10 Spellbinding YA Books About Witches

Edited by Ezvid Wiki Editorial on 9 May 2019

From Hecate to Sabrina, witches have been featured in beloved works of fiction for centuries. Whether they use their powers for good or evil, magic-users make fascinating characters that often manage to be extremely relatable, despite their supernatural abilities. The young adult books listed here explore everything from family struggles to self-discovery through the lens of witchcraft. This video was made with Ezvid Wikimaker.

10 Spellbinding YA Books About Witches

Title Author(s)
1. The Lost Witch Melvin Burgess
2. The Witch's Kiss Katharine Corr & Elizabeth Corr
3. Nightingale Erica Cope
4. Being a Witch, and Other Things I Didn't Ask For Sara Pascoe
5. The Last Witch Debbie Dee
6. The Witch Hunter Virginia Boecker
7. The Skinwalker's Apprentice Claribel Ortega
8. Buried Magic T.J. Green
9. Wicked Sense Fabio Bueno
10. Bewitching Hannah Leigh Goff

How To Get Into the Halloween Spirit

Reading about witches is fun all year long, but it's especially great when everyone is getting into the spooky spirit to prepare for Halloween. Try a few of these ideas this October, or whenever you feel like adding a little extra creepiness into your life.

8 Great Films About Witches

  1. Practical Magic (1998)
  2. The Witches (1990)
  3. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
  4. Twitches (2005)
  5. Hocus Pocus (1993)
  6. Bewitched (2005)
  7. Halloweentown (1998)
  8. Teen Witch (1989)

The History of Witches

In Depth

Magical powers might seem like they'd make everything easier, but being a witch can cause plenty of problems. Dealing with life-threatening curses and ancient prophecies isn't exactly a walk in the park. If you love thrilling books about adventurous witches, be sure to check out these ten spellbinding Y.A. books, listed here in no particular order.

First up, at #1, we have "The Lost Witch" by Melvin Burgess. Bea is a seemingly normal girl, but when she starts experiencing strange visions, a group of strangers approaches her and warns her that she's being hunted. After discovering that she has magical powers, she is suddenly captured by a mysterious man named Lars, who tries to convince her to leave her family. Unsure who she can trust, Bea will have to rely on her own wit to survive.

Next, at #2, is "The Witch's Kiss" by Katharine and Elizabeth Corr. When she was a young girl, Meredith discovered her magical abilities, but nobody was around to train her. Now a teenager, she learns about an ancient curse cast by a wizard named Gwydion, which only she can break. With her older brother Leo, who doesn't have any special powers, by her side, she'll have to find a way to fulfill her destiny and defeat Gwydion once and for all.

With her older brother Leo, who doesn't have any special powers, by her side, she'll have to find a way to fulfill her destiny and defeat Gwydion once and for all.

At #3 is "Nightingale" by Erica Cope. Wren Fairchild has no memory of who she is or how she ended up in a Light Elf kingdom. She eventually meets Greyson St Clair, the Consul to Queen Mia of Alfheim. He doesn't trust Wren, but in order to learn more about her true nature, he'll have to help her regain her memories. Together, the pair must travel to the one place that can reveal the truth about the past, unraveling shocking secrets along the way.

Next, at #4, is Sara Pascoe's "Being a Witch, and Other Things I Didn't Ask for." Fourteen-year-old Raya is getting sick of foster care, so she sets out to live her own life. Upon arriving in London, she finds out that she can travel through time, and ends up stuck in 1645. Now Raya, her talking cat Oscar, and her tutor Bryony will have to work together to outsmart dangerous hunters and find a way back to present-day London.

At #5 is "The Last Witch" by Debbie Dee. Emmeline comes from a long line of witches who, throughout their lives, are forced to use their powers to serve others until they get completely drained of their magic and die. In order to protect her, Emmeline's father escapes into the forest and raises her in isolation. Sixteen years later, she discovers the truth about her heritage and is forced to marry a man she doesn't know. Will she be able to break free from her captors, or will she suffer the same fate as the rest of her kind?

Will she be able to break free from her captors, or will she suffer the same fate as the rest of her kind?

Next up, at #6, we have "The Witch Hunter" by Virginia Boecker. Elizabeth Grey is a skilled hunter who has dedicated her life to killing all sorts of magic users. When she's accused of practicing witchcraft and sentenced to death, a wizard named Nicholas Perevil offers to help her if she can break the curse that's been laid upon him. Now, she finds herself working with the same people she used to hunt for a living, becoming more sympathetic towards them in the process.

Next, at #7, is "The Skinwalker's Apprentice" by Claribel Ortega. Margo Pennyfeather is a young witch who is taken in as the apprentice of a renowned priestess. She soon realizes that her apprenticeship is merely a ploy to steal her powers, and now she has to fight for her life. Centuries later, a girl named Emerald Kipp is struggling to hide her magical abilities from the public. When she learns that something horrifying is after her powers, she has to come to terms with her true nature and dig deep into her family's past in order to survive.

At #8 is T.J. Green's "Buried Magic." Avery is a witch who lives in White Haven, a town full of residents who aren't aware that there are people like her living among them. One day, she receives an ominous premonition and a mysterious letter that reveals the truth about the magical families of her community. Now, Avery and her friends must band together and fight off a powerful adversary who's after something that belonged to their ancestors.

Now, Avery and her friends must band together and fight off a powerful adversary who's after something that belonged to their ancestors.

Next, at #9, is "Wicked Sense" by Fabio Bueno. In a reality where witches gather in covens around the globe, a girl named Skye is sent to Seattle to find the Singularity, a gifted individual who's unaware of the immense power she holds. Several obstacles stand in her way, such as a rival witch and an evil group that's also after the Singularity. With the help of her boyfriend Drake, she'll have to overcome the odds and save the covens from utter destruction.

Finally, at #10, we have "Bewitching Hannah" by Leigh Goff. Hannah never wanted to be a witch, but after her parents died, she was forced to live with her aunt at a coven in Annapolis. When she learns that she plays a pivotal role in an ancient prophecy where one witch must kill another, she can't suppress her magic any longer. Hannah is soon approached by a mysterious man known only as W, who offers to help her. Will she be able to master her abilities in time, or will she die at the hands of her counterpart?