Cover Image: The Prince and the Witch

The Prince and the Witch

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Member Reviews

"The Prince and The Witch" presents a captivating, clean read that follows Prince Edward, cursed by his grandmother and facing a life-threatening situation as he nears his seventeenth birthday. The kingdom itself seems cursed, with magic banned and witches hunted down by the King. When Edward realizes that these very witches might hold the key to his survival, he embarks on a journey, encountering Abbey along the way.

This YA fantasy, while targeted at a younger audience, surpasses typical fantasy tropes involving violence or romantic entanglements. Instead, it's a skillfully crafted tale with unexpected twists. Both Edward and Abbey are well-developed, endearing characters, making it an enjoyable read for audiences of all ages.

Initially reminiscent of Sleeping Beauty, the story quickly branches into an original narrative. However, despite the enthralling revelations, Edward remains unusually composed, which, although endearing, feels somewhat unrealistic for a teenager whose life drastically alters. More visible emotional reactions could have enhanced his character depth.

Beyond this, the book excels, featuring engaging side characters and maintaining an enjoyable, brisk pace throughout.

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For me it's a nice retailing of Beauty and Beast. I don't know why but the curse on the prince and the beautiful witch sounds familiar to me.
The story was nice to read. For me it's more an Young Adult story than an adult. Not a big deal but I prefer adult fiction.

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If you want to read a book about a Prince and a Witch and everything in between then this is the book for you. I loved reading this book and I would definitely recommend it to other readers.

The timeline of the sickly Prince Edward starts in the present day of the book. Prince Edward overhears a conversation between his parents the King and the Queen that his tincture is going to run out on his 17th birthday. Prince Edward is under the impression that if his tincture runs out then he will die. Unknowing of the true sinister plot behind his tincture.

On the other hand, for Abbey her story begins in the past of the book when she is still a child who was just learning and using her magic to help her family. One day it found out that she is a witch when she saves another child from and explosion this exposing her magic for everyone to see. Her parents and the rest of her village turn against her and she flees for her life. (not knowing that her two older brothers do not share the same opinion as the rest of the village and set out to look for her). Abbey eventually finds the witch sanctuary and a mentor.

Eventually Abbey's timeline catches up to Prince Edward's timeline when the Prince sets out on a journey to find the witches sanctuary in order to find a cure for his sickness. Along the way of Prince Edward's journey he is helped by an overly friendly hunter who lives in the middle of the woods named Jude. Prince Edward gets captured by a group called the Rabble and eventually gets rescued by Abbey.

To Prince Edward's surprise he also meets men in the witches sanctuary then it dawns to him to not all witches are women. There is also a mysterious evil witch that wants the throne for himself.

Will Prince Edward and Abbey find a cure for the Prince sickness? Was Prince Edward really cursed to be sick by his own witch grandmother? or was is his tincture that was making him sick? Will Prince Edward stop the evil witch from taking the throne? Will Prince Edward and Abbey ever get together? Read the book to find out.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

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Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this book.

This was a cute little read! Well written with good pacing and interesting characters. I would definitely recommend this!

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An excellent fairytale. I love fairytales and this is a very good one. Well written. I know my grandkids will love it. Thank you netGalley for providing an advanced copy to me

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Most readers grow up with fairy tales, it is the power of those fantasies that carry us thru childhood and gives us wings to dream. I know. Because there have been many a time when I have imagined myself to be a princess waiting for a prince to take me away and now, as an adult, seeing my daughter playing similar kind of make-believe games, yes it is these fairy tales that make us believe in love and the power of good over evil in spite of the thorny paths that we have to walk thru to reach there.

The Prince and the Witch take us back to that time, a charming fairy tale story that had me flying thru its pages. YES, a part of the story is of course predictable, the prince is cursed, he is on a quest to save himself and live a little and it is easy to guess the direction that plot can go with, but what was enchanting was the author’s excellent capability in bringing twisty and treacherous plot points that gets the reader to pay attention. Edward and Anna are beautiful characters to root for, they are more or less resigned to their lives and their actions speak of the adversities they have faced in their young lives, especially Anna.

The romance is sweet, and the writing flows gently, in fact, the whole story is reminiscent of those lovely fairy tales of our past, and the best part for me at least, it is not a trilogy. I am that impatient sort who finds it difficult to wait for another year to know the ending of a story. The Prince and the Witch though could have easily lured me in with a few 100 pages more, I didn’t want Edward's adventure with Anna in the woods to end.

Categorized as YA, this is one lovely story that I bet all adults need to read, for fun and a little lightness in your hearts.

Many thanks to Net Galley, Books Go Social, and the author for a chance to read and review this book. All opinions are expressed voluntarily.

This review is published on my blog https://rainnbooks.com/, Goodreads, Amazon India, Book Bub, Medium.com, Facebook, and Twitter.

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The Prince and the Witch by L.A. Thompson was a delightful breath of fresh air.
With a fairy tale feeling this story moves along quickly. The story of Edward and Abby is at times thrilling, frighting, and suspenseful and works so well because the characters themselves are well-realized and journey with us through the book.
The writing style has a deceptive simplicity to it that enhances the fairy tale feel and shows the other is adroit enough to allow style to be a companion to the story.
I eagerly look forward to reading more works by the author.
Thanks to #NetGalley, #BooksGoSocial, and L.A. Thompson for the ARC of #ThePrinceandtheWitch.

