There were some things I really liked about this book including the magic, Brigid's relationship with her daughter, and the side characters Finola and Ophelia.

What I enjoyed:

- A book that takes place on an island off the coast of Ireland? Sold! I loved the concept and premise. A witch that wakes up 100 years in the future with no memories? A lake with haunted creature? Loved it.

- The podcast was full of fun, witty banter. I always wanted more of it! Some parts made me chuckle.

- There were some truly beautiful and haunting images that will stay with me from this book. The author had some beautiful writing and did a great job of creating scenes that will stick with you.

What I didn't like as much:

- The plot meandered quite a bit, and there were periods in the middle that were hard to get through. Brigid's lack of memories seemed to make the story drag, and it was hard to feel connected to the characters. The plot picked up about 75% of the way through.

- This might just be me, but I thought some of the magical world-building was missing substance... Sometimes a new term, ability, or creature would pop up that I wasn't aware, and I maybe would have liked more explanation or background.

- I desperately wanted more plotline with Brigid's daughter Dove. I felt that this is what the whole story was about, and then we really only had a few short scenes with her. I would have LOVED more content there.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the author for an advanced review copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. I am posting my review here now and will post on my Bookstagram closer to the release date!

This book was a little slow at first, but I enjoyed reading it after a while. Recommended for cozy magic lovers, readers of Addie LaRue, and readers of Circe.

2✨

Brigid wakes up 100 years in the future without her memories, her town cursed and about to be overrun by the damned, creatures escaping from the lough and wreaking havoc on the townspeople. She has to work together with a mysterious trickster god and her two descendants, Ophelia and Finola.

The lyrical, whimsical writing gave way to a convoluted, lackluster plot that honestly caused me to get bored. I was interested to a point but the lack of her memories was overdone when it kept up for more than 40% of this book. I was hoping for mystery and suspense with the looming curse, but all I got was frustration on all sides. The characters fell flat due to 3rd person omniscient narrator, and none of them had any intricacies. They were all standard cut-outs and had one motivation. I couldn’t connect with any of them. Also, the way it’s written is at odds with how Ophelia and Finola speak and it bothered me. The modern references (looking at you: Back to the Future reference) were jarring when used with her prose.
The plot was so disjointed with the addition of news articles/podcast scripts and it took away from the suspense and build up. I found myself skimming through those parts just so I could get to the main storyline. The romance didn’t work for me either. We barely got to see anything other them having a strong physical attraction and chemistry. I really wasn’t invested in this side of the book either.

The highlight for me was the prologue. It hooked me immediately, but I didn’t feel engaged the rest of the way through.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Lost Witch is a cute, witchy contemporary fantasy. When Brigid finds herself 100 years in the future (the year 2022) with no memory of how she came to be there, she needs the help of her descendants, Ophelia and Finola, to figure out what happened to her and fix the grave consequences her journey through time have created.
The Lost Witch had a very Charmed feel to it- with Ophelia, Finola, and Brigid creating that sisterly bond that I so loved in Charmed.
This book takes place in Ireland and draws a lot from Ireland's lore, which I really enjoyed.
I would almost classify this as a cozy fantasy, but the stakes are just *slightly* too high.
My only complaint is that the romance fell a little flat for me. I had a hard time caring about the slow burn and the longing looks between Brigid and Lugh. But the sisterly relationship between our coven more than made up for it.
There were spelling mistakes, but as I was reading an ARC I assume those will be fixed before the book's release in December.
And lastly, I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read and review The Lost Witch!

The timeline in this book begins in 1922 and jumps to 2022. Brigid is a powerful witch and healer in a small town on an island in Ireland. The one thing she wants is a child. She is seduced by Luc Knightly, head of the Knightly Coven. She becomes pregnant and when her precious daughter is ill, she breaks a rule. She uses the magic in Lough of Briongloid. And that was a mistake. The magic takes her daughter and Brigid.

When she finds herself in the year 2022, she has no clue how she got there. But there is trouble. The witches of the knightly coven are using wild magic to distance the otherworld. Creatures from folklore are showing up in villages and stealing their humanity.

Brigid will have to help her descendants stop them and to do so she may lose herself again.

This was a bit slow for me. The story was good, however.

NetGalley/ December 27, 2022, St. Martin’s Press

I love witchy books, but this one let me down in terms of worldbuilding. It often wasn't clear what was going on and I battled to 'picture the scene' if you will. More nuanced worldbuilding and clearer descriptions would really enhance this book. Also, more nuanced characters - they felt a little one-note.

I just reviewed The Lost Witch by Paige Crutcher. #NetGalley

This book was so fun to read!! I read the whole book very quickly, The plot was so fun and engaging! I would definitely recommend this one!

I didn’t much care for this story. I didn’t feel connected to the characters in the same way I did when I read The Orphan Witch by the same author last year. This story felt too disjointed. I was having a hard time following along with all the bizarre explanations of the magic and the reasoning behind everything that was happening. While Brigid wasn’t a bad person I don’t feel as though I knew enough about her to really root for her. It was the same for the other two characters Ophelia and Finola, who were present day witches and descendants of Brigid. They weren’t bad people or bad witches, but I felt like there were too many questions about their past to really understand their motivations. Also at the end of some of the chapters were Podcasts with the two sisters and they just didn’t make any sense to me. I think they were meant to move the story along, but I found them to feel misplaced and lacking. I had to power through this one which is disappointing because I love magic and the possibilities of it. This story fell a little flat for me. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC of The Lost Witch by Paige Crutcher thanks to NetGalley.

