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.

Oooooh this was one spooky witchy delight that had me hooked from the beginning but sadly is a perfect example of how a bad ending can ruin an entire book.

Throughout the novel I was on the edge of my seat and at times genuinely terrified as the story unfolded, I just wanted to know who this woman was, where she had came from and what her deal was.

Delaney created a diverse cast of characters that were intriguing and at times frustrating and like them, I wanted to figure out who this mysterious woman dressed in cliche witch wear was and more importantly what she wanted!

Nevertheless, the ending for me was a tad melodramatic and funnily enough, unbelievable when joined as a whole to the rest of the novel. A shame really as the rest of it was such a good ride!

Witch 13 by Patrick Delaney comes out 6/7/22 and I read this through Netgalley as an ARC. As always check TW before reading.

The story follows Sheriff Sterling, her deputy Chase, and two other employees of the station, plus deputy Chase's son Max. A storm has moved in to the town of Drybell and strange horrifying things begin to happen around the town. The Sheriff brings the witch in after an incident and even more strange creepy things happen and no one can get through to call for help.

Patrick Delaney creates an atmosphere of uneasiness from the very beginning of the book and continues it through out. With descriptions that bring the character of the Witch to life with what she smells like to different people to what she looks like. Also, how she lures in her unsuspecting victims and what happens to these victims is well written.

I enjoyed this book a lot. It has been a while since I have read a book that as truly creeped me out. I enjoyed the fact that after the prologue the book did not slow down at all and kept the creepy pace. The final act of the book was fantastic, horrifying, and insane. I loved this book from beginning to end and will definitely be reading more by Patrick Delaney.

Continual mayhem in this modern day, otherworldly tale. From the phenomenal cover to the illustrations throughout, “Witch 13” is a page turner with each developing chapter. I anxiously await the continuance of Sterling’s uncertain future.

A sincere thank you to NetGalley and Oblivion Publishing for providing me a copy of “Witch 13” in exchange for an honest review. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to read this story and leave my review voluntarily.

The book has a very interesting story line and the horror elements are well done. There were times where I was definitely spooked, and I read a lot of horror so that is not easily done. However, the writing in general wasn’t phenomenal and I found most of the main characters to be rather flat and annoying. Overall, the horror aspects saved the book.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

3.5 stars!

Witch 13 is a contemporary, grimy fairy tale set during a single, stormy night in a small town in Connecticut. It's two weeks until Christmas, and Sherriff Sterling Marsh is working the night shift when a mysterious and deadly figure appears; a witch. The storm has cut all power, and there's no way out of town. It is a dark fairy tale, indeed.

'It wasn't real, and it never would be. Because life isn't a fairy tale.'

The premise and plot is what drew me to this book, and what I enjoyed the most! I adore creepy fairy tales and folklore retellings, especially ones revolving around witches. This was such an interesting twist on the genre! Delaney embraces the horror cliches that continue to creep us out (I mean, they're cliches for a reason, right?!). Children's giggles, flickering Christmas lights (very Stranger Things-esque), unnaturally cheery holiday music playing on a scratchy record player. I felt constantly on edge whilst reading.

'A witch. / That was Sterling's first thought when she laid eyes on the figure. Wearing an intricate black dress and a tall, pointed hat, the figure reminded her of a witch torn straight from the storybooks, only not nearly as comical. No, there was nothing funny about this witch. There was an edge to her like a blade; everything sharp with purpose.'

Delaney's characters are all beautifully flawed and complex, each of them led to hopeless desperation by the world. However, I found it hard to like any of them. The majority of the adult characters I found to have few redeemable qualities, and so I found it difficult to feel invested in them; though, perhaps this is fitting for the dark and decrepit town in which they live. Oddly, my favourite character was the little girl from the prologue, partly because I did resonate with her. She reminded me of how I looked at the world at her age, by putting a magical twist on my surroundings:

'She made a note of the mist creeping along the woodland edge, pretending she was somewhere where magic did exist.'

I greatly appreciate the levels of description Delaney gifted us with. Broad imagery of the appearance and history of places and people provides the reader with a vivid and well thought out setting, firmly situating us within the decrepit little town. Sometimes, however, the descriptive exposition was almost like reading a newspaper article, or a crime report. This fits beautiful with Sterling's character voice, as she is the Sherriff and it makes sense that this is how she was view and think about the world, but it wasn't really a writing style for me. Occasionally, the introductions of character felt cut-and-paste in terms of style; rather than slowly revealing details, they were promptly reported to us. For example:

'Spencer King, a fifty-seven-year-old man with a bulging belly and a short fuse, served as her second deputy.'

I adore the physical character details, - I found I could picture them all so easily - but sometimes I wish we were shown the details such as the 'short fuse', rather than just instantly told.

