By Alaina Leary

Today we are thrilled to reveal the cover for Eva Evergreen and the Cursed Witch by Julie Abe. Cover art by Shan Jiang and design by Karina Granda. The book will be released on August 3, 2021, by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. Read our Q&A with Julie Abe about the first book in the Eva series, named one of the Best Middle Grade Books of 2020 by Kirkus Reviews. Pre-order Eva Evergreen and the Cursed Witch here.

The thrilling sequel to Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch, in which Eva must put a stop to the terrifying Culling or risk the fate of Rivelle Realm forever—perfect for fans of Kiki’s Delivery Service.

From this day forward, we will believe in the impossible.

Eva Evergreen has fulfilled her dream of earning the rank of Novice Witch and uncovered the chilling truth behind the mysterious Culling—the dangerous magical storm wreaking havoc across Rivelle Realm.

Revealing the truth, however, proves to be a difficult task, and soon the culprit is at large. To make matters worse, Eva discovers a possible connection between her pinch of magic and her mother’s own mysterious ties to the Culling. 

With her spirits at an all-time low, Eva must gather the courage to prove her mother’s innocence and learn to believe in her own magic if she wishes to put a stop to the Culling once and for all.

Hi, Julie! Give us a quick introduction to the series, and a (spoiler-free) introduction to Book Two.

Hi Alaina and the WNDB team! Thank you for having me back for the Eva Evergreen and the Cursed Witch cover reveal.

Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch (book one) follows the journey of twelve-year-old Eva, a girl with a pinch of magic who must pass her witch’s quest or she will lose her powers forever. Eva Evergreen and the Cursed Witch (book two) picks up right where the first book finished, but it’s a completely new adventure where Eva and her friends must fight against terrifying odds and find the strength to win against seemingly impossible possibilities. There’s also plenty of tasty Japanese food descriptions, like in book one, that I wrote while very hungry (as usual).

A question from all of us very invested in Ember from Book One. Is our favorite little flamefox going to be featured in Book Two?

Definitely! Eva and Ember are my favorite dynamic duo! And there are lots of beautiful chapter headers from Shan Jiang, with Ember prominently featured ( a few in particular that just make my heart melt), so keep an eye out for those!

Tell us about the process behind the cover – how was it created?

The team at Little, Brown Young Readers outdid themselves! Karina Granda from the LBYR team developed the cover design. From there, Shan Jiang, the absolutely talented illustrator from book one, took it away and added his own touch of magic to bring Eva, Ember, and the beauty of Rivelle Realm to life. I am so grateful for such a talented cover designer and illustrator!

What scene was the most fun to write?

The final scene—without huge spoilers!—was so much fun to write. It was a scene I’d been imagining ever since I started writing Eva’s story, and it has a strong Japanese influence from my childhood… I hope readers will love the last chapter as much as I do!

Last question: Where can readers order Eva Evergreen and the Cursed Witch?

Anywhere books are sold—but my local indie (Once Upon a Time Bookstore) will have signed copies! Keep your receipts for a really fun preorder campaign that I’ll be announcing details about as we get closer to publication. Thanks for joining me in celebrating my cover reveal for Eva Evergreen and the Cursed Witch!

Follow Julie on Instagram or sign up for her newsletter to get behind-the-scenes peeks into her writing process and updates on her preorder campaign.

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Julie Abe is the author of the Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch middle grade fantasy series. She has lived in Silicon Valley, spent many humid summers in Japan, and currently basks in the sunshine of Southern California with never enough books or tea. Keep up Julie’s latest books and adventures at www.julieabebooks.com.

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Alaina (Lavoie) is the communications manager of We Need Diverse Books. She also teaches in the graduate department of Writing, Literature, and Publishing at Emerson College and is a book reviewer for Booklist. She received a 2017 Bookbuilders of Boston scholarship for her work in the publishing industry. Her writing has been published in New York Times, Teen Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Refinery29, Allure, Healthline, Glamour, The Oprah Magazine, and more. She currently lives in Boston with her wife and their two literary cats. Follow her @AlainasKeys on Instagram and Twitter.