This story really surprised me, mostly because it just wasn’t what I was expecting at all.

There are many, many positives here;
- The writing was great; the perfect mix between being descriptive and beautiful without it negatively impacting the pacing and being too wordy.
- Pacing was pretty well done. It never felt overly rushed or too slow it actually feels really well balanced.
- Characters were interesting, specifically the side characters. So many of them were really heart warming and I loved seeing their dynamics play out.
- Some very heavy topics were handled very well here. Exploring the impact of trauma is tricky business but I genuinely felt like this was approached really sensitively and realistically which was refreshing.
- Representation felt really organic and natural. We had multiple characters with disabilities, various different relationships all of which felt very grounded in the story and not simply tacked on.

I also really enjoyed being swept along on Khana’s journey of self-discovery and realising her worth. Khana’s whole journey of recovery feels very tender and there’s something so wholesome about the life she builds and the relationships she makes. Shes soft but theres steel underneath and a determination that was heartwarming to see her discover and own about herself. I also quite liked the slow burn romance, which I think could best be described as very sweet.

But there were a few elements that just bugged me.

World building was… a mixed bag. Some things were really well done, but I’m going to need a lot more explanations to buy into this world. So many elements of the magic system just seemed too convenient for the plot with far too few consequences.

And this leads onto my bigger issue which is that everything just seems to work out in the end? I don’t say that as a spoiler, this is a stand alone story so we all know it’s going to wrap up at the end. I just feel that there should have been more negative consequences from everything as the ending feels quite different the realism of the rest of the story. While I did enjoy that there weren’t lots of loose ends left it all just felt too cookie cutter to end so well.


My other criticism is one I’ve seen other comment on too. Why is there so little Death?? If you’re having Death as a character and he’s even in the title then I’m going into this expecting him to be a pretty much feature but in reality we see very little of him. Death was without a personality for much of the story and really functions like a minor side character which truthfully was just disappointing.

Overall, I did enjoy this but for me I want more complex world building and higher stakes for my high fantasy.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing me with this free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"How can something so tiny be so dangerous"

The Witch who Trades with Death by C.M. Alongi

First off, I love the authors note, it's very sweet while being informative as it could be.

The yearning. The atmosphere! A story about love and healing. 5*
It has great pacing, it didn't feel like a chore to read, there's no filler, not beating around the bush, it gets straight to the point.
With it's underlying notes of feminism, Alongi doesn't hesitate to write the truth of their characters, no matter how gruesome or hideous some may find it.

I think the trauma was done expertly well, the nightmares especially hit very close to home. But it was more than a trauma story, it was a story about growth and moving on: relearning how to live.

I loved the setting, there wasn't too many names and places to remember either.
The magic system reminds me of The Bone Witch, which I really enjoyed and rated 5* so of course I loved it in this story too, it's similar but different.

The multiple POVs added depth to the characters and the story, as well as tension. It also helped raise the stakes as we knew things certain characters did not, especially when a romance is blooming. It was nice to learn how the different characters thought and why they acted the way they did, even Yamueto.

Theres a sapphic side relationship that was very cute, which leads me to the romance: it is so so refreshing

It's lovely to see the slow-burn of an innocent crush rather than a story of insta-love, I found myself giggling and kicking my feet in the air at times. Not to mention the friendships forged and the found family, it's so wholesome it brought a tear to my eye.
Moments did leave me heartbroken, it was a roller coasters of emotions to say the least, and the ending!

The ending is bittersweet, it broke me and put me back together.
It's how most of is wish our stories could've ended.

Overall I rate The Witch who Trades with Death 4 stars. I might read this again when it fully releases! It was the best thing I've read in a while, last year was full of duds for me, so thankyou AngryRobot for the early copy!!!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this advanced reader's copy and the opportunity to read this early. Review has been posted on Waterstones and Amazon.

The blurb sounded amazing but unfortunately the book wasn’t for me.

