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The Good Witch of the West Novel #1
Good Witch of the West: The Girl of Sera Field
Fifteen-year-old Firiel lives in the remote highlands with her reclusive father. Country life is pleasant enough for Firiel--her father's servants adore her, his apprentice Rune is a good friend, and she's about to attend her first ball! But as Firiel prepares for the gala, she discovers her past is more complicated than she had thought--and she may be the heir the throne! Unaware of the danger that faces her and those whom she loves, Firiel courageously quests for the truth. In this unique, evocative Cinderella story, heritage and destiny converge to change a young girl's life forever!
232 pages, Paperback
First published November 7, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 15, 2012
I love this book. Good Witch of the West is a gorgeously written fantasy adventure that should have had more attention. When the series was dropped after only the first two volumes were published, I was really disappointed.
Good Witch of the West is a japanese series of novels that was adapted into manga and anime format because of its popularity in Japan.
I must admit that I was first interested in reading Good Witch of the West (the manga), because of its beautiful cover. The disclaimer said it was a Cinderella-ish story, but it was actually much more than that.
The Girl of Sera Field introduces the reader to Firiel Dee, a young girl who lives with her two "adoptive" parents Mr and Mrs Holy in the small village of Sera Field. Her real father lives nearby in a study-tower he rarely leaves. His apprentice, Rune, doesn't go out often, either.
As Firiel is now a 15-year-old, she is allowed to participate in the yearly ball at the Count's castle, that she and all her friends have been looking forward too forever.
Rune gives her a striking blue necklace as a birhtday present from her father but cautions her not to wear it to the ball.
Firiel, of course, doesn't listen to her childhood friend. On the ball, the Count's son, Eusis, seems to reckognize the necklace she wears... what if her dead mother wasn't who her father always told Firiel she was?
I am a huge fan of this series. I love the characters, the story and the writing. The world-building is beautiful and intricate. I just can't find anything wrong with it.
You should definetely consider reading the first two volumes that were translated into English.
Good Witch of the West is a japanese series of novels that was adapted into manga and anime format because of its popularity in Japan.
I must admit that I was first interested in reading Good Witch of the West (the manga), because of its beautiful cover. The disclaimer said it was a Cinderella-ish story, but it was actually much more than that.
The Girl of Sera Field introduces the reader to Firiel Dee, a young girl who lives with her two "adoptive" parents Mr and Mrs Holy in the small village of Sera Field. Her real father lives nearby in a study-tower he rarely leaves. His apprentice, Rune, doesn't go out often, either.
As Firiel is now a 15-year-old, she is allowed to participate in the yearly ball at the Count's castle, that she and all her friends have been looking forward too forever.
Rune gives her a striking blue necklace as a birhtday present from her father but cautions her not to wear it to the ball.
Firiel, of course, doesn't listen to her childhood friend. On the ball, the Count's son, Eusis, seems to reckognize the necklace she wears... what if her dead mother wasn't who her father always told Firiel she was?
I am a huge fan of this series. I love the characters, the story and the writing. The world-building is beautiful and intricate. I just can't find anything wrong with it.
You should definetely consider reading the first two volumes that were translated into English.
April 22, 2013
I might have liked this book better if the beginning hadn't been such a slog to get through. The pacing was kind of bad, and Firiel was so very beloved by everyone. It seemed like the only blemish in her life was her relationship with her father, but, since she barely lived with him, it didn't seem to matter much. Thankfully, the story picked up a bit after Firiel met Eusis and found out her mother's true identity.
The story also became surprisingly dark. Firiel's perfect little life came crashing down around her ears. She, a naive, cheerful, fairly protected young girl, suddenly found herself dealing with death, abandonment, and the uncovering of all kinds of family lies. After how light and fluffy much of the previous book had been, I was surprised at the scene in which Rune was beaten. It wasn't “on page,” but it was still more violence than I had expected. To be clear, I didn't consider this a drawback, it just didn't seem to fit with the way the book began.
I can't say I disliked Firiel, but I was frustrated with her. It's unfair of me, because she did live such a quiet and sheltered life. Even so, I considered Rune's cynicism to be a breath of fresh air. His hard life prior to becoming Firiel's father's apprentice had taught him how untrustworthy some people could be, and there were times I wish Firiel had listened to Rune more. Of course, if she had, there probably wouldn't have been much of a story.
