First, I would like to thank Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for early access to Night of the Witch in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Second, I would like to thank the authors because omg, WOW! I loved this book!

This story felt action-packed and the tension between the two characters was scorching! Fritzi is a witch, a truly magical witch, who feels the world on her shoulders after she survives a brutal witch hunt. Her family is gone, either dead or taken, and she must do everything in her power to save those she can from the witch hunters who terrorize her country.

Otto is a witch hunter, although he doesn't believe actual witches exist. Not when his mother was burned at the stake for selfish desires that had nothing to do with witchcraft. (I loved the speculation of why so-and-so would accuse another for witchcraft.)

When Fritzi and Otto's paths collide, everything they know comes into question. Especially if they can trust one another in a desperate bid for justice, or is it vengeance?

One of my favorite things about this book is the setting and actual history that went into crafting this story. There is heavy nods to German and Celtic culture, the witch trials that came before Salem, and all the descriptions of the tasty food has me craving my favorites from my local German restaurant.

I also enjoyed the magic. There were some elements that were a little predictable, and in a few instances I was confused on how the magic was supposed to behave. But overall, I thought it was interesting and only wish there had been more magic being cast. Well, more good magic anyway.

So why four stars instead of five? I'm hoping the authors will consider putting some warnings in the beginning of the novel, because there was some graphic violence that I was not prepared for. It also felt like the ending came out of nowhere. This is more of a personal preference, but I felt like the ending was abrupt and took a weird turn, and I wanted so much more than what we got.

Regardless, this was a fantastic read and I highly recommend to anyone looking for a darker YA book with that supernatural, witchy feel.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of Night of the Witch in exchange for my honest feedback.

The premise of this book by Sara Raasch and Beth Revis checked all my reading wheelhouse items, and I was particularly intrigued in a witch-hunt story set in Germany as opposed to the more common Salem and colonies. The authors did a good job at introducing the reader to both main characters and developing them separately through their alternating points of view, however the romance between Fritzi and Otto did not resonate with me as well as I thought it would.

The book is an easy read, yet I still felt as if something was missing so I did not clamor to read through this as I initially intended. It very well could be that I am not the appropriate audience for this YA book despite having read other similar YA books. Even still, the book was atmospheric even when the pacing did not perfectly coincide.

I still will recommend this book to my younger cousins who are interested in fantasy, witch trials/hunts, and romance with some history thrown in.

I was genuinely engaged with the story. The writing was enjoyable, and the characters showed potential. However, there were few things that I didn't like. The chemistry between Fritzi and Otto felt forced. The instant romance felt unrealistic and lacked depth. Also, the plot was abit chaotic and the magical elements in the story were confusing.

I really liked the concept and the premise, I am still not sure if I will be continuing this series

I wanted more from this book than we got. The pace was both too slow and too fast. And yet nothing really happened until the last 25% or so. I thought the romance was forced and they alluded at secrets that weren't actually anything. Just overall disappointing.

Thank you to the publisher for the arc!

Why is everything in this book just a giant mess? The story is all over the place and the villian is a joke. You expect me to be scared of this person? No. A kitten is more terrifying.

"Night of the Witch" presents a captivating premise of vengeance, magic, and love in a world where witches and hunters collide. Fritzi, the determined witch seeking justice, and Otto, the hexenjäger with a hidden agenda, make for compelling protagonists in a story filled with twists and turns.

The novel excels in creating an atmosphere of suspense and intrigue, keeping readers engaged as Fritzi and Otto navigate their complex alliance. However, it falls short of a higher rating due to some pacing issues and the predictability of certain plot elements.

While the story successfully explores the themes of revenge and trust, it doesn't quite reach its full potential in terms of character development and world-building. Despite this, "Night of the Witch" is an enjoyable read for fans of supernatural romance and those who appreciate a mix of magic and vendettas in their tales. It earns a solid three stars for its intriguing premise and the sparks that fly between its conflicted leads.

If you’re looking for a witchy read for the month, you got one right here. This is written by 2 well know authors Sarah Rasch and Beth Revis. It’s a fantasy take on the witch trials in Germany and we follow Fritzi who survived an attack on her coven by witch hunters and Otto who is the leader of the witch hunters and the two of them end up working together in unusual circumstances. I liked this! It was a fun read and something of a palette cleanser for me from my more serious brutal reads.
Full review to come on YouTube

Night of the Witch
by Sara Raasch, Beth Revis
YA Fantasy Paranormal
Ages: 16+
NetGalley ARC
Publication Date: October 3, 2023
SourceBooks Fire

Fritzi is one of a few survivors of an attack on her coven by the hexenjager, witch hunters, led by Kommandant Dieter Kirch, who branded then burned those they caught.

Otto is a hexenjager, second in command to Dieter Kirch, but Otto is planning to destroy the hexenjager because they burned his innocent mother alive, and as he poses as one of them, he finds that his mother isn't the only innocent they are killing, and Dieter Kirch and those of the church know it, but don't care.

When Fritzi gets tangled up in Otto's plan, Otto is shocked to discover that witches are real and some have real power, but they are not all evil as portrayed.


Another story based around the witch-burning times that puts good against evil, and those traits are in the eye of the beholder and those with power to threaten and instill fear into others.

It wasn't a bad story, I think it was influenced by the 'Serpent and Dove' series, but it was slow, and sometimes it seemed as if it was backtracking so to give it more word count. And while the wild magic was a change, there wasn't really anything else added to the world to bring it out from the widely known shadow of the witch hunts of the past.

