The Good Witch of the West: The Girl of Sera Field

I LOVE THIS SERIES! Ogiwara has obviously been studying western fantasy for a long time to come up with such delightful, well rounded characters and a detailed world for them to live in. Rune is by far my favorite character, followed by Firiel who starts out a bit timid, but grows into her own strong willed self. Princesses, courtly politics, hints of dragons, and a mystery surrounding her father's scientific research... this book has it all to give you a good read and start off what looks to be a great series.

I picked up "Good Witch of the West" because of the pretty artwork, but I've really gotten into it. The story starts off pretty typical. A country girl named Firiel Dee goes to the royal ball and catches the attention of the prince. Then the "shocking" discovery is made that she is the daughter of the long lost princess, and she herself is a princess. But when she returns home with her friend Rune, they are attacked by mysterious men in black robes. The story has hints that it's going to get more intricate and darker. Whatever Rune has been studying is called heresy by the queen, and there seems to be some sort of cover up. I like the characters, especially Firiel. She annoyed me a little in the first volume. She was a little too sweet and brave. But as I've read other volumes, she's won me over with her determined attitude. Firiel doesn't have any trouble standing up for herself, and she's not above going after revenge. I also like Adale's character. She's pretty and sweet, and seems submissive, but she's clever and takes charge when she wants to. As I've said, the art is beautiful. All the characters have pretty faces, and the girls have flowing hair and gowns. The backgrounds are beautiful too, with countryside and castles. The art's perfect for the fairy tale setting. The only problem is that the men tend to look a little cross-eyed when shown from a distance, but this is easily overlooked. "Good Witch of the West" is an often over-looked little gem. Don't make the mistake of passing it up.

This book, the first in a promising new fantasy series about a country girl who discovers she's the potential heir to a kingdom, is mostly about setup. This is hardly a surprise, though, since the popular Japanese book series it's based on is overflowing with diverse characters and intersecting plot lines. First and foremost is Firiel Dee, a kind, loving, spirited, fiercely loyal tomboy. Her father, fond of her though he is, is too busy working to give her the time of day. His foundling apprentice, the grim and scholarly Rune, won't talk to her if he can avoid it, and not very civilly when he can't. Her only really close friends are the elderly caretakers she lives with, and they kinda wish she were more feminine. At a royal party, Firiel is given the rare choice of living with a foster-family of noblemen, or going back to her humble home. She says she'd much prefer home, thank you--and says it without the copious hand-wringing and inner turmoil that accompanies the decision-making processes of your typical shoujo heroine. Firiel loves her little family, whatever they might think of her, and that's enough. In other words, Firiel is already shaping up to be a refreshing and winning new heroine. So it's all the more shocking when the very next day, she hurries home to find that home is gone: her caretaker friend is dead, her father has fled the country, and the caretaker's widow has just long enough to give a harrowing account of what happened, before she too is (presumably) destroyed. Since the book starts with only a miniscule 2-page backstory, readers are nearly as much in the dark as Firiel. But those two pages, as well as scraps and bits of what the characters at that royal party say or seem to say, hint at larger, darker things going on than one might find in the usual evil vs. good fantasy. Rune might know something, possibly more than anyone, but he's not telling . . . In that, Rune is intriguing. At first, Ogawara seems to be setting him up to be Firiel's companion and protector--Firiel all but bullies him into swearing to stay with her always--but then they are quickly seperated by the same mysterious cult that just destroyed Firiel's entire life. The cult leader addresses Rune as an ally. Rune hardly denies it, but nevertheless fights like anything to ensure Firiel's escape. Who IS this boy? Who are these people? Why do they hate Firiel, and her father, and his books so much that they'll kill anyone who's so much as looked at them? How do they know Rune? He was just a toddler when Firiel's father took him in. What on earth kind of a history could he have possibly had at that age? Firiel is left to find the answers on her own--and she's about as successful as any normal person who's just lost everything and everybody they ever cared about could be expected to be. She doesn't attract any cutely squabbling friends with magical superpowers to protect and guide her on the way, she doesn't grow more mature and steadfast