I enjoyed this book but I found the beginning to be a bit slow. Once I got through the first few chapters I really enjoyed it. I liked the story and thought it was very different.
Thank you Netgalley for sharing this book in exchange for a honest review.

The premise of this story Hooked me and pulled me in. The way the story was told had me off the hook and heading back to sea looking for a different hook.

This story had soooo much potential. A witch who has been cast forward 100 years into the future. A villain who we want to be good. A quirky set of Scooby gang witches ready to rock n roll. This story had what it needed to be a major hit for me but it fell flat.

I didn’t like the weird podcasts. It felt like it the author was trying to “date” this book in relevant culture by doing so. And the podcasts didn’t mesh with what was actually going on in the book. The POV shifting had me confused as hell. I mean, I like multiple POVs but I need to know who’s POV I’m reading. Some points it took me a page or two to determine the POV and I’d had to go back and reread to understand. Le sigh.

I couldn’t pin a Genre onto this book. It wasn’t historical although it had historical elements. It wasn’t quite a romance read. It wasn’t quite a YA read. In a broad sense, it would be fantasy.

A couple of things upfront-

-If you loved The Orphan Witch, like I did, Ms. Crutcher's second book DID NOT disappoint. No way she's going to be a one-hit wonder. I do have some specific recs though.

-If you enjoyed The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, but Luc was your favorite part, but you also wanted more from him, Knightly is your guy! At some times we're not sure where his true loyalties lie, but he's everything I wanted Luc to be and more. Definitely lots of love for Knightly!

-If you're into Nora Roberts' fantasy-ish trilogies, this book has those same vibes. Definitely reminiscent of the Dark Witch trilogy and the Guardians trilogy. In fact, if it wasn't for the lack of spice, I might even think Paige Crutcher was just a new penname for Ms Roberts.

Obviously I enjoyed this book! The beginning confused me and near the end of the book I had to go back and re-read the first chapter and then everything clicked a little better. I loved that there was so much s*xual tension between (spoiler) and (spoiler), but I wish there had been more spice rather than the fade to black. Even if it had just been in the flashbacks. I really hate that I have no words to describe how good was this. Wonderful story, loved Ophelia and Fin, just missing a few spicy scenes!

I received this as an ARC in exchange for an honest review, so thank you to the publishers and NetGalley.
This story had a wonderful premise, and I was very excited about the idea of two different timelines with strong women from each coming together. However, there was not a clear focus throughout, and it even was difficult to categorize this into one genre. I think the author added too much and it ended up a mish mash of ideas that never came together.

The Lost Witch struggled to find its place - is it romance, historical, mystery, or young adult? It's very hard to tell.

There were elements of various genres but it was difficult to be excited about any of them since the novel floated between several. The writing was whimsical at points but also included pop culture references that were jarring and felt out of place. It was hard to know the mood/tone the author was going for.

This book was hard to stay engaged with as the set-up between Brigid and her daughter is hardly explored at the beginning of the book. Not allowing the reader to invest in Dove made the journey to find her a bit boring.

ARC kindly provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this take on witches and the time period was great. This was a great read.

Not a bad read, but not exactly my type of fantasy genre.

This book starts out strong with an independent and strong female lead who wants to be a mother and will go to any lengths to be one. This part of the story had me hooked and honestly disappointed me that it was my favourite part.

Brigid wakes up 100 years in the future with loss of her memories. I just wish that the memory loss storyline could have sped up a little faster as it was 40% of the book.

I feel like this book could have benefitted from a different point of view. I found it hard to connect to the characters with a 3rd person omniscient POV and maybe i would have understood them more if the story was told from their perspective.

Also i found the way the story was written as well as brigid and luc’s tone was from 100 years ago when the story began so it seemed like it didn’t fit with the way ophelia and finola spoke. Also i could have done without the podcasts and news articles, i mostly skimmed these parts to get to the main storyline.

Overall this story wasn’t bad by any means, it just had A LOT going on and it couldn’t keep me interested.

Thank you Netgalley and to the publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I received this as an arc in exchange for an honest review.

The story had a lot of premise but the execution was lacking to the point of distraction. It seemed the author had so many ideas in their head it left the overall lore muddy and what should have been a rather straight forward story, overly complicated.

CW: pregnancy, infertility

I really tried to get into this one, but I just couldn't. Dnfing at around 25%. The writing style just is not for me.

The Lost Witch was a fun quick read but wasn’t anything too special or new. It felt confusing at times with the back and forth time periods. I really enjoyed the magical creatures trying to take over and the main character’s internal battle with wanting to be a mother or follow her Goddess.

The Lost Witch came out extremely strong in the prologue following Brigid and he want of a daughter and the depths she would go to become a mother and gain that love. The prologue quickly became the best part of the book on my opinion.

