Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for my e-arc. I requested this book right away when I saw the cover. Love it!!! I thought the beginning was excellent. A creepy and scary witch that haunts children. Sterling was a a great main character. I know that she was supposed to be unlikeable and that actually made me like her. Unfortunately, in the middle it got a little too long. I started to lose interest in where the story was going. The ending left me with more questions so hopefully there will be a second one!

Witch 13 is a beautiful blend of supernatural horror, thriller, and adult fairy tale. Sheriff Sterling Marsh is tasked with protecting the small town of Drybell from a quiet menacing presence, a woman who appears dressed as a witch. Strange things start happening throughout the town. Is this woman just someone who is looking for internet fame or is she an actual witch? It has to be a prank because everyone knows that witches aren’t real.
Patrick Delaney is one of my favorite horror authors. He is able to create a fantastical world that is somehow believable. This story does take place on the same universe of The House that Fell from the Sky and Silvers Hollow exist in and there are small Easter eggs for fans of Delaney’s work will delight in, but this should not deter anyone who has not read those books because the stories are not related. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves supernatural horror.

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for this Arc!!

Wow! This is pure horror with all the gore included! And, it has illustrations... which are seriously freaky! (I thank you for the nightmares but I need an eraser for my brain bc scary).

The plot really centers around a small town sheriff and her deputy on her last night on the job.... and, of course, the witch. There are several issues revolving around the sheriff and why she is leaving that make up part of the story. But, mainly, the focus goes to the witch and her tricks and treats on this Christmas-y night.

I did feel like the chapters jumped around a bit and that the ending was wanting but still a good horror read to check out.

Out June 7th

A creepy grown up fairy tale about a strange figure dressed as a witch who turns up in a quiet town two weeks before Christmas.  Quite atmospheric and with the bones of a  really good story at its core, but I found it all a little rambling at times and for such a short book there was a lot of rather unnecessary details.  An okay read, sorry I didn't love it.

This one catch my attention with the cover and the blurb really, sounded so intriguing certainly.

Now at the beginning it was creepy and so gripping i was so invested at that point, it was a very complex but simple character it was perfect, the the drama began with Sterling and Chase and I began to get bored too many background and drama for I don't what because it doesn't led you anywhere really, just to get more confused with all the relations.

I did felt that for what i was looking for in this one, the horror part I was partially satisfied because it did have some at the beginning and it was interesting at that point i mean you have this witches that are the portrait of all that is wrong in a way so cool and then noting else or a total different thing that didn't felt right at all.

by the end I was just wanting for it to end and hoping it was going to be good again but no such luck so, depending on what you are looking for could be or not your cup of tea.

"On the eve of her resignation, Sheriff Sterling Marsh prepares for a bleak winter in Drybell, Connecticut, after a string of bad decisions leaves her life in shambles. Two weeks before Christmas and expecting a long night of paperwork and quiet celebration with the friends she's grown to know and love, she's surprised when an unnerving stranger appears in the form of a witch.

A silent, menacing figure, the witch appears to be ripped straight out of a fairy tale, complete with a tall, pointed hat, and black clothing. But when strange things begin happening all over town, Sterling begins to suspect that there may be more to the witch than meets the eye.

As she works to maintain order as the world crumbles around her, the witch's mysterious presence throws her world into a frenzy, threatening to send the sleepy town spiraling face-first into the darkest night it's ever seen."

A witch who is a harbinger of bad tidings, yes please!

It’s two weeks until Christmas as Sterling Marsh prepares for her final shift as sheriff of the town of Drybell, Connecticut. Her quiet night is interrupted by the arrival of stranger dressed as a witch. Peculiar things begin to happen around the town and Sterling begins to suspect that there’s more to the witch than meets the eye.

Delaney tackles one of the world’s most beloved (and feared) figures- the witch. Drawing on tropes we traditionally associate with the witch, Delaney delivers a modern and interesting take on this supernatural figure. I love the creepy and dark atmosphere that he creates in this book emphasised by the powerful storm which hovers over the town. The storm definitely helped to heighten the suspense and the feeling that something sinister was about to happen. Setting the story at Christmas rather than Halloween adds a creative twist to the tale and I enjoyed the juxtaposition between the festive and spooky seasons.

The witch absolutely freaked me out- she doesn’t speak right up until the end of the book. In her silence, she dominates the story and it gave me goosebumps (the anticipation of her talking or taking some sort of action against the other characters literally had me on the edge of my seat the entire time!)

I didn’t necessarily connect with most of the characters, the exception being little Max who I think stole the show from the Sheriff and her deputy.

There are plenty of gory moments in this story (definitely not for the faint-hearted!) and I really enjoyed this twisted reimagining of the witch. I’m hoping that Delaney will write a sequel to this book as the ending left it open for this possibility. I would love to see what becomes of the characters.

Thanks to NetGalley and Oblivion Publishing for the arc. Witch 13 is out June 7th.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF relatively early on. The concept is interesting and the illustrations are beautiful, but the amount of time spent just reading the character's inner monologues did not engage me. Maybe I'll try again in the fall....

2 stars from me. It had a good premise, sounded quite scary but for me the story plodded along. Didn't really vibe with the characters and the shifting tenses (from present into past) with no differentiation kind of left me confused.

It had a lot of potential, and others might quite enjoy this, but it just wasn't for me.

