in the interim make the book interesting. A good read for children in 4th-6th grade, not overly violent but interesting enough not to be boring.

[Ruby Ridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great series for middle school readers, one that doesn't gloss over the violence and the consequences and doesn't condescend. This is the kind of book that will get America's (and hopefully other countries - though most do not need it as much as us) children reading again.
I am glad there is another in the series if not this would have felt a bit rushed at the end
Five stars and the whole series is recommended to readers of all ages.

[Cecilia Rodriguez · Rating 3 out of 5]

White picks up the action shortly after the conclusion of the previous novel.
Kara and Taff have escaped the Thickety, and still hope to free their father
from a spell.
At the same time, Kara feels responsible for Rygoth and also wants to stop her
from creating an army.
The story is fast paced and complex. It also has an old theme about the corruption of Power.

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series started out really strong but at this point the story is dragging on. I wish the author had wrapped the story up in this 3rd book as I'm not entirely interested in a 4th book just to finish the series. I like the characters so for that reason alone I'll read the last book but otherwise I'm not really much interested in this story at this point anymore.

[Susan Reyna · Rating 5 out of 5]

It has been a little while since I'd read the second book, so somehow I had forgotten the incredible imagination and artistry of J.A. White's writing. This book certainly brought that all back. The creativity of the depiction of the Well of Witches surpassed my expectations. I am starting the fourth book right away!