I was granted eARC access to Witches Steeped in Gold by HarperCollins after participating in the HCCFrenzy winter preview, but not before I had already placed a preorder for the book, so now I have ebook copies on two galley sites AND a beautiful hardcover sitting on my shelf.

I love the cover design, I love the premise, I loved the author's presentation for HCC Frenzy, and I want all the BIPOC fantasy books to receive all the praise and spotlights and publishing advances because it's time and we need this. With all of that said, I have attempted to read this book three times now, and every time I put it down before making it to the quarter-way mark. I'm not sure if the start is really that slow or if I've got too much on my plate right now, so I'm assigned this an optimistic 3 stars for a victorious start to what I hope will be a great series and a long career for the author. I'll come back and try again when I have fewer commitments taking up my time and I can be more patient with the opening.

Witches Steeped in Gold is a title that has come with a huge level of hype, and I was so excited to have the chance to read ahead of time. Unfortunately, I think this book was not for me. It's a very rare thing when I'm unable to finish a book, and there were a few contributing factors here.

To be clear and get this out of the way, I DO think Ciannon Smart is a talented writer. She clearly put in a ton of research to write WSIG, and I love how it's Jamaican inspired fantasy! How original and interesting! The world was interesting, and the background given in the story felt rich and varied. I love it when stories are a bit more morally gray because they feel more real and honest, and there was a lot of that in this novel.

But when it came down to it, I read over 100 pages and... well. I just didn't care about any of the characters. I still felt a bit lost on what was going on. It felt flat, despite the descriptions being as strong as they were. With this said, I'm also personally going through some pretty big life changes, and this may not have been the book for me -right now-. I'll likely try to come back to it at a later date and see if it speaks to me the way that it has to so many others. The lore is intriguing, and it's quite likely it does pick up later into the book.

As it stands right now, unfortunately I have to mark Witches Steeped in Gold as a Did-Not-Finish. Thank you for the opportunity to read this novel. I WILL still be handing the book to people who come into the library who are interested in fantasy with a more varied background.

As I didn't finish but do see the potential, I'm marking it 2.5/5, rounded up to a three in good faith.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Synopsis:
Set on a fictional island inspired by Jamaica, Witches Steeped in Gold is the first installment of a mysterious adventure. Iraya Adair, exiled heir to the throne of Aiyca, has been imprisoned for a long time. She dreams of seeking revenge against the woman who betrayed her family, Doyenne Cariot. The Doyenne is a brutal leader and her daughter Jazmyne knows it. She's decided that she can no longer stand by as her mother sacrifices others for her own power. When Iraya and Jazmyne's paths cross, they decide to plot together, whether they trust each other or not.

Review:
Ciannon Smart's Witches Steeped in Gold is an intriguing book with more twists than I could have expected. Her world building is all-encompassing, especially when listening to the audiobook. This may be a YA book but Smart's characters speak in such a formal manner that I often forgot that detail. While I could picture myself in the jungle, training alongside Iraya, the descriptions were so imaginative that I feel like I would need to read the book again to notice the specifics. Jazmyne and Iraya are mysterious protagonists. I enjoyed reading from each of their viewpoints. I hoped to glean more of how their personalities formed but suspect that they will develop more in a second book.

Verdict:
Fellow Caribbean folks who like this genre will enjoy this book. I recommend you listen to the book, as well, because the narrator is quite good. Those who are not Caribbean or have not been exposed to much of Jamaican culture should probably steer clear of the audiobook as the accents may make the book harder to follow.

I hope there's a second book because the ending is a cliffhanger, my friends!!

BOOK REPORT for Witches Steeped in Gold (Witches Steeped in Gold #1) by Ciannon Smart

Cover Story: Fierce and Fabulous
BFF Charm: Nay x2
Swoonworthy Scale: 5
Talky Talk: Lost in Translation
Bonus Factor: Black Girl Magic
Anti-Bonus Factor: Awful Adults
Relationship Status: Missed Connection

Content Warning: Witches Steeped in Gold features themes of indentured servitude/slavery, death, and violence.