13 Witch by Patrick Dalaney was something else. There were several things that I didn’t care for in this book. The CONSTANT analogies, at least two per page was the biggest thing for me. Then the continuity and changing tense mid paragraph. One I remember most of when the MC dropped her flashlight in the river. But when she was on the bank of the river she magically had her flashlight back.
The illustrations throughout the book was prob my favorite thing. The Witch was pretty awesome even tho she literally just stood there the whole book. Up until the last 5% of the book anyway.
The ending just didn’t do it for me either. I felt I was missing something extremely important.
Once again, if this wasn’t a Netgalley approval, I would have DNFed.

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.
Coming June 7 2022.
Sometimes you read a book, and you KNOW it will be a fantastic movie. Witch 13 is one of those books. I’m not an easy person to creep out, but I found Witch 13, in particular the Witch herself to be unnerving, with moody illustrations that add to the atmosphere. However, while I was completely engrossed by the story, there were some points where the plot dragged a bit, and the ending was a bit of a let-down. It felt rushed, tacked on, and a little out of the blue after the wild ride that was the rest of the book.

Despite a few weaknesses, I would still recommend Witch 13 to anyone looking for a good spine-chilling read. I feel like it would be perfect for those darky spooky October nights leading up to Halloween. Based on this introduction, I’m really looking forward to reading Patrick Delaney’s previous books.

I am so grateful to Oblivion Publishing and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review Witch 13.

This will be a pretty short review since I don't really have that much to say about it.

First: I absolutely love the Illustrations! They are amazing and give the story so much atmosphere.

All in all I liked this book. It was appropriately creepy, the writing was engaging and I liked how all the characters got their own disturbing backstory. I'm not that miuch of a horror fan so I didn't really get that much out of that aspect of the book but if you are a horror reader you would probably really enjoy this.

I have one compaint and that is, that at least in the beginning this book suffers a bit from the 'men writing women' thing. I't just doesn't seem natural how our main character is described in the beginning. It's not to bad though and definetely not a deal breaker.

So yes, if you like horror (more creepy than scary) and police procedurals, check this one out!

Holy snap, crackle, pop! This book was a horrifying thrill ride from start to finish. Patrick Delaney has taken a classic witch image that just about everyone knows and created new nightmares for generations to come. Witch 13 follows Sterling, our heroine, who is attempting to get out of her small town. Stopping her from doing this, is the witch, a mysterious figure that brings tragedies to her small town. Delaney's descriptions and imagery (in addition to the great illustrations) weave a totally realistic and scary world. Old and young readers alike can find something to gravitate towards in this fantastic storytelling.

First off, I absolutely LOVED the cover of this book! It fit perfectly with the story. Witch 13 was dark, eerie and so good! If you love reading scary stories about witches then this is the perfect read for you. I am looking forward to reading more by Patrick Delaney.

I was given the opportunity to read an eARC of this book and wow, why a read! I specifically went looking to be able to read something like this and it did not disappoint!
I have a tough time reading ebooks because I get headaches and being on my phone in the car makes me car sick. So it took me longer fondest than it normally would, but I HIGHLY recommend.
It’s creepy, and the antagonist of the story is silent and ominous, my favorite kind.
My favorite part though? The illustrations.
Stunning, eerie, well placed, and helpful to give you a visual sense of what was going on.
I hope this book blows up in popularity. I would LOVE to see a screen adaptation of this come to life. And I cannot wait to have a hard copy!

Look, I’m not entirely sure what I just read. I think it was horror, and I quickly realized I don’t read much horror so I truly have no idea how it compares on any scale, but here’s where I landed. The two is…maybe generous, but I didn’t DNF because it was an ARC and it was a quick read. I wanted to know what happened AND I love witches. Even evil, bad witches who do harm. I had hope for this book as I was reading because this witch was creeeeeeeepy, but it kept falling short for me.
It was like watching a bad, D-list movie. Something you’d find on AMC during October playing at 2am. And those movies aren’t for me.
But here is really where my complaint lies: that ending. We learned the ‘who’ but we’re left completely in the dark about the ‘why’. Why (this person), why all the destruction, why is she doing this; I NEED ANSWERS and was instead left very unsatisfied with a book that from all I can tell has no sequel coming.

Holy crap once I started I couldn’t stop. It’s the first time in a very long time I had to fight sleep to keep reading. I will recommend this to everyone I come across. I look forward to more by this author.

Patrick Delaney has wriiten a very good sppoky tale with Witch 13, it was atmospheric and I liked the way the characters developed, It also had the right level of gruesomeness to enhance rather than distract the reader and the witch was eerily enigmatic. The only downside i found was there were moments that the plot went one way without really giving any meaning or othe references to it which left me a little puzzled but the overall book was good and would be pefect to curl up with on a dark night next to a logfire.

I would have loved to have been a spooky Halloween read, it has the perfect vibes for it. It's not a scary read but more of a creepy read.
I'm not sure it's my favourite read of the year so far because I did struggle to read it a bit at the start but that's probably just being able to get into it.
Being set almost entirely in a police station the world building is a bit limited but the characters being interestingly written makes up for this.
I was a bit disappointed with the ending, it didn't feel like it was enough, if that makes sense.

I liked the concept of this book but found it unbalanced and hard to fully get into. I found it really picked up about halfway through. Some aspects that I liked were the descriptions of the witch as well as the little bit of information we got on the witch's backstory. I also thought that the second half had good pacing in that it moved quite quickly through to the finish line. I wish there were more details on the witch's backstory and the 13 witches, what was said was interesting and made me want more information.