I loved this book! The first chapter drops you straight into the action. The world-building and pacing of this story were great. It was an excellent blend of fantasy and history, with familial bonds and romance. I enjoyed how this story wrapped up and the epilogue sets the stage for the next book - which I will be impatiently waiting for!

3.5 stars.

Night of the Witch is about some medieval German witch trials, where like in Salem, most of those burned were innocent.

Fritzi is an actual witch, who saw her coven killed and burned. She’s trying to find her cousin and help her escape when she gets captured by Otto, a witch hunter. But there’s more to Otto—he actually infiltrated the witch hunters in order to bring them down, so he and Fritzi fall into instalove and start working together.

The romance felt very out of place, very quick with no real relationship progression. But the storyline was interesting, I was hooked on the suspense of the fight between the witches and the evil witch hunter leader. It did feel as if some things were just bypassed and left unexplained, but regardless, I was interested in how it ends.

I enjoyed Night of the Witch, but not sure if the cliffhanger hooked me enough to continue with the series.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire for the review copy.

This one is OK... The premise is interesting but it just wasn't my cup of tea.

It's supposed to be an enemies to lovers but they fell in love in less than two days! Also, it was very slow, with fantasy books, a good portion of the books are spent world building, and making sure that we have an understanding of what is happening, but here it just dragged, and then all the action was at the very end.

I did hate the evil guy, which speaks to the quality of writing of the book, but the other characters just felt meh to me. The historical background was extremely well done, and I felt bad for the witches, so again, amazing writing. Maybe I wasn't in the right head space for this one, but I just didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

DNFed at 35%

I thought the premise of this book was really interesting and I had high hopes for it. Unfortunately, I couldn't really connect with the characters for a few reasons.

First, we are thrown into the story during an attack on Fritzi's village and everyone but her and her cousin are killed during the battle. Her cousin is taken by the witch hunters, so her goal is to get her cousin back. However, because we aren't given any time with the coven before the attack, all we have is Fritzi's thoughts about the other characters. So while it makes sense that Fritzi would want to get her cousin back, we're never shown how close she is to her cousin, only told. There are moments here and there with memories, but they are usually just short lived thoughts on things that happened.

Both Fritzi and Otto are also very vague about things. We're in first person point of view, so them not saying what they are fully thinking just feels annoying rather then mysterious. For example, Otto is very vague until 20% in where he tells the reader he is working to undermine the with hunters, a twist that is in the summary of the book. With Fritzi, we know that she feels guilt about something that happened, but it's just mentioned and never elaborated on. Obviously we would find out later in the book, but I just got more and more annoyed every time some other vagueness was mentioned without explination.

Finally, where I was in the book, Otto and Fritzi were beginning to notice how each other looked in a way that felt like it was going to dovetail into instalove. Otto has known Fritzi for maybe two days and already threatening anyone who hurts her in his head. He was literally just about to send his sister into similar circumstances.

I was so hyped for this book. And I was equally hyped to have gotten the arc from netgalley....but unfortunately I found most of the book dreadfully boring. I had to really push myself to finish it. The story just didn't flow well for me. I do enjoy slow paced books but this just dragged. And I couldn't muster enough interest in any character, or the plot or any of the world building, no matter how hard I tried. Tbh if this wasn't a netgalley read I wouldn't have finished it.

Thank you, NetGalley and SourceFire for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I devoured this in two days.

The story was fantasy meets historical events with an Enemies to Lovers romance.

Loved:

*Dual-Povs and both MCs. Fritzi's backstory and personality won me over more than Otto's but I really loved that the Witchhunter fell hard first.

*The historical worldbuilding was spot on. The author effortlessly blended witch trials with the coven magic.

*The romance. The shared trauma of the MCs.

Why four?

*The romance was quite quick and I think the yearning/tension could've been prolonged.

*I wanted to know more about the different types of magic but we only really saw Fritzi's and her sister's - hopefully in the sequel!

Overall I loved this witchy romantasy and cannot wait to get the sequel.

Title: Night of the Witch
Author: Sara Raasch; Beth Revis
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4 out of 5

A witch and a hunter. Vengeance is their mission. Love is their destiny.