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The Prince and The Witch is a wonderful clean read. Edward, a prince nearing his seventeenth birthday, is sick due to a curse bestowed by his grandmother. In fact, the very land of the kingdom seems to be cursed. The King has banned magic and begun hunting down witches. When Edward discovers that the witches his father has ruthlessly oppressed may be able to help him, he sets off on a journey to find them. Despite never having left the castle on his own before, he bravely sets out alone, eventually meeting Abbey.

Though directed at the younger segment of the YA market, I found it to be a much more engaging read than many in YA fantasy that relies on violence or sexual relationships to keep readers interested. This novel was skillfully written, with more than one twist I was not expecting. Both Edward and Abbey were delightful and sympathetic, fully fleshed-out characters. I would happily recommend it to readers of any age who enjoy fantasy adventure.

While initially reading, I thought The Prince and The Witch was a retelling of Sleeping Beauty, but the vague similarities drop off fairly early and what ends up unfolding is much better than I could imagine. However, I felt as if there were a couple of major, mind-blowing reveals that should have impacted Edward a little more noticeably. He was very unflappable throughout the story, something that made him quite endearing; even when fearing for his life, he had a certain amount of calmness to him. BUT, I would have liked to have seen a little more emotion from a teenager who had their whole worldview turned upside down.

Aside from that, I loved everything about this book. The side characters were interesting, and the pacing made for an enjoyable quick read. Definitely a 4.5 star read. If you love fantasy, give The Prince and The Witch a try.
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A big thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

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“The Prince and the Witch” is a wonderful book, it’s almost two books in one. Edward is a prince that has been cursed, and his father ,the king, has banished the only people that can help him….witches. When Edward learns that he has limited time to lift the curse, he must travel to ask the witches for help. Abby is a witch in training, that has been in hiding because the king banned magic. She may be Edward’s only hope of lifting the curse. I enjoyed how descriptive the book was, It was easy to feel like I was there. I will definitely be reading this book again.I feel the beginning is a little long, but it does pick up.

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I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review via Netgalley.

This Prince and the Witch is a fun young YA coming-of-age novel. A prince who is dying of a curse sets out to save himself and his kingdom. Along the way, he discovers that the people he trusts the most might have betrayed him. However, also along his journey he might have made allies with the people he was taught were his enemies. It’s a familiar sort of story and extremely fun to read.

Edward discovers that the Witches are not his enemy. When he escapes the castle to go find help to break his curse, things get hectic fast. He isn't quite sure who is good, who is bad, or who are his allies.
Abby, the witch is… likable. My only complaint with her character is I wish she was 2-dimensional. I found her to be quite boring and I wish she fulfilled the potential that I saw.

Regardless, a cute, heartwarming story about finding yourself and your circle of people. Learning to question what you know and making your own decisions. It is a good read.

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I am a firm believer that just because we grow older, that doesn't necessarily mean we have to grow up. That we can still read stories with heroes and villains, good and evil, witches and princes and magic and mystery and adventure. In short, we can still read books like The Prince and the Witch.

This book is just charming. It feels like a fairy story for adults. A prince who is cursed and will die on his 17th birthday. Witches who caused it. A quest to find a cure and keep him alive. The writing is beautiful - the vivid descriptions bring the world to life; the hustle and bustle of the market, the extravagance of the palace, the dark eeriness of the forest and the warm and welcoming community of the witches' coven. I was transported to each location in the book and I went along on Edward and Abbey's adventures with them. The Prince and the Witch is written in a way that was easy to read, so I flew threw the book in no time, enjoying every page.

Edward as the lead character is lovable. I did feel for him - he was just a sixteen-year-old, soon to be seventeen, who just wanted to live. Really live. I felt for him as he desperately tried to find answers and a cure, whilst at the same time enjoying the exhilaration of not being trapped in the palace but rather out and feeling the wind on his face.

I love that a big theme in the book is exactly that of life. What is the point in life if you're not living but just existing? Reading Edward resigning himself to the curse but enjoying every second he gets to live and experience the wonder of the world first. The more I read about Edward pushing himself and the more I got to see the wonder through his eyes, the more I loved his character and was rooting for him.

Whilst this was a fairly typical fantasy book - boy cursed and wants to go find a cure and adventure ensues...the plot was still fun and enjoyable to read. Yes, it is good to read books that challenge your views, open your eyes, make you think and have a lot of depth to them. But it is equally as good to read books that are just fun and bring you joy and adventure. For me, The Prince and the Witch is an example of such a book. At times the plot was predictable, yes, but the way it was written meant the predictability didn't make it any less enjoyable. And that's not to say the whole book was predictable and I knew how it would end from page one - there were plenty of plot twists throughout the book that kept me entertained, and even those I saw coming still made me gasp when I read them!

