This was actually a lot more fun and fleshed out than I expected. I really enjoyed the world building was fantastic and I really appreciate how the author handled the complexity of domestic violence.

It felt like an extended version of the Practical Magic, if Gilly had been the main character instead. Really well done!

4.5 stars

THOUGHTS AND THINGS:
If you only listen to one thing I say it's this, GO INTO THIS ONE BLIND!

I did and it was a wild ride! I could not put this book down. It kept me on the edge of my seat and dying to know what would happen next.

I'm not going to say much here because truly anything I say would give away too much. Don't let the cover fool you into thinking this is a cozy fantasy read. It is not. In the best way.

I would highly recommend this one if you're looking for a suspenseful witchy book! It would be extra impactful in spooky season.

I will 100% be buying a shelf trophy immediately 👏👏👏

READ IF YOU LIKE: **only read if you don't want to go in blind.
🌱 Suspense and Thrills
🌱 Magical Realism
🌱 Practical Magic Vibes
🌱 Natural Poison and Botany
🌱 Serial Killer on the Loose
🌱 Dark and Atmospheric
🌱 Forbidden Romance
🌱 Long Lost Family
🌱 Lots of Trigger Warnings
🌱 Animal Sidekicks
🌱 Rural Small Town
🌱 Spooky Forests

Thank you to St Martin's, Netgalley, and Ava Morgyn for the advanced reader copy. All thoughts are my own.

I read this recently, but honestly it would be such a good book for the fall season! It's spooky and witchy which is perfect for a gloomy fall day. I would say that this writing style is light. There were a few instances with the dialogue that didn't flow for me. I loved the first half of this book. The idea that some witches can eat poisons while others can't was very intriguing. Though I found that to never really be addressed. The beginning and middle had a lot of built up anticipation, but the ending fell a little flat for me.

Some lines were a little awkward for me. I think it would've worked better had they been cut. For example,
- "I can't help feeling like the person who farted at the party," This didn't make any sense to me with the rest of the dialogue and vibe of the book. There were multiple lines like this.

Overall, this was an okay read.

“𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐞 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡” 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

𝘗𝘪𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘊𝘰𝘳𝘣𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴―𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘦𝘯.

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

Did someone say “feminine rage”? Between that and the dark cottage core vibes, I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I loved the witchy mystery aspect and really thought I had everything figured out (alas, I did not) but I did however feel like the ending fell a little bit more flat at a bad time? But honestly, overall I really enjoyed this one! Perfect for fans of both fantasy and thrillers!!

Thank you to St Martin’s Griffin for the early review copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to Griffin for my gifted e-review copy. My opinions are my own.

Read this for:
- witches with death powers
- deadly poisons (natural)
- FMC embracing her power
- strange family reunion
- escaping life
- feminine rage

My thoughts:
I really enjoyed this story from Piers jumping to her death to escape an abusive marriage to her finding herself at her aunts in the middle of update New York. Learning about who/what she is, but also about her confronting her past and finding her purpose. The magic in this book is not the flashy kind that is in other witch focused books, this magic is subtle and very rooted in the feminine earth power.

This book is for those who like female power is all it’s forms, and like a little horror in their lit fic. This is not a romance, although there is a romantic side plot.

Piers is trapped in an abusive marriage. She escapes by faking her death and goes to find her Aunt Myrtle, who she met once when she was a child. Myrtle explains Piers family heritage and the power their family has to help rid the world of abusive men.

I loved the concept of the book. The women in Piers' family can eat poisonous substances and kill men with them. It's a unique idea, but the author makes it completely plausible.

I was rooting for Piers from the start of the book and grew to like her more as the story progressed. She was smart and strong. I enjoyed seeing her interact with the other bane witches and come to terms with how the power impacts their lives.

I read the book in one day as I couldn't put it down. It had a great pace and was totally enthralling. I will read whatever the author writes next.

Not sure where to start with this one, I should have read the trigger warnings! It’s pretty vile and the abuse/ words used really haunt you. That said, it wasn’t a DNF. The writing was excellent and I was certainly desperate to know how things worked out. Not nearly as magical as I hoped, and SO many characters died, but still. It was a wild ride.

Piers Corbin has always had a taste for poisonous things, including men. And when she fakes her death to escape her abusive husband and run to the only other family she knows, Aunt Myrtle, Piers comes face to face with a destiny she could never imagine: hunting men as a bane witch. And while deep in the mountains, Piers must kill her biggest monster yet.

Based on the description, I thought I'd like this book, but there were too many contradictions in itself that I just couldn't get over them. For example, one of the four rules every bane witch must follow is to never kill an innocent, yet one of Aunt Myrtle's "types" is mercy killings. I also didn't think Piers had a character arc that logically fit within the storyline. She became strong-willed, outspoken, and wanted to fight for justice before she understood and accepted her magical gifts as a bane witch.

