Nobliaux et Sorcières

Disclaimer: you have to read all other witches stories prior to this one to enjoy it the most.

I cried several times reading this. Even aside a masterful narration, full of foresight and meticulous planning, this book is simply too wholesome and romantic in the best way possible.

I liked the wordplay on discussing the traits of elves. While I was learning English, I was always perplexed by the etymology of the word "terrific".

With all the fine details feeding off each other, perhaps my favorite one is the bag of sweets quote from the elf queen:

“There’s no trickery here,” said the Queen. “No silly women with bags of sweets.”

“You noticed that, did you?” said Granny. “Gytha meant well, I expect. Daft old biddy. Mind if I sit down?”

“Of course you may,” said the Queen. “You are an old woman now, after all.”

She nodded to the elves. Granny subsided gratefully on to a rock, her hands still tied behind her.

“That’s the thing about witchcraft,” she said. “It doesn’t exactly keep you young, but you do stay old for longer. Whereas you, of course, do not age,” she added.

“Indeed, we do not.”

“But I suspect you may be capable of being reduced.”