Cover Story: Fierce and Fabulous
Both of the women on this cover are stunning, both in their striking looks and the power they convey in their facial expressions. The colors, too—the deep greens juxtaposed with the bright gold—conveys power and strength in addition to just looking really cool. The floating heads are a bit strange, but I'm not going to say that too loud lest one or both of these characters come after me.

The Deal:
Jazmyne is the heir to the throne of Aiyca, and daughter of the most powerful magic wielder in the country. Ira is the daughter of the former rulers of the country—rulers who were forced out of power a decade prior, thanks to Jazmyne's mother—and another powerful magic-user. They both want what's best for their country, and their people, but their peoples have long been adversaries, and Jazmyne's status as heir to the throne makes her part of Ira's plan of vengeance.

The two must work together to reach their goals, but neither is sure of exactly what those goals mean for them in the end.

BFF Charms: Nay x2
Both Jazmyne and Ira are confident young women with passion and power a'plenty. But they're also both extremely single-minded and neither of them is all that worried about the people they'll need to step on on their way to achieving their goals. They wouldn't make for very good friends, especially because I'd be continually worried that they were only in the friendship to use me for something. And I'm not that useful, so I doubt they'd bother with me for long.

Swoonworthy Scale: 5
There are definitely moments of chemistry in Witches Steeped in Gold, but, again, Jazmyne and Ira both have agendas that keep them from really having time for other people. I did love the enemistry between Ira and her love interest, but she never gave in to any of her "heated feelings," which left me feeling unsatisfied. And Ira's love interest kinda just seems like her wanting to shock her mother into actually acting like a mother? You know, dating the bad guy to cause a reaction rather than because you actually like the guy.

Talky Talk: Lost in Translation
I really wanted to like this book. I loved the idea of a Jamaican-inspired tale of intrigue and revenge and had high hopes for the story going in. But this was a real struggle to get through. Now, I'm no expert, but I've read a lot of fantasy inspired by a wide variety of regional myths. I definitely have experience with having to learn new terms, parse unfamiliar customs, and decipher complex themes. I can't remember another time that I've had as much trouble following along with a story. Smart offers few context clues—and when they are offered, they often come way too late—to many of the unfamiliar terms, forcing readers to look for definitions outside of the book, breaking concentration and making the reading experience very fractured. (I attempted to utilize my Kindle app's dictionary so many times and rarely got a satisfactory answer.)

Much of my confusion might be that I'm unfamiliar with Jamaican slang, and I fully own up to that. But any fantasy book in which the author creates a new world/culture—even if it's based on something from the real world—should at least try to help the reader understand. (My kingdom for a glossary!) Smart also occasionally threw in $20 words that felt so out of place and often weren't used correctly. Which had me scratching my head even more.

I hope the final version of Witches Steeped in Gold has worked out some of these issues because the general plot is strong. The pacing left a little to be desired, as the story is slow to really get going, but Smart's obviously got a really brilliant imagination and there's a lot of promise here.

Bonus Factor: Black Girl Magic
I am SO here for stories about strong Black young women making the world bow down to them, rather than the other way around.

Anti-Bonus Factor: Awful Adults
Jazmyne's obviously learned some of her less admirable qualities from her mother, who is the worst kind of ruler: one who will do everything "in the name of the greater good" but who really's only out to keep herself in power.

Relationship Status: Missed Connection
We didn't click, Book, although I had high hopes for us. Sometimes things just don't work out as we plan, and although it's a bummer, I think we'll both be OK going our separate ways in the long run.

DNF @ 54%

I think this book has a lot of potential, but perhaps because I don't think I'm in the right mindset for it, I just wasn't enjoying it. I do think I"ll try to come back to it eventually, because I am interested in a few of the characters and I'd like to see what happens.

