The Witchstone had a compelling premise and an entertaining protagonist, but it also failed to feel unique, reminding me strongly of books like Good Omens and Prosper's Demon. I wish the characters had been fleshed out in more detail: the author's style lends itself to a humorous narration that tends to prioritize snappy dialogue and clever descriptions over substance. The humor also tended towards the Millennial, which, while not a death sentence, made me cringe as frequently as it made me giggle. I do have an enormous fondness for the "failed Demon" trope (hello, Crowley) and therefore had great fun with Lazlo as a protagonist.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

Oh. My. God. When I tell you this is the most fun I've had with a book in a while? It's making me reconsider every other book I've crowned 5 stars. This book is in a league of its own. I review ARCs with the intention of offering constructive criticism to authors before the book is officially published, but after finishing this book (and promptly yelling about it in the DMs of several friends) I can't think of anything that I could genuinely provide criticism on.

The Witchstone is an exciting urban fantasy that follows well-fleshed-out, deeply imperfect characters in an easy-to-read and page-turning manner. I adored all of the characters and found them unique and interesting, and set in a super intriguing worldly backdrop. Neff finds the perfect balance between dialogue and exploring the surrounding scene and offers witty dialogue and descriptions that make this book humorous and a fun read.

I was SUCH a fan of the fact Laszlo and Maggie remained an entirely platonic friendship. Too many books push romantic relationships on their FMC and MMC and I wouldn't have been here for the weird power dynamic Laszlo/Maggie would have had. I just had to talk about it for a second. I loved their friendship so much.

Ultimately, The Witchstone has become one of my favourite reads of 2024. I wish Neff nothing but success on release day.

Curses, demons, stowaways… this book was so much more than I was expecting!

An old family curse is rapidly overtaking Maggie’s father and she seems to be soon behind, until a centuries old demon, Lazlo shows up, informing her they have six days to break the curse. It is completely self serving for the demon, considering he is a lazy Curse Keeper who is more concerned with leisure than being productive. Now, he has less than a week until he is decimated unless he can help Maggie break the curse.

The two start their journey with some surprises, and continue on to battle constant monster attacks. I don’t want to give anything away, but it is the dynamic between the two of them that made this so amazing for me… that and Maggie’s little brother, who provides so much warmth and humor to the story.

If you’re looking for quirky fantasy, a ridiculous rakish demon and a woman quickly succumbing to deviant tendencies due to curse that is generations old, where the unlikely duo must learn to trust one another, considering their individual fates rest solely upon each other, this is the book for you!

This book is a little all over the place-



The random body horror? The comedic monents? The bizarre and unclear depiction of demons?

None of it really amounts into a coherent whole.

There are parts that I enjoy. the body horror in particular is incredibly written and disturbing to an extent I appreciate- however that does not excuse the disjointed presentation or graphic SA content.

Laszlo gives Kuzko energy but make him less likeable.

The parts of the novel that I deem far too uncomfortable for the tone are when a certain aspect of the curse take over the character Maggie.

The constant "kidlike" sibling grouping of Maggie and Lump was initially endearing but Maggie's developement feels gross and unwarranted. The bathroom scene did not need to happen. It simply didn't. Do I get why the author included it? Yes. Does that make it good? No, absolutely not.

Having an entirely sheltered character have a scene like that for shock value and horror is gross!

One thing this book makes fun of is partaking in systems not because you want to but rather because of societal expectations. Saririzing the compulsion to join heirarchal systems only to be limited by their structure is a really productive topic but it's lost in the sea of nonsense.

Especially when they include this "need to breed" in the book. It's not scary, it's nauseating and adds nothing! Most sane minded readers can and will dip out at thay point.

Thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for an eARC of The Witchstone.

The Witchstone blends humor and fantasy in this epic adventure of Maggie and George "Lump" Drakeford, as they emback on a journey with Curse-Keeper demon Laszlo to remove a generational family curse.

I truly did not know what to expect coming into this novel, and I ended up loving the heart and humor it has. The action scenes are exciting and fast-paced, and the lore behind the Witchstone added a lot to the story. There was even a fair amount of gore/body horror which I didn't really expect but enjoyed. The characters were all fantastic as well, I loved all of them for different reasons and was completely invested in what happened. Honestly I would love a second installment, as the ending would either be perfect as it was for a single novel, but open enough that I'd be interested in the sequel.

2.5 rounded up

This book was not for me. I ended up speed reading though it. It felt very amateurish and immature.
It kind of sucks because I was really looking forward to this. The story sounded so good.

As a reader, I was drawn in by the promising premise of "The Witchstone" by Henry H. Neff, but unfortunately, the execution left much to be desired. The book, which revolves around an ancient curse and an unlikely duo's quest to break it, failed to captivate me due to several shortcomings.

One of the most glaring issues was the immaturity of both the characters and the narrative style. The characters felt remarkably juvenile, lacking depth and failing to elicit any genuine connection from me. Rather than being relatable or engaging, they came across as shallow and uninteresting.

Moreover, the plot fell flat, lacking the depth and complexity needed to sustain a compelling storyline. The quests intended to infuse suspense and action into the narrative ended up being tedious and uninteresting. The attempts to create tension and excitement during these moments fell short, leaving me feeling disengaged.

The excessive use of profanity added to the overall feeling of immaturity, feeling forced and unnecessary. Instead of adding depth or authenticity to the characters, it came off as a gratuitous attempt to appear edgy, ultimately detracting from the reading experience.

The writing style itself left much to be desired, failing to evoke any emotional response or investment in the story. Overall, "The Witchstone" felt like a missed opportunity, with a promising premise overshadowed by immature characters, a lackluster plot, and subpar writing.

Disappointment lingers as a result of the unmet potential within the book. Despite its intriguing description, "The Witchstone" failed to deliver a compelling narrative, leaving much to be desired in terms of character development, plot execution, and overall writing quality.

Rating: ⭐️ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ (1/5)
Spicy Level: 🌶 ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ (1/5)

This was a review for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of The Witchstone by Henry H. Neff given to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley and Henry H. Neff for letting me read and review this title. The Witchstone is set to be published June 18th, 2024.