The Witch King

Gr 9 Up–Just as trans witch Wyatt begins to feel comfortable in his new life with his adopted human family and best friend Briar, he is ripped away from the human world and forced to face his traumatic past as the chosen mate of the future king of the fae. In Edgmon’s complex fantasy society embedded in our contemporary world, the fae are the conservative ruling elite, hiding from humans and oppressing an underclass of witches. As the only witch in his fae family, Wyatt grew up between two worlds, made safe only by the favor of Emyr, the future ruler who chose him as his future mate. Now, having transitioned and escaped in the wake of a disaster that turned the fae world against him, Wyatt finds himself back in a deeply divided society, where Emyr’s progressive policies face violent conservative backlash that spells danger for all those who deviate from “the ways of Faery.” This book masterfully weaves Wyatt’s re-traumatization, his complicated feelings about his former best friend and love interest, Emyr, and his desire to escape a destiny that he never chose. Wyatt’s personal conflict is set against a world that is imperfect but changing, as its people begin to face the systemic oppression that has shaped their society. While the book’s length and convoluted plot may put off some readers, its rich worldbuilding and LGBTQIA+ representation, including a wide range of trans, nonbinary, and queer characters, will excite fantasy fans looking for a new world to explore. Wyatt is described as white, Briar is Seminole and Diné, Emyr and his mother have dark skin, and secondary characters within the fae world have a variety of skin tones and implied ethnicities.