I have two main critiques of the book:

1) The pacing is all over the place. The first couple of chapters just throw you right into the world (which I loved), but then right after that initial plot sequence, pretty much nothing happens up until the point where I DNF'd the book. I think part of this is because our main characters don't actually interact until later on in the book (at the halfway point, they were just starting to have some interactions). Because the plot summary of this book hinges around this idea of these two young women being reluctant allies, I feel like it sets up a bit of an expectation that isn't quite met in the first half of the book.

2) This is definitely an issue of personal preference, but I am just not a fan of first person multi-POV, especially when it's told in present tense. I know that Ciannon Smart incorporated oral storytelling styles into her prose, so I do think this narrative choice was a deliberate one, but it just doesn't work for me personally. I think the issue is that the two voices do not sound distinct at all, despite these Jaz and Ira being very different characters.

Aside from these issues, I was enjoying the world a lot. The worldbuilding is definitely confusing - there's a lot going on, and it's a lot to take in, but I did like the magic system a lot and the themes at the author was hinting at. All in all, I do plan on restarting this book, but it just isn't the right book for me at this moment.

LOVE. Kept twisting and twisting, I didn't see the ending coming! The Jamaican patois gets you soaked in the culture and characters. Magical items, Obeah, pirates, queens, enemies and friends; this book has something for everyone. A deep read and totally worth it.

The greatest strength of Witches Steeped in Gold was the undoubtedly the diversity and representation in the story. It was not a bad story but it was one that was filled with a lot of Clichés. I am one of those people that do not mind reading Clichés as long as the plot, world, and characters can stand strong enough to eclipse those clichés. This book is one that regardless of them it was a wonderful addition to my collection.

I unfortunately couldn’t get into this book and putting it aside for now as a dnf. The amount of world building at the beginning and alternating viewpoints just failed to engage me. I’ll try again later in case it’s just where I’m at mentally as a reader.

Thank you to HCCFrenzy for sending me an ARC via netgalley to read and review.
3.5/5 stars
I thought this was a really interesting story. The descriptions were vivid, the magic system was pretty cool, and the world seemed well-rounded and thought out. However, I was still left feeling a bit underwhelmed by the end of the book.
This one took me a while to get into, and I think it’s because I didn’t really connect with any of the characters. Iraya was my favourite, but I didn’t necessarily feel 100% invested in her journey and her success. I liked Kirdan, and I thought he brought an interesting element to the story. I would’ve loved to see some of his POV. I didn’t really like Jazmyne at all. I thought her character was well-written, but I couldn’t connect with her, and I just didn’t like the character that she became.
While I felt like this book had a lot of action, it also felt very character-driven. A lot of the action began to feel repetitive at times. While the ending felt more tense, some of the plot twists didn’t really do anything for me because I thought we’d already learned those things.
Overall, I thought this was an interesting fantasy with well-written characters and magic, but it left me feeling underwhelmed. I’d recommend this one to YA fantasy lovers, and those who like books about strong females.

Actual Rating: 3.5

Witches Steeped in Gold is a Jamaican inspired YA Fantasy. Jazmyne and Iraya are rival witches who find themselves working together for the sake of their land and the safety of its people. Witches Steeped in Gold is action packed. The world-building, the politics, and the magic systems are all excellent. It is obvious that Ciannon Smart spent time and energy on building a complex world with a unique magic system, and extremely complicated politics. I felt fully immersed in this world and loved learning each new piece of information about it's history and magic. Smart’s writing was so lush and descriptive. I could easily visualize everything, from the setting to the magical artifacts. The world really came alive in my mind.

I finished this story a few days ago, but it has taken me some time to get all my thoughts together. I have to be honest and say that I’m slightly conflicted about this story. There is so much to rave about when it comes to this story, but I did have some issues getting through it. At first, I didn't understand what wasn't working for me, since there was so much I loved, but I narrowed it down to the development of the characters and the timeline of the story.

