Witchlore follows Orlando (Lando), a shapeshifter at a witchcraft college, who is often ostracized and targeted because they’re the only shifter amongst a student body of witches.

Other students distrust and sometimes abuse Lando, including because Lando refuses to choose a gender and cannot do basic magic or maintain a base form. Elizabeth, Lando’s girlfriend and the one witch that seemed to understand them, ends up dying while trying to perform a spell. Lando blames themself for Elizabeth’s death and returns to school only because additional supports are put in place for them.

Bastian, a new student, befriends and wants to help Lando, including with a spell to bring Elizabeth back. Yet the magic involved and Bastian’s unclear past make it uncertain whether Lando should trust him and others—especially as the stakes are raised and the risks that must be taken increase over time. 

Overall, the storyline was intriguing and the differences in magical beings allowed the author to address prejudices, choosing to be yourself in spite of those negative impacts, and finding allies.  It also provided a fantastical realm to help address the concept of being nonbinary, even with societal and familial pressure to make a choice. The world building was really interesting, especially given it is set in modern times but has a full backstory of magical lore beyond the typical. I enjoyed where the author pulled from historical/traditional magical mentions (e.g., Merlin, boggarts, kelpies) but also created a unique system in which it operates. I could see Witchlore being expanded into either a prequel or a sequel, depending on plot. 

Trigger warnings include death, suicide, mental health struggles, prejudice, bigotry, and discussion of war. This definitely seems like it is on the mature end of YA as a result of those mentions.

Witchlore will be published on October 14, 2025.