As dazzled as Firiel was by Eusis and Eusis by Firiel, there are already hints of a potential love triangle: I have a feeling Rune has a crush on Firiel. I couldn't help but wince when Firiel told him he was like her brother. Anyway, so far the danger and politics are more interesting than the romance. Unfortunately, I kept expecting things to become more complicated than they did. For example, Adale was so incredibly good, charming, beautiful, and wonderful that I absolutely knew she had to secretly be evil. Her invitation to Firiel to stay the night was really a way to keep an eye on someone who might become her rival (I somehow doubt that Firiel won't eventually become a potential heir to the throne). Except that didn't turn out to be the case. Not once did Adale act like anything other than a loving new friend and cousin. When Adale admitted to writing fanfic (by the way, she already ships Rune and Eusis), I found it even harder to take my “she must be a secret enemy” idea seriously. I felt twitchy, constantly expecting enemies where there were none. I can only hope that, if I read on, enemies pop out from every corner and the politics becomes darker and twistier.
All in all, this book was okay, but I wish it hadn't taken so long to get to the part where Firiel found out about the true origins of her necklace. The potential for political intrigue made me want to read on, as did the bits and pieces of the mystery of Firiel's parents' past (Firiel's father's astrological research is considered heretical. Fairy tales are also considered to be heretical, and Firiel is one of the few who knows them.). However, the amount of slogging I had to do to get through the first part of this book makes me hesitate to hunt down the next one.
Other Comments:
There were some editing issues: occasional missing words and forgotten closing quotation marks.
Extras:
This isn't exactly an extra but, as with most light novels I've read, there were black-and-white illustrations. I had trouble reconciling my mental image of Eusis with the illustrations of him (unless those were actually of Lot?).
One extra I would have loved to have seen was the family trees of the royal family and the Rolands. I had some trouble keeping the names and relationships straight. I suppose that's sad, since only a few people have been mentioned so far.
(Original review, with read-alikes, posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
The story also became surprisingly dark. Firiel's perfect little life came crashing down around her ears. She, a naive, cheerful, fairly protected young girl, suddenly found herself dealing with death, abandonment, and the uncovering of all kinds of family lies. After how light and fluffy much of the previous book had been, I was surprised at the scene in which Rune was beaten. It wasn't “on page,” but it was still more violence than I had expected. To be clear, I didn't consider this a drawback, it just didn't seem to fit with the way the book began.
I can't say I disliked Firiel, but I was frustrated with her. It's unfair of me, because she did live such a quiet and sheltered life. Even so, I considered Rune's cynicism to be a breath of fresh air. His hard life prior to becoming Firiel's father's apprentice had taught him how untrustworthy some people could be, and there were times I wish Firiel had listened to Rune more. Of course, if she had, there probably wouldn't have been much of a story.
As dazzled as Firiel was by Eusis and Eusis by Firiel, there are already hints of a potential love triangle: I have a feeling Rune has a crush on Firiel. I couldn't help but wince when Firiel told him he was like her brother. Anyway, so far the danger and politics are more interesting than the romance. Unfortunately, I kept expecting things to become more complicated than they did. For example, Adale was so incredibly good, charming, beautiful, and wonderful that I absolutely knew she had to secretly be evil. Her invitation to Firiel to stay the night was really a way to keep an eye on someone who might become her rival (I somehow doubt that Firiel won't eventually become a potential heir to the throne). Except that didn't turn out to be the case. Not once did Adale act like anything other than a loving new friend and cousin. When Adale admitted to writing fanfic (by the way, she already ships Rune and Eusis), I found it even harder to take my “she must be a secret enemy” idea seriously. I felt twitchy, constantly expecting enemies where there were none. I can only hope that, if I read on, enemies pop out from every corner and the politics becomes darker and twistier.
All in all, this book was okay, but I wish it hadn't taken so long to get to the part where Firiel found out about the true origins of her necklace. The potential for political intrigue made me want to read on, as did the bits and pieces of the mystery of Firiel's parents' past (Firiel's father's astrological research is considered heretical. Fairy tales are also considered to be heretical, and Firiel is one of the few who knows them.). However, the amount of slogging I had to do to get through the first part of this book makes me hesitate to hunt down the next one.
Other Comments:
There were some editing issues: occasional missing words and forgotten closing quotation marks.
Extras:
This isn't exactly an extra but, as with most light novels I've read, there were black-and-white illustrations. I had trouble reconciling my mental image of Eusis with the illustrations of him (unless those were actually of Lot?).
One extra I would have loved to have seen was the family trees of the royal family and the Rolands. I had some trouble keeping the names and relationships straight. I suppose that's sad, since only a few people have been mentioned so far.
