A witchy tale! I loved the overall plot of this book and I grew to love the characters too. I especially liked Anne!

Initially I found this book rather difficult to get into, however I stuck with it. I think it was the writing style that I found hard to personally connect with. However I also understand that other people would appreciate and enjoy this style of writing as it sounds more appropriate for the time in which the story is set.

On the other hand I really liked the overall idea of the plot and the story itself, however once more it was difficult at times for a smooth read due to the way it was written. I however cannot fault the core of the plot as I did enjoy that, I also think this would translate quite well into a film or television show.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this book as it was definitely an experience, however I did find it quite hard to connect with until the near end. But my love for Dill and especially Anne is still soaring high!

Witch follows Evey, a young woman used to living in the woods with her mother and little sister Dill. The three of them enjoy a quiet existence, occasionally coming to town to use their skills as witches to help those suffering sickness, or to help delivery babies. The three of them a good people, and haven't been hurtful to anyone, yet can't escape the brutal prejudices of their time.

When their mother is dragged from her home, beaten and killed by a group of witch hunters Evey and Dill are forced to flee the only home they've ever known. Setting out to find their aunt, Evey is consumed by only one thought, the thirst for revenge.

I was initially intrigued by the description for Witch, and have enjoyed similar books to this in the past. I was hoping for a book that would put Evey through a journey that would help her to learn about herself and her life as a witch, and whilst the book does give us this I never really connected with her as a character the way I wanted to.

The book is told from Evey's point of view, and as such we spend a lot of time getting to hear her thoughts and how she feels about everything that's happening. However, one of the downsides to this is that the majority of the book is written in some strange ways, using slang and language that's not quite familiar. Whilst this does help to make the book feel like it's happening in a different era, it sometimes made it hard to connect with Evey as a character as I wasn't completely sure what she was trying to say.

This happened a lot whilst Evey was talking with her sister Dill, mainly due to the two of them having this strange kind of shorthand, but did ease a little as the book went on and Evey was able to set out on her own as her mission for revenge begins for real.

Once Evey sets out to make her mothers killers pay the story actually moves quite quickly, and has a good pace as events unfold over what is only a day or two in the narrative. The benefit of this is that you never get a moment to really slow down and get bored. New characters are introduced pretty quickly, and weave in and out of the narrative at a pace that sometimes feels a little convenient at times though.

Despite the pace of the story, and the relatively short length of the book, it took me longer than I thought to actually get through the book. This was in part because once I put it down I was a little reluctant to go back to it. It took me a while to realise that this was despite how appealing the story sounded I never really felt gripped by it, and didn't really care how Evey's story went. Her quest for revenge never grabbed me because I never felt invested in her as a person. Yes, it was awful what happened to her family, but Evey just came across as jealous and self-centred, putting herself before anyone else, even her sister.

She's also incredibly reckless, and instead of plotting or planning how she can kill the man who murdered her mother she simply announces herself to them when she comes across them, which results in her having to run away, or be rescued by others. Once would have been bad enough, but the fact that she does it again really boggles the mind. Evey is a reckless and self centred protagonist that I found hard to like, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing, and speaks well to someone who might be going through trauma and still trying to find themselves in the world.

Witch was a book that I found difficult to get my head round at times, but was glad that I took the time to read. It was never what I was expecting, and managed to do some new and interesting things that definitely make it stand out. I can't guarantee that you'll enjoy reading this one, but it's one that will definitely stick in your mind for a good while.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for supplying an e-arc for an honest review.

2 stars

I really wanted to love and adore everything about this book but I just couldn't. It was the writing styles that did it for me, I just couldn't get into it, especially with the spelling to fit certain accents, it just kept throwing me off. I will say I did care for the sisters well beings but overall I was disappointed.

‘Witch’ is a relatively short novel, coming in under 300 pages, with a simple narrative; Evey and Dill’s mother, the town witch, is murdered by witch-hunters, and Evey vows to enact revenge. The language used reflects the historical setting and Evey’s young age. Many will love this as a quaint, atmospheric tale – but I found myself irritated by Evey and put off by a narrative style which made the story feel very superficial.

Evey is, to be quite frank, not a very nice person. Much of this can be forgiven due to her young age and the shock of watching the death of her mother – but she spends the entire story either complaining or making horrifically rash decisions, and it gets quite tiring to read about. Her interactions with her sister, Dill, are believable – they fight like real siblings, with true sibling grievances – but the pettiness of it all isn’t fun to read. In a novel where everything else is kept deliberately light and whimsical, the protagonist needed to be a strong anchor – Evey isn’t that person.