This is a violent story, and the descriptions, while not highly detailed, could still bother those under 16, and there is also the romantic aspect that while tame, might not be that suitable for younger readers.

While it was an okay of a read, and the cover is cool, it will be a toss-up if I pick up the second book in this series.

2 Stars

Night of the Witch follows a pretty classic witchy plotline, with two family members who must team up to defeat a witch who has become power hungry and is destroying people to fuel his power. What sets it apart is its loveable characters, action packed pages, and it's setting in 16th-century Germany. A super fun, magical read that reminded me of Alix E. Harrow's 'Once and Future Witches'. I've been in a bit of a reading slump and this has definitely broken me out of it. 4.5/5 stars!

I don’t even know where to begin with this book. I flew through the pages and was 100% obsessed with this book from the beginning. Every twist and turn of this novel had me hooked. I easily fell in love with all of the characters and could not put this book down. The story follows Fritzi a witch and Otto a witch hunter. The dual POV gave this book so much more depth. I cannot say enough good things about this book, but also can’t say too much with fear of giving some of those twists and turns away! Let’s just say I hung on to every single word of Night of the Witch and cannot wait for book 2! The ending cliffhanger will have you begging for more. I will be thinking about this book, talking about this book, and convincing my friends to read this book for the foreseeable future.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC in exchange for my review.

2.5 stars

One faithful day in West-Germany Fritzi's coven gets attacked by a troupe of Hexenjäger, leaving her and her cousin as the sole survivor's. However, while Fritzi is able to flee, her ten year old cousin, Liesel, gets taken by Kommandant Dieter Kirch. Meanwhile, Otto Ernst, Kapitän in this army of Hexenjäger tries to take down this institution from the inside out. In this journey, Fritzi and Otto might make unlikely allies at first, but they decide to band together in their common goal: save Liesel and the witches (which are almost all innocent people) and take down Kommandant Dieter Kirch.

This is a pretty interesting reimagining of the European Witch Trials that too place in Trier, Germany, and were the predecessor of a wave of witch trials across Europe and eventually of the Salem Witch Trials as well.

I was definitely into the premise and I enjoyed the writing. A couple of things that I didn't enjoy as much were the pacing and the character "building". At the start I was feeling this book: I enjoyed the writing and the characters seemed promising. However, I didn't feel like there was much chemistry between Fritzi and Otto, and for them to fall in love within a day, was a bit much. Too insta-lovey for me.

The plot is kind of all over the place. The way the magic works in this book is honestly kind of confusing. And not in the sense that I didn't get it, I feel like it was more the authors' fault for not creating a consise enough magic system. The things that were happening weren't really explained or were simply brushed aside. I feel like a lot of the explanations of how the magic in this world works, were simply there to advance the story or solve things very conveniently. It just doesn't make for a very well thought-out world to me.

I'm not sure I will be picking up the second book. There's a tiny bit of FOMO in me that says "Yeah, you probably will. You'll want to know how it ends."

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The perfect YA fantasy. Easy to fall into with characters you love to hate and a rich lie that sucks you in. The distinction of writing styles between authors still meshes well and brings the world alive.

This is such a adventurous story. I loved the two main characters and the world building is great too. At times the story felt slow but that did not deter me at all. I did take issue with how the communication between characters in the story. It didn't make sense for them to leave everyone in the dark all the time.

I would like to thank Sourcebooks for providing me with an ARC.

I really wanted to like this book. It has a fantastic premise, but I just couldn't get into the story. Overall, I feel like this book wasn't for me. I didn't find the worldbuilding or characters to be very compelling. I believe they could have been developed more and this would have been a book I would have fallen in love with. There were moments in the book that felt like they dragged on for too long and some aspects felt like they were rushed over.

i really tried to get into this book, but i had to dnf it. it's sad but i hope other people will find it enjoyable!

Thank you Netgalley & Source Books Fire for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I wish I was a YA girlie - I’m just not. And that’s okay! The plot was good & I was intrigued, but overall I wanted more. The storyline was a little clunky, & I spent a lot of time confused about what was happening. I didn’t feel much chemistry between the main characters & the pacing was off.

Overall, it was okay. I think I would have enjoyed an adult version of this!

Thank you for an advanced copy of this book!

I was so excited for this book, and the premise of the story is really good. But, the story itself was so boring I couldn't stand it! The plot was boring, the story dragged, and the characters felt so forced.

I was very disappointed in this book, and I was so excited for it. I don't know if this book was a let-down because I was so excited, or what, but it was just a snooze fest.

Rating: 2⭐️

I loved Sara Raasch’s “Snow Like Ashes” series as well as “These Rebel Waves.” Beth Revis’s writing was new to me. “Night of the Witch” was a fascinating tale of revenge and unexpected love. I absolutely loved that it was set during an actual historical event with a fantasy twist. This a first read of this kind for me. I can’t wait for my students to have it in our library.

Oh, that ending! I was a little skeptical about the synopsis, but I ended up really enjoying this one. I think the recommendation of this being for fans of Serpent & Dove is perfect.

I’ve been attempting to get through this book for the last two months, and I could only get to 50%. I figured I’d come back to it at some point, but I find myself not wanting to. The storyline was interesting, but I just couldn’t get into it. I found myself not connecting with or caring about any of these characters one bit. I just didn’t get enough about any of them to truly care, are therefore it was a struggle to read every page. I had high hopes, but it just wasn’t a hit for me.