I feel that the book lost some potential being a 3rd person narrative. There was a lot of different perspectives that could have given “flare” to the story had we gotten to follow them. I felt that the “forgotten memories” was a dragged out plot point as it was the main storyline for about 40% of the story.

I felt that at times the story was hard to followed and felt static when you would be reading about what was happening and then it would be a random news presentation or article and then back to the plot story.

Unfortunately, i found myself bored a lot of the story, and felt that there was a lot of missed opportunities.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 It took me a long time to get into this book. I enjoyed it overall. I just wanted more. I wanted more details in the love story. I wanted more details about the world, fairies, God's, etc. I wanted more of the relationship with her daughter. It was hard to understand and be invested without additional backstory or explanations. I liked the characters.
The ending was satisfying.
If you like fantasy and witches and want a magical and atmospheric read I'd still recommend this one.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Lost Witch by Paige Crutcher is complex and confusing and compelling. I loved it even as I picked it apart while I was reading. If you like magic, world-building, romance, horror, LGBTQIA2S+, and powerful women, you should read this book and decide for yourself.

This story needed to be two books. There’s essential world-building that would have been more effectively developed and explored in a two-book series. For example, the story is set across two centuries and another dimension, the Otherworld. We get a very hurried introduction to these worlds but judging solely from what we do get to experience, it’s truly a missed opportunity.

In addition, it’s a really delightful magical world with excellent, horrifying conflict escalation. We need to see more of the monsters, more of the magic, more of the conflict. We would absolutely have gotten that through a longer (two-book) story arc.

The characters are wonderful: eclectic, funny, loving. Brigid, her coven, Lugh (aka Luc) Knightly, the witches of Knight, and many of the townspeople have stories worth hearing. Don’t even get me started on Dove. GAH. Thanks for breaking my poor patched heart, Paige Crutcher.

The romance is told in fragments that work surprisingly well. The slower pacing of the romance allows us to empathize with Lugh, whose pining rivals Mr Darcy, but whose morals are more challenging. Thus is the life of a demigod, I assume. Unfortunately, the pacing of the romance highlights how hurried the rest of the story is.

This book is worth your time, even as it will annoy you for the choices the author and her editing team chose. Read it and cross your fingers with me that we get to see more of Paige Crutcher.

I received a digital ARC through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I don't normally read fantasy books but I enjoyed this one. I loved that there was romance and the chemistry between Brigid and Knightly was electric. I felt like the action did fall a bit short, I wish there was a bit more suspense to it. The Story line as a whole was good and kept me engaged.

Really good book, sometimes the story lagged slightly but then would pick right back up. The love between the characters was a great addition to the story.

This is such a fun paranormal read. I was entrallled by the story and loved it cover to cover. This book is the perfect escape for those that love magic and paranormal stories. Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley. My review opinion is my own. The charachters here are richly drawn and brought to life by the author.

We are introduced to Bridig, a young witch who has woke up in the future in a city under attack by neferious magical forces. She is on a small island in Ireland where she last remembered living in the year 1922. She had a peaceful life in 1922 and the time travel changes her into a warrior and defender of her people. As she fights for her own life and that of her city she finds within herself the answers to her gifts and the warriour within. The author has many rich magical creatures in this book which are a fun part of this book.

A book I recommend for all that enjoy the paranormal and duel timelines. A exciting fun read.

The Lost Witch, is the perfect witchy read — I wish I would have read it in the fall but eh what can you do? It is full of powerful women, who know what light they bring to themselves and the world. Brigid Heron is a witch, healer, and right hand to her Goddess, Brighid. She is her town’s protector watching over the lough, to make sure it remains untouched (because by nature it is full of chaos looking to disrupt everything), and her people are safe and healthy.

When a god named Luc comes in and offers to grant Brigid the one thing she desires more than anything in the world, a child, she hesitates but ultimately gives in. Years after she is born, her daughter Dove, becomes ill, and the curse Brigid uses to save her goes awry. To save her from her fate of being locked in the very lough she is supposed to protect, Bridgid makes a deal that casts her a century into the future.

The perfect setting is the town of Evermore, it is full of history, which Brigid unbeknownst to her, helped to create, and dangers with the cursed beings, who with the help of a coven of witches that brought them to be, wreaking havoc on the town.

While the story is simple, and a little hard to get into in the beginning, after a certain point you become connected with Brigid, Finola, Ophelia, and even Luc. Finola and Ophelia are just what Brigid needs to remember although you may feel alone, you never truly are. And Luc, although is the source of her, desires — no matter how much she wants to hate him, loves Brigid and would do anything to save her.

