Thank you Scholastic Press, Claribel A Ortega, and Netgalley for this eARC!

Overview: After everything goes from bad to worse in Ravenskill, the Witchlings must once again venture off and find a way to save their home.

This was one of my most anticipated books of this year so I am absolutely honored to have had a chance to be an ARC reader.

Oh my STARS. I felt like I was holding my breath the entire time I read this. From the moment they ventured out of Ravenskill, I knew that I was in for a wild ride. The amount of growth and change that Seven, Valley, and Thorn was beyond their years but also perfect for them as individuals and a group. They spent the entire book with the weight of the world on their shoulders and they faced it together. The balance of tense moments and moments of humanity really made this book shine. There was an overwhelming sense of community through the allies they made. My heart was absolutely racing the last like 5 chapters of the book AND THAT ENDING!! I'm gonna need the 5th book as soon as humanly possible.

This was a perfect addition to the Witchling's series and I can't wait to see how this all wraps up!

Thank you Scholastic Press and NetGalley for the advanced electronic review copy of this book. Here is yet another great addition to the Witchlings series. I enjoyed returning to this world and going on yet another adventure with the same wonderful characters. This is the first time Seven, Valley, and Thorn venture outside of the Twelve Towns. Full of monsters, magic, adventure, and true friendship — this was a great read. Highly recommend!

Another fantastic Witchlings book. I love Seven, Thorn and Valley so much. They fight for each other, their families, their covens and their town. These are brave and loving little witches who continue to grow the circle of people they count as friends. This time they must forge beyond the borders of the Twelve Towns to Joor to find a magical scepter to help them defeat the memory stealing Ambert.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scholastic for this DRC.
#ScepterofMemoriesWitchlings4 #NetGalley

Secepter of Memories is the fourth book in the Witchlings series. While it is not necessary to have read the first three books to enjoy this one, we highly recommend reading them first to help with worldbuilding and understanding the characters.

Seven, Valley, and Thorn are determined to prove that being an Elephant House Coven witch (a coven once lost and forgotten about by evil magic) is an honor that others should not only be proud of but that the rest of the Twelve Towns should respect. But of course, it isn't quite that easy. Because Evil lives in their hometown of Ravenskill, and his name is Ambert Lophiifor.
When Seven's Uncle powers are revealed to be of the monstruo kind, the three witchlings escape into/ through the Grim, the monstruo forest, to find allies and gain the time they need to concoct a plan. (PS: this is the first book that takes Seven, Valley and Thorn outside of the Twelve Towns).

What to expect: magical war, monsters, good vs. evil, sassy pants main characters, unbreakable friendship, adventure, learning from one's elders (and discovering that they don't know everything best), and travel, cutest little brothers, first heartbreak/breakup, and first crushes... (This is a "kissing" book!)

Trigger Warnings/Content Warning: parents forgetting their children (due to a magic spell which is reversed at the end), Villain's disdain of one of his sons/ choosing one child over the other.

Rori's (9) Review: I just loved this book. It's probably one of my favorites. I especially liked that the Witchlings left their safe zone (the Twelve Towns) to save their family and friends. I liked the magic and especially Valley's relationship with her Nighbeast cub. <spoiler> I loved Delphi as a new character, because I thought she was dead. And Thorn's crush on Valley (Mom predicted it at the beginning of the book). </spoiler> I also loved that I got to read this book with my mom and my little sister, and it was a fun experience for all of us.

Mom's (older than 9) Review: I enjoyed reading this book with my girls. Not only did they ask for it but I had to stop myself from reading more after they went to bed. We loved reading the first three books together and it was a blessing to be able to read this one with them too... they are already asking me when we can read the 5th. What stands out to me in this book from the previous three is that this is the first time the Witchlings leave the Twelve Towns and explore the world outside. The book explores dictatorial governing bodies on a small (and in process power grab) as well as longer-standing/ established form. As well as how people who want to resist might be too fearful or weak to do so without encouragement and support. However, this is all done in an age-appropriate form. I also love that Seven, Valley, and Thorn are (not specifically stated but obviously) from three different cultural backgrounds, that their world is LGBTQ+ inclusive, includes some forms of technology, and gives preteens and teens more agency over their lives (as one would expect from a middle grade book). There are also themes of choosing to do the right thing/be good, acceptance of others, and taking responsibility for one's actions - things I try to teach my kids.

Bonus: Birdie's (6) Review: It was a little scary at times, but I couldn't wait for my mom to keep reading it to me at night. I wanna be Seven for Halloween, she's my favorite.

This was a fantastic installment in the Witchlings series. As always, the queer rep is incredible and the kids are written so realistically. This one held the most darkness for me so far, and I do struggle sometimes when kids are depicted as being in danger, but it was very much worth the read.