Fritzi is a witch. A survivor of a brutal attack on her coven, she's determined to find her only surviving family member and bring the hexenjägers—zealot witch hunters—to justice for the lives they ended. To do this, she will need to take down their leader—Kommandant Dieter Kirch.

Otto is a hexenjäger and a captain, the second in command to Dieter Kirch—but that's just his cover. Years ago, the hexenjagers burned his innocent mother alive and since then, he has been planning a move against the witch hunters that tore his family apart. And now the time has come for them to pay for what they've done.

When Fritzi and Otto are unexpectedly thrown together, neither is sure they can trust the other, despite their common enemy. But all they have is one another, and they both crave revenge. As truths come to light and trust shifts, Fritzi and Otto uncover a far more horrifying plot at the center of the hexenjäger attacks . . . but their own growing feelings for each other may be the most powerful magic of all.

This started off a little bit slow to me and I got bogged down while Fritzi was on the run, but it picked up when she and Otto met. The historical background was horrifying, although I’d never read anything in this time period/space. I was engrossed by the end, and would be happy to read more of this setting and these characters.

Sara Raasch is a bestselling author. Beth Revis lives in North Carolina. Night of the Witch is their newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Sourcebooks Fire in exchange for an honest review.)

I was so excited to read this book after all of the hype, but I really struggled to get into it. The pacing felt off for me, and I could not get invested in the characters. Perhaps it's just not my type of story, but I'm so happy to see the many positive reviews. I must say, the writing is beautiful, and I hope others will find more enjoyment from this one than I did.

2.75 / 5

I loved the synopsis! A witch and a witch hunter are thrust together to fight a common enemy. It sounded very much like "Serpent and Dove" to me, and I adored that trilogy.

Unfortunately, the book did not live up to my expectations. The witch history was interesting but underdeveloped. The relationships and the story itself felt rushed to me, almost like the entire story was insta-everything. I don't usually enjoy insta-love unless it's done well, and I really expected this to be an actual enemies to lovers. Especially that one is the hunter and the other the hunted.

I had a difficult time connecting with the characters. The pacing was a bit messy, not only between Otto and Fritzi but also in the story as a whole. I didn't feel the love between the two main characters, nor did I really care about them getting together. It's unfortunate because I had high hopes for this book. I must admit I compared it a lot to "Serpent and Dove," and as mentioned above, I adored that series. So not standing out in contrast hurt the experience for me.

It wasn't a bad story, but I definitely had to skim through and jump to the dialogue to take me to the end.

💚 Fritzi is a witch. When brutal hexenjägers ransack her coven and kill her family, she wants nothing but justice. To avenge her family and save what's left of magic, she will have to take down the evil Kommandant Dieter Kirch.
Otto is Kaptain of the hexenjägers and second in command to Dieter Kirch-but that's just his cover. Since his innocent mother was burned as a witch, he has been carefully planning the fall of this so-called religious army.
Together, they will be the fall of it all.

💚 The story follows Fritzi and Otto through the two events that turned them upside down; thanks to their two points of view, we understand the trauma they experienced but also what motivates them in their current quest. Both see Dieter Kirch as the common enemy who took everything from them👿

💚 Witch and Hunter find common ground to bring down this religious government co-led by Kommandant Kirch. Although it may seem that everyone blindly follows the dogma imposed, the authors show us that the regime established reigns through fear and that there are many who despise the witch-hunt 🧹

💚 They've also managed to give substance to the secondary characters, particularly Kirch, who horrified and surprised me with many of his actions and choices. We realise that this icy man, who frightens even his own men, is truly caught up in a killing spree. In short, we totally believe in the character 👌

💚 We feel the horror of the witch-hunt, but also the fear of being considered a witch, a partisan or simply an opponent of the regime in power. A reflection on faith, whatever it may be, its strength and the intentions we may attribute to it, is also introduced. But there's also plenty of room for magic and its natural force, with a strong emphasis on Nature 🌳

This book is absolutely perfect. It isn't often I find a perfect book, but this one truly is. The world building, character development, pacing, romance, suspense, and ending are so well done. The epilogue has me itching for the next book...which will be a bit of a wait since this one hasn't even been released yet!

