The Witch & the City was a rollercoaster of emotions. I won't lie I was a little confused when it came to the beginning and the magic was slightly confusing...BUT! It might just be my taste or mood in books (yay to being a mood reader).

Overall, if you're looking for magic, old tales, and adventure this is the book for you!!!!

I don't think I've ever read a book quite like this before - the blend of clever worldbuilding and the lyrical prose made a story that was really unique and fun to read!

Occasionally it felt like the lyrical style made it harder to get fully into the prose - lyrical fantasy can be a bit hit or miss for me, and there were a couple of moments where the dialogue made it difficult to connect with the characters and follow the story in a more engaged way.

But this language also added to the surreal quality of the book and it's characters. Burnett gives us a very classic, almost Shakespearean witch in Oneirotheria, and anyone with a fondness for witchy books is bound to enjoy both her character, and her interactions with others in the story.

This book has a lot of charm, and if you're a fan of witchcraft and the surreal, will definitely give you a lot to think about!

Books with similar vibes - In the House in the Dark of the Woods by Laird Hunt, and Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

Witchy and whimsical, this book was a lot delight to read! It starts off in chaos, comes together then breaks into chaos again a few times over, but ends in a surprisingly satisfying and neat way and managed to keep me guessing right up until the end.

The Witch & The City by Jake Burnett follows the story of Oneirotheria and we as readers discover the mystery of who, what, where and why she is right alongside her in a strangely lyrical yet very readable prose that I found utterly delightful. It’s easy to see the massive amount of the influences of other authors and stories, and why other reviews have compared it to the likes of Alice in Wonderland, Piranesi to Shakespeare. The titular Witch, Oneirotheria, discovers as much of herself as the readers do along the way starting right from her birth and the same thing can almost be said of the city of Osylum itself, which gives off a steampunk-ish older European feel while still feeling distinctively fantastical. We even get a bit of weird fiction thrown in for good measure, all which keep her exploration and discovery of Osylum and its inhabitants exciting and fresh.

I didn’t pick the twist or the ending, I think I even stopped bothering to speculate at some point and just sat back as I read and enjoyed the ride, not many stories featuring a mystery do that to me. Telling the story in a way that has us know almost everything Oneirotheria does was done in a masterful way, and I have to admit that the tale certainly expanded my vocabulary but not in a way that made me feel like the author was just sitting there with a thesaurus. Personally, I’ve been on a big break from reading and this novel felt like such a good reminder of why reading itself is so enjoyable although I can see that its chaotic nature and sometimes hefty prose won’t be for everyone. It felt like a dense read, yet still a quick one, and I still find myself mulling over its contents a handful of days after completion.

I’d highly recommend this to anyone who loves to explore, learn and discover not only the material in life but human nature itself.

Thanks to NetGalley, South Window Press and the author for providing an advanced copy of the book at my request in exchange for my unbiased review.

When I saw the synopsis for “The Witch & The City”, I was very interested in the book, and, after finishing reading it, I can say that most of my expectations were fulfilled! The book presents an interesting universe, with a vivid atmosphere; and unique and fun characters. Besides, I was positively surprised by the depth of the story’s message. I believe that the only thing I disliked in my experience reading this book was its rhythm — or the rhythm in which the information was laid out during the narrative.
The book’s plot is really cool. Definitely denser than I expected, but very interesting and filled with elements that fit perfectly to each other by the end of the story. The writing, just like the plot, is dense. As this wasn’t something I was expecting, I ended up taking a while to get into the story’s rhythm; but, when I was able to get into it, I started liking the writing quite a lot.
The worldbuilding was something that I was expecting to like. And, indeed, it was one of my favorite aspects of the book! Even though the ambiance is limited (Osylum is a prison, after all), it is really well developed; and I think “The Witch & The City” was capable of describing a soft magic system that enrichens the fantastic atmosphere of the book, but, at the same time, doesn’t give Oneirotheria a power that seems too disconnected from her reality (even though she is considered a very powerful character).
And, now that I mentioned Oneirotheria, I should say that I didn’t expect to like the characters as much as I did. The characters are very well integrated into the world that they are part of but are also engaging enough to create funny moments during the read and for the reader to understand everyone’s personality and relevance to the plot. And Oneirotheria is a great heroine — and that’s wonderful since it’s her journey (in many ways) that guides the narrative and pushes it forward. Also, she reminded me of other heroines I really like, like Chihiro and Coraline Jones.
The overall theme and message of the book were also aspects that positively surprised me. “The Witch & The City” is a book about a place in which is impossible to escape (haha) from oblivion, and, simultaneously, is a book about wanting to forget; and about being stuck in one’s pain for so long that the cause for it was already forgotten. Even though I thought the final chapters were a little bit too fast, I believe that the message was well shown and contributed to the tone of the book.
As I mentioned before, the rhythm of the book is the only thing I considered negative, because, in my opinion, it made the reading experience more confusing than it needed to be. I believe that fantasy books are always at risk of being confusing because the existence of things that are not a part of our universe and that need to be explained is an intrinsic aspect of the genre. However, at the beginning of the read (the first 30%, approximately), I thought that it was almost too confusing. When I realized that that impression was disturbing my reading process, I ended up restarting the book, and only then I was capable of truly feeling engaged with the story.
Taking into account the context of the book, I believe that is possible the confusing narrative was intentional and, if it was, I think that this choice was good and its execution wasn’t necessarily bad. But I think that the fact that, even though the universe of the book is limited, it is very extensive for a character (and a reader) that doesn’t understand anything about it to be inserted into it without any difficulties ends up forming an obstacle that needs to be surpassed. But I am sure that overcoming that obstacle is worth it!

