Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “Curse of the Night Witch (Emblem Island, #1)” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

Curse of the Night Witch

(Emblem Island #1)

Alex Aster (Goodreads Author)

3.98 · Rating details · 296 ratings · 114 reviews

"Worthy of every magical ounce." - Kirkus, starred review

On Emblem Island all are born knowing their fate. Their lifelines show the course of their life and an emblem dictates how they will spend it.

Twelve-year-old Tor Luna was born with a leadership emblem, just like his mother. But he hates his mark and is determined to choose a different path for himself. So, on the ann ...more

Get A Copy

Hardcover, 352 pages

Published June 9th 2020 by Sourcebooks Young Readers (first published June 2nd 2020)

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about Curse of the Night Witch, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes by Roshani Chokshi

From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks

Middle Grade Novels of 2020

508 books — 503 voters

How to Make Friends with the Sea by Tanya Guerrero

The Witches of Willow Cove by Josh Roberts

Middle grade debuts 2020

47 books — 90 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 3.98 ·

Rating details

· 296 ratings · 114 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of Curse of the Night Witch (Emblem Island, #1)

Apr 06, 2020 Ari rated it liked it

Shelves: 2020-reads, netgalley-arc

Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Amazon

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Jabberwocky for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are mine.

"There are many ways to be strong
that don't require a sword."

A warming story about friendship and learning life's lessons, The Curse of the Night Witch is chock-full of adventure from start to finish.

Throughout the length of the story, you get to encounter a lot of characters that help the three leads—Tor, Melda and Engle—progress further. These characters are a ...more

flag 25 likes · Like · see review

Jul 08, 2020 Christi M rated it really liked it

Shelves: netgalley, fantasy, middle-grade

In The Curse of the Night Witch three kids go on an adventure to find the Night Witch and remove a curse.

On Emblem Island, every individual has a mark on their wrist denoting a specific unique skill. Some marks identify what role you will have in society while others are skills that have a bit of a magical touch to them. Tor was born with the leadership emblem, but he’d much rather be able to breathe underwater. In the hopes that the wish-god can change his emblem, he submits this as a wish on E ...more

flag 12 likes · Like · see review

Apr 07, 2020 Ms.Gaye rated it it was amazing

Shelves: mystery-scary, diverse, school-visits, chapter-book, fantasy

This is a stunning tale of adventure where characters and setting are as strong as the story. Tor, along with his friend Engle and his classmate Melda, discover that the worlds in the community handbook, "The Book of Cuentos" aren't merely fairy tales, they represent a dangerous reality that our 3 young protagonists must face. A short excerpt from the Cuentos (where a clue may be inferred) precedes each new challenge the kids deal with as they rush to defeat the curse placed upon them.

If “Curse ...more

flag 11 likes · Like · see review

Feb 19, 2020 Angela Shores rated it it was amazing

Holy adventure, Batman! My mouth is still hanging opening. A marvelous middle grade tale but Oh. My. Word. It’s just the beginning of a series and it hasn’t even released yet. I’m going to need an ARC for every book in the series. Tor, Engle, and Melda set off to rid themselves of a curse and find more than adventure along the way as friendships form and they learn more about themselves; “there are many ways to be strong that don’t require a sword.” Percy Jackson meets every dark and spooky mons ...more

flag 8 likes · Like · see review

Feb 10, 2020 Aly rated it it was amazing

Shelves: age-middle-grade

I loved this!! I don't read middle grade books that often, and the ones I do are usually ones I grew up with. I loved the sound of this book, and I'm so happy that I can honestly say it was a fantastic read! The pacing is just perfect, giving us a gradual buildup and then full steam ahead. Tor and his friends were extremely relatable, and I have no doubt that readers will fall in love with them. While Tor is our male MC, I can say that anyone will enjoy him as our protagonist. I adored this book ...more

flag 7 likes · Like · see review

Jan 11, 2020 Jennifer Duell rated it it was amazing

An amazing adventure full of imagery. I could see everything; the beautiful colors, flora and fauna. Three friends embark on a quest and learn their strengths and weaknesses while learning to depend on each other.

flag 7 likes · Like · see review

May 16, 2020 Tina rated it it was amazing

I really enjoyed reading this book that I received as an ACR at the ALA 2019 mid-winter conference. The story did take time for me to get into but once I did, I was eager to find out what would happen. The main character is Tor along with his friends Melda and Engle who go on a quest to find the Night Witch. I think my students will enjoy this mysterious world where everyone is born with an emblem. It was fun reading the short monster stories from the Book of Cuentos which gave us clues as to wh ...more