Extended Thoughts
I loved reading about Brigid’s journey, from being alone — although by choice (from never wanting to be disappointed by anyone), to finding love, happiness, and contentment. I found myself wanting more of the interactions between Brigid and Luc. As I mentioned, Brigid desires him uncontrollably, and although she wants to hate him she can’t, she loves him just as much as he loves her. This book wrapped around my heart, making me feel for the characters and wanting things to work out.

The one thing that I missed was more of a plot between Brigid and Dove. The story was ultimately about her and having to save her, but there wasn’t much given about her other than a few sentences here and there. I would have LOVED for there to be more scenes of trying to connect with Dove and more pieces leading to her other than the one element of Dove’s diary coming to Brigid by way of Finola.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: December 27, 2022
It’s 1922, and a young witch named Brigid is living on a small island called Evermore, in Ireland. Brigid has had magic for years, and she is, for the most part, happy and content to provide protection potions and magic spells to the townspeople. But deep down, Brigid wants a child more than anything, and the only way to have one is to betray her coven and go against the wishes of her Goddess. When Luc Knightly, head of the dark and mysterious Knightly coven, offers to give Brigid what she wants most, she jumps at the chance, ignoring the consequences.
Evermore in 2022 is teeming with monsters and all things Dead. The town’s lough is overflowing with demons, set loose by a coven who want the power of Evermore to themselves. So when Brigid mysteriously appears there, with no recollection of her past or how she arrived in Evermore, she instantly becomes ingratiated with local witches, determined to save the lough, in hopes of retrieving the memories she lost and saving the small town she loves.
“The Lost Witch” is a magical romance, full of witchcraft, forbidden love, and the ultimate battle of Good vs Evil. “Witch” is the newest novel by brand new author, Paige Crutcher, but it won’t appeal to everyone.
I am a fan of magic, and all the mystery and intrigue it entails. Crutcher’s characters were likable, and the setting was beautiful and, of course, magical, but I couldn’t connect with the plot. Initially, the story started off strong, with Brigid being lost in a time not her own, struggling to recover the memories she lost. The story started to drag when Brigid meets Ophelia and Finola, two local witches, focusing solely on the goings-on around the magical lough. The demons that rose from the water and possessed the local townspeople was uniquely creative, and I wanted more of them. Although I enjoyed all of the witches, even the evil coven, I felt like all of the exciting parts of the story happened in the background.
The relationship between Brigid and Knightley was predictable but charming, and I rooted for them. Knightley as the “misunderstood love interest who would do anything for his love” was not unique or terribly original, but I still enjoyed his darkness just as much as his good. Ophelia and Finola had a “Practical Magic” vibe going for them, even if it was just because they were two witch sisters living together and working together to help the townspeople.
I enjoyed the setting and the magical parts of this plot, and the characters were likable, but I wanted more. Overall, “The Lost Witch” is an entertaining read, with a satisfying ending, but I did not connect with this novel the way I expected to. Crutcher writes well, and I anticipate enjoying her future works. She’s not one I’m counting out just yet.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for allowing me access to an eARC of this novel in exchange for a fair review.

The Lost Witch by Paige Crutcher was sadly disappointing. I had hoped to find a poignant story of a witch moving heaven and earth to find her daughter, as the blurb suggests. Though that plot is there, it is muddled in ways that never allowed me to invest in Bridgid or her daughter Dove. This is largely because early in the book Bridgid loses he memory (and 100 years of time). Once awake in 2022 It takes a while for her to remember she even has a daughter, and even then throughout the book pieces come back to her at important times, but only really to move the plot.

While this should be heart wrenching, for me it just felt distant and flat. The narration fluctuates between Bridgid's present perspective and her memories, alongside stories from a spell book, and scripts of a weekly podcast of two side characters (who admittedly are the best part about the book!). For me, none of it came together to make me care about any of it. The plot moves, but only to go through the motions- mix in 100 year time travel, a magical lake controlled by the wrong people and a morally gray baby daddy and it's far too much stuff and yet not enough of the things that matter for me to care.

I was given an early copy of this book by Netgalley and St. Martin's Press in exchange for an early review - so thank you so much!

This book was not at all what I expected in the best way. The cover design gave me the same vibes as a witchy rom-com. However, that is not what I ended up reading. What I ended up reading was a bittersweet tale about a mother's love for her daughter. Brigid Heron was such a compelling protagonist. She was strong, and she made tough decisions for the good of everyone around her, even if it meant she lost everything (again). The magic was so incredibly fun to read, and the world was so well thought out. Luc was a compelling character as well. We're originally led to believe that he is someone we shouldn't trust, so readers will be pleasantly surprised by who he ends up to be.

Paige Crutcher's writing was so intricate, but it was also easy to keep up with. The plot was fast-moving, and the cast of side characters added so much to the story. I absolutely loved Fin and Ophelia, and would honestly love a story dedicated to them. This book should definitely be on your TBR if it isn't already!