Most of my grievances with this book say more about me than the novel itself. I prefer my magic systems explained, with clear rules and limitations – the witchcraft in this book is a mysterious thing with no clear rules, and is also far less prominent than the title might suggest. I like character-driven fantasy – this is definitely plot-driven, with Evey never developed as a character beyond her base motivations. I prefer difficult situations to be solved by brains rather than fortuitous coincidences – this book has nothing but fortuitous coincidences. My difficulties with this book almost exactly mirror my issues with another whimsical fantasy from earlier this year, Feathertide – so if you enjoyed that, you might find this up your street too.

I should mention that, while this is written in a very light style, it touches on some dark subject matter. Despite the child narrator, it’s definitely an adult novel with adult themes.

What about the positives? This is a quick read, easy to consume in one sitting – but also easy to consume in small bites, the narrative simple enough that nothing will be forgotten. It’s also an interesting exploration of attitudes towards witchcraft – people decrying it in the daylight but turning to witches when things get tough. It’s enlightening peering back to a time when witch trials were commonplace; for most of the novel, the historical fiction is more prominent than the fantasy.

Overall, this isn’t the book for me – but I’m sure plenty of others will enjoy the style it’s written in, and it’s nice delving into a shorter novel amidst the trend for increasingly long fantasy stories. Recommended for fans of atmospheric, whimsical books, historical fantasy, and child narrators.

If I’m honest I really struggled with this. I hate when authors change spellings of words to match an character’s accent or way of speaking as I find it makes it really hard to read the book and feels a bit cringy. It really put me off and I kept wanting to put it down to the point where it’s been sat on my side for a month and I really don’t want to pick it up to have to wade through that again.

After the murder of her mother at the hands of witch Hunters, Evey is determined to get her revenge at any cost.

Unfortunately I really didn't get on with the writing style for this. It's clearly a stylistic choice, but it made me unable to concentrate on the story. Although I liked Evey is a character, and I liked her fury and rage, I found I just couldn't get passed the writing style to connect with her. I also found the pacing to be very uneven, with a slow start and not a lot of action until right near the end. For such a short book I was expecting something quicker. The world building is minimal, and we never really see more than what Evey is directly involved in or travelling to, with little to no descriptions of what the environment is like.

There's also no backstory to explain why the world is like it is, how witches came to be and why they're being hunted. The magical system is also simplistic, but again largely left to the reader to determine themselves as we are not told anything about how it works.

Some interesting aspects, but largely this just didn't connect with me.

I ended up DNFing this at 30%. I personally wasn't very attached to the writing style, and while I initially found the premise interesting, I ended up feeling quite disengaged.

The sibling dynamic in this was interesting and something I really enjoyed. I liked our main characters, but I didn't feel that those who surrounded them were particularly fleshed-out, which contributed to a sense of displacement within the world.

The writing is very talented - I did like it, and I think it was very stylistically distinct, which is always nice to see. The voice came through clearly, so if that's something you love in a book then I think you would enjoy this.

This could be a great book for someone else, but it just didn't click with me.

Thank you to Netgalley, Finbar Hawkins and Head of Zeus for my arc of Witch in exchange for an honest review.


Synopsis: Set in the 17th century this is a novel of witches, power, fury, women, and revenge. After witnessing the murder of her mother by Witch hunters, Evey is determined to get her revenge even at the risk of losing everything she holds dear.

Witch is first and foremost beautifully written, true to its time but with a modern twist which makes it a much easier read. It only took me a couple of hours as it is a relatively short book as well. While I felt at times that the book was somewhat 'strange' and not the sort of writing I usually enjoy I did fly through it and find it engrossing but not enjoyable if that makes sense!
I don't doubt that this book will be up for a prize at some point it's that kind of writing. I don't feel like I've explained what I mean very well but it has left me with very conflicted feelings.

A really good autumn read. I was surprised as to just how much I enjoyed it, I would read more by this author. Would definitely recommend it!

"I never did no magick. Not at the time they said, anyways."

The book follows Evey, who is left responsible for her younger sister, Dill, after the murder of their mother by witch hunters. Consumed with anger, Evey leaves her sister with their aunt and sets out to get revenge. This is a relatively short book and set in the 17th century.

I liked that the writing style reflected the times and it was easy to believe that a young girl was narrating the story. However, this made it a little confusing as the narrative jumped around a lot. The plot was interesting and I totally loved the concept, but overall, the story felt slightly rushed.

In terms of characters, I really enjoyed Evey's development. Initially, she seemed selfish and not particularly likable, but as the book progressed, she grew and showed her fierceness and loyalty. While predictable, the story was a lot darker than I expected and I enjoyed it.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review. I will wait until closer the publish date to share my review socially.

