The Bane Witch is intense and atmospheric, blending magic, mystery, and revenge. The premise is great, with witches using poisonous plants to take down awful men. The world-building is rich, and the themes of feminine rage and empowerment are powerful, but the execution feels uneven. Some moments in the book felt rushed while others dragged out. Piers is an interesting character, but her naivety can be a little frustrating. The book tries to juggle mystery, self-discovery, and dark fantasy, and while it mostly succeeds, some parts feel messy. If you like witchy stories with strong female leads and don’t mind a bit of chaos, this one might be worth a read.

This book was amazing! This is my first book by Ava Morgyn and it won't be my last.

Piers is in an abusive relationship that she can't get out of until she decides to do something about it. She remembers her Aunt Myrtle and fakes her own death as she escapes her husband Henry. Only on her way to meet her aunt she has some trouble and decides that she needs to get to her aunt's house like ASAP because something is going on and she has no idea what it is until she gets to her aunts house and her aunt explains everything to her.

It is a small town Piers now calls home that things start to happen and Piers doesn't know what to do about it. Can she stay with her aunt and be protected or will she become the huntress?

Thank you to Net-Galley for allowing me to read this arc copy.

This cover makes you think that it will be a cozy, whimsical mystery but I found this book to be heavy and raw in so many ways. I loved the main character and her journey to learn who she is. There were so many amazing things about this book and the writing was top notch. Just a solid witch story that will make you think!

It felt very atmospheric and I liked the premise. I really liked Piers Corbin but I am not sure about the execution.
There was too much happening with the serial killer investigation and the MC discovering herself - it was not a great reading experience.

I think I am very curious to see where the author goes next. She clearly has a lot of talent but execution is not my cup of tea.

A family of women using poisonous plants to take out awful men?? I was SAT. This book was dark, a bit graphic, and totally unhinged in the best way.

I had to suspend my disbelief a few times and the main character felt a bit too naive, but honestly… I didn’t care. I was hooked and stayed up way too late finishing it. If you’re in the mood for female empowerment but make it ☠️ - this is for you.

The Bane Witch by Ava Morgyn reminded me of The Mindf*ck Series by S.T.Abby but with magic to add to the improbable circumstances and horrifying adult trauma. The feminine rage was satisfying but the character growth seemed stunted and slowed down the pace of the entire plot at times. Overall, it was fine and I liked it enough to finish, but the beginning is the best part and then it gets mildly messy.

Until Next Time,
MC

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for access to this eARC.

I was so ready for all the feminine rage with this book. Sadly it fizzled out for me way before the end of the story. What I loved: The world building was rich and atmospheric and really set the tone for the whole story. It was really well done. I liked the characters, I thought that Piers was compelling and I liked that she really embraced her birthright and her rage. I thought that the magic system was interesting and something that I haven't come across in my witchy reads before. Unfortunately the pacing is what really threw me off on this one. I kept finding myself losing interest and setting the book down. I do look forward to Morgyn's next book to see if it will be more my speed.

I was in the mood for a good witchy read when I remembered I had The Bane Witch waiting for me. I loved Ava Morgyn's first book, but boy, was this one a doozy (in a good way!) Piers Corbin decides to fake her own death to escape her dangerous husband and finds herself at her aunt's remote camp in upstate New York. While there she learns she comes from a long line of poison eaters, who use their power to rid the world of evil men.

While witchy and fun, it's also extremely powerful. The book features heavy themes of violence against women and how these women use their power to protect others. I loved every minute with this book and truly left me thinking when it was done.

If you love witchy, magical realism, and powerful women, read The Bane Witch.
Thank you St. Martins Press and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.
4.5/5 stars

This book is sensational is so many ways. Not only is it quite dark in atmosphere but the subject matter is a challenge to the reader and explores real issues people, particularly women, experience. While I am lucky enough not to be able to identify where physical harm is involved, I appreciated the quality of the exploration. It was terrible and credible and I’m am so glad this book exists. The writing I also found wonderful and entrancing. I am recommending this book right left and center but please do pay attention to the content warns.