It was a slow burn, and nothing was gained from it. The writing was was fine, overall lacking in substance. This is a book that I would only recommend to those booktok/social media readers. One for the Boghop table

The book was a little slow to start, but once I got to about the 50% mark I couldn’t put it down! The magic system was easy to understand, and I very much enjoy a necromancer story. A realistic depiction of growth and healing is also a big part of this book. Khana is an SA survivor learning to trust and have healthy relationships.
I also love how many absolute badass female characters there are! From the chief of the village to the “old whore” in Khana’s unit! I love them all!

Thank you to both NetGalley and Angry Robot for approving me to read this book. Originally I was intrigued by the title and the description however as I read through the book I found my brain to be jumbled every which way. While the plot was exciting I became too distracted by all of the long, hard to pronounce names as well as the amount of characters I was trying to keep track of. I would definitely like to recommend this book to more people however I could barely follow along with the story and think that many would have the same problems I did.

Thank you for sending me a copy of this book, but I will not be able to finish it. The concept is interesting to me, but I just do not click with the writing style. Too many information given at one and the MC moves setting before I can grasp what is happening.

Due to the trigger warnings, I will not be able to read this book. Thank you so much C.M. for listing them on the first page of the book. And thank you NetGalley, C.M. and Angry Robot for the E-ARC! This book sounded so interesting! I’m so sad I’m not able to read it.

I really enjoyed reading this book, it had that fantasy romance element that I was looking for. C.M. Alongi was able to weave a strong tale that had that element that I was hoping for. I enjoyed getting to know these characters and was glad that the concept worked overall. C.M. Alongi does a fantastic job in writing this and the characters had that feel that I wanted. I hope to read more from C.M. Alongi as this was really well done.

Thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot for the arc! Hm. I have mixed feeling about this one.
I know a pros and cons list hates to see me coming, and here I am!

Pros:

The magic, Aji, was very interesting to read about and led to some interesting plot points. It’s both terrifying and fascinating to read about someone who has control over life energy.

I’m adding Lueti to my dream blunt rotation

The very beginning had me reeling. It was easily my favorite part of the book. It pulls no punches, and is batshit. That bitch deserved what she got!

I appreciate how this book handles physical touch and that aspect of trauma; It’s honestly too real. I really came around for the LI because of this. He was kind and incredibly patient with Khana. We love to see it

Cons:

Idk if it was just me who thought this but… from the synopsis I thought Khana would fall in love with death themselves. That would have been much more interesting than what we got in my eyes, though I do appreciate Sava. He was gentle, attentive, accommodating, and at some points sexy. That being said, I do think Alongi took the safe route with having Sava as the LI

I struggled to connect to our main characters. Khana and Haz always felt too distant for me. I do think the side characters outshine the main characters in this one.

As such, the book dragged in the middle for me. I did almost put it down

Without spoiling, this book needed more consequences in the plot. Everything just seems to magically work out, and to the detriment of the book’s messaging. It really dampened the experience for me, having everything be so easy.

Did you guys know that Khana is small? Did you know that she’s teeny weeny? Did you know that she’s short? It case you didn’t know, Khana is small!

In conclusion, meh. There were some aspects of this book I loved, and others I did not. This was the first book I completed in 2025, and I do wish I liked it more than I did. That being said, I’ll live, or maybe I won’t! Maybe I’ll call up Khana to trade with death. -3 night creatures

The Witch who trades with death is not what i expected. Its very character focused with a backdrop of brewing war. Khana is a young witch forced to "serve" the immortal Emperor Yamueto as one of his thousands of concubine since she was first taken from her village. On chance, she finds out the Emperor's secret to immortality and manages to escape the palace to a remote icy mountain village where Yamueto hasnt managed yet to conquer.
Its there that the story really focuses on the healing process from her abused up bring, the found family and new friendships and romances all whilst war is threatening. Khana is nervous, scared of her powers but learns to embrace it for those she cares for. The author does character building really well and i felt connected and invested in the relationships that develop.