What I did like about this book was that the author provided a simultaneous story going on in the sideline with the investigators and her husband in North Carolina. I thought it was clever for Piers to try and pin her disappearance on her husband, even though she also left a suicide note (another contradiction).

I recommend this book to those who also liked Weyward and The Lost Apothecary.

Also, thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for an ARC of this novel!

3.5 Stars

This was such a uniquely dark & thrilling witchy tale, with birthright at its core. I definitely enjoyed the read, though some parts on their own missed the mark. I wasn't a fan of Henry as a character and that pulled me out occasionally. I feel like this is going to be a quick fan favourite and feel it would translate well to film/TV. I loved Piers as a FMC and look forward to reading more of Ava Morgan's works.

*Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for access to the advanced reader's copy for this book!

I love a witchy story and was so excited to explore an author new to me with Ava Morgyn’s The Bane Witch!
This books started out so so strong! I felt instantly connected and engaged with our female main character. I felt immediate support for her and a desire for her to survive and thrive. I think the character development displayed through our female main character is one of the best things about this story. Morgyn takes care in slowly revealing layers of this character’s past, while also exploring her growth in the present. It adds so much to this book and really is the core of the story.
I also thoroughly enjoyed the way that witchiness is explored, described, and manifested in this books. It’s unique, interesting, and ties to our characters is a wonderful way.
Unfortunately, I do think there was a bit too much action left for the end of the book, which makes things feel rushed. It also leads to a level is unbelievability that is hard to get over given how much emphasis is placed on secrecy throughout this story.
Overall, I’m so glad I had the opportunity to read this book and definitely recommend it if looking for an eerie story.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

This ended up being a 3.5-4 star by the end. I hate that there is one part of the book that dropped that rating down and glad that it slightly redeemed itself by the last page.

So, Piers is a smart woman who has suffered from lots of emotional and domestic abuse. Trigger warning because there are some graphic depictions of DV. She fakes her "suicide" to frame her abusive husband and does so creatively. The author wrote in a way that you can feel her desperation while trying to be focused and logical.

When she makes it north to her family and learns about her abilities, much of her childhood makes sense. The way the magic is described and the witches she meets are fascinating, especially learning how they each have their "marks" and what their specialty is they hunt. Piers love affair with the Sherriff is complicated because of the investigations and the serial killer hunting the woods, however, I didn't feel that their chemistry was necessarily there but also, I understood their dynamic. It wasn't exactly trauma bonding, but it wasn't based on personalities and honesty.

The ending was slightly rushed and felt like the buildup to the altercation with the killer was more intense than the actual confrontation, however, I kind of liked that at the end he was just a human and that his elusiveness and atmosphere were more terrifying than he himself.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this book! I have recommended it to a couple of my witchy loving friends.

*Rated 4.5 on sites that allow it*

In the acknowledgments, Ava Morgyn calls The Bane Witch a magical thriller, and that is the perfect description. Also, I think I might love magical thrillers and I need to find more.

I liked Piers as a MC. She’s hurt, angry, and lost, but still determined to find her way. She’s also not perfect, as she makes some mistakes while figuring out what the heck a bane witch is and how to navigate her new reality. I do think she figured out all the bane witch stuff a little too quickly though. She had a lot of help from her aunt, but it still felt like she went from clueless to expert too easily. The story took place only over a matter of months and I wish that even towards the end of the book, she’d still been kind of unsure of her abilities.

The Bane Witch isn’t a romance, but there was a romance subplot that felt necessary for Piers as she experienced a relationship full of tenderness and love instead of the horrible treatment she received from her husband. Similarly, her relationship with her aunt Myrtle was a loving replacement for her strained relationship with her mother. It was nice to see Piers get the love she deserved.

The entire idea of a family of bane witches is really cool and I want to be one. Ingesting poison and then seducing shitty men so I can transfer the poison to them and kill them? Sign me up. I love the way it worked and I imagine there are no plans whatsoever for a series but every member of the family does things differently and I think it would be awesome if certain members had their own books! Plus, think of all the feminine rage and revenge! Yesssssss.

Having read and enjoyed The Witches of Bone Hill by Ava Morgyn, I was looking forward to reading The Bane Witch.

All, I can say is wow! This one totally surprised me. We are first introduced to Piers Corbin as she is trying to leave her abusive husband. The writing was dark, and felt like a thriller. So much so, that I actually checked to make sure that I was reading the right book!

Piers eventually makes it to her aunt’s place and soon learns why she was drawn to pokeberries. It turns out that she is a very powerful “Bane Witch” - a legacy of witches with a very distinct purpose in life.