This is one of those books where you never know what exactly is going on, but it doesn’t really matter because you’re just there for the vibes. Until you get slapped in the face.

We follow our witch Oneirotheria as she navigates an eerie cityscape, facing both supernatural challenges and everyday struggles. As she drifts from ward to ward, we meet an entire host of peculiar characters. I loved Onerotheria’s interactions with every new character and there was never a dull moment with our MC.

Reading this felt reminiscent of The Locked Tomb. You’re violently thrown into a world where no one wants to explain anything and you have to puzzle out the meaning of your surroundings.

RPG meets Wizard of Oz, The Witch and the City is a dense story that takes you into a fantastical world. I could see this book being one that you would want to read multiple times for the sake of annotating and harvesting brilliant and deep quotes. While the story is beautiful, I probably was not the right audience for this book. I felt like I was wading through the riddled speech most of the time and it kept me from becoming fully immersed. I could see how this book could become a favorite for many readers (I'm talking to you RPG lovers,) but for me, it was at times a chore to read. Nevertheless, The Witch and the City is a profound work of imagery and emotions.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book! Below is my honest review.

DNF-ed at 25%. Honestly, the writing style is too chaotic for me, which is the only reason why I put it down. I'm sure that if I continued, it would have all worked out, but personally, I don't like books written like this. It makes it hard to concentrate and hard to follow. If this book was written differently, I might have actually enjoyed it as other people did, but perhaps the chaotic writing style is supposed to mimic to Oneirotheria, who has no memory of who she is, where she came from, or why she is imprisoned.

Would I recommend this book? Meh.

This was, I think, nearly everything I could possibly have wanted it to be.

Welcome to the Osylum, a steampunk London-inspired prison city shrouded in fog, stuffed with rich literary references, and inhabited by marionettes, cannibals, clockwork creatures, ominous Wardens and one insatiably curious witch. You can never leave.

You can't put the book down, either.

It's one thing to write a brilliant fantasy. But it's quite another to make it a celebration of language, real or invented, and spin a darkly whimsical tale like Alice in Wonderland for readers who are quite grown-up.

Delighted to receive the ARC from NetGalley and looking forward to seeing The Witch & The City take the adult fantasy world by storm.

Longer review here for the curious: http://bookmarkedone.home.blog/2023/09/25/arc-review-the-witch-the-city/.

Feedback for this book is in exchange for receiving free digital review copy from NetGalley.
I have not read a book like this before. I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to finish it because of the writing in the beginning. The way that it is written affected my anxiety. As I got further through the story, it seemed to be less chaotic and more thoughtful. I am a big Fantasy reader and this totally hit the mark. The story itself was great. It had a flow and kept my interest. The character development was done very well and creatively. The world building was interesting. This was the first book I have read by Jake Burnett. Im going to have to check out his other books.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book. I absolutely adore this book. The writing is immaculate. The plot is whimsical and fascinating. I loved all the characters. One of the best books I have read this year.

I started this book and initially liked the premise of the plot - an old witch gives her knowledge to the newborn witch and tries to aid her in understanding the world she's been born into - with quirky characters and a strange town that she can't make heads or tales of. But beyond that, the plot didn't feel like it was developing quickly enough to continue to hold my attention. I DNF'd at around 30%.