(Original review, with read-alikes, posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
May 8, 2010
I got Volume 2 for Christmas and aftre reading it really needed Volume 1 to fill in all the blacks from reading the next one instead of starting form the beginning. So I picked this up....and right away from reading felt as if someone had read my mind, taken everything I really loved and enjoyed and made it into one single book that I could hold, relish and enjoy.
Boy was this a diamond-in-the-ruff for me! the cover was surprising and so was the title. I had hoped 'Please don't let this be some book about crazed witches fighting over one guy or something!' and that's exactly what didn't happen.
There aren't any books or manga I could compare this too, and that's the main reason why I love the Japanese culture, manga artists and manga authors - they are sooo creative. Even though they don't know much about europe and our cultures there they still did a fantastic job trying their best and coming up with this result - a well-written, perfectly paced pure-bred fantasy story - something I can be extremely happy of buying.
Thank you Chapters for your amazing stock of manga books - if it weren't for you and your Christmas sales, I never would have found this series! You have my undying thank you!
Boy was this a diamond-in-the-ruff for me! the cover was surprising and so was the title. I had hoped 'Please don't let this be some book about crazed witches fighting over one guy or something!' and that's exactly what didn't happen.
There aren't any books or manga I could compare this too, and that's the main reason why I love the Japanese culture, manga artists and manga authors - they are sooo creative. Even though they don't know much about europe and our cultures there they still did a fantastic job trying their best and coming up with this result - a well-written, perfectly paced pure-bred fantasy story - something I can be extremely happy of buying.
Thank you Chapters for your amazing stock of manga books - if it weren't for you and your Christmas sales, I never would have found this series! You have my undying thank you!
January 5, 2009
For those who are familiar with the works of Noriko Ogiwara (specifically Dragon Sword and Wind Child) they're likely to be surprised by the latest translation of her work.
Good Witch of the West is her take on the fairy tails of old Europe. It's a far throw from the beautiful epic tale of Dragon Sword, set in Feudal Japan, but Ogiwara does a great job. The tale is a bit slow and is more character-driven than anything, but you have to remember, this is the first in a long series of books under the "light-novel" category. A series which TokyoPop unfortunately decided to ax after 2 volumes and less than favorable sales (mainly due to poor marketing on their part) along with many other great light-novel series. So I have to suggest, if you're interested in the series, which is now out of print, you may want to grab the only 2 books that were released while they're still around.
But I digress.
The Girl of Sera Field is a great first entry into the world of western fairy tales and I really enjoyed reading something new from Noriko Ogiwara. Well, new to America, that is. Definitely give this a look after Dragon Sword and Wind Child.
Good Witch of the West is her take on the fairy tails of old Europe. It's a far throw from the beautiful epic tale of Dragon Sword, set in Feudal Japan, but Ogiwara does a great job. The tale is a bit slow and is more character-driven than anything, but you have to remember, this is the first in a long series of books under the "light-novel" category. A series which TokyoPop unfortunately decided to ax after 2 volumes and less than favorable sales (mainly due to poor marketing on their part) along with many other great light-novel series. So I have to suggest, if you're interested in the series, which is now out of print, you may want to grab the only 2 books that were released while they're still around.
But I digress.
The Girl of Sera Field is a great first entry into the world of western fairy tales and I really enjoyed reading something new from Noriko Ogiwara. Well, new to America, that is. Definitely give this a look after Dragon Sword and Wind Child.
August 8, 2011
First of a series of light novels, so far significantly less impressive than the Magatama series. Ogiwara's take on Western fairy tales (one character is called, embarassingly, "Rune Ltskin," as an easier version of "Rumplestiltkin"), set in a kinda-sorta-medievalish-Europish fairytale setting. The land of Graal is ruled by "The Good Witch of the West," a long-lived queen who is about to select her heir. Firiel, an innocent girl from nowhere, becomes entangled in what turns out to be part of the struggle for the succession.
A lot of the characterization feels rote shojo manga, but I'm curious enough about some of the details (especially why fairy tales are considered heretical) that I'll definitely read the next novel and probably read as much of the manga as got published before Tpop dissolved. (The English translations of the novels died an earlier death; like most of Tpop's book line, they had slapdash marketing and no success.)
A lot of the characterization feels rote shojo manga, but I'm curious enough about some of the details (especially why fairy tales are considered heretical) that I'll definitely read the next novel and probably read as much of the manga as got published before Tpop dissolved. (The English translations of the novels died an earlier death; like most of Tpop's book line, they had slapdash marketing and no success.)
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews