Thank you Netgalley for sending me an arc of this delightful book!
I had a lot of fun reading this book, and I cannot wait for it to be released so everybody else can understand the feelings I am having. The only downside of this book, and the fact that I read it early, is that now I have to wait even longer for the sequel. Luckily it wasn't too bad of a cliffhanger.
I felt a lot of feelings during this, a lot of them at the same time. Laughter, sadness, stress, frustration. If you want an emotional whip[lash of a book then this is the one for you - and I mean that positively.
The tension was there, the banter was spectacular. chefs kiss. Truly.

The cover grabbed me on this one, but I truly enjoyed it to the very end. Witch is a special favorite of mine!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcefire books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This story takes a fantastical retelling of witch trials in Europe. An unlikely duo of witch and a witch hunter end up working together seeking a haven and revenge. The setting and world building the authors created throughout the book is so well done and some parts of this book are just so descriptive and beautifully written.
Of all the characters, Liesel was my favorite. Her strength and bravery despite being so young was so shocking to me. She was so mature for her age but I loved the parts where I got to see her youth and child-like playfulness come out.
To me the two main characters, Otto and Fritzi’s connection was rushed/forced. I usually love a good enemies to lovers romance but the transition in between wasn’t very believable. There were afew elements of the plot and magic system that were alittle confusing, especially in the later parts of the book that made it at times difficult to follow.
It took me quite a while to get through this book. The plot was slow moving for the first 2/3 of the book and then rapidly accelerated the last third making all the reveals and plot twists very surprising but alittle jarring when the book ended.
Overall I enjoyed this book but the things I didn’t enjoy about it made me give it 3 stars.

Beyond your typical witch trial story... Sara Raasch brings us an incredibly well-researched story of true love from the depths of the European witch trials! I loved that this tale bounced around a landscape I could picture while also conjuring those fantasy elements to layer over a world we already know.

Fritzi's coven is destroyed, and the only thing she's still living for is rescuing her cousin from the dangerous clutches of witch hunters blinded by their hatred: the hexenjägers. While attempting to rescue another witch from capture on the journey to save her young cousin, Fritzi becomes entangled with Otto.. a hexenjäger with a secret. As the witch trials ramp up, Fritzi and Otto stumble upon sinister plots that could change the magical landscape of the world altogether.

THOUGHTS:
- I loved Fritzi's growth throughout Night of the Witch! That transformation from an unsure young woman to someone capable of relying on their inner strength is always a fun read!
- Otto - I found his character interesting because he was reminiscent of what I imagine most soldiers recruited for a higher power's persecution of a certain group would be; not convinced of the cause but needed the job and the money to save themselves/family. There are very few truly dedicated to zealot causes worldwide - more just that people are afraid *not* to be a part of a cause that seems to be on the winning side.

*Will definitely be ready to read the next book in the series to see more of Fritzi and Otto!

NOTES:
- Historical Note: Between 1400 and the 1700s - somewhere between 40,000-60,000 women were burned at the stake after being accused as a witch in the Roman Empire. Most of these women were talented herbal healers, single women, barren women, etc. -- and it's always good to remember that while these stories are fiction.. the superstitions of people of the Dark Ages were very real.
- CWs: Religious persecution of Jews and other faiths

**Thank you to SOURCEBOOKS Fire, Sourcebooks Fire & NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. I received this book for free, but all thoughts are my own. – SLR 🖤

Witches are burnt everyday on a stake for men to believe they’re in control of their power, innocent people burn everyday for the whims of a man too powerful to stop.
Wild magic is the only thing that can free her.
Will she give in?

Night of the witch is a wonderful fantasy set in Germany during the witches hunt and I enjoyed every second of it, the characters are so well developed and intriguing, the plot has left me hanging to see what is next.
This is is a tale of witches, goddesses, love and betrayal; trigger warnings are stated at the beggars of the book which i appreciated very much.

I need book 2 asap, no jokes.

Netgalley provided me with this book in exchange of my honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for this ARC. Here is my honest review:

Rating: 3.5/5
Spice: 1/5

This is a YA historical fantasy inspired by the witch trials in Germany. I was excited to read this dual POV enemies to lovers story about a witch (Fritzi) who survives the horrific massacre of her coven and crosses paths with a witch hunter (Otto) dealing with the internal struggles of his station.

I enjoyed the first half of the book and the interwoven cultural and historical elements, as well as the budding romance and banter between the main couple. Otto is an absolute cinnamon roll, and I loved him. However, there was not enough relationship development and romance for me, and overall the story started to lag around the 75% mark. Fritzi makes poor decisions early on and throughout the book that were nonsensical and truly annoyed me. I also had trouble connecting with the side characters we meet along the way, and it was baffling to me why certain characters withheld important information that could have seriously aided Fritzi and Otto.

The revelation of the main villain was at first intriguing, but they quickly grew tiresome. I will caution readers there are scenes of torture and also violence to an animal that were not enjoyable for me to read.

For me personally, the ending was predictable, and the setup for the next book was frustrating, so I probably will not continue. That being said, readers who want something witchy and a bit gory for spooky season might still enjoy this book.

Overall I liked this story, it was very original and interesting, I did struggle at the start with the interchanging language with the adding of German words into the speech but it grew on me and by the end I liked it and think it added something unique to the story. The magical system in the book was awesome!

The characters in the book were well written and had a lot of growth. The main female character Fritzi was the hardest character for me to grasp at the start and I struggled at the start in her POV but as the book continues I enjoyed her POV and her character. She had a lot of growth.

Otto, Loved him from the start, his POV were easy to read and engage with and he was a great Main male character. I also loved the relationship that grew between him and Fritzi.

The leading villain in the book was Dieter, This character was very well written - although I don’t like his character he made the book so interesting and has made the magical system more interesting. The epilogue from his POV was very good and draws you in for the next book.

Would have loved more spice in the book but it was a plot driven story and it did not disappoint.

Huge shoutout to NetGalley and Sara Raasch for hooking me up with this awesome e-ARC!

So, confession time: I usually stick to my comfort zone when it comes to books, but boy, am I glad I branched out with this one! 📚✨ Imagine a world where religion and witchcraft are like frenemies having a showdown – yeah, that's the ride we're on! 🧙‍♀️💥 It took me a bit to wrap my head around the unique world-building, but guess what? The characters had me hooked from the get-go. Fritzi's journey is seriously emotional – she's lost a ton, and her mission is rock-solid... until Otto swoops in like a hurricane. 🌪️🌟 Their rollercoaster dynamic had me feeling ALL the feels, and trust me, you're gonna be waving pom-poms for their triumph (I'm keeping it spoiler-free, I promise!).

And a huge "hell yeah" to the dual POV – it's like sneaking a peek into their minds as they tackle everything!

If you're into:

Enemies to lovers
Witch trials
Witches vs hunters

Then this book NEEDS to be on your reading list! 📖🔥

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. I enjoyed this book. Witch trials, magic, and enemy turned love. Looking forward to the next book

I made it 3/4 of the way and DNF. I just could get into the book. I was struggling from chapter one. I loved the ideas in this book and I really wanted it to be good so that’s why I kept going. The quality of write was that and the plot was good at times, but just was bored and confused a lot.

I’m so sorry but I couldn’t get into this book. The trigger warning in the beginning letting you know what to expect did help but my family is currently dealing with a lot of these trigger warning and seeing them in the book kind of made me uneasy. My brother is doing better but not fully there. But I can say it was cool to see the witch trial’s through a different mind. I wish I could have given this book 5 stars but it just wasn’t sticking with me. Thank you again for letting me read this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC of this book.

I enjoyed this story. It was engaging and I kept wanting to. know what happened next. The mixture of true historical places and events and fantasy worked very well. The characters were easy to love and I was rooting for Otto and Fritzi the whole time.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

4/5 stars.
I’ve never really read a book about witches like this one and it was incredible. The world building and magic was wonderful, the writing and storytelling was moving, and the characters had me invested. I do wish the pacing was a bit quicker, and sometimes Liesel’s joy felt like forced comedic relief, but overall this book was great. I would definitely recommend or buy it as a gift and the epilogue sets up a potential sequel very well.

A very interesting story about the persecution and hunting of witches in Germany in 1591.
In this story, fantasy is intertwined with history. I enjoyed reading this story because I had the opportunity to visit Germany and Trier I even have a photo in front of Porta Nigra.
When I visited Trier, I had no knowledge about witches at that time. One more reason to come back! DANKE!! to the authors for this great story!
If you like to read about witches and the trials and persecutions they went through, that in my opinion they were unfair and when you read this story you will know why I say it, this story is for you!

This one could have been so much better. I mean you have these two amazing authors and this is what they give us? UGH (insert internal screaming here). I was so bored!! I should have DNFed this one but I have read everything these authors have done and I was so excited for this. But it was a full fail. The relationships felt forced and the story itself with the plot was just confusing and slow and I just didn't care about anyone.

