Two fascinating male protagonists, beautiful imagery, and frightening Gormy men made from the earth - what more could you want in a book? Full of mystery and intrigue, I kept reading to find out what was going on and who was/were the bad guys. Loved it! ( )

The witches on the mountain take a tithe and cast the bones to prophesy and keep the villagers safe. This is how it is, and how it has been since the terrible war when the black haired singing sorcerers were banished into the Bitter Lands.

Now the prophesies are running amok and Ryder, who never believed in them in the first place, has to find a way to pull his mother back from madness and protect his sisters and save the Witchlands from danger. Because the war isn't over. It's beginning again and there are secrets in the mountain that will make all the difference in the coming conflict.

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So, I had no clue what this book was about when I picked it up. My sister had seen it at the library and asked me to pick it up when I went back because she thought it looked good. And it is a very pretty book. It's got a nice subtle cover that is amazing in it's quietness. After I got it home, I read the inside flap cover and decided that I had to read this book immediately.

It's a fantasy novel through and through. It follows Ryder - a teenager that lives in the Witchlands. Their village is protected by the witches who live up on the mountain in their covens. The witches protect the village and warn of dangers. But Ryder is convinced that it is all a fake. He thinks that the witches are charlatans and that they are just stealing the villagers food and wealth through their tithes. This belief is reinforced when their village is attacked with no warning from the witches of the dangers.

Then, there's Falpian. He's a Baen and the sworn enemy of Ryder. The two of them stumble upon each other and an unique connection and friendship forms between them.

I LOVED this story. I resented any time that I had to put it down and was so upset when I finished it. I felt like I'd lost two new friends. I thought that Lena Coakley's writing was beautiful and poetic. She did a terrific job writing two different male points of view. The world was nicely developed. She didn't muddle up her story with romance for either one of the guys. It was just a nice development of a friendship and fighting an evil that threatened both of their ways of life.

My only complaint is that the one time that I would really like for there to be a sequel in the works, I can't find any hint of one. Boo-hoo.

I recommend this book for anyone who likes a good old-fashioned fantasy. ( )

Something unique and different, very enjoyable. ( )

Witchlanders takes the typical “orphaned chosen one” idea and changes it up a bit. Witchlanders is almost like a fairy tale but it’s a little darker. Ryder doesn’t believe in the Red witches who use their power to protect the mountain valley. He’s skeptical and doesn’t believe their titles are deserved at all. The ancient enemies that they protect everyone from are long dead. He’s young, brash and skeptical of what he can’t see and understand. When he realizes that he is at the center of the change about to come he has to confront his beliefs and pursue the truth no matter the costs. ( )