'There was something beautiful about the witch the same way there was something beautiful about death, and Sterling was both terrified and exhilarated.'

With themes of relationships, growing up, desperation, loss, heartbreak and folktales, this makes for a wonderfully dark and gloomy read. Delaney's writing is beautifully cinematic; each scene played out so clearly in my mind. It was like I was watching, rather than reading, a thrilling screenplay adaptation.

I saw the cover and that is what intrigued me to read I an glad I did. The plot for me so solid. This is one of those books that can't be described, only read. Would definitely recommend to others.

Creepy!
If you enjoy a novel that is disturbing, slightly unpredictable and deeply chilling at points then this is a must read. There are certainly violent moments, a decent amount of action and enough suspense to keep turning those pages well into the night. Of course, the Witch is the highlight and she is expertly brought to life with clever descriptive writing.

Title: Witch 13
Author: Patrick Delaney

Cover: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Writing: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Character Building: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ending: ⭐⭐⭐
Overall Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐

My take:

Thank you Netgalley and Oblivion Publishing for the opportunity to read this arc.

Yup, this one gave me the heebie jeebies feel you would expect from a cover like that. The beginning dragged a bit, but getting past that it took off flying. Exactly the type of book I would love to see on screen someday.

How creepy can someone get with storytelling these days?

I've read tons of different genre's over my lifetime, and I've very rarely had to "take a break" from reading to relax. I have a pretty vivid imagination, so imagine my surprise with this new to me author and his almost Stephen King-ish type storytelling. This book has all the horror film creepiness one would love - the story at first seemed to sort of bounce around between the characters and the different POVs, but then it all started to meld together in a seamless supernatural tale of fantastical proportions.

While it was an original story, i did find myself comparing the scenario or the setting to be very much an ode to King's stories, and i LOVED that. Witch 13 really creeped my senses, to a point where reading in a room alone at night wasn't comfortable. That hasn't happened in years. That factor alone will have me recommending this book to any other readers who enjoy being scared, freaked out, spooked, or have a general love for the horror/suspsense areas.

I am also not going to lie, this genre is not my typical go to for reading. However, the breathtakingly beautiful almost gothic cover of the Witch herself is what made me stop and take notice. It is so morbidly good, and fits this story so well, that i was intrigued upon reading to find art work sprinkled throughout the book itself. I loved that hidden treat of that, it too felt almost like a nod to an old childhood favorite book everyone fought over to check out of the library - it was very "Scary Tales to Tell In The Dark". The artwork perfectly encapsulated the depictions described in certain points of the story and gave it life. This book will be well received - i truly believe that. With the love folks have for King, old horror B flicks, and the craze of Stranger Things - this book is a wonderful mix of all those things we love. Well Done!

Was a good spooky read. Started for me a little slow but as it went on def got better. Thanks to publisher and NetGalley for ARC.

A storm ensues in the small town, Drybell, resulting in a series of creepy events that the Sheriff Marsh and her team has to deal with. But are they capable of handling this threat?

The MC, Sterling Marsh, is a bi woman. This doesn't play any role into the story, nor is it talked about in any certain terms so this is not a queer book. There are two-three mentions of an ex-girlfriend.

Let's talk about the things that I liked first.

The writing was great, it kept me reading on and on and on without a pause. I could've finished this in one sitting had I had the time. It was that captivating.

On its own, the fantastical side of the story wasn't much. You've a witch wreaking havoc throughout town along with her creepy hat that does things to whoever wears it and that's pretty much it. But then, later on, the witch's origin story is told which adds more to the fantastical elements. I liked this new addition a lot.

Now coming to the things I didn't like or didn't enjoy.

The characters were really one dimensional and had absolutely no depth whatsoever. The author tries to do this by telling us more about their past but for me, it failed to do the job of giving them more depth. Maybe it is because the writing is more focused on the present and the events happening rather than the characters themselves.

The story's creepiness is mostly because of the violence and the witchy vibes, not entirely because it was horrifying. It read out like a horror movie that depends on shock factor for the horror part. You know one of those where everything happens suddenly but isn't much horrifying on its own? I think this would turn out to be a great movie. But as a novel, even though it is enjoyable, it lacks something significant plot-wise.

The addition of the origin story of the witches was interesting and I would've liked to know more about that. Maybe that way the ending would've made more sense because without that, it felt like a badly executed plot twist. The "why" of it is never answered, the witch says I've come for you and we just roll with it I guess?

I think this will be a good one time read during fall/Halloween. So read it when you're in the mood for it.

Actual rating: 3.5⭐

ⓇⒺⓋⒾⒺⓌ

Patrick Delaney - Witch 13

A witch straight out of a fairytale reeks havoc on small town, just weeks before Christmas.
Great. Love it. Sign me up!