This book was absolutely beautiful. I adore the characters and I love the pacing. Everything was just so magical and had such a deep meaning. This book had an enormous amount of quests and missions and problems to overcome making it very action packed, but not in an overwhelming way. Everything was so well structured and thought out, there isn't much to not love about this book. I definitely would've enjoyed more a slow burn since the trope is enemies to lovers, but it was cute nonetheless. and the cliffhanger at the end? 10/10. I can't wait to read the second book.
The only issue I've had is with some of the german words not being used correctly or spelled wrongly ( I read an arc so I know there are typos, but this is regarding the word 'scheisse' which in the book was spelled out every single time as 'schiesse', so definitely not a typo) and the word 'unverschämt' which was used in a context where it translates to stupid, but the word actually means rude/impertinent. But to a non German speaker I personally don't think this will even matter.
Disclaimer: I did receive an ARC from netgalley, but all opinions are my own.

This is a beautiful and riveting story about wonderful characters.

I would certainly revisit this wonderful novel again. Just perfectly concocted for lovers of anything witchy with just a tinge of fantasy, history, and romance. Please do be mindful of the book because it is as real as anything under the sun. It burns and grips so hard.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book had me riveted from page one. It’s a romantic fantasy that has elements of real history incorporated into the story. It focuses on the witches and witch hunters of sixteenth century Germany. These men, obsessed with removing all witches and all traces of magic from their empire weren’t picky about who they labeled witch. All it took was for someone to say that their wife, husband, neighbor, shopkeeper was a witch, and their word was taken as truth. This meant that innocent, non-magical, normal people were imprisoned, branded, and burned as witches. It was a true genocide, and the book nicely relates it to the banishment and murder of Jews in that same timeframe. It’s heartbreaking. And with today’s political climate, all too likely for something like this to happen again.

The writing is superb. Given that there are two authors for this book, it’s seamlessly written and plotted. It’s perfectly paced. The characters are excellent and, save one, completely believable. Fritzi is a teenager who is overlooked when her small village is set upon by the hexenjägers. She sees the witch hunters, led by her own brother, burn her mother at the stake. All she knows at that point is that she must run toward Black Forest where the forest folk will protect her.

Her trip isn’t easy or without difficulty. She’s incredibly strong as she watches her world crumble around her. She deals with the problems as best she can, and finds herself in even more complicated trouble when her path crosses that of Otto, a hexenjäger. What she doesn’t realize is that Otto is different. He has a plan, and he needs her to help him execute it.

This is a story about dysfunctional families, false accusations, extreme cruelty, and mental health. There is one character who is clearly a megalomaniac, willing to do anything to harness all the magic and power in the world. It falls to Fritzi, with Otto’s help, to try to stop that character. The ending beautifully sets things up for another book to follow the the characters of Ftitzi, Liesel, Otto, and Deiter. I strongly hope there will be a second book.

I felt true empathy for Fritzi, for all she lost and suffered. I respected Otto, for his heroism, strength, love, and willingness to risk all to save lives. I detested, loathed Dieter. I found myself wondering if it was his magic that drove Dieter insane, or jealousy of Fritzi, or if it was due to genetics?

This book creates a wonderful world, one with both good and evil aspects. There is some violence in this book, some scenes that were incredibly difficult to get through, but those actions mirrored the historical and brutal mistreatment of innocent women and men.

The only thing that jumped out at me as not fitting was the idea that Fritzi and Otto craved the smell of each other. I found this very hard to believe given that they were dirty, sweaty, hadn’t bathed in who knows how long, and they were covered in who-know-what kind of disgusting muck. Despite how it’s described, I can’t find anything sweet-smelling about that. It’s a small complaint, and something I could, and did, overlook.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I highly recommend it if you enjoy paranormal, historical, romantic fantasy. I’m hoping there’s another book to continue what this book began.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. I thank all involved for their generosity, but it had no effect on this review. All opinions in this review reflect my true and honest reactions to reading this book.

I truly enjoy witchy fantasy. This book was an interesting read. The first half and last half feel like completely different books. The first is more like historical fiction with a touch of magic thrown in. The second is full-on dark fantasy. I would have rated this book better had there not been such a strong disconnect for me. I enjoyed the second half much more than the first.

There were a few jaw dropping reveals which is always fun. The villain is truly unhinged but we don't even know who it is until halfway into the book. Sometimes while reading all I could think was, "Whaaat...?!"

In a way, this book feels very political. Religion is corrupt (hence the witch trials) and nearly everyone, whether they agree or not, are complicit. There is talk about the Christian God and Pagan Goddesses.

The magic system, more nuanced than simple light and dark magic, is changing by the end of the book, so it will be fun to see what happens next for our Champions and Warrior.

I was given the opportunity to read this for free by the generosity of the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book turned out to be everything I’d hoped it would be! I fell in love with Fritzi - she always wants to do the right thing, like taking care of her family and others before herself. And Otto was a complete surprise! I felt like this book was a good old man saving the women's story. And it kind of made me feel a tiny bit uncomfortable. But as I read more, I actually discovered that it is more of a man giving the space for women to save themselves kind of plot and it was a very nice surprise.