Review by Frank Plowright

Flight of the Witch is a very welcome return for Lucia Castillo, heir to the destiny and equipment of Don Quixote, keeping her community safe from mythical threats only she can truly see. Rise of the Knight was a coming of age story in which Lucia’s faith in herself and her instincts won out against community disapproval while simultaneously restoring her grandfather’s reputation.

Lucia enjoys being regarded as a hero, but it comes with extra responsibilities as everyone needs help of some kind. The pressing problem for the town is birds flying through windows and stealing jewellery, and while Lucia’s prime suspect is a woman who claims to be a retired witch, looking at her with the mystical helmet reveals no anomalies. Lucia has her own problems, though, as she’s falling behind on her school work.

As before, Rey Terciero and Monica M. Magaña combine to present a very likeable Lucia, trying to do the best for everyone. She’s appealing drawn by Magaña giving her an emotional weight, yet never forgetting she’s still a child taking on a lot of responsibility, and Mergaña’s designs for new threats also hit the mark. More obviously than last time, Lucia’s magical activities are surrounded in strands of distinctive colour.

Terciero plants messages in the stories,the primary one here being that no-one can go through life alone, and when there’s a friend willing to trust you and help you, perhaps you shouldn’t push them away. Lucia and her friend Sandro had a falling out in the previous book, and it happens again, this time because she’s being too bossy and not recognising that Sandro’s doing his best without the benefit of her magical powers. Another message concerns overcoming adversity and not giving up at the first hurdle, and persistence and self-belief have always been Lucia’s strengths.

For all that, though, there’s no forgetting the primary purpose is a stirring adventure for children, and that’s again provided. The problem is witches bearing grudges to the extent that they want to destroy the town. Lucia’s grandfather defeated them once before, but he had a magic sword, and that’s now missing. We already know Lucia as a problem solver, though. The lack of social relevance and fewer Spanish phrases mean this doesn’t quite hit the heights of Lucia’s introduction, but it’s still very enjoyable.