A solid debut. A story where women gain magic powers through trauma. I enjoyed this book that explores themes such as patriarchy, religion, feminine rage, found family, ... I did not always like the pace of the story that dragged a bit in places

Thank you, NetGalley, for an ARC of this future novel.

I never expected to like this arc so much. I finished it in two sittings. It was good; the plot had a good flow. It was a bit predictable, but that's not a bad thing. Many are looking for books they can just enjoy without trying to guess the ending.

This is the first time I ever read the single parent trope and liked it; it was very well written. Beatrice was amazing, and so was Puck; he had that "I'm a parent, and I have no idea what I'm doing, but I'm trying" vibe.

Pru (Prudence) was a good main character, not too "I'm not like other girls" and not too boring either; she was panicky but in a good, understandable way.

I loved the way Taylor Hartley incorporated multiple historical settings in one book, and she did it in a way that didn't feel forced.

It was a good, fast-paced, I would say, palate cleanser. I would pick this up after reading a big doorstopper of a book, to keep myself from going into a reading slump.

This is a book that I was so sure would be a five star, it has everything I love in a book but for some reason I struggled with it just a bit.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book!

Prudence Merriweather is an ex-street-rat-turned-Duchess and a secret Hell Witch who accidentally kills her husband and has to flee so her brother-in-law doesn’t send her to the pyre. She was once given a mysterious gold card from another Hell Witch in case of emergencies. The only place, or person, she knows that’s safe enough to help her escape is Puck Reed, the lover she (quite literally) ran away from over a decade ago.

Puck Reed has been trying his best to raise and take care of his 8 year old daughter, Beatrice, whose seizures started after her mother died a year ago. One night he’s reminded of the ‘Ladies of Leora’ in the mountains somewhere who maybe probably might be able to help heal Beatrice. The same night, an old flame turns up in his shop covered in blood asking for his help to find a community of Hell Witches.

This book is very well written and I enjoyed every minute of it. The past relationships, the tension, I loved it all.
Pru is a great FMC who’s soft and fierce in all the right places. Puck is rough around the edges but in a comfortable cozy kinda way and, honestly, his barely brushed upon secret broke me a little bit if only because of how hard it must have been for him.

The world building was good and I always appreciate a story that includes scents and food! Makes the experience more immersive imo.
I am really entrigued to see how the story continues with Beatrice (I hope) as more of a main focus!

Thank you Alcove Press and NetGalley for letting me read this ARC early.

This is a good start to a new romantasy series! I was really drawn into this story from the beginning and the magic is a refreshing take on the norm. The ending was great and I absolutely cannot wait to see what happens next. I'm thinking Beatrice may be my favorite character and there is so much the author can do here and so much to build upon with her and I'm excited to follow along. I also liked the second chance romance angle with Prudence and Puck and I'm interested to see how that goes.

I am not quite sure how to rate this one because it's obvious that there is much I liked about it but there were also parts that I found redundant and could have been skipped. Overall I enjoyed this one and want to give it 3.5 stars but I'm rounding down to 3 for now.

Thank you NetGalley and Alcove Press for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a magical read for me. I enjoyed my time in this world. And romance was like a dance on the second song. I do like the way this was written and both the female and male character of the story.

DNF at 63%.

The book was promising, but feels like it needs a really good edit. It feels like the writing is still in a draft state. There were a couple instances where the reference to "her" was made more than once in the same sentence and it was unclear who which of the hers referred to who. Around page 169 of the PDF, there was a comma splice. The scene where Pru woke up from a nightmare and her sheets were soaked through, I stopped because I didn't know what her sheets were soaked with. Tears? Sweat? The image and characterization change depending on which. Basically, I was broken from the reading experience too many times and it just became a chore.

I also didn't connect with the characters unfortunately. I found Pru selfish. I liked Puck until he made the comment about the snake hell witch. I get that he probably meant it as a joke, but the ice was already thin for me, and that's your daughter!

The positives:
The author does have the ability to write evocative prose and shows a lot of promise. Some strict editing would help.
The story and premise was fresh and I think we need more books like this.

Song of the Hell Witch.... What. A. Book.
I wasn't sure what to expect going in and was seriously blown away.
The story brings the Romantasy genre to a whole new depth. The second- chance romance, with magical mystery, systemic oppression, and women's rights all tied into one heart-wrenching, deeply moving story.

The female characters were well developed and it was impossible to not find a connection to them...all of them main and side characters all had a story that was moving and inspirational.

The MMC is incredibly written and swoon-worthy, while still managing to be vulnerable and down-to-earth.

I was held captive with the lyrical, raw and emotional writing. Hartley was able to capture the depth of emotions and growth of all the very diverse characters.
I will be waiting impatiently for the story to continue as powerful as it was... I can feel it's just the beginning!

