The Ink Witch by Steph Cherrywell is a delightfully quirky, laugh-out-loud cozy fantasy brimming with magic, mischief, and heart. Bored of life at her family’s Cape Disappointment Beach Inn, Becca Slugg gets far more excitement than she bargained for when her sinister witch aunt unleashes a devastating ink spell, leaving her mother an empty shell. With a snarky tarantula familiar and a genial ice-machine-dwelling troll as her unlikely allies, Becca embarks on a whirlwind quest for bizarre magical ingredients, all while uncovering the truth about her own witchy heritage. Cherrywell’s charming, fast-paced tale blends whimsical worldbuilding, witty banter, and a heartfelt coming-of-age arc, making it an irresistible adventure for fans of offbeat, feel-good fantasy.

I was hooked from the description and cover and was so glad I was able to read this. It had that elmeent that I enjoyed from the children's fiction and enjoyed the idea of being a descendant of a powerful witch. It uses the cozy fantasy element that I was looking for and enjoyed the overall feel that the world was developed in this. Steph Cherrywell has a strong writing style and the characters were so well written and enjoyed the overall feel.

The Ink Witch was full of magic and adventure following Becca as she learns she is a descendent of a witch coven. My 10-year-old thought the story was funny and loved Becca.

The transgender aspect of the main character was used to move the plot ahead without being preachy. For this reason, I enjoyed the rest of the book much more than I thought I would since at first I thought that the topic of gender was subterfuge a preachy story rather than ending up as a plot method. That being said, I also enjoyed that the book didn't start out as a witchy fantasy and allowed the reader to take the main character's journey with her. The storytelling was smooth and interesting, and I liked that I wasn't inundated with too many characters (i.e., names) to remember. The storytelling descriptions were enough to keep the twisting characters from getting muddy. Unique method of witchcraft (ink spells) was also a good way to keep the story interesting. Probably will get this for my middle school library collection.