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

May 12, 2020 Mila rated it liked it

Shelves: dropped-series, arcs

The digital arc of this book was kindly provided by the publisher via Edelweiss+ website in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to enjoy this book more, it has some very cool world-building and mythology, the characters were diverse and had some coll banter from time to time. But the story just wasn't interesting to pull me in, I didn't feel the urge to continue reading it even at the major plot points. I still think this novel has its audience and it's in no way a bad story, I simply ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Jun 30, 2019 Sean Alexander rated it it was amazing

I am very lucky to have read an early version of this, and it has only gotten better! I have no doubt children are going to fall in love with the stories, adventure, and magic in the world of Emblem Island.

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Jun 27, 2020 Jessica (Spooky KidLit & We Who Walk Here, Walk Alone) rated it it was amazing

Emblem Island is an incredible place full of magic, color, and adventure. It can also be a dangerous, treacherous place…especially if you’ve been cursed by the Night Witch, like Tor and his friends have been. Most Emblemites are born with an emblem somewhere on their body, a birthmark that indicates an ability—like singing beautifully, cooking like a master chef, or even breathing underwater—that determines your course in life. Tor, son of his village’s chieftess, was born with a leadership embl Emblem Island is an incredible place full of magic, color, and adventure. It can also be a dangerous, treacherous place…especially if you’ve been cursed by the Night Witch, like Tor and his friends have been. Most Emblemites are born with an emblem somewhere on their body, a birthmark that indicates an ability—like singing beautifully, cooking like a master chef, or even breathing underwater—that determines your course in life. Tor, son of his village’s chieftess, was born with a leadership emblem just like his mother’s. He hates it, though, and he wants more than anything to change his fate. So on the annual Eve celebration, when Emblemites submit a wish to the gods, Tor wishes for a different emblem.

In a chilling instance of “be careful what you wish for,” Tor gets a nasty shock the next morning. Instead of the water-breathing emblem that he so desperately wants, he receives a curse: a blinking eye on his wrist that he learns is a malevolent gift from the fearsome Night Witch. She is the most frightening monster in the Book of Cuentos, the formative book of folklore that all Emblemites use as a guide to life on the island. When he accidentally passes his curse to his friends Engle and Melda, Tor must use the Book of Cuentos to find the Night Witch and convince her to remove the curse before all three of their lifelines run out.

To find the witch, the friends go on an odyssey from their beautiful village by the ocean to the bleakest, scariest parts of the island. Author Alex Aster cannily intersperses tales from the Book of Cuentos between the group’s adventures, introducing the reader to the monsters the friends are about to encounter in increasingly terrifying stories. Letting the readers know what’s ahead, and what these monsters are capable of, adds a tremendous level of tension and suspense to an already exciting read. I raced through this book, and I’d be willing to bet you’ll do the same.

Emblem Island is a fascinating location. I selfishly wished that Aster would have spent more time exploring the different cultures there, because it’s such a thrilling, vibrant place, but the book is paced so well and the descriptions are so vivid that it ultimately felt like the perfect amount of world-building. I’m eager for the next book, not only because I can’t wait to go back and learn more about the island, but also because the ending was so clever and so surprising that I’m going to be on pins and needles waiting to find out what happens next.

The book’s nuanced look at the nature of stories (and at the motives of storytellers) is a delight, asking the reader to simultaneously think more critically and be more open-minded about folktales. Curse of the Night Witch is a rousing, spooky adventure that examines the stories we tell ourselves and the stories we tell others. It shows its readers that the world is more complicated and more amazing than we realize, and that you can always change your fate…but you may not like what happens when you do. ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

May 17, 2020 Laura rated it it was amazing

Shelves: arcs-read, latin-america, fantasy, action-and-mystery, books-read-2020, fun-and-diverse

I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Be careful what you wish for....

On the island of Emblem, if you are lucky enough to be born with an Emblem, then you know your fate, and with that fate comes a special ability. But Tor Luna would do anything to change his fate, and rid himself of his markings indicating that he is destined for leadership. A hard enough thing to live up to as-is, but even more so when your mother is the village chief. But Tor has a pl ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Jun 30, 2019 Rosenda Rojas rated it it was amazing

This book is a masterpiece. It is magnificent to see fairytales based on some of the Hispanic stories I know and love represented in this children's book. I will be buying one for each of my grandchildren, as well as my family in Colombia. ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Sep 26, 2020 Cande rated it really liked it

Shelves: audiobook, retellings, about-family-friendship, middle-grade, heart-eye-emoji

This was darker than I was expecting but I enjoyed the world-building a lot. Based on Latin American myths and stories, Curse of the Night Witch is a fast-paced adventure with mischievous children and a great heart. Looking forward to the sequel!