As far as I'm aware, this book is standalone, and the ending was really satisfying with all the loose ends tied up. Having said that, the ending has definitely been left open for the potential of sequels. This book is not a groundbreaking piece of literature, granted, but it is a really good book that I really enjoyed reading. It felt reminiscent to me of all the books I read growing up and the amount I loved The Prince and the Witch just goes to show that you're never too old for a fairy story really, are you?

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"Categorically A Solid 4.5 Stars"

NOTE: I received early access from NetGalley, for this manuscript, in exchange for writing an impartial review. Completed on 6/17/2022.

Just a brief mention: I won't be going into outlining the actual events of the book, since that's already been covered on the "jacket" the publisher's release, and other reviewers.

Unequivocally well presented for any age, and skillfully scripted. Although, I'm severely vexed by the fact that simply because a book deals with a younger main character and/or audience, has limited to light violence, with restrictions to no cursing, restrained to zero sexual content, romance, or innuendos, it characteristically gets tossed into YA. I consider it constrained, and narrow-minded toward the scope and potential opportunities, and with respect to the possibility of a much larger than intended target group. It causes it to much more difficult to locate when buried as a consequence, relating to a search.

This novel is presented in a relatively endearing, innocent, and inexperienced structure, but not in an unfavorable substandard method.
Edward and Abbey, the two main character's, are not immune to hardship, or completely innocent of their world outlook, and neither hold on to the juvenile, ideological dream world being all rainbows, unicorns, and butterflies.
They're not spared from the corrupt and wicked circumstances of what exists around them, it's just not heavily pushed.

I did observe myself delaying the last page to the very end. It came upon me much sooner than I would've desired. Not one for fillers and fluff though, I could still visualize many more scenarios which could easily increase the length of the book, in a significant and applicable way, being relevant in a crucial manner, in order to extend the story.

I was happy with the ending, but saddened to see it wrap up. I was left desiring even just a short epilogue, appendage, one more chapter, a goodbye, a farewell appearance, a one last-hoorah monolgue on the future of those I had grown attached to.

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad it wasn't drawn out into a trilogy. Hopefully from one book aficionado to another, you can relate to where I'm coming from. Highly recommend, regardless of age group or preferred genres.

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Wonderful young adult book in which a dying prince goes on a quest to try and help himself and his kingdom. He is not preoccupied with remorse but set out to finding a solution to the problem. What a beautiful message to all of us ptiying ourselves. It has touch of magic, touch of adventure a lot of love. Great book.

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I really loved this book and cant say enough good things about it. i was a real sucker for the great cover. I was relieved that the beautiful cover matched a really good story. though it has a young age group on amazon for it. id label it for any age. please give it try. its only one of two books the author has written. hopefully she can write more. i highly recommend it. Please note i recieved a free copy for this book in exchange for an honest review. thanks to Netgally for the opportunity and the publisher for making it available.

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3.5 stars.

It's a charming little story that, at first, reads as if it's going to be a genderbent "Sleeping Beauty," so much so that right until the major reveal past half the book I was still expecting Edward to succumb to the curse any moment and start snoozing up till the witch awoke him somehow. But, oh boy, isn't this no retelling!

You'd be forgiven for thinking it was, though, given the fairy tale-like atmosphere and plot. Prince Edward is born to the king and queen of Arthuria, and cursed by his grandmother as a wee child, a curse that dooms him to be sickly from birth until he dies at seventeen, the reason for his father banning magic from the kingdom to protect the boy and persecuting witches. How could you not think this is "Sleeping Beauty," you see?

The similarities don't go further, though. When Edward escapes the castle to go seek the witches for either a cure or breaking his curse at their hidden dwelling in the mountains, things get twisty 'n' messy quite fast. Too fast, I'd say. It turns out the witches are not the monsters his father taught him they were, but there's more to the curse than Edward could ever suspect. The villain isn't who he thinks and the hero isn't who he thinks, either. And his allies? There's surprises there as well.

Edward was simply adorable. So sweet, so good-natured, rather naïve, and all-around lovely person you'd like to be friends with or bring home for dinner. In a market saturated with bad boys and jerks, characters like him are a rarity. Abby, the witch that is the counter-POV to the prince, is a bit more typical for the genre but also likable. But Edward is definitely the star in this story.

The second half of the book is weaker than the first half and has pacing issues. Everything goes by hurriedly, the resolution is rushed, too much in packed in a few pages, and the twists happen at such a rapid fire pace that depth and credibility are sacrificed in good measure. I think a slower pace and giving more time to Edward to work to discover the truth, to "sweat" for it rather than have the information spoonfed to him, would've helped. He should've had it a good deal harder than he did. The story did have it to be longer and meatier, I think.

Anyway, I also liked that, in spite of what the title might imply, this is no prince/witch romance novel. I know that might be a disappointment for the romance-loving folks, but to me it was a plus. There's teamwork and collaboration instead of Cupid's arrows doing the magic here.

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A charming story of an ailing prince and his quest to save his own life. It’s a time of banned magic , hidden secrets and witches. Who can he trust?
An easy read a little escape from reality while trying to recover from covid. Well written with interesting plot twists. I look forward to LA Thompson’s next book.

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