I absolutely love this romantasy. I really liked the workd building and the gothic setting. The characters had great development even just for a first book. That ending….. when is the next book?!

This had such a unique take on the current social circumstances regarding disempowerment/empowerment of women that I found myself wide-eyed fascinated the whole time. The characters are so easy to love and the journey they went through!!! Genuinely obsessed with this.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Alcove Press for the Arc!

I thought this was a wonderful, masterfully written book. The female rage aspect was my favorite part because of how well written it was, and I also thought the characters were deep, complicated and felt very real. Overall, I really enjoyed this book

I really enjoyed this dark fantasy packed with female rage, gorgeous writing and vivid world building. The characters are complex, the LGBTQ+ rep is great and our main characters feel real.

My only critique is with the pacing, I feel like it stagnated a little bit towards the middle. But I’ll definitely be reading the next book!

The chapters I read had a clinical case of exposition-itis, and minimal original takes on the “burn the witch” trope. I think the author needs to moderate her writing so there’s only one at a time.

Thank you so much for giving me this ARC NetGalley.
This book is haunting, gothic and mysterious.
It explores the trap of patriarchy, and how trauma can affect us. We have the epitome of female rage in Prudence who is flawed and fierce, and is a symbol of female power.
Although this is a fantasy world, it is impacting how the similarities match with the troubles of our world.
The LGBTQ representation in the book were my absolute favourites. We have a trans woman, and several queer characters and it’s very refreshing to see this.

The story avoided the usual romantasy tropes and I enjoyed its originalism.
I think for a debut fantasy this has delivered and more

This book was mind-blowing and just the most perfect dark fantasy. I read this in one sitting. The plot and world building was amazing, it really grabs the readers attention and keeps you entertained throughout the whole book.

The premise of this was compelling enough, but the execution felt a bit rough, like it could do with a bit more polishing, and maybe fleshing out some parts of it. I love character development, and this felt underdeveloped for sure. I hate one dimensional villains, which you certainly have here. The FMC and MMC are exes who are reunited, and we are told a lot of their backstory, rather than shown any of it. That makes it hard to feel sympathy for their relationship - I honestly didn't care if they got back together or not. And many of the minor characters were very much interchangeable figures.

There's a scene towards the end of the book, when they have all arrived safely at the manor they've been trying to get to. The FMC has wine with several of the other characters, and rather than write the conversation, the author tells us they talked of "everything and nothing" and then lists things like love affairs and potions and adventures. I read that scene and felt absolutely zero connection to all of the characters in i.

The book ends on a cliffhanger, but it's pretty obvious where this story is going. Not sure I'll continue with it.

This book captured my attention with it's themes of feminism, witches, and rekindled romance. And it did not disappoint!

It is a story of heartbreak and the war on women (and anyone different) by a patriarchal and religious society. It was a dark fantasy that is action pack and a fast moving pace. The ending isn't quite a cliff hanger, but definitely leaves you wanting the next book!

Thank you to #NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had trouble getting this to my tablet so read it on my computer..at work...quickly. It was that good. 4 Stars. Not to give anything away but this is an author to watch.

Premise:
Set in a world where women who have undergone certain traumas turn into "Hell Witches" and are then targeted and prosecuted by an opposing religion dominated by men. The story follows one such Hell Witch, an orphan and previous street thief, after she has ascended through society to become a duchess. An assassination attempt causes her to use her Hell Witch powers and accidentally kill her husband in the scuffle. She then must go on-the-run to escape the pyres and find a community of hell witches so she can live in peace. She solicits the help of an old flame from her street thieving days. He has since had a daughter who is also a Hell Witch but whose powers have turned on her and have made her sick. He agrees to help her escape to the community if she brings him and his daughter so she can be healed. The story follows their journey as they are chased by the religious fanatics and address past traumas of their own.

Review:
I really enjoyed the book. The characters were interesting, likable and realistic and went beyond the romance itself. I enjoyed the dialogue. The villains were infuriatingly evil. The plot was not overly complicated but moved at a good pace. The real journey was in the characters reflecting on and addressing their internal traumas so there isn't much to the plot in terms of their physical journey. Though I rather enjoyed that, I know it's not everyone's cup of tea. However, the book was still intriguing and I was definitely encouraged by the writing and story to see what happened next.

Overall, I encourage you to add to your TBR! Now more than ever, we need stories that encourage the solidarity between women and the showcase of hope that comes from fighting back against oppression.

I am so torn. I really loved the Prudence's character and the magic system, but ultimately it was the pacing that made this fall flat for me. I struggled to stay engaged in the story as I slogged through it.