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Feb 17, 2021 Brenda added it

Shelves: 2021, fantasy

Tor has always wanted a different life line then the one running across his palm. Why can't his be filled with adventure, instead of following a straight path? He's also wanted a different emblem, and defiantly not the boring leadership emblem he currently shares with his mother. In his heart he knows he's meant for something else and now that it is New Years Eve, he plans to change his fate by throwing his desire into the bonfire and making a wish. But Tor should've been careful what with what ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Dec 01, 2020 Ms. Yingling rated it liked it

Ohio digital library copy

I took a look at this twice, thinking it would be similar to the Rick Riordan presents books, with a lot of action and culturally based fantasy. Something about this struck me as the sort of fantasy my readers are not apt to pick up. Everyone else seems to really, really, really like it, but I struggled to connect with this title. If I could buy all the books in the world, I would, but I buy a limited amount of fantasy because so few of my readers pick it up. I tried!

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Sep 14, 2020 Tanya Prax rated it it was amazing

Fast paced, middle grade fantasy! Couldn’t put this one down.

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Jun 08, 2020 Alexandra Alessandri rated it it was amazing

Thank you to Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Jabberwocky for the review copy of Emblem Island: Curse of the Night Witch.

Tor Luna does not want to be a leader like his mother, though that's exactly what his Emblem dictates is to be his fate. So on Eve, he makes a wish that will change his life--and his lifeline. While he is stripped of his Leadership Emblem, he is also cursed. To remove the curse, he embarks on a journey across Emblem Island with his friends, Engle and Melda, to find the fabled Nigh ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Jul 01, 2020 Candice rated it it was amazing

Shelves: roaring20sdebut, middle-grade, arc

Emblem Island is such a neat setting with a unique origin story. Tor and his friends realize that all the scary childhood stories in the Book of Cuentos are actually a roadmap to the witch. That’s my favorite part–the truth of humanity that hides in every fairytale emerges fully formed in this novel. Some terrifying like the faceless vanor to the peaceful descendants of the Giantess of Nar, sent by the wish-gods to protect humans. What makes this novel stand out is that each tale that prefaces t ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Jun 30, 2019 Kate Thomas rated it it was amazing

This book is so magical and unique...prepare to be amazed by this lush world

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Jun 30, 2019 Rron Rexha rated it it was amazing

Read a draft of the book and immediately fell in love with the characters and the world. Cant wait to see it in stores and get my copy!

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Jun 09, 2020 Kylie rated it it was amazing

Such an amazing book! The story really pulls you in, i couldn't put it down! Highly recommended to any reader . ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Jul 21, 2020 Lisan (lovesbooks) rated it it was amazing

Review to come...

All I can say that this whole book was amazing!

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Jun 02, 2020 Teresa rated it really liked it

Shelves: netgalley

Thank you to NetGalley, SOURCEBOOKS Jabberwocky, and Alex Aster for the opportunity to read Curse of the Night Witch in exchange for an honest review.

Curse of the Night Witch is the first book in the Emblem Island series. The story takes place on Emblem Island (of course). All people are born with an emblem, a mark on their wrist or arm that denotes a certain skill, such as strength or leadership.

Tor is the son of his village leader, and his emblem reflects this. He doesn't want to take up the l Thank you to NetGalley, SOURCEBOOKS Jabberwocky, and Alex Aster for the opportunity to read Curse of the Night Witch in exchange for an honest review.

Curse of the Night Witch is the first book in the Emblem Island series. The story takes place on Emblem Island (of course). All people are born with an emblem, a mark on their wrist or arm that denotes a certain skill, such as strength or leadership.

Tor is the son of his village leader, and his emblem reflects this. He doesn't want to take up the leadership position. He wants to be able to breath underwater. Being in water is his whole life, yet he must hide his passion. Once a year, the villagers, after they reach age twelve, get to make a wish during their annual Eve ceremony. Tor wants a new emblem. When his wish angers the wish-god, he is cursed with a short life, his emblem replaced with the terrible omen of a dark eye. Anyone who touches the curse gains the curse themselves. The only way to rid themselves of this curse is to hope the Night Witch will have mercy and remove the curse, or kill her.

