Book Review: Witch in the Lighthouse

A delightfully cosy, Ghibli-esque fantasy from Azalea Forrest.

I love Studio Ghibli movies. I could endlessly rewatch almost all of them (sorry, Tales From Earthsea, you don’t quite cut the mustard). I know Azalea Forrest is a Ghibli fan as well. So, when I kept seeing Witch in the Lighthouse being described as “Ghibli-esque”, I knew I had to pick it up. You may recognise Azalea Forrest as being the first author to have an interview on this blog, so check it out here to learn more about her and her books.

Blurb

Moving to Lightview was supposed to be a new beginning for Magnolia Hanna, a piece of closure, a connection to her past. Inheriting her uncle's lighthouse wouldn't make her life easy, but she never expected such hostile neighbors. She was a witch from the hidden mountain hamlet of Emelle, after all, and Lightview hadn't housed a witch in more than a decade.

Unfriendly villagers are the least of her problems, however, when a witch named Basil Olivander arrives on her doorstep, weighed down by his own grief. Maggie soon learns why Lightview harbors such disdain for witches — and who is to blame for her troubles in this new town.

Review

Just from that blurb, you can immediately get the impression that this book takes a fair amount of inspiration from Kiki’s Delivery Service, and that’s a wonderful thing. I love that movie, and so do my kids. Unlike Kiki, however, Magnolia is an adult when she moves town following her uncle’s untimely death, and instead of starting a delivery service, she becomes the lighthouse keeper. Something I noticed when I re-watched the movie recently is that Kiki does hardly any magic at all - it’s pretty much restricted to her flying on a broom and talking to her cat familiar, Jiji. Witch in the Lighthouse, however, has much more magic in it - Maggie is adept at plant-based potions and uses a wand to cast spells. The book is then much more about Maggie winning over the townsfolk who are understandably mistrustful of witches ever since the last one caused problems.

I really enjoyed the plot of the book, which takes a slower pace and focuses on Maggie doing things like renovating the lighthouse, exploring the town, making friends, and getting the folk used to her presence. While I’d describe it as a cosy fantasy, it’s not quite as low-stakes as Legends & Lattes, for instance - there’s still some danger and threats to life present towards the latter half, whereas Legends only really goes as far as property damage. However, it is very mild and is wrapped up in an interesting way I didn’t expect. Though, I have to admit, I did think it was a bit unfair on Maggie.

Maggie is a great character; strong-willed, independent, and her insecurity about living in a town hostile to witches doesn’t stop her, in fact it seems to embolden her as she stubbornly refuses to let it get her down. We switch POVs to some of the other supporting characters who become Magnolia’s friends, on occasion, and also to Basil who is Maggie’s total polar opposite. He’s emotionally unstable and arrogant, which provides the perfect contrast.

The worldbuilding is fairly minimal, which is pitched at the perfect level for this type of story. The town really felt alive and Azalea nailed that Ghibli-esque vibe and a nostalgia/longing for a place or time you’ve never been. I also enjoyed the subtle restraints on the magic system, as well as the system’s accessibility to ordinary folk.

Overall, I would definitely recommend picking this one up if you’re after a slower pace, especially if you love Kiki’s Delivery Service.