Because of the writing style, I had hard times with this book. I couldn't connect with it and it affected the reading. I didn't care for any character nor the story itself, which was too slow for my liking. It could have been an interesting book if not for all these negative aspects.

Easy to read and intriguing but a little predictable. Not what I was hoping for, the narration wasn't coherent and jumped around abruptly in places.

THIS BOOK!! I flew through this book and found it thoroughly engrossing, finishing the entire thing within a few hours. It's dark and mysterious but so beautiful and enchanting. Evey's voice took me through the entire story easily, the action is constant and exciting!

Evey herself is very complex, in the balance between being a hero and going too far which I always find very captivating. I enjoy characters that aren't one-note, and have a depth to them. Hawkins definitely nails that with Evey and I found myself really enjoying her constantly changing morality.

The setting is also so unique and engrossing, Hawkins perfectly capturing how I imagined it to be. His writing style is so different to anything I've read before but it's truly wonderful.

Highly recommend to everyone!

DNF @ 63%

I gave this as much of a chance as I could, and while the basic premise was extremely interesting (Eveline hunting down the witch hunters who killed her mother), I really struggled with the book itself. I felt like I was reading it because I had to, and not because I wanted to. The narrative style just didn't particularly work for me. It was very dialogue heavy, whereas I tend to prefer a lot more description, and I also felt like there was a great hurry to get everywhere in this book. Each scene was rushed as if we were hurrying to the next one, only for that to be the same. I also found it very frustrating that Evey would do something, immediately regret it/lament it in the internal narrative but would make no attempt at doing anything about it. A few times, absolutely, teenagers are like that, but every single time made me lose interest as I, unfortunately, just felt like Evey wasn't going to actively fix anything.

HOWEVER, there are plenty of positive reviews for this book, so potentially this just wasn't a good fit for me, rather than it being a problem with the book itself. I recommend checking out those positive reviews first before you make any decisions on TBR or not TBR!

Thank you to Netgalley and Head of Zeus for the arc of witch.

4 stars- enjoyable, great quick read, recommend if you like books about witchcraft, the 17th century etc.

After witnessing the brutal murder of their mother by witch-hunters, Evey promises to avenge her and bring those responsible the justice as what they deserve.. Evey also promised to her mother that she will keep her little sister, Dill safe if anything was to happen to her and it did so Dill is now Evey's responsibility....

Fun, exciting and unique, Witch is a great read for any fan of fantasy or witchcraft. I read it in around two days, thoroughly engrossed due to the enticing world-building. Excellent!

This book was not what I expected. It was quite dark, but also lyrical. Very easy to read and a great story!

Atmospheric, historical novel, set just after the English Civil War, when witch finders were all-powerful, spreading suspicion among communities. At the start of the novel, sisters Evey and Dill watch as their mother is killed by one such witch finder and his men. Evey swears to take revenge on these men and we follow as she tracks them, trying to keep her sister safe and learning more about her magic as she does so. I enjoyed this book very much.

Witch holds all the promise of a tale of witch trials and justice, told from the voice of a young girl who witnesses her mothers murder and promises to avenge her death whilst protecting her younger sister. This is the type of novel which really excites me.

There are many very good elements to the book, the setting in 17th century England, the forests and towns, the wars and the language used makes for a whimsical yet historic charm. I do love a good story of witch trials and justice. However there are for me some uncomfortable topics and one or two plot holes.

What I’m left thinking about most is what I found difficult to read about. For example a boy who seemed to be disabled but is described as mad. I didn’t think that this was necessary. Secondly the scene where a girl seeing Evey’s face blackened by ash in a disguise describes this as the black witch and therefore dark magic. This strikes a bad chord with me since there are direct connotations with blackface, plus the dark face being likened what is bad, rather than the whitened face of the other girl describes as good.

I also felt that there were some areas which left me confused; were the women witches or wise women, and was magic actually happening; we are told the girls’ mother knew the ‘old ways’, but not what this was. This is alluded to throughout and yet not quite dealt with, and the scrying stone is never explained either.

The main body of the book is an adventure through town and forest, some questionable friendships seem to be made, but these are necessary for the plot. The climax is is good, a satisfying rescue and escape.

All in all, I feel that the book should have trigger warnings at the beginning due to the scenes noted above, and also for the desecration of a body, death of an animal and descriptions of suffering.

Witch is the debut novel by Finbar Hawkins, it's haunting and unforgettable. The main protagonist is very likeable and easy to connect with. Well worth a read.