Inside you'll find magic, witches, forest folk, soft enemies-to-lovers, family bonds, and some societal collapse. If you love a good fantasy book with a quest, definitely pick up this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.

A witch and witch hunter make the perfect enemies to lovers trope for me. Sara and Beth did an amazing job with this book. There was a lot of world building in this story but it was very relevant to the story line. Fritzi and Otto are out on the earth to hate each other and what each other stands for. But they each have their own secrets they hide from their worlds. Brought together after Fritzis coven is dismantled by the witch hunters, Otto begins a slow burn for Fritizi. They become friends and more through out the story. I love how this all played out. I gave it a four because some parts dragged for me a bit. Spice: I give this a 1.5.

Unfortunately I found this story boring at best. The premise was interesting but nothing was really catching my attention. The relationship between Otto and Fritzi felt forced, they had no chemistry that I could find, it felt like a trope was just dropped in and we were supposed to go along with it. Also I think this book would be better suited for Adult than YA.

I can see why there is a lot of hype behind this book. The story was quite slow for me to get into but overall, I enjoyed the premise and the clashing between the two characters.

Fritzi is a witch. As the lone survivor of a brutal attack on her coven, she's determined to find her captured cousin and bring the hexenjägers―zealot witch hunters―to justice. To do this, she will need to take down their leader, the merciless Kommandant Dieter Kirch. Otto is a hexenjäger―but that's just his cover. Years ago, the hexenjägers burned his innocent mother alive, and he has been plotting his revenge ever since. When Fritzi and Otto are unexpectedly thrown together, neither is sure they can trust the other. The reluctant truce fueled by their common enemy takes them from the city at the heart of the hexenjägers' power to the wild and mysterious Black Forest. As old truths come to light and new dangers are revealed, Fritzi and Otto uncover a horrifying magical plot at the center of the hexenjäger attacks that leads back to Kommandant Kirch…but their own growing feelings for each other may be the most powerful magic of all.

Thank you so much to @netgalley, @sourcebooksfire, @bethrevis, and @sara_raasch for the ARC! This was such a great witchy fantasy novel that is the perfect fall read. I loved the dual point of view of Otto and Fritzi. The enemies to lovers plot line was great, but I also loved the other plot elements and that the relationship wasn’t the central focus of the novel. The writing was great and suspenseful, and kept me turning the pages to see what would happen next! There were a lot of small twists and reveals that really made the story engaging The magical elements were really cool and unique, and I appreciate how well developed they were. All of the characters were so well written. The book flowed so well. Great fictional interpretation of the European Witch Trials. Can’t wait for the second book already! Night of the Witch releases October 3rd!

Thanks NetGally for giving me an ARC of this book.

Did you love Serpent and the Dove? Then this book is just your cup of tea.

We get to journey with a witch and a witch hunter in Germany, both with complicated pasts and feelings. Of course, love blossoms between the two which complicates their mission. The villain is a man so vile that he does not care that most of the people he kills are not witches but ordinary innocent people. He will also gladly abuse children for his gain and mission. My only issue with the villain is his motives and how he ended up as the villain, hopefully, we will get a better backstory or explanation in the sequel.

The book is filled with twists and turns. I often thought I had it all figured out for just being tricked by the authors. I highly enjoy a book that always keeps me on my toes. The magic could have been explained better, with more examples of how the magic is used.


I would prefer if the romance between the two characters were slower and described in more detail. I felt the romance was sudden and unexpected, so a more detailed description of their feelings would have been wonderful. I enjoy that we get both of their POVs and how well they managed to work with each other despite the obvious trust issues.

As a non-German, I did struggle with some German words, but most of them I did understand, probably cause they are very close to how we would say it in my language. Luckily, I have German friends and could ask them for a translation, and Google Translate is free and easy to use. The German words did not have a heavy impact on the overall understanding of sentences either, so if you can’t be bothered to translate it, it will not be the end of the world.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and would give it a solid 3.5 stars. It was easy to read, and the plot developed quickly, but it does lack explanations and details that I deem vital for the overall understanding of the world. I’m looking forward to the sequel.

