Into the Forest discussion

Here is the place to discuss the books you read, original tale, collection of tales, retelling or novel inspired by fairy/folk tales and mythology where there is a character (s) who is a “Magic User” Includes witches, warlocks, wizards, mages, necromancers, etc.

Howls Moving castle would fall into this category. love those books

Howl’s Moving Castle
Castle in the Air
House of Many Ways

I've only read the first book in the series. I really should finish the last two books.

Netanella wrote: "Howl’s Moving Castle
Castle in the Air
House of Many Ways

I've only read the first book in the series. I really should finish the last two books."

I've read the first two books, but not the third!

Here are some recs, though I suspect this one will be pretty easy for people?

-Terry Pratchett's Witches or Tiffany Aching series
-Sorcerer to the Crown
-The House in the Cerulean Sea
-The Once and Future Witches
-The Magician’s Daughter
-Uprooted
-Of Sorrow and Such
-Mooncakes
-The Year of the Witching
-The Okay Witch
-Ordinary Monsters
-Juniper & Thorn
-The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches
-Dreadful
-A Sorceress Comes to Call
-A Rose by Any Other Name

I just finished the following for this prompt.

Hekate - The Witch by Nikita Gill - 01.09.2026

The Bewitching which I mentioned in the Academics Alchemist thread could also double as a magic user for this prompt
Bitter Greens is an excellent kind of retelling of Rapunzel from the pov of the witch.
Snow in Summer is a retelling of Snow White set in the Appalachians, so has a witch
After the Forest a wonderful novel influenced by Hansel and Gretel.
Of course you can always go to the source and read the original tales:

Italian Folktales
Wonder Tales: Six French Stories of Enchantment
The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm

Sorry, all of these mentioned had the more traditional evil witches. For more benevolent magic users I think Juliet Marillier has a lot of them. She an author who’s books I really enjoy while reading them, but over the years they all kind of blur together

I just finished The Winter of the Witch for this category. Really enjoyed this whole series.

This is a great series! Highly recommend! And all the main characters are magic users.

@Jalilah Great thread, magic users in folklore and retellings often carry that mythic weight, whether as cursed figures, vessels of forbidden knowledge, or forces reshaping fate.
Some that come to mind with that vibe:

The Bone Doll's Twin by Lynn Flewelling, the forced disguise and hidden magic feel like a cursed performance of self, with prophecy and moral cost layered in.
Seraphina by Rachel Hartman, the dragon musician blends art with ancient heritage in a reflective, almost philosophical way.
Uprooted by Naomi Novik, the wizard and the village girl both wield magic tied to deep, wild forces, with that sense of ritual and dread.

What draws you most to this theme, the creative/magical act as power, or the user as someone doomed to see too much?
@Patricia The Winter of the Witch is such a strong finish to that series, the way magic feels ancient and personal really lands. Glad you enjoyed it!
@Wini Which series are you thinking of? The ones with magic users as central figures are always fun to dive into.
Looking forward to more recs! 😊

Patricia wrote: "I just finished The Winter of the Witch for this category. Really enjoyed this whole series."

Such a good series! Katherine Arden has another book that would work well for the healer or soldier challenge, The Warm Hands of Ghosts, if you're interested! It's very different from this series, though still lovely.

Margaret wrote: "Patricia wrote: "I just finished The Winter of the Witch for this category. Really enjoyed this whole series."

Such a good series! Katherine Arden has another book that would work ..."
Thanks! I'll check it out.

I just wanted to add Circe by Madeline Miller here. Would you consider Circe as a magic user or a Goddess? For me she is definitely a kind of sorceress (even though Miller describes her as a Goddess).

That’s a really interesting question, and I think Circe sits exactly in that tension between the two.

She’s a goddess by origin, but what makes her compelling is that she *acts* like a magic user. Her power isn’t just innate or divine, it’s something she studies, experiments with, and shapes over time.

In a way, she feels closer to a sorceress who had to *learn* her power rather than simply embody it.

What I love about her story is that she blurs the line between divinity and craft. It raises that deeper question: is magic something you are… or something you become?

Curious how you saw her, more as someone born powerful, or someone who had to grow into it?

P.E.N. wrote: "That’s a really interesting question, and I think Circe sits exactly in that tension between the two.

She’s a goddess by origin, but what makes her compelling is that she *acts* like a magic user...."


Yes, in a sense she had to 'learn' to use her power, even though she was born with it. Without the events that took place, she probably wouldn't have been able to develop her power to such an extent.

That’s exactly it, and I think that’s what makes her so different from most “born powerful” characters.

She isn’t defined by what she is, but by what she does with it.

What always struck me about Circe is that her power only truly becomes hers after exile, after isolation forces her to experiment, fail, and reshape herself. Almost like magic, in her case, is tied to suffering and self-discovery rather than status.

In a strange way, she feels closer to a mortal who earned something divine than to a goddess who simply possesses it.

It makes me wonder if that’s why her story resonates so much… because it treats power not as a gift, but as a consequence.