I read the prologue, no, I devoured it, believing Witch 13 would be one of the best reads of 2022.

Unfortunately, I felt it lost it’s way - When is detailed writing too much?
A lot of character pov’s and a lot of flash back’s/back story made the flow of the book stall for me, which is so frustrating.

Great start.
Meh middle.
Good end chapters.
Odd twist.

This isn’t a bad book at all, I liked it, for me, if this book was executed better, I’d be rating it maximum stars.

Thank you Patrick Delaney, Oblivion Publishing and Net Galley for the opportunity to read Witch 13 in exchange for an honest review.

(ARC provided by Oblivion Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)

The Wizard of Oz gone wrong alert! I don't even know the plot of that movie but it seems like the right comparison.

Oh, nevermind, I wrote that before I read the reference in the book.

When I was scrolling through NetGalley, one of the reasons why I requested this ARC is because of its eerie and eye catching cover. And when I read the synopsis, I thought "I've never read a novel about witches but why not now?". I was intrigued by the premise and when I finally finished the book, here are some of my thoughts:
1. It is written with great details about the background, whether it's the backstory or the current place or the current mood. At some scenes it adds more creepiness but in other scenes I think it's just unnecessary.
2. Although we don't get a lot backstory for the side characters, I think they are still well written seeing from how I reacted to their actions and emotions. The way the author writes the witch had me on the edge of my seat all the time, wondering what mess will she create next. The witch is one of the best aspect about this novel.
3. There are some plot holes that I wish there's any conclusions to it. The ending feels a little bit rushed and also is it just me or the witch's motives and intentions are not very clear? Maybe it was written intentionally that way to add the mystery of the book.

All in all, 3 out of 5 stars from me!

I received this ARC for an honest review. This is my first book by Patrick Delaney, and I thought the story progression was slow. It took me a long time to get through this book. I kept putting it down to read something else. The quality of writing was there and liked the concept of the story; but thought it moved too slow. I got bored. Maybe you would like more than I did, but for me it’s was dragging.

A special thank you to NetGalley and Oblivion Publishing for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Witch 13 follows the story of Sheriff Sterling Marsh on the evening of her final night before her resignation. Responding to a dispatch call, she finds an unsettling stranger dressed as a witch. Little does Sterling know, but the night is about to get a whole lot worse.

To its credit, the horror elements in Witch 13 are genuinely creepy, although the execution often leaves a lot to be desired. The story itself reads as a good movie idea; the story could, and probably would, shine in other forms of media. The book does include multiple illustrations throughout, but these pictures add nothing to the story and tend to be more of a distraction than an enhancement.

As one might surmise from the title of the book, the antagonist is a witch, but a disappointing amount of details, backstory, or mythos is given throughout the tale. This may be a conscious decision by the author to continue to shroud the character in mystery and some details are eventually discovered towards the conclusion. However, these details feel like a lost opportunity for exploration.

Where the book really struggles at its core is with its characterization and its prose. The characters, mostly unlikeable, have no idea how to interact with each other, and their tones in dialogue change from amicable to rude at the flip of a switch. Dialogue between multiple characters detracts from the story and is honestly at times unbelievable. Unfortunately, the child characters included in the story are written as if written by somebody who has never spent time with children. The children are cringe-worthy, have a significant tonal shift, and are vastly unbelievable. The other characters similarly act as if they all hate children; none of the adults know how to interact with the kids, are curt and rude, and at certain points are pushy, physically and emotionally.

The author's prose is at its strongest during scenes of action and suspense, however, it struggles everywhere else. Where flowing, flowery poetic prose is not necessary in a story such as this, details are given as facts, not descriptions.

The author excels in story building through auxillary characters, in the vein of horror greats like Stephen King. Unfortunately, while a few situations are given early in the book, these "alternative, outside POV's", abruptly stop and the author loses a tool that he used so well.

I did not hate reading Witch 13. It was not the worst book I've ever read. Author Patrick Delaney creates an interesting and truly creepy horror experience, but it is hindered by its overall execution.

Thank you NetGalley and Oblivion Publisher for an E-ARC copy of Witch 13 by Patrick Delaney.

I had to read this book when I saw the cover art, however, I wasn't really sure by the cover if the title was 13 Witches or Witch 13. Like most reviewers, this book did take a turn from where I thought it was going to go. Initially, to me, I thought that it was going to have a modern-day Hansel and Gretal feel as it is constantly mentioned that whenever the witch is around children there is the smell of sweets. But this was not the case at all and I was pleasantly surprised and disappointed at the same time.

