Creature Feature Friday: Witches

Alex from Electrifying Reviews is dropping in today to tell us where his paranormal love lies...

What is a witch?

A witch is, according to the dictionary, a woman thought to have evil magic powers. Well, witches in fiction can me a number of things... Some books portray characters with minor psychic powers to be witches. Some have Wiccan characters and call them witches. And some have children riding on broomsticks and going to school in a castle. In my opinion, a witch is a person who can perform magic. Simple as that.

Picture by Claudia of Phatpuppy Art.

What do you love about witches?
Wow, this one is easy! Witches can basically do anything. Yes, anything. They have magic! They can do more than live forever or grow hair from awkward places when the moon is out, they can literally do anything. Magic: who hasn't wanted to be able to cast a spell or two in their life? I know I have! Witches also have a great power, a power other paranormal creatures can only dream of. Sure they've been known to get caught and, well, burned at the stake, but other than that they are the supreme paranormal. If you had the chance to use magic, wouldn't you take it? Witches can be bad, good, beautiful, ugly, old, young. They can literally be anything the writer wants them to be because their lore can be changed by anyone. Sure, that can be true with all paranormal creatures, but witches have such real history and are still a prominent part of life today that they just seem more real than any other creature.

Favorite witch in fiction:

Yikes, this is hard. I guess I'd have to say Lena from Beautiful Creatures. Not because of her powers, but because of her as a character. I loved Lena in the first Caster Chronicles book. She was so spunky and cool and mysterious. Also, she's a witch. Double win.

Favorite witch in pop-culture:
This is gonna be embarrassing, but it's definitely Sabrina. Yes, Sabrina: The Teenage Witch. That show is so fun and Sabrina is so funny. That show is pure nostalgia, and if you haven't seen it you definitely should.

If you like witches, you should read...
Ooh, this is going to take a while. Okay, I guess I'll just shorten it to a few of my favorites.

• The Secret Circle: The Iniation & The Captive Part I by L.J. Smith --this is my favorite series of all time. (Also, a TV show based on the series premiers this fall!)
• The Secret Circle: The Captive Part II and The Power by L.J. Smith
• Spellbinder (Night World, #3) by L.J. Smith
• Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
• Witch Eyes by Scott Tracey
• Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz
• Harry Potter 1-7 by J.K. Rowling
• Sweep Vol. 1 by Cate Tiernan
• Sweep Vol. 2 by Cate Tiernan
• Sweep Vol. 3 by Cate Tiernan
• Sweep Vol. 4 by Cate Tiernan
• Sweep Vol. 5 by Cate Tiernan
• Firespell by Chloe Neill
• Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
• Dark Visions Series by L.J. Smith