The Bane Witch by Ava Morgyn, releasing on March 18, 2025, is a story that blends the allure of Practical Magic with the tension of Gone Girl. While the storytelling starts slowly, and I found myself struggling to stay engaged through the first half, the latter part of the book ultimately delivers with compelling mystery and emotional depth. It’s a story that feels both expansive and intimate, drawing readers into the protagonist Piers's journey of discovering her identity as a bane witch amidst dark secrets and a lurking serial killer. Though it may not be a standout among my favorite dark fantasies, the atmospheric settings, mysterious magic, and focus on family make it a worthwhile read for fans of witchy tales. If you enjoy a story that builds slowly but rewards you with rich, unpredictable moments, The Bane Witch might be just the book for you.

I enjoyed this even more than I expected to. I was very invested in the story and found it a very easy read. This was a great blend of genres: mystery, romance, contemporary fiction, magical realism.

This book was dark, mysterious, and had many heavy subjects as elements. Before reading, I would definitely check out the trigger warnings. It was too much for me, too much plot, too many characters. It was hard to follow at times, but it was still ok.

A Witch Digresses About All the Evil Men She Killed
Ava Morgyn, The Bane Witch: A Novel (New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, March 18, 2025). Softcover: $19. 384pp. ISBN: 978-1-250835-45-1.
**
“Piers Corbin has always had an affinity for poisonous things—plants and men. From the pokeweed berries she consumed at age five that led to the accidental death of a stranger, to the husband whose dark proclivities have become… concerning, poison has been at the heart of her story. But when she fakes her own death in an attempt to escape her volatile marriage and goes to stay with her estranged great aunt in the mountains, she realizes her predilection is more than a hunger—it’s a birthright. Piers comes from a long line of poison eaters—Bane Witches—women who ingest deadly plants and use their magic to rid the world of evil men. Piers sets out to earn her place in her family’s gritty but distinguished legacy, all while working at her Aunt Myrtle’s cafe and perpetuating a flirtation with the local, well-meaning sheriff to allay his suspicions on the body count she’s been leaving in her wake. But soon she catches the attention of someone else, a serial killer operating in the area. And that only means one thing—it’s time to feed.” Another unique premise. There are many books and shows about witches that show them murdering evil or monstrous men, but usually it is done with swords or other violent weapons that put the witch in danger of death (even if she instigates an attack). In this case, the witch secretly poisons men to death who she judges to be evil, acting as the unappointed judge over them. There is hardly anything more “evil” than poisoning people one perceives as “evil”; so this revenge for the sake of humanity plotline is one that I think is overdone give its moral irrationality.
This is another case where the cover interested me in this novel because of my current explorations in digital art. This artist uses a curious combination of realism and cartoonish simplicity that also makes a curious case in need of imitation. The hallucinogenic mushrooms at the bottom of the cover are especially well-done, with great lighting, and detail. The dripping blood of a top flower leads the eye to the title. Just a masterly design.
The first chapter opens with a poetic rhythm. Modern literary fiction frequently uses this trick: rhythm is used to make the words seem more highbrow and intense. Rhythm is achieved through repetition, such as starting two sentences with the same phrase: “A well-designed…” Another element is using vague descriptions that confuse the reader, before offering explanations that seem to reveal something mystical. A character is crossing the Cooper River, noting, “It dazzles, this bridge, like something from a spaceship…” The “it” is clarified to be a “bridge” in rhythmically matching two-syllable phrases. There are also many similes, and relatively detailed descriptions of juice seeping into the “white crescents of my nails.” There is a fuzzy line between the attempt to be highbrow succeeds in achieving well-written prose. So, these are good elements.
Another trick this opening semi-succeeds with is introducing a dramatic incident that was mentioned in the blurb: the narrator as a child of five eats poisoned black berries. The description focuses on her own hallucinogenic trip, but ends with the note: “leaving the dead man behind.” There was no clear explanation or mention of who this guy could have been or why he would die from the kid eating berries. But this is the mystery that readers are invited to be curious about as they start reading this novel. Ah, the next paragraph explains that this guy had given her the berries: this clarifies things a bit. If there was no further mention of this dead guy until the middle of the book, when this mystery was “solved”, it would not have been good.
After describing the painful parts of the poisoning, she mentions eating these berries again willingly at nine. Instead of explaining why she became suicidal at nine. The narrator then moves on to how her husband believes she is a drama-queen: “He always found my reactions exaggerated, even comical.” These hops between times, places, events, and traumas are too difficult to stay interested in. I must leave this book here. Stream-of-consciousness books are rather common today. It must be freeing for a writer to just write about this-and-that, as thoughts appear, and you just write them down, with a bit of poeticizing to make it all sound artsy. But for the reader, a writer’s lack of self-control, or careful pre-plotting means they probably cannot sink into the story: it is like an abandoned house with a half-fallen ceiling: you don’t want to go in there even if there is a witch beckoning you in with hallucinogenic mushrooms.
Pennsylvania Literary Journal: Spring 2025 issue: https://anaphoraliterary.com/journals/plj/plj-excerpts/book-reviews-spring-2025

"We don't fear men in this house,” she tells me. “Men fear us.”