As a character driven reader, I felt like I hardly knew Jazmyne and Iraya for a majority of the story. It was really hard for me to fully understand their actions and decisions. The best way I can explain my feelings is that the story felt like an introduction to a series, but the characters were written like the reader already knew them deeply, like it was a second or even third book in a series.

Because of their positions in society, both Jazmyne and Iraya are driven by historical and political motivations. This I got perfectly. My issue stands with the fact that I didn't really feel like I got a grasp on who Jazmyne and Iraya were as fully realized characters. Obviously Jazmyne and Iraya are deeply shaped by their history and the impact it had on the lives of them and their families, but I felt like I didn’t know much about them beyond what they were trying to accomplish and what they were willing to do to see it happen. As the story went on, I kept wondering why and how they were saying or acting the way they were. Also, big moments would happen, like a plot twist, or someone would die, and I would be surprised, but felt like I truly didn't understand the implications of the moment because I didn't know exactly how Jazmyne or Iraya would react or feel about it. Even though I had trouble truly understanding these characters, and feel like they were slightly underdeveloped, I do think they have a complexity to them. Being that this is a series, I would like to continue and see who these characters become as the story continues.

As I said before, this story is action packed and Smart does not hold back. The plot is always moving forward and big events happen frequently, which makes you eager to know what's coming next. The problem I had was not that the story was too slow or too fast, but rather that it was just confusing at times. The timeline seemed to not make much sense. With one paragraph we might jump days ahead and not even realize until the paragraph after. This could be fixed with some slight editing or different breaks in the paragraphs, but it did catch me off guard more times than I would have liked.

Witches Steeped in Gold is an incredible debut. I do have minor issues with the story, but I can tell that Smart put tons of thought and love into this book. The world building, politics, and magic are all on par with some of my favorite fantasy writers. The criticism I have can either be easily edited, or might not matter to someone who cares less about characters and more about a fast paced, well thought out fantasy story. I am looking forward to the next installment of this series and I will most definitely pick up anything else Smart releases.

*Thank you to NetGalley and HarperTeen for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

I wanted to read this book mostly because of the cover. Then I read the synopsis and the premise sounded amazing. Inspired by Jamaica and Jamaican folklore, the fantasy world in which this story takes place is very unique. It's not your typical YA fantasy world and there is a large focus on women in power. The story is told from dual point of view. There's Jazmyne, the Doyenne/Queen's daughter and an Alumbrar witch. Then there's Iraya, an Obeah witch and the daughter of the previous Queen who was overthrown. I really liked this setup with the opposing points of view.

The biggest hurdle for me with this book was understanding a lot of new terms and the magic system. There's no info dump, and all these new terms are used very organically, but that also meant I had to just assume things about what they were. I found it hard to keep track of these terms and it impacted my ability to understand what was going on in the story.

My other disappointment was that I wasn't able to connect with either of the main characters. Some reviewers mentioned that they felt Iraya and Jazmyne were too similar, I didn't find that. I felt that they were quite different, but neither of them felt fully realized. Iraya in particular made a lot of dumb decisions that really made me question what she was trying to accomplish. I did like the ending which has a little bit of a twist and changes the dynamic between the two characters again.

I'd recommend this for readers bored with typical YA fantasy that are looking for a unique fantasy story, enjoy reading about women in power, and prefer plot driven over character driven stories.

I couldn't get into this book, so I did not finish it. The book is told from two points of view, but they are both told in first person, so I kept getting them confused. I found myself flipping back to the beginning of the chapter to figure out whose point of view it was, and it was very difficult to keep myself in the story. I may try to read it again in the future, but it did not capture my attention at this moment in time.

I'm just going to get right to the point. 'Witches Steeped in Gold' by Ciannon Smart is the most enjoyable witchy fantasy book I've ever read. There is depth and texture here that's decidedly uncommon in similarly marketed titles.

I know there's been a lot of hype surrounding this title for months. I, myself, have been just as much a part of that hype engine as any other reader I know.. because it sounded so good. However, it absolutely blew the doors off the genre for me.