This book combined two of my favorites - witches and thriller-esque. It’s not your typical witchy magic book and it’s not your typical thriller, it’s an interesting blend of both. And it really worked for me.

I didn’t end up finishing this book. Unfortunately I am just not the reader for this book. Apparently I’m more sensitive to descriptions of domestic violence and abuse than I realized. I did enjoy the story and the writing so I’m not sworn off picking it up again, but I’d need to be more emotionally prepared to handle the subject matter. A huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC.

I'm not gonna lie but I had a little trouble getting through the first few chapters. There was just something about the writing that felt a little off-putting to me and I even wondered if I would find myself DNFing. I continued on though, and eventually the writing got better for me, and I ended up really enjoying the story. I think I would be interested in reading another story by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review. Its expected publication date is March 18, 2025.

Don’t let this cozy cover fool you! This book is a very suspenseful book about witches! Nice touch setting it in modern times! If someone from Netflix is out there - this would make into an amazing miniseries! 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️!

A woman discovers her own poisonous power.

I loved this book! It reminded me of Gone Girl mixed with Practical Magic. All of the vibes were there from the methodical mystery to dangerous men crossing the line with magical women. There was even a well meaning sheriff!

I was immediately drawn into the storyline and invested in the main character, Piers. Her experiences with domestic abuse were handled with care. Sometimes her choices were frustrating but under the circumstances they made sense.

The magical elements were easy to understand and straightforward. I loved the coven aspect and the female centric nature of the story.

Regis was an awesome book boyfriend. He handled Piers with care without knowing her or her background. He also tried to understand where she was coming from no matter what. There were some spicy scenes in this one but they’re very low steam.

The mysteries that played out were pretty thrilling. I don’t want to give too much away but if serial killers intrigue you this may be right up your alley.

Romance
Magical
Mystery
Thriller
Movieish

Rating: 5/5

#bookstackcityreviews

Thank you @stmartinspress for the #gifted copy of #thebanewitch !!

Did I read my favorite book of the year in March? I just might have

The Bane Witch is described as Practical Magic meets Gone Girl, and I totally agree. You follow Piers Corbin fakes her own death to escape an abusive marriage. She travels to her estranged aunt’s house for shelter. It’s there she discovers that her yearning to eat poisonous plants isn’t Pica, as she’s been told. She is a bane witch. A witch who consumes poisons and hunts evil men. 👏🏻

There is so much I loved in this book. I love Piers, who discovers her strength. I love the small, mountain town setting. Female rage and evil people getting what they deserve 👩‍🍳💋. Also, having the MC discover magic later in life is my favorite. There’s hope for me.

I feel like people are going to look at the cover and pick this book up expecting cottage core witchy vibes, and that ain’t it y’all. This is a dark story of revenge and justice (IMO). Pick this one up if you love a witchy tale and a thriller. The Bane Witch is the perfect combination. It’s available now! Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for my copy.

The Bane Witch by Ava Morgyn is an intriguing fantasy that blends magic, mystery, and dark secrets. The story follows a powerful witch navigating her complex powers and the challenges they bring. Morgyn’s writing is captivating, with rich world-building and a gripping plot. It’s a must-read for fans of dark fantasy and strong, complex characters.

What a wild ride. I don't know what I was expecting with this book but it wasn't that. That's not a bad thing I just wasn't expecting the intensity and also I'll give y'all a definite trigger warning for all the bad things men have done and will continue to do, although there aren't any extremely graphic scenes that I can recall.
For once I think the summary has it right with the Practical Magic and Gone Girl references, there are definitely elements of both and I don't think you'd be disappointed if that's all you knew about the book going in.
Piers was an interesting character, I liked her a lot, she navigated a horrific series of events in pretty admirable ways while also completely fucking up sometimes and that's pretty relatable even if we can't all poison bad men whenever we want. I did feel like there were times where she made choices that didn't make sense for her, like the day or night after learning about bane witches and that her mother probably accidentally killed two husbands she JUST KISSES REGIS ALL WILLY NILLY RIGHT AFTER KILLING A DUDE WITH HER SPIT. GIRL. This was before learning more about her powers and the limits and stuff all she knew at that point was that she can eat poisonous things and kill two grown ass men. Crazy.
Also I wish Regis was fleshed out a little bit more, it just felt like he hopped on the poison killer train pretty easily for a police sheriff. Like there was a scene where he was like "there's something more that I'm missing" but that's not really explored. I know we can surmise that that thing is Piers but it really felt like she just said "hey I can poison the Saranac Strangler and I'm going to whether you like it or not" and he was just like "alright, but try not to" and that was it?
Anyway, I enjoyed the ride, I would classify the book more as a thriller/mystery over a romance but it was very well written, I like some moral ambiguity, tough decisions, and a deadly birthright.