Honestly, this was more of a 3 and a half star for me as there were a few things that honestly bugged me. I could get past the slow burn of the first few chapters, but there wasn't any follow-up to the little girl or the little boy who both became victims of the witch. Why weren't they reported as missing? Why was it that Sterling only found out when the storm started and not through reports? Also, the witch's backstory and the ending really fell flat for me, making the last section of the book a disappointment in a way. Especially since there seemed to be a lot of backstories that should have been there, but just weren't. I think that this could have easily have been a series and stretched out a little bit more to make it feel whole.

Though the illustrations were wonderful and I would recommend getting a physical copy to get a better enjoyment of them. It was nice to get a feel for what was happening through them.

Overall, I think it was a decent read that could have done a little better towards the ending.

Witch 13. A peculiar title for a very strange book.

This is my third time reading work from Patrick Delaney and when I saw the cover for this one and read the premise I immediately became excited for whatever journey I was about to be put on. Witch 13 is a horror book yes, but it is also contains elements of fantasy and maybe even a little science fiction if you squint hard enough.
Now I am a fan of all things spooky whether it be haunted houses, demon, or ghouls but I am especially partial to witches and let me tell you the titular witch in this story is definitely the kind of witch I look forward to reading about in my horror stories. The story revolves around a young sheriff named Sterling Marsh who when we meet her is about to resign from her position, but of course life has a different idea for her and she doesn't quite get to do that and that is on the account of the appearance of an eerie and mysterious, yep you guessed it, Witch.

What follows after is a creepy and claustrophobic battle to discover what the intentions of this witch are and what kind of power she holds over the sleepy small town being controlled by her influence.

The character roster of Witch 13 is well put together with your heroine Sterling as the lead with a wonderful set of supporting characters that were fleshed out enough that I felt an attachment to almost all of them and cared about whether or not they would survive this ordeal. The star of the book however is of course, the Witch. What do you with a person who doesn't move, talk, or do much of anything other than just radiate sinister vibes whenever she's around? well, that's a question you will have to answer yourself when you read the book. The Witch is a fascinating antagonist because she is your worst enemy in the same way that Michael Myers is: silent, deadly, and unpredictable and more than likely un-killable.

If I had mention something I didn't like about the book it would be the pace of the plot. The beginning is fine and does a fine job at establishing the plot, characters, and introducing the mystery of the story, but I found the middle to be long and drawn out. There was many scenes of the crew in the police station doing and saying the same thing chapter after chapter, and while it didn't detract my interest from the book it just lagged the story along a little. The last half of the book once you get past the lag of the middle is very quick and action packed! It gave me all the horror movie vibes I would be looking for in a book like this and it delivers quite nicely. The ending is something I am still tossing around in my head as to whether I hate it or like it. I always find endings are a hard thing to land in any kind of book, but especially in horror. I do wish the ending sequence was a little more fleshed out and explained a little clearer, but overall I suppose it was probably the only way a story like this was ever meant to end.

I have to give a special shout out to the illustrations that were scattered throughout the book! It was so nice to have a moment where something new was introduced and I would have a moment where I would be thinking 'I wonder how that would look?' and as I went to the next page it turns out the image was supplied for me. The illustrations were stunning and I felt they added an extra dimension to the reading experience of this book! Great addition!

As a reader of previous works by Mr. Delaney I also liked the little easter eggs to his other books! It's always a fun addition when authors can seamlessly include things like that without being too obvious or distracting.

Witch 13 is a peculiar read, but one that I couldn't stop reading until I discovered exactly what and who the Witch was and I have to say the journey was an enjoyable one. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Sterling and the gang as they went through a grueling journey that had many twists and turns leading to a confrontation with the titular witch in which many of the characters lives in danger and much more.

I recommend picking this one up when it releases! It's not too long so it doesn't require much of your time and could easily be finished in a few days with enough intrigue and spook factor to keep you interested!

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All the opinions are my own!

Gah... what the hell was this? Feel like my 9 year old can write better. Main issue is the writing, it's atrocious. The prose is soo difficult to overcome. Also don't call a TV modest. Don't describe every single thing or thought a character does. I got through like 50 pages. Shit never should have been published.

Loved the spooky vibes of this book! Also really really loved the characters as well. I honestly will be posting this to good reads and my other platforms once this book is released 😊 This book was amazing to be honest I honestly never read anything like this before! It kind of gives me a crossover between different books but this book definitely is a must read! The illustrations were amazing! This book drew me in with the first chapter!😊 Can’t wait to seek out more books from Patrick Delaney!

The atmosphere and scene building is immaculate. Loved the spooky vibe along with characters I could connect to. I enjoyed the lore of this. It felt very immersive and dreadful which I appreciate. Will be posting full Goodreads review and Tiktok review in April.