I loved this book! From the very beginning, it hooked me and didn't let go. The whole premise of this book was so persuasive - witches who can eat poison and inflict that poison on a man who has already hurt women to prevent him from continuing to hurt women.
Morgyn had these bane witches well thought out! While our MC, Piers, is coming out of an abusive marriage, she is a strong woman in her own right.
We follow her as she grows into her own and struggles to find her place in a life that has never been a place she felt she belonged.
This is a dark tale, filled with intrigue, murder, covens, snippets of botany, and a little romance thrown in.

I thoroughly enjoyed my reading experience and liked this novel even more than Morgyn's first! But, I know what I can expect from her novels - strong women who take no BS.
I can't wait to see what she writes next.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced reader's copy.

Unexpected and beguiling, but also dark and sinister. A story about revenge and legacy, but with a witchy twist. I loved this. The magic system is so original and creative, and the suspense/serial killer aspect was creepy and left with a sense of foreboding as I read. Definitely very dark themes so check trigger warnings, but I loved seeing everything come full circle. Thanks Netgalley for the e-ARC!

4.5 ⭐️


“We don’t fear men in this house,” she tells me. “Men fear us.”

The blurb for this - Practical Magic meets Gone Girl is 100% accurate. This was eerie, suspenseful, and gripping from page one until the end. There’s a touch of romance but that really isn’t the main focus at all. This is a story that is equal parts mystery/thriller, magical realism, crime drama, and supernatural.

If you enjoy books about female rage, this one is definitely for you. There is a host of strong female characters and watching Peirs grow into her true form was very satisfying.

Check TW as there are many sensitive subjects discussed.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the early review copy.

Piers Corbin has always had a taste for poison—both the plant and the man variety. From accidentally offing a stranger with pokeweed berries at age five to escaping a dangerously twisted husband, death has followed her like a perfume. When she fakes her own demise and holes up in the mountains with her estranged Aunt Myrtle, she learns it’s not just a habit—it’s heritage. Turns out, Piers is a Bane Witch: part of a long line of women who eat poison and use their powers to eliminate evil men. Between slinging lattes at her aunt’s café and charming the local sheriff to keep him off her trail, Piers is settling into her new life—until a local serial killer sets his sights on her. Bad move. Piers is hungry.

This. This is exactly what I’ve been searching for. After reading several books about so-called “lady poisoners” that fell flat, this one finally delivered! It strikes the perfect balance of sharp character development, simmering feminine rage, and the kind of sisterhood that feels both earned and electric. And yes, there’s just enough horror to keep the stakes deliciously high.

This was my first book by Morgyn, but it absolutely won’t be my last.

If you're in the mood for a smart, gripping story about women reclaiming their power and dismantling toxic masculinity one dose at a time—this is it.

Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for the ARC! 3.75 stars!

I LOVE anything witchy so I was super excited to get this one from netgalley! Thought it was good and would love to explore other books by author!

Piers has faked her death and headed north to escape her extremely abusive husband. After somehow killing a man along the way to her aunt’s house, Piers learns she is a “bane witch”, a poison eater. These women feed on poison plants and eventually come face-to-face with a man who will be the victim of the poison. A serial killer is stalking her new home & he will definitely be her next victim.

Overall, I really liked this book. It was inventive, and I loved the poison eating to result in the destruction of harmful men. The book is pretty violent, but I enjoyed it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for providing me with a copy of this book.

The Bane Witch has topped my favorites list for this year. It gives all the witchy vibes and feminist power. As I read, I felt the same intensity of The Cullen’s protecting Bella from the Volturi and the anticipation of the deadline quickly approaching for her to be turned into a vampire. The suspense and fear abound as the danger comes from multiple sources. There is romance, terror and grief so the reader feels ALL the feels.

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