"Night of the Witch" is a historical fiction based on real events of the Trier Witch Trials (check out the Historical Note at the end of the book - really interesting!) and I absolutely enjoyed the mix of fiction with inspiration from human history. Now I can add this book to the list reads from this subgenre I'd recommend to a friend.

In short, here's what I enjoyed:
- attention to details (description of scents, geography, it's easy to be more 'sloppy' about those things but that's not the case here)
- dual POV
- the plot twists!!
- potential for some exciting, "female range" character development (I'm crossing my fingers for this)
- layers and layers of themes that make you reflect, including history of feminism, various approaches to religion overall, dealing with grief
- really exciting build up for the next books in the series

The pain points:
- romance. Did it feel rushed? Sure. I'm a reader who enjoys a good slow burn so this is purely personal preference. I recognize how fast paced everything was from the moment we first meet Fritzi and Otto, not just the romance but the whole plot too, even though this book is a little over 400 pages. High stakes (pun not intended) and all, sort of deal, I guess.
- rules of the magic world. I found myself asking "but why?" during the last quarter of the book. While some questions were answered I still wonder why some rules for witches are in place. What was the motive for them to be there? Perhaps that's something that will be uncovered later in the series but for now it made me feel confused and even a little frustrated.

Also want to note: this is not an enemies to lovers book. Initially, it might seem that way but as you continue reading, I would say"one-sided hate to love" fits better.

As a fan of both authors, I had high expectations for their latest work, but unfortunately, this fell short of my hopes. The writing style, while not terrible, felt somewhat juvenile and lacked the depth I was anticipating.

The storyline, though promising, failed to fully engage me, often coming across as a bit boring. I found myself struggling to stay invested in the plot, which was disappointing given my initial excitement.

One of the most disappointing aspects of the book for me was the romance. I'm not a fan of insta-love, and unfortunately, this book leaned heavily in that direction. The romance lacked the gradual development and chemistry I usually enjoy in love stories, leaving me feeling disconnected from the characters' relationship.

While the story had its moments and showed flashes of potential, it ultimately didn't live up to the standards I had set for these beloved authors. Here's hoping their future works will recapture the magic that initially drew me to their writing.

A HUGE THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY & Sourcebooks for this ARC

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e arc of this book.

It was good - the book was very, very dark though. It mixes history with magic, and it absolutely touches on true historical events and realities of the time. Which make it a bit more real - this era is one I focused on, and reading about it still gives me chills.

I think my biggest problem with the book was not that it wasn't well written - it was - but that the pacing and plot struggled. I thought I would love the plot, but I just didn't jive with it. Just struggled. At times I felt it went so fast, and then it was too slow.

None of the characters were outright bad, I just didn't feel the romantic relationship between the two main characters.

In the end the book was good, and I definitely think it is going to be appealing to some readers.

This in a way reminded me of a more historically accurate Serpent & Dove!

This story takes place in historic Germany, at the height of witch trials. Fritzi and her coven have been able to avoid detection, until one day it all comes crashing down. Fritzi finds her self on a journey to save her cousin and others accused of witchcraft, when she collides with captain of the witch hunters Otto. From there, Fritzi begins to uncover secrets and truths that could change the foundation of everything she thought she knew.

What I liked:
- all of the history and the German setting. Having briefly lived in Germany I love when I am familiar with settings.
- the political and religious tensions that are a constant theme throughout the book.
- the witches and magic. This book really put me in the Fall mood

What I didn’t like:
- This book is YA, but it seems like it desperately wants to be adult. It seems to have an identity crisis
- The magic system and rules change throughout the book. Which makes it confusing and hard to follow towards the end when all the “rules” seem to go out the window
- the relationship between the main characters felt a little forced and developed way to quickly (over a matter of days).

Overall, I loved this book for the German and witchy vibes, but a lot of things fell flat for me. I think I would be inclined to read the next in the series.