First, this story came with the perfect setting. Brigid, a healing witch, lives on an island surrounded by mists and mystery. Brigid has her run of Evermore, helping the townspeople however she can while the other witches, dark and menacing witches, live on the other side of the island. Thought this island was a bit isolated and surrounded by misty fog, the description of the town itself gave off an Edward Scissor hands meets Cottage Core feeling.

In terms of writing, it took a little while to get acquainted with Crutcher's use of long sentences that were mixed with poetic language. However, once I was familiar with it, it added to the mystery that was this story.

There were a few references that I was not sure of, and I do not know if this was due to my mediocre knowledge of Irish Mythology or due to lack of description from the author. Some of the names for The Damned were obscure to me and hard to imagine and then there was a mention of "the nineteen" and I still do not know what that is.

I did enjoy the POV change that started happening about 30% of the way through the story. This gave the ability to feel for some of the otherwise unlikable (at the beginning any way) character(s). I do wish though that we were given a more consistent use of this POV change.

Overall, I would give this a 3.75 star rating or a B-. It was mysterious, cute, and filled with emotions, but I was not devoted to any specific character or aspect. I was not drawn in emotionally.
Would I recommend if someone asked for a witchy low romance romance? YES

Thank you NetGalley for a chance to read The Lost Witch.

I loved this book. This is an atmospheric and witchy tale where the MC Brigid makes a decision that ultimately impacts her life and the entire town of Evermore for generations to come. I was drawn in immediately and loved the characters and descriptive writing style the author uses. This story also has a cozy feel that makes you want to savor reading this while drinking coffee (or tea) and I plan on re-reading this in the future.

I was given the chance to read this through NetGalley and I loved it! It took a few chapters for me to get into the story and keep things straight. However, once I did I really got into the story of Brigid, Ophelia, and Finola. It is a book that takes you into Irish Folklore and adds romance and history. All those elements are some of my favorite things ever. I enjoyed good witches and bad witches and the Gods and Goddesses that walked through the story. I've already started telling people they need to read it the second it comes out.

“The Lost Witch” by Paige Crutcher

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an Arc of this book. This review is entirely my own.

“The Lost Witch” by Paige Crutcher is an intriguing story following a witch named Brigid Heron, living on a small island off the coast of Ireland in the 1920s. The story follows Brigid’s journey in the small town of Evermore as she searches for her daughter who was taken from her. This story includes a bit of time travel as it starts with Brigid in the 1920s and follows her to 2022.
Along this journey, Brigid encounters quite a few difficulties such as integrating into a new world and culture, learning to work along with others, learning to trust the mysterious Luc Knightly who is an integral part of the past that she can’t remember, all the while dealing with the loss of her goddess and her child. On top of that, she still has to help to protect the town of Evermore from the monster of the lough.
This book really packs a lot into it! The author strives to be as descriptive as possible while incorporating as much Irish folklore into this book. It may be a bit difficult in the beginning to grasp the folklore and the terminology, but if you push through, you will find a wonderful story of love, friendship, acceptance, sisterhood and found family! Also, the story includes many allusions to modern tales that we can identify.
This is a fun, stand-alone read that was quite enjoyable. I would recommend it to anyone that wants a delightful read with a bit of magic!

It took me a little while to get into this, but once I did I enjoyed it. The beginning starts off S L O W but also with like, an info dump. I think I would have preferred to remember all of the information along with Brigid, but I understand wanting the reader to have the backstory.

I really enjoyed the characters, and genuinely couldn’t predict where the story was going, a thing I always love. I would have liked to learn more about Ophelia and Finola, I loved the interludes from their podcasts.

Overall, I recommend it! The pacing is a little uneven, but the story is interesting and the characters are interesting!

Unfortunately the romance in this book didn’t really work for me. The character were wildly attracted to each other but it felt like we never really got to see why or how they formed that bond so it didn’t really connect for me. Overall the I love a witchy magically book so that part so fun but I just didn’t feel really invested in this one. Not a bad read at all but not a favorite.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this arc in exchange for my honest feedback.

I love stories about family and magic and this one had both. While the narration was a little more distant and omniscient than I typically like, the story was exciting and I loved seeing the way the ties that bound these witches of generations and time came to life in a story that was both about connecting with your personal power and finding support in community, even when you're the outcast.

DNFing at 33%.

I have been trying to read this book for about two weeks, but I just can't bring myself to continue picking it up. I enjoy the characters and the setting was great, but the pacing and the timelines are kind of all over the place. I've been confused for a good 25% of the book. Wish I liked this one more because the premise seemed awesome.

The Lost Witch follows Irish witch Brigid as she fights to regain her lost memories after she wakes up 100 years in the future finding her town under siege by dark witches and creatures from the underworld. Together with her newfound coven and a handsome mischief maker, Brigid must find a way to break this curse and find her lost self.

I though this story was very well done and the plot pacing kept me engaged and made me want to keep reading to find out what would happen next. I enjoyed the world building and magic system, and adored the two witches that help Brigid find her place in her new time. The romance aspect was my favorite part and the live interest is very swoon worthy.

Overall, I think this was a solid, enjoyable read. I thought that the podcast portions sometimes interrupted the flow of the story, but they didn’t detract too much from my enjoyment. 4⭐️

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the use of this ARC.

DNF. Needs more editting. Too many threads. Save third for chapter 4? I really wanted to like this. Topic, research, characters, ideas all strong.

This was a good read, wonderful plot throughout. I'm a huge fan of witch themed novels. I could see the places like I was there. The character development could use a little work. I didn't find anything missed spelled for an advanced copy. I would definitely consider reading book two, if one is made. Overall, I was satisfied well done to the author.

I thought the book was a lovely, fun read! I enjoyed the twists and turns throughout the book. The dialogue was super and kept me on my toes!