A Jamaican-inspired fantasy, the story is about a pair of witches from rival orders who have little choice but to make a pact in order to take down a common enemy. Told in a split-narrative, it follows Iraya.. who has spent her life in captivity plotting her vengeance and Jazmyne, the Queen's daughter.. with her own brand of retribution on her mind.

Both women have endured heavy losses at the Queen's hand and neither of them is apt to forgive or forget, but their paths are ever-shifting and the only thing that's certain is they will do anything to achieve their goals.

Honestly, I cannot possibly convey exactly how much I loved this book. From a pure writing quality perspective, it's quite likely sitting in my top two releases so far this year and it would take a truly groundbreaking read to dislodge it. I fully expect to be giving my 2021 year-end recap with Smart's debut novel sitting right where it is today.

The magic system is complex, seemingly based largely in the ritual magics of the Caribbean. Primarily focusing on blood and herb magics, the story reads almost like a folktale at times. As my personal experiences are with a different variation, I cannot theorize too much about the actual source other than to reiterate that the author herself has said much of her inspiration came from stories told by family on a trip to Jamaica.

Everything is detailed ideally throughout the world-building and delivered naturally. From the political structure of the court to the social-ecological models both within and between Aiyca and the neighboring cultures, it's all crafted so perfectly. The result is an incredibly immersive tale.

Challenges rise up to meet the women everywhere and I found myself conflicted throughout, unable to fully commit to some of my choices until late in the story. There are twists strewn about all the way to the end of the tale, but never so many that they feel overused.

Besides Iraya and Jazmyne, there's a whole cadre of supporting players in the game. Some of whom I enjoyed as much as the main characters. Kirdan, Anya, and Roje are all spectacular in their own ways, as are those in the small group of friends amongst the Obeah.

Admittedly, I did have favorites from the start. Kirdan is intriguing and Iraya is my kind of female lead. She's not infallible, but she is determined. She doesn't back down easily and she's not afraid to get her hands dirty. In fact, she rather likes them dirty. Bloodied.. whenever possible.

I'm already eagerly awaiting book two and if this isn't on your TBR list yet, it should be. In fact, you could probably brush aside most of whatever else is there and push it towards the top because if you haven't read it yet, you're missing out.

What I loved 💗 :
• Witches with powerful, deadly magic and wit
• Jamacian-inspired vivid fantasy world
• Complex morally grey characters who learn and change
• Great BANTER!

Things I took note of 📖 :
• Slow start for me personally, but it picked up as soon as I got past the 15% mark!
• Miscommunication between characters

Overall thoughts ☀️ :
• The kind of beautiful writing that lures you in and doesn’t let you go
• The magic system and world building, once established, created a landscape which I felt so immersed into the world
• I loved the political power struggles and strong badass women in a book with Jamaican culture (which I was really excited to read more about, even in a fantasy book!)

Thank you @netgalley for the review copy!

I keep trying to start this book but cannot get into it for some reason. I have tried three times and couldn’t get passed the third chapter.

I must say, it kind of devastates me to say this, but this book just didn’t hold my attention 😭. I ADORE the cover; I LOVE the concept; and I full on hope this is JUST the beginning of Jamaican-folklore-inspired fantasy fiction and character diversity in the fantasy genre. But with that said, it was heavy on creativity and light on plot driving arc. I had SO much trouble distinguishing between Jazmyne and Ira; I couldn’t quite understand why they were at war; the doyenne/mother daughter thing just was hard to remember, relationship-wise; and the shifts in intel and plotting were coming so dang fast that I felt a bit like I’d rubbed a magic mirror and suddenly been given a window into a kingdom in turmoil without any of the context to make me feel invested enough to keep paying attention. Now, there’s no DOUBT Ciannon Smart is a loud, instrumental, and essential new talent to the fantasy genre, so I can only say that I will be closely watching their author evolution and tapping in, here and there, to see what their novels are doing in the world of fantasy. Definitely give me more Obeah-magic, family-line magic, and women-driven power. This feels like a glimmering fire-start of a more female-driven “Name of the Wind” - something so epic and huge that it takes years and years to carefully weave and plot out the whole epic tale. The talent is BRIGHT in this author’s writing, for sure.

