The Whitby Witches
#5703.98 adjusted 3.97 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 7 books Status Complete 1991–2021 Reading commitment High Robin Jarvis Last reviewed 2026-11-02
Overview
Robin Jarvis, a British author of children's and young adult dark fantasy, set a run of novels in the North Yorkshire seaside town of Whitby. The Whitby Witches (1991), A Warlock in Whitby (1992) and The Whitby Child (1994) follow orphaned siblings Ben and Jennet, who live with the witch Alice Boston and face the curse on the dwarf-like Fisher Folk and a series of sea and spirit menaces. Jarvis returned to the town in the four-book Witching Legacy (2016-2021), in which teenagers Lil and Verne help the witch Cherry Cerise against the villain Mister Dark. The final Witching Legacy novel, Legacy of Witches, appeared in 2021 and concludes that series.
Urban fantasy, Dark fantasy · For Middle grade
Core Canon: Reading Order (7 works) counts toward ranking
The Whitby Witches Robin Jarvis
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Whitby Witches | 1991 | 1 | core | 3.89 (1,846 ratings) |
 | A Warlock in Whitby | 1992 | 2 | core | 4.07 (530 ratings) |
 | The Whitby Child | 1994 | 3 | core | 4.12 (469 ratings) |
Orphans Ben and Jennet live with the witch Alice Boston in Whitby and defend the town against supernatural threats.
The Witching Legacy Robin Jarvis
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Power of Dark | 2016 | 1 | core | 3.96 (207 ratings) |
 | The Devil's Paintbox | 2017 | 2 | core | 4.20 (96 ratings) |
 | Time of Blood | 2017 | 3 | core | 4.29 (72 ratings) |
 | Legacy of Witches | 2021 | 4 | core | N/A |
Teenagers Lil and Verne help the witch Cherry Cerise against the villain Mister Dark in modern Whitby.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Whitby Witches? The Whitby Witches's Core Canon is 7 books.
- What is the reading order for The Whitby Witches? Publication order, starting with The Whitby Witches. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is The Whitby Witches finished? Complete (1991–2021).
- How much reading does The Whitby Witches take? High reading commitment (estimated from 7 Core Canon books).
- How is The Whitby Witches ranked? #570 in this site's official ranking, based on 3,220 reader ratings across 6 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #570?
Ranked #570 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.98 across 6 core books.
- A smaller readership (3,220 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Less than 0.01 behind #569, The Invisible Library (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.46.
One Core Canon book here doesn't have a recorded rating yet and isn't counted above: “Legacy of Witches” (awaiting ordinary reader-rating data collection. It will be folded back into this universe's ranking once its rating is recorded.).
Why explore this universe?
Well rated · 7 books · Complete · 3k ratings · Ranks #570 overall
Good choice if you want a long-running urban fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (7 Core Canon books)
- The Whitby Witches (1991)
- A Warlock in Whitby (1992)
- The Whitby Child (1994)
- The Power of Dark (2016)
- The Devil's Paintbox (2017)
- Time of Blood (2017)
- Legacy of Witches (2021)
Documented internal/story order
- The Whitby Witches (1991)
- The Power of Dark (2016)
- A Warlock in Whitby (1992)
- The Devil's Paintbox (2017)
- The Whitby Child (1994)
- Time of Blood (2017)
- Legacy of Witches (2021)
Awards (verified)
- No awards found for this universe.
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Suggestions computed from what The Whitby Witches and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- Kingdom Keepers Urban fantasy · Complete · High commitment · 4.03
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- The Wardstone Chronicles Dark fantasy · Complete · High commitment · 4.14
- The Deptford Mice Dark fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 3.98
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.98 across 3,220 ratings on 6 Core Canon books. 1 additional Core Canon book hasn't been rated yet, so it isn't counted here. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Canon Extension: 28 universes; Greyhawk gains three novels; 2 candidates ruled out accepted 2026-11-02
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Robin Jarvis, Wikipedia Tier 2
- The Power of Dark, Wikipedia Tier 2
- The Whitby Witches, Wikipedia Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-11-02
Rule: Core Canon = the Whitby Witches trilogy (The Whitby Witches, 1991, to The Whitby Child, 1994) and the Witching Legacy quartet (The Power of Dark, 2016, to Legacy of Witches, 2021).