This is not the usual witchy story: it's complex, multilayered and the style of writing is quite unusual and using a lot of word that are not usually in a fantasy story.
This is a good book once you get used to the style of writing. It's a good speculative fiction with a surprising twists
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

First off, thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book! It is in my top five reads of 2023.

If you enjoy dystopic-based books and learning with the main character, this book is for you. When you first meet Oneirotheria you get a sense of newness, curiosity, and vulnerability; as the book progresses you grow with her as she learns about Osylum. The unique take on witch speak is one of my favorite parts of the book!

Once you're hooked into the book you'll struggle to put it down.

Oneirotheria, a fledging witch with fleeting memories of her past life, sets out to escape the prison-city of Osylum.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

This is a fantastic read - it takes a bit to get into as the writer has a very whimsical and unique style of writing. The unusual plot is very well thought out and easy to follow once you get into the swing of it. It is full of wonder and magic and you can't help but get sucked right into this weird world. The characters are very well developed. I loved Oneirotheria, I thought she was remarkably funny and easy to connect with.

This review was made possible via an ARC through NetGalley.

The Witch and the City is about a young witch, Oneirotheria, who wakes up in a prison-city and tries to unravel the mystery of the city. Oneirotheria is unaware of how anything works in her new world and she often spouts information about linguistics as she acquires the new information.

I liked a lot of the ideas presented and found the voice to be very engaging.

The novel is fast-paced and you will probably learn some new words while reading it. It's also dialogue-heavy, which isn't bad, but I wish there had been a few more dialogue tags here and there for me to remember who is speaking as I'm not someone who visualizes as I read.

I would recommend this to fans of Princess Tutu as there are certain elements that remind me of that series and I wouldn't recommend it to people who are not fans of lot of dialogue in their books.

I found this book to be really engaging and I loved the premise. I'm a sucker for witchy stories so this story was right up my alley. I am looking forward to reading other books by the author.

To begin with, this was not an easy read for me. You cannot just sit down and breeze through the pages. It’s kind of hard to understand at times and I think if I picked this up at a different time in my life, it might’ve been better. I do think if the author had put in some world building towards the front, maybe it would have made more sense early on. With that being said, the deeper you get into this book, the better it gets. You get used to the peculiar style of writing and this would definitely be a good read if you are looking for fall witchy vibes but also plan to be able to have enough time to plug through. Thank you NetGalley for the arc.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in advance for my honest review. This book was not necessarily a book for me. I think some people would really enjoy this book but I could not seem to click with it. There were a few points that were done really well, but I did not enjoy the writing style and I did not find the characters very likeable.

This book starts off with an interesting premise where instead of people dying and a new person is born, here a person ‘dies’ and a new person is found. This new person is not born instead it is supposed to the previous person incarnate, they just do not have the previous person’s memories. And everyone is stuck inside this City and stuck in this circle where they have to follow The Lady’s rules otherwise her Wardens will Fade the person to where they no longer exist for good. This felt like a unique and interesting setup which I did appreciate.

This book then follows a newfound witch named Oneirotheria who does have some of the memories of her predecessor which gives her the goal to find an escape to the City. I did think this was an interesting plot line and I liked the premise of this book. I really just didn’t enjoy the writing style or the characters. The language felt disjointed and didn’t flow well all the time, and some language was just odd. “Here-Now” this was said all the time especially when being woken or discovering something. The language could also ne disjointed at times and more whimsical which again, just did not fit for me. But some might really enjoy this type of writing or prose but it just didn’t work for me. I have seen reviews where people love it, so still give it a try!

I will say I did enjoy the ending to where there were some twists and turns that made it engaging. I did enjoy the overall plot and how everything came together. I just could not connect to the writing or the characters, but I know some will so give it a try if the premise sounds interesting to you!

What did I just read? This book is a fever dream that does not follow any path. There is a semblance of a plot, but you don't know that until you're 2/3 of the way through.
We are introduced to a young witch that has been 'found' and follow her as she slowly regains her memory and purpose. The world building is non existent. We are shown things and magic, but are never told what they are. There are made up words that are never explained, characters that are not fleshed out. You're stuck guessing how the world works and what the magic is, and what item/character the author is referring to, because it's never explained. In the end it's all an allegory for grief?
I had no idea what this book was going to be about when I first read it, and I still don't know.

An amazing and magical, if confusing and a bit hard to follow. Many of the characters and terms are borrowed from Greek mythology.