The Banned and The Banished Saga, Books 1-5 (Wit’ch Fire,Wit’ch Storm,Wit’ch War,Wit’ch Gate,Wit’ch Star) by James Clemens

The Banned and The Banished Saga, Books 1-5 (Wit’ch Fire,Wit’ch Storm,Wit’ch War,Wit’ch Gate,Wit’ch Star) Reviews

• 
  Jean Booth

  I absolutely love this series! I picked up the first one for free on my Nook, and had to get the rest to see what happened! The way James introduces the books sucked me in and made me smile. I actually want to find a place that really does study this series!
  Full of action, suspense, love, and intrigue.
  If you like witches, magic, or being fully immersed into a story pick this series up. You won't regret it.
  I've read it twice so far, and will most likely read it a few more times.
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  Ginny Ryan

  Have read some superb series in my time and found these little gems in a secondhand bookshop! Fantastic - definitely give a go - they're one of my go-to book sets alongside Robert Jordan and terry goodkind!
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  Lydia

  This is probably one of my favorite series and I have not yet even finished the series. But the writing is so strong and the character development is active. The fantasy storyline (though familiaric) is classically elegant. I'd been so bored with this genre (and fantasy is my favorite genre!) until a friend lent me this. I fell in love, I haven't enjoyed something like this, this much in so long.
• 
  Carrie-Anne O'Driscoll

  Truly amazing. A world apart from his "Rollins" work and yet still has all of the "Rollins" flavor. Witches, ogres, and all sorts of creepy creatures follow a young witch from girlhood to adulthood and beyond. Throw in some mermaids and you've got a win!
• 
  Mercedes Dia

  I loved this series!
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  Steven Phillips

  Reading series for the 2nd time. is a well thought out and written story and I enjoyed it immensely and have no doubt will again this time, and in the future to come...
• 
  K

  This is one of those book series that just speaks to me, for whatever reason. I've reread these possibly more than any other books I own.
  Trailing the interweaving stories, learning the truth of the fall of Chi, and the rise of Cho, and everything else... it was amazing to me. The worldbuilding hooked me in, the characters were all interesting people -the ogres? I could have read several more books about this world.
  And I loved that each book opens with a warning, and the place to sign your name, etc. The twist with Joach, and everything else... the way that it breaks my heart, and at the same time was a fairly uplifting tale.
  
  When they talk about how living was enough, and what of Elena and Er'ril? They lived. And as a kid reading these, I oh so hoped the witch star would fade, and that the world would change again. I was so enraptured I wanted to believe even though I knew it was fake.
  Each sacrifice in the story made sense, and I frequently grieve the losses all over again when I reread them. It's a kind of deep seated pain that even thinking about them and it's been a while since I re-read, the feelings all come up fresh again.
  
  I cannot recommend these enough.
• 
  Morgane Giraudeau

  Listen... This is one of my favourite sagas ever. So I can't even talk about it without fangirling.
  
  You just have to read it to understand. I read these books when I was very young (maybe a little too young but heh). Still today, I reread it and I'm as hyped as I was almost ten years ago.
  I don't even have a favourite character because they're all so well-written and strong-willed. The main character is amazing and it's really empowering to follow her evolution throughout the books. As a woman, to have such a great female character written was really comforting and empowering for a the young girl that I was. I kind of grew up with her.
  This was really the saga that git me into Adult Fantasy. So I can only thank James Clemens for his work.
  
  Anyhow, read it and you'll understand what all the fuss is about.
  
  TW though (because I was not aware of it at the time and it kind of traumatised me): spiders (a lot of them) from the second book on.
  
• 
  Emmy Vanderheijden

  Love this series. Have them all in hardcopy, so have been on the shelve for a long time. One of the all-time favourites, worth a re-read now and again. Stays with you and characters become like old friends.
• 
  Matt

  I adore this series. I don't read too much fantasy, though I do like the genre. A friend got me into this series over a decade ago and I tore through it. I picked it back up a couple of years ago and paused for some reason. Just over a month ago, I picked it back up, right in the middle of Book 3. I've hardly been able to put it back down. I'm almost done with the final book again.
  
  I think Clemens writes grim, dark, and disturbing quite well. He creates fearsome creatures and difficult scenarios to overcome for the characters in them. He writes characters very well, too. In my opinion, the female characters are better written than the males, which isn't a bad thing.
  
  Where the books sag is the dialogue. It's just not natural. My biggest complaint about the books is that everyone cries...a lot. No matter how hard the heart or fierce the character, it takes very little for a character to get teared up. The sentimental stuff is groan-worthy. Many characters fall in love and get emotional and most of it could be avoided, in my opinion.
  
  Still, I recommend this series to any good fantasy lover. I think that I'll read this series at least once or twice more in my lifetime.
• 
  Sasha

  One of my favorite fantasy series! It's got it all!!
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  Tracy

  I've never thought of myself as a scuff or fantasy fan, but I really enjoyed this series.