An Alternate London: A Review of Hannah Mathewson’s Witherward

Picture a London that looks like our own, a London in which all the buildings, streets and landmarks look identical…and yet something feels different about the city. This London is comprised of six factions, all with different agendas, politics and moral standings. This London is wondrous, brimming with a plethora of magical beings and peculiarities at every corner. This London is teetering on the edge of disaster, with the civil relations between the aforementioned factions rapidly diminishing. If this is a fantasy universe that intrigues you, I’d highly recommend Witherward (2021), the first book in Hannah Mathewson’s up and coming fantasy series. 

Allow me to provide a brief synopsis: Isla, the novel’s feisty protagonist, is lurched out of the humdrum of the ‘real’ London and forced through a portal into the ‘Witherward’. Here, she discovers a London strikingly different from the one she grew up in as an impoverished stage girl and discovers her true identity as a heiress in the ‘Changeling’ faction of Camden Town. With this magical London on the brink of a civil war, she must band together with a clan of eclectic youths to save the city from internal destruction. Whilst the fantasy aspects of the book were often mature and well-written,  Mathewson also explicitly utilises a lot of ubiquitous tropes found in YA novels such as ‘found family’ and ‘enemies to lovers.’ Although this made for some cringe-worthy moments whilst reading, I actually enjoyed this book much more than I initially thought I would. One thing I particularly liked was how concisely and clearly it was written. Mathewson does a great job of providing readers with a sense of the lore and history surrounding this mythical realm, without bogging the plot down with excessive exposition. All of the Witherward’s factions are explored in detail by Mathewson, with some of the more notable ones including: The Changelings (who possess the ability to shapeshift into any being they wish), the Sorcerers (who perform traditional alchemy and magic), the Whisperers (who can read minds and manipulate thought), and the Oracles (who can ‘see’ the past, present and future). 

A real strength of the book is that the prose is easy to read and less dense than traditional fantasy series, although there are several significant place, object, and character names that you need to retain to fully understand everything that is happening. I did have an issue with the sheer excess of one-dimensional characters; some of them had very minimal roles or personalities within the text and thus felt unnecessary additions. Unlike other YA fantasy series, such as Leigh Bardugo’s ‘Grishaverse’ which features some of my favourite fictional characters of all time, I found it difficult to root for any of Mathewson’s characters aside from Isla. That said, it seems that Mathewson is willing to explore this world and these characters in further depth, evidenced by the release of the sequel Wayward in 2022. I’m looking forward to seeing what else she has in store for her readers in future! If you’re a fan of Six of Crows, Shadow and Bone, or the Narnia series, I’m certain you’ll love this ‘alternate universe’ story.