What didnt work for me is the fact that she is a witch that can drain life force and make deals with Death to heal and revive was a little too convenient most of the time which meant the stakes were low. Based on the synopsis I was hoping for more of a high action, high stakes plot focused story but this was not that. There was a lack of world building in the wider scheme and just focused around Khana's immediate surroundings. The emperor rules in terror but somehow people are still loyal to him?

However, the writing did grip me and whilst i enjoyed the mundane small town setting and how everyone banded together for a common purpose, I wanted more. The last few chapters was where the story picked up for me, but the rest of the book was relatively slow placed. The romance was very cute and I did love the gentleness of Sava which made a refreshing difference.

I think this book would suit readers after a slower paced character focused story around a more timid protagonist going through their healing process from abuse in a fantasy world setting. The story wraps up relatively well for a standalone.

Check TW, as there is reference to rape, abuse and death.

Thanks to Netgalley and Angry Robots for an e-ARC. All opinions are my own honest thoughts.

Thank you to Net Galley and Angry Robot for the ARC. The blurb looked interesting but the actual book was boring. The characters were dull and the plot slow moving.

Thank you to Angry Robot and NetGalley for my arc in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

I really enjoy C.M. Alongi’s writing normally but this book just missed the mark for me.

I thought the magic system was really interesting and I thought the overall story was engaging. However, I did feel that maybe 40%-60% of the story really dragged. I understood that it was for world building and building up our FMC’s character and ensuring that the side characters were fleshed out, but man was it really long between new moments in the overarching narrative. I feel bad because Alongi is a very gifted writer but I thought so much of the world and character building should have been edited out or down. It really cut down on the pacing of the book and really took me out. There were multiple bouts of what felt like my eyes glazing over.

Wasn’t for me unfortunately.

I am glad I got to read this. There was a lot of adventure. So many feelings for the characters! A lot of anger and sympathy. A lot of sadness. And so much joy. There are several difficult themes in the book, but the author did a great job of writing it. There was a lot of world buulding, and it was a bit hard to get into because of that. But once you get a good grasp on who is who, what place is where, it becomes a lot easier. There are many diverse characters, as well. That is always nice to see!

This book has a lot of things that I really enjoy, including found family, emotional depth, and a very interesting plot line! I loved getting to meet our characters and seeing how they grew from beginning to end! The world building was absolutely 10 out of 10! It feels like you can see the world while you were reading it!

5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
2🌶️🌶️

Interesting magic system! Loved the underdog aspect of the book and the FMCs personal growth. The FMC is great but you also fall in love with the supporting characters/her friends. The author did a great job getting you wrapped up into caring for everyone’s wellbeing. The love interest is like a sprinkle on top and does not overshadow the conflict/war that is the heart of the plot.

Thank you Angry Robot and Netgalley.

I'll be honest. This book is interesting. I don't think it glorifies or uses any excuses to make our FMC unlikeable or anything like that. However the story is just so different than what I expected. It feels so much more like a series of events. While that is what a book is. In this it feels more like an overarching series with multiple books. CM alongi still did an amazing job. It was enjoyable and interesting.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. (via Netgalley)

This is probably one you should check warnings on before starting as it may not be for everyone. This had so many things that I loved.. found family, Death as a character, interesting magic system. You also got to see Khana grow as a character throughout the story. I could have used a smidge more world building but overall, this was a good read.

Loved this book! I had such a hard time putting it down. If you like fantasy, you will enjoy this book. With magic, witches, and an evil emperor. There's friendship, trauma, healing, and found family. Can't wait to read something else by C. M. Alongi!!

Absolutely LOVED IT! I cannot rave enough about how phenomenal this book was. Not your normal witches vs. demons/gods book

Omg this book right here!!!! I rated it 5 stars because I couldn't give it more. The Witch who Trades with Death by C.M. Alongi is a masterpiece of a book!