Now Melda, Engle, and Tor must follow the mythological clues from a collection of short stories called The Book of Cuentos. As they get closer and closer to the shadowed land of the Night Witch, a place lacking of feeling and color, they continue to encounter creatures and beings from the collected stories. One of the neat aspects about the structure of this book is between every chapter, one of the little short stories is inserted. They are very short and told in a fable sort of way with no dialogue. It's just a description of events leading to the creation or myth of one of the various creatures. Still, an interesting structural choice.

While the beginning was rather interesting, the middle slogged on just a tad as the trio continues to encounter various myths from The Book of Cuentos. As a story, I liked the idea of the emblems that each person is born with. It somewhat reminds me of My Hero Academia where a large portion of the population is born with quirks, or Blank, where everyone is born with some kind of mark that ultimately pairs them with their life partner. It's a fun idea in the development of Emblem Island's world building.

The characters are certainly Middle-grade. They are twelve and go through struggles with personal choice and will power that a middle-grade age person might go through, despite those challenges being presented in a fantasy lens. I think this is a very fun book for the age group to read.

I also appreciated the fact that the entire book was contained within itself, except for the end. It could have been a stand-alone, but the climax and very end offer further adventures for these characters, adventures that seem potentially more intriguing than their first. Holistically, this book is enjoyable and quick, an easy recommendation. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Feb 25, 2020 Kristel (hungryandhappy) rated it really liked it

Shelves: netgalley

*Netgalley arc*

Very interesting magic system, solid introduction to a series, likeable characters only a little whiny so it was perfect, and a lot of adventure!!

I love middle grade fantasy books because the characters are raw and genuine, they have just started to need independence and are ready for whatever life throws at them, even if it's a quest to go to the opposite side of the world to defeat a witch who cursed them.

Tor, Melda, and Engle each has flaws, weaknesses, and strength, bringing s ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Sep 28, 2020 Barb Middleton rated it really liked it

Shelves: diversity, fantasy, friendship, adventure, multiculturalism

The author takes folk tales from Colombia and turns them into a creepy fantasy that is a page turner. Tor doesn't like the emblem or gift he has been born with that is leadership. He would much rather be a water-breather. When he loses his gift to a curse and has to go on a quest, he learns what it means to have true friends. At one point the quest of the three friends reminded me of the Wizard of Oz as each learns his and her weakness. Tor must learn what leadership really means and not fear it ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

May 02, 2020 Jaxen rated it really liked it

Aster's masterpiece describes Tor Luna's quest to understand the meaning of friendship, sacrifice, and leadership through an enchanted land filled with magic and color.

Is it odd to find a 21 year old bookstore employee/engineering student reading a book for middle schoolers? It shouldnt be. I loved this adventure/coming-of-age story, even though I'm definitely not the target audience. Aster's world is unlike any I've ever encountered, filled with incredibly original concepts of magic, myths, an ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Oct 31, 2020 Nikki rated it really liked it

Shelves: net-galley-review

I received this book from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this! Super fun and you know I love a good quest. The concept is fascinating - everyone is born with an emblem that describes their talent. I can only imagine how that could feel suffocating! So when a wish goes awry, our heroes end up on a quest to rid themselves of a curse.

The way the legends and stories of the island are woven into the book is very cleverly done, as is the way they lead ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Sep 01, 2020 Sabrina rated it liked it

Okay, listen.

It is not a terrible read. There were parts that I really like such as the imaginary and the fantastical wonder of the world.

What really made me stick with a 3 star review was that there were parts in beginning and the middle that seemed to drag on FOREVER. There were moments I seriously considered stopping because I did not think I could make it.

BUT, at the last 1/3 is where the pace really sped up in a great way. I might actually read the second book in this series because the e ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jan 24, 2021 Kae rated it really liked it

Nicely done. I’d known absolutely nothing about this book when I started reading it cause I didn’t bother to read the description or look at the cover so my expectations where pretty much at zero but this short book blew me away. I had expected nothing and it gave me so much more. Definitely recommend it, there are lessons to be learned for all of you care enough to look.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Oct 14, 2020 Katie rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-in-2020, 4-star-rating, audiobooks, library

This was a really fun read! I loved that it was based on Latin American mythology, and I really enjoyed the journey that these three kids took, and how their friendship only grew as the story continued. I am really looking forward to the next book now!

flag 1 like · Like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 next »