I received Escape to Witch City by E. Latimer and was thrilled to read it. This is set in an alternate earth where magic is real, and the characters are exciting and take you on a grand journey into their lives and world. The story has suspense, and intrigue and captivates you from page one. The writing is dynamic and you can tell the author has a love for the characters in this book. I may have to re-read this one soon. ( )

Escape to Witch City follows Emma, a young royal who is Tested for witch blood and fails. In their kingdom witches are hunted and killed for having magic and for a historyof violence. Now, children are tested as well and disposed of if they show signs of witchcraft. Sadly Emma is one of those children. She often hears a noise - a heartbeat of others and she can make it stop if she chooses to. She has accidently done it a few times and she hates it. Now she and a few other witch children are on the run from the violent queen to find a mysterious witch sancuary called Witch City so that they don't need to live in fear.

This was such a fun adventure. The worldbuilding was great and creative and the characters were young yet smart and resourceful. It was nice to root for them as we followed them on their escape. I liked Emma and her story she was strong, determined, and a quick thinker. Her family was facinating and I loved the twists throughout the book. The magic was interesting and I would have loved to see more examples of the different types of magic people posessed but it was still well done and fun.

The plot was paced really well and the detail and worldbuilding was so good an kept me enthralled with the story. I was a little worried about the wrap up, but it worked out ok. it just happened very quickly. This was a quick read with lots of adventure, and I love a good story about witches so this was a fun one. If you are looking for a good stand-alone middle grade read, this could be a fun one for you. ( )

This was a very good middle grade fantasy. it was well written and had enough suspense to keep me interested in reading. My favorite part was watching the relationships build between the friends as they tried to find Witch City. ( )

A rich world reminiscent of kingdoms and magic embraces family secrets, a powerful queen, and friendship.

Emma is royalty, but that doesn't mean she wants anything to do with frilly dresses or the royal court. While hiding from all of it as long as she can in an abandoned wing of the castle, she hears the witch hunters discussing their latest target...and it happens to be her aunt, who disappeared years ago. But Emma has little time to dig into the mystery as Testing Day arrives. She's not a witch. She refuses to be. But the thumping in the back of her mind, when she gets upset, tells her otherwise. As her blood is tested, she has no idea of the secrets and adventures the results are about to expose.

This is a well written tale with tons of wonderful world-building. From the castle, where Emma's aunt rules as Queen...to the train....to Witch City and all the other places beyond, everything takes on a amazing vividness, which made it feel as if the scenes were coming alive. It was enjoyable to experience and visit.

The plot is well woven with unexpected twists and turns, tension, secrets, and heart. The characters' actions were understandable, and each one had their own personalities and hopes. The whole story flows smoothly and is well done. And yet, I really didn't get pulled in. While the first scene is grabbing, and Emma, the political situation, and her family situation are laid out with care. There weren't description or information dumps, and yet, some areas moved slow. I found myself skipping paragraphs here and there. The entire thing does pick up by the end to bring a tense and exciting finish. ( )

Emmaline Black does not get along with her mother - at all! In fact, she doesn't get along with most of her family, not her cousin Prince Edgar and especially not her aunt, Queen Alexandria. Her family came to power after defeating the witches in the Great War and the queen has made it her goal to completely stamp out witches. As a royal, Emma is expected to act and dress as such (think itchy and uncomfortable!!), but even royal blood doesn't get her out of the Testing. All 13-year-olds are required to get tested to make sure their blood doesn't have too much percentage of witch magic. Emma fears the testing, and for good reason. She and three other children are placed on the Witch Express and their real adventures begin. Is everything they've been told about witches true? What will become of them?

Personally, I really enjoyed this book. I felt it had a lot of suspense and kept the story moving. Chapters often ended on a cliff hanger that made you keep reading. There are plot twists and turns throughout the book and lots of clues that keep the reader engaged and questioning what will happen next. I found the characters were believable children with fears and questions but also moments of courage, growth and commitment to friendship. The story has a strong theme of forgiveness that is needed in today's world. While this story is wrapped up quite nicely, I could easily see (and hope for) a sequel. ( )