I received an e-copy of this book from the publisher in return for a fair and honest review. I was really excited to be able to read this book before it's release date, because I've already seen so much hype and heard good things about it. It started off a little bit slow for me. The first few chapters seemed to drag. I know the Ciannon was just setting the characters up, but I wish it had been a bit quicker. Once something did 'happen' though, I was in it. I didn't want to put it down. There was lots of character development. I'm looking forward to a physical copy and the hopes of a map, because I would dearly love to see this world and how it's laid out. The point of view swaps back and forth between our two main characters Jazmyne and Iraya, and it wasn't confusing or frustrating in any way. I definitely felt myself drawn more to one MC then I did the other, and maybe that's why the ending felt off to me. The author made me care about this character and then in a turn of events flipped everything and made me feel like I was rooting for the wrong person. I was just left feeling confused at the end of the book. I'm very much looking forward to reading book 2 and hopefully getting those feelings sorted out.

Trigger Warnings: Physical Abuse, Torture, Murder, Manipulation, Sacrifices. I apologize if I missed or overlooked anything.

I received a copy of Witches Steeped in Gold from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The writing was very rich and descriptive in this fantasy novel. Lots of intrigue and hidden motives - that you never know which of the characters to trust. It’s one of those books that you really have to read carefully and pay attention as there’s just so much going on.

I’ve been hype for this book since last year. I mean Jamaican-inspired fantasy about two enemy witches. YES sign me up! But I’m so disappointed to say that it just didn’t give what I needed it to give

Outside of the scenes where there is action, the story is pretty one note. The main characters are very similar, so sometimes I had to return to the beginning of the chapter to see whose POV I was reading

The story really is a lot more reacting and planning than action. For the book to be 560 pages, it feels like the plot didn’t move forward as much as I expected which to me signifies that 1) the pacing was off because the first half of the book was very slow and 2) it maybe didn’t need to be 560 pages. By the time the story actually picks up, it’s rushed and then boom cliffhanger. While the “ending” is a great set up for book 2, I just felt like the payoff didn’t match the build up

I found it a challenge to get fully immersed into the story because there’s a lot of info to keep track of and understand. There are many characters, covens, powers, backstories and it’s just a lot going on. I often found myself confused as to what was going on and who did what

The world building in Raybearer kept coming to mind while reading this story because Raybearer proves that a world can be deep and complex yet easy to digest. I wanted Witches Steeped in Gold to be on a similar level, but it’s just a more challenging read, and maybe that’s not a bad thing. I think I’ll have a better experience re-reading. Hopefully I’ll be able to make connections that will make it easier to keep up with what’s going on

I do love the strong female characters and seeing a world where there are women ruling. I also loved the addition of pirates. I definitely wasn’t expecting that. The betrayals in the story are good and they carried the story for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced digital copy

2.75⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperTeen for the ARC of this book!

I'm happy to report that once again we've been blessed with a culturally rich YA fantasy that explores power and revenge and the morally grey area of heroes and villains.

The story follows Jazmyne and Iraya, two girls from different orders who are sworn enemies. They entire into a precarious alliance to thwart a threat to both of them, but along the way they have to face the fact that nothing is as it seems and test exactly how far they're willing to go.

Admittedly, it did take me a bit to get into this book. The beginning is very info heavy and it took me a minute to get used to the world and the history of the two orders. Once I did though, I have to say it was one of my favorite parts of the book. It's a Jamaican-inspired fantasy, and the history of the island and the magic systems are so interesting to read.

The story is action-packed and exciting, with gasp-worthy reveals in some parts and a story that leaves you really thinking about how we write the villains in our narratives, and how we might be someone else's villain. The truce between Ira and Jaz is so precarious and shaky and I loved reading it.