
As war comes to Helston and Dumoor becomes an uncertain haven, Callie, Willow, Elowen, and Edwyn must forge new paths if they ever want to see each other again—let alone the future they’ve all dreamed of. But doing that will mean facing their worst fears without the support, friendship, and camaraderie they’ve come to rely on from one another. And their failure will leave Helston and Dumoor alike bound for an even more terrible future than they could’ve imagined.
The Sir Callie series is truly one of the best middle-grade series I’ve ever come across, and this latest installment is no exception. Thoughtful, emotionally deep, and queer- and nonbinary-focused MG fantasy books are hard enough to come across on their own, but to find not just a standalone but an ongoing series that is all this and more is truly remarkable—and Sir Callie is exactly that. This third book in the ongoing series left me satisfied, validated, and wishing the fourth book was already out!
For me, the emotional heart of this book lies with Edwyn. He’s one of the most striking and real characters throughout the series (which is a hard distinction to make when every character is so incredible!), and seeing him come into his own during Sir Callie and the Witch’s War was truly wonderful. Anger, betrayal, love, hate, self-doubt—every one of his emotions jumps clearly off the page and makes me care about and sympathize with him even more.
Symes-Smith juggles the plotlines of Edwyn, Elowen, and Willow/Callie with flawless skill. Many middle grade books ignore the traumatic realities of young people, but this series never does, and instead of skirting around painful topics it faces them head-on and authentically portrays the challenge of loving and accepting yourself after struggling all your life to believe you deserve to be loved exactly for who you are. As someone whose own life has elements of these characters’ experiences, the validation and comfort in finding this reflected in a middle grade novel was incredibly healing, and I just want to reread it immediately now that I’m done.
This series truly keeps getting more and more incredible, and I can’t wait to read more about these characters and from this author! Highly recommended